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Pre-Arrival
Castello Dei Rampolla Merlot Liu' 2020
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$57.44
Now in its third vintage, the Castello dei Rampolla 2020 Liù is a fine and impeccably detailed wine. You taste...
Pre-Arrival
Castello Di Ama Vigna L'apparita 2008
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$166.95
One of the greatest Italian Merlots, the pedigree of L'Apparita is evident the minute you raise the glass to your...
Pre-Arrival
Castello Di Ama Vigna L'apparita 2010
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$237.70
Ama's 2010 L'Apparita is super-intriguing from the very first taste. With each passing vintage, it seems like...
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Castello Di Ama Vigna L'apparita 2013
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$157.95
The 2013 L’Apparita gets this tasting off to a very strong start. Fresh, perfumed and totally sensual, the 2013...
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Castello Di Ama Vigna L'apparita 2015
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$240.15
Ama's 2015 L'Apparita is shaping up to be phenomenal. That is the good news. But readers are going to have to give...
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Castello Di Ama Vigna L'apparita 2016
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$206.95
The 2016 L'Apparita, 100% Merlot, is a breathtaking, riveting wine that captures all the potential of the vintage. In...
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Castello Di Ama Vigna L'apparita 2017
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$164.95
Intense and exotic on the nose with blackberry, blueberry, violet and walnut aromas that follow through to a full...
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Castello Di Ama Vigna L'apparita 2018
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$211.21
The 2018 L'Apparita is a total stunner. Ama's 100% Merlot is usually a wine of bombastic intensity, but the 2018...
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Castello Di Ama Vigna L'apparita 2020
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$213.95
A viscous, salted licoricetinged red, with plum, earth and spice flavors. Reveals a solid grip of tannins lining the...
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Cotarella Sodale 2018
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$41.25
The Cotarella family was especially attracted to the idea of making Merlot in Lazio thanks to the volcanic soils...
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Cotarella Sodale 2019
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$38.30
The Famiglia Cotarella 2019 Merlot Sodale Cotarella sees the French grape panted in volcanic soils in the region of...
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Falesco Merlot Montiano 2018
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$95.69
A medium-to full-bodied red with aromas of spiced plums, cherries, anise, balsamic and sweet tobacco. Firm, creamy...
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Feudi Di San Gregorio Irpinia Patrimo 2013
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$83.54
This vintage really embodies the message and style that this great Campania Merlot aims to achieve. It stays true to...
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Frescobaldi Toscana Lamaione 2015
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$95.53
Perfumed and fresh aromas of violets, dark berries and hazelnuts follow through to a full-bodied, rich palate with...
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Le Macchiole Toscana Messorio 2010
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$206.95
A wine with great structure and muscular tone. It is full-bodied with chewy tannins that remain polished and very...
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Le Macchiole Toscana Messorio 2014
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$192.95
A little lean for Messorio but plenty of tobacco, cedar and berry character. Medium body, chewy tannins and a...
Coda Di Volpe Merlot Primitivo Italy 750ml
With its dark blue colored fruits and high juice content, Merlot varietal grapes have long been a favorite of wine producers around the globe, with it being found in vineyards across Europe, the Americas and elsewhere in the New World. One of the distinguishing features of Merlot grapes is the fact that they have a relatively low tannin content and an exceptionally soft and fleshy character, meaning they are capable of producing incredibly rounded and mellow wines. This mellowness is balanced with plenty of flavor, however, and has made Merlot grapes the varietal of choice for softening other, more astringent and tannin-heavy wines, often resulting in truly exceptional produce. Merlot is regarded as one of the key 'Bordeaux' varietals for precisely this reason; when combined with the drier Cabernet Sauvignon, it is capable of blending beautifully to produce some of the finest wines available in the world.
As with many European grape varietals, there is some debate regarding the precise origins of the Primitivo grape. Most people now agree that it probably came from Croatia, where it is still used widely in the production of red wine, and it known as Tribidrag. However, today it is a grape most commonly associated with the powerful red wines of Puglia, the heel of Italy’s boot, where the intense sunshine and brisk Mediterranean breezes produce grapes of remarkable character and balance. Primitivo is a dark grape, known for producing intense, inky, highly tannic wines, most notably the naturally sweet Dolce Naturale and the heavy and complex Primitivo di Manduria wines. Primitivo tends to be naturally very high in both tannin and alcohol, making it ideal for both barrel and cellar ageing, which brings out its more rounded and interesting features.
Primitivo is not the easiest grape to grow or manage, and it has had something of a difficult century. Indeed, by the 1990s, there was little interest in Puglian wines in general, and winemakers were neglecting their Primitivo vineyards and looking to other, more commercially viable varietals. However, the last decade has seen this grape come well and truly back into fashion, with new techniques and a heightened interest in native Italian grape varietals bringing Primitivo back into the spotlight. It is now widely loved for its intensity and ability to be paired with strongly flavored foods.
There are few countries in the world with a viticultural history as long or as illustrious as that claimed by Italy. Grapes were first being grown and cultivated on Italian soil several thousand years ago by the Greeks and the Pheonicians, who named Italy 'Oenotria' – the land of wines – so impressed were they with the climate and the suitability of the soil for wine production. Of course, it was the rise of the Roman Empire which had the most lasting influence on wine production in Italy, and their influence can still be felt today, as much of the riches of the empire came about through their enthusiasm for producing wines and exporting it to neighbouring countries. Since those times, a vast amount of Italian land has remained primarily for vine cultivation, and thousands of wineries can be found throughout the entire length and breadth of this beautiful country, drenched in Mediterranean sunshine and benefiting from the excellent fertile soils found there. Italy remains very much a 'land of wines', and one could not imagine this country, its landscape and culture, without it.