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750ml
Bottle:
$12.99
Anyone who has ever seen photographs of the steep slopes of Ribeira Sacra will wonder how it is possible to produce a...
750ml
Bottle:
$11.25
$12.50
12 bottles:
$10.45
Macerated and fermented for 10 days in stainless steel tanks at controlled temperatures; aged sur lie for 6 months...
750ml
Bottle:
$20.95
The 2020 A Merced was produced with grapes from north-facing vineyards in Ponferrada on slate and quartz soils. It...
750ml
Bottle:
$31.95
12 bottles:
$31.31
The 2021 A Merced is surprisingly a little higher in alcohol than the 2020 I tasted next to it, despite the much...
750ml
Bottle:
$21.94
12 bottles:
$21.50
Sourced from several parcels wityh vines that are at least 50 years old, the blend is 90% Mencia and 10% “other”...
750ml
Bottle:
$22.94
12 bottles:
$22.48
Mencia from 25 year-old vines of Somers Vineyard in Lodi. All organically farmed and hand harvested fruit. 100% whole...
750ml
Bottle:
$27.95
12 bottles:
$27.39
This lovely Xarel-lo comes from one of its best terroirs in the Alt Penedés. Ramón Porera works here with two...
750ml
Bottle:
$21.95
12 bottles:
$21.51
100% Xarel-lo. Vines are grown in chalk and clay soils from the Sant Pere and Canyes vineyards. Grapes are farmed...
750ml - Case of 3
Bottle:
$78.00
Cherry red with picota rim, medium-high layer. It is intense on the nose, loaded with red and black fruit, balsamic...
750ml
Bottle:
$19.38
$20.40
Intensive Red color with violets hints. On nose it is extremely fresh. Red fruits such as berries and wild berries;...
Pre-Arrival
Benanti Etna Bianco Pietramarina Superiore 2016
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$521.95
This definitive wine of pure Carricante is given extensive contact on the lees, without wood, taking its structure...
Pre-Arrival
Benanti Etna Bianco Pietramarina Superiore 2017
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$351.75
A lovely nose of fresh flowers, lemon grass, blood orange, baked pear and toasted thyme. Medium-bodied with plenty of...
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$315.95
Lemon, pineapple and confected fruit on the nose. Lots of lime. It’s dry and light-bodied with a blanched-almond...
750ml - Case of 3
Bottle:
$1309.03
The 2019 La Faraona comes from the vineyard called El Ferro in the village of Corullón, 0.55 hectares on very steep...
750ml - Case of 3
Bottle:
$1186.41
The pale and delicate 2020 La Faraona is the lowest in alcohol at 13.5% and is more reductive than its...
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$120.95
Deep, bright-hued ruby. Powerful, spice-accented aromas of red berry liqueur, cherry pit, rose oil and incense, with...
Carricante Mavrodaphne Mencia Xarel-lo
In the Archaea region, high in the Northern Peloponnese mountains, the predominant grape varietal grown is the prized Mavrodaphne. Meaning 'Black Laurel', the Mavrodaphne grapes have extremely dark skins, and ripen slowly under the Greek sunshine, helped by the mineral rich soils the vines thrive in. This grape varietal is mostly used to produce the opaque, inky fortified wine of the same name, which is popular all over Greece and elsewhere in the world. This fortified wine allows the grapes to really show off their complex and fascinating flavors, which range from a rich marzipan to flavors of bitter chocolate, sweet coffee, dried figs and prunes, as well as plenty of jammy fruit notes.
Mavrodaphne is produced in a traditional method which involves leaving the grape juice exposed to the sun in large vats, before having its fermentation halted by the addition of various distillates taken from previous successful vintages. This mixture contains plenty of residual sugar, which gives the end result its characteristic sticky sweetness, and also helps with the next fermentation process, which typically takes place in large underground cellars. The final product is a heady drink, absolutely bursting with unusual, rich and sweet flavors and carried in a dark and slightly viscous Port-like liquid.
Mavrodaphne grapes are also used for the production of still red wines, but are generally blended with varietals such as Agiorgitiko or imported grapes like Cabernet Sauvignon. Mavrodaphne grapes are excellent for mellowing more acidic varieties, and producing deliciously rounded wines, which have taken the international market by storm in recent decades.
Additional Information on Greek Wines
Greek Wines
Ancient Greek Wines – A Brief History of Wine in Greece
The Myth of Dionysus, Greek God of Wine
What is Retsina?