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Sale
Rapid Ship
Spirits
750ml
Bottle: $189.94 $249.88
Pours a lovely golden tawny with aromas of milk chocolate nougat, toasted honeycomb, candied orange, fresh cream, and...
12 FREE
UBC
93
Rapid Ship
Spirits
750ml
Bottle: $30.70
This golden-hued Bourbon calls to mind butterscotch hard candies, blondie bars, toasted coconut, and sweet cream on...
12 FREE
UBC
94
BTI
92
Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $9.99
Red plum, currants and cedar aromas with a touch of earthy goodness. This wine is medium to full-bodied and...
Sale
Spirits
750ml
Bottle: $56.49 $59.46
6 bottles: $50.77
The nose is somewhat tight at first, but opens to aromas of coffee cake, fruit cup, and faint notes of cherry,...
12 FREE
WKY
93
Rapid Ship
Spirits
750ml
Bottle: $34.78
Golden amber color. Aromas of hot cinnamon candies, milk chocolate, corn pops, maple syrup, and toast with a supple,...
12 FREE
BTI
92
WKY
90
Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $39.69
12 bottles: $38.90
Aromas of currants, cedar and violets follow through to a medium body and fine tannins with a lovely, light velvety...
12 FREE
VM
92
JS
92
Sale
Spirits
750ml
Bottle: $27.36 $28.80
12 bottles: $26.22
Adirondack High Rye Bourbon was distilled in a custom copper pot, and released at the end of July 2016. It was aged...
Sale
Spirits
750ml
Bottle: $29.54 $31.10
12 bottles: $28.41
This classic single barrel Bourbon is bold and complex with notes of vanilla, sweet fruit and warming spices.
Red
750ml
Bottle: $57.94
12 bottles: $56.78
From warm, fully south-facing vineyards near the township of Castelnuovo dell’Abate, Agostina Pieri’s 2018...
12 FREE
DC
92
WA
92
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $49.86 $52.00
12 bottles: $49.40
Overtones of vanilla give way to pungent fennel and sage. Belying Agostina Pieri’s warm, southerly location, the...
12 FREE
DC
91
Red
750ml
Bottle: $28.50
12 bottles: $27.93
The Pieri Rosso seeks for the best balance between tradition and modernity. There’s always precocious Sangiovese...
12 FREE
Case only
Red
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle: $33.16
A bold wine with impressive tannic structure. Ripe black fruit and dark berries on the nose with hints of roasted...
Sale
Rapid Ship
Spirits
750ml
Bottle: $44.73 $51.12
Mashed, fermented, distilled, aged, and bottled by the Albany Distilling Company. Made from grain grown in New York...
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $19.44 $21.60
12 bottles: $17.10
Beautiful, broad and plush, this structured but charming wine overflows with red fruits and baking spices, with a...
WE
93
DC
90
Red
375ml
Bottle: $13.22
12 bottles: $12.96
This wine impresses red wine lovers immediately with spicy aromas of cassis, black cherry, plum, vanilla, oak and...
Instore only
Red
5.0Ltr
Bottle: $19.94
Flavors of blackberry aromas and raspberry. Soft, medium-bodied wine with a smooth finish. Serve at room temperature.
Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $64.94
A concentrated bead of blackberries and minerals pervades the nose and palate. Medium-to full-bodied with...
12 FREE
JS
95
WA
94
Red
375ml
Bottle: $29.67
12 bottles: $29.08
This has fantastic intensity with concentrated hazelnut, chocolate and dark berry aromas alongside dried flower and...
12 FREE
JS
95
WA
93
Red
750ml
Bottle: $48.95
12 bottles: $47.97
This has fantastic intensity with concentrated hazelnut, chocolate and dark berry aromas alongside dried flower and...
12 FREE
JS
95
WA
93
Sale
Red
375ml
Bottle: $32.94 $35.20
12 bottles: $32.68
The Altesino 2019 Brunello di Montalcino boasts a rich and savory side that this wine wears very well. There is a...
WA
95
JD
95

Bourbon White Rhone Blends Merlot Mencia Sangiovese

Bourbon has survived all manner of difficulties and restrictions to become one of the world’s best selling and most recognizable spirits. This unique and distinctly American whiskey came from humble origins, allowing poor farmers in the fields of Pennsylvania and Maryland to make a living from their crops. Prohibition, temperance movements and conflict continuously threatened to wipe Bourbon from existence, but today the drink is stronger than ever and has a global audience of millions. Over time, it has become more refined, and innovation and experimentation has set modern Bourbon apart from other whiskey styles.

Today, the Bourbon heartland and spiritual home is in Kentucky, where the whiskey producers of northern states traveled to seek a new home, free from oppressive tax regimes in the early days. It is now far from the rough and ready spirit of yesteryear, governed by strict rules and regulations to maintain standards and keep quality high. Modern Bourbon must be made from a mash which is no less than 51% and no more than 80% corn (the rest of the mash being made from rye, wheat or barley), giving it a distinctive sweetness, and it must be aged in charred, white oak casks with no other added ingredient but water.

The varied flavors of different Bourbons come about mainly from the different quantities of the permitted grains in the mash. A larger proportion of rye will produce a spicy, peppery whiskey, whereas more wheat will result in a smoother, more subtle drink. Ageing and water quality, as well as the expertise and vision of the craftsmen who distill it, will also make a difference, meaning there is much more to Bourbon than might first meet the eye.

Viognier, an exotic, elusive varietal, originally comes from the Northern Rhone Valley of France, and has captured the fascination of the U.S. wine-drinking public. At its finest, it is full-bodied and nearly golden in color, with a haunting bouquet of peaches, apricots and pears, and a floral quality like no other wine in the world. Many vintners are trying their hand at this varietal, spreading from its American beginnings in Napa Valley and Santa Barbara County to wineries as far away as Virginia. Marsanne and Rousanne, two other important varieties from the Rhone Valley are making waves in the U.S., particularly on the Central Coast of California.

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.

The name of this grape, meaning 'blood of Jove' conjures up evocative images of long dead civilizations, and gives the Sangiovese varietal a sense of the holy, the sacred, the special. Indeed, this particular type of Italian grape has been cultivated and processed for thousands of years, and is said to be the original favorite grape varietal of the Romans, and the Etruscans before them. Throughout history, vintners have continued to plant this varietal, and they continue to produce wonderful wines to this day. The long bunches of very dark, round fruit are treasured by fine wineries in Italy and a few other places around the world, and when young, these grapes are lively – full of strawberry flavors and a little spiciness. However, it is when they are aged in oak that they take on some truly special flavors and aromas, as seen in some of the finest wines of the Old World.