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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...
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
Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $9.94
This full-bodied, hardy red maintains an element of freshness throughout. An underlying herbaceous and earthy tone...
WE
88
Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $12.99
A brilliant crimson hue in the glass hints at this Merlot’s generous palate of rich, ripe red fruit. Notes of...
Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $10.99
Wonderfully aromatic and fruity, blending silky flavors of blackberry, cherry, and blackcurrant.
Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $6.99
With a soft and elegant mouthfeel, this wine has deep flavors of rich cherries and jammy blackberries, followed by...
Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $37.80
12 bottles: $37.04
The 2020 Laroque is even better than the en primeur sample. Dark and enveloping, with tons of class, Laroque is a...
12 FREE
VM
96
JD
95
Sale
Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $10.45 $11.00
Chateau Souverain Merlot opens with dark red fruit aromas reminiscent of black cherry, plum, and fresh blueberries...
Sale
Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $10.45 $11.00
This medium-bodied Merlot delivers aromas of spice, plum and blackberry with the perfect balance of earth, cocoa and...
Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $23.90
12 bottles: $23.42
This vibrant and alluring Merlot draws you in with fragrances of ripe raspberry, Bing cherry and red currant, as well...
Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $10.94
This Merlot opens with aromas of blueberry, subtle spice and rose petals with hints of cocoa. Balanced in style, this...
Sale
Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $46.87 $50.40
A well-rounded, velvety and flavorful merlot with dark cherries, grilled bell peppers and some baking spices. Supple...
12 FREE
JS
93
Sale
Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $17.85 $20.40
A vibrant Merlot that's a pleasure to drink, featuring snappy red currant and cherry flavors accented by grilled...
WS
90
Sale
Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $8.40 $12.00
COLOR: Bright purple with little to no meniscus. Clear. Opaque. NOSE: Bing cherries with a hint of eucalyptus and...
Rapid Ship
Spirits
700ml
Bottle: $1199.94
This blended whisky is an ideal sipper, with an enticing crème brûlèe and dried apricot scents. Those notes are...
12 FREE
WE
95
WKY
93
Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $12.94
Our Merlot, created in a Bordeaux style blend, offers rich plum and black cherry flavors, accented by savory spices...
Sale
Rapid Ship
Spirits
750ml
Bottle: $100.70 $106.00
Kaiy? whisky is matured in the finest Japanese Mizunara oak casks. These casks are handmade due to Mizunara oak’s...
12 FREE
Sale
Rapid Ship
Spirits
750ml
Bottle: $78.17 $82.28
This was aged in Japan's rare Mizunara oak for the entirety of its maturation, which includes three-month ocean...
12 FREE
WE
91
WKY
90
Sale
Rapid Ship
Spirits
750ml
Bottle: $99.75 $105.00
12 FREE
Sale
Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $17.06 $18.34
Delivers dried cherry and red currant flavors, which are framed by sinewy tannins on the firm finish. Best after...

White Rhone Blends Japanese Whiskey Merlot Mencia Rapid Ship

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.

Whisky might not be the first thing that springs to mind when we think of Japanese fine produce, but over the past one hundred years, this fascinating and multi-faceted country has diligently forged a unique whisky identity which is growing in popularity, and which is entirely its own.

The story of Japanese whisky begins in 1918, when Masataka Taketsuru was sent to Scotland to undertake a tour of single malt distilleries in the Highlands, and bring home a knowledge of whisky and distillation skills. He returned full of inspiration, helped no doubt by his new Scottish wife, and alongside his friend, Shinjiro Torii, set up what would become a successful whisky industry.

Today, the Japanese whisky industry is spread over a relatively small handful of distilleries, which continue to use Scottish techniques and recipes, but with a hefty dose of distinctly Japanese experimentalism. This is displayed most obviously in the barrelling techniques the Japanese use - to create a distinctly Oriental set of tasting notes, native Japanese oakwood casks are used for ageing, alongside casks taken from plum wine producers, which impart a beautiful set of floral flavors to the whisky.

While some distilleries produce some excellent single malts, the majority of Japanese whiskies are blended, which reveals a unique set of flavors and aromas ranging from honeysuckle and orange blossom, to toffee and acetone.

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.