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Pre-Arrival
Avignonesi Cortona Merlot Desiderio 1997
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$109.01
Intense, deep red in colour, Desiderio 1997 reveals inviting notes of sweet cherries and raspberries, rose petals and...
Pre-Arrival
Avignonesi Cortona Merlot Desiderio 1998
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$102.29
Intense, deep red in colour, Desiderio 1998 reveals inviting notes of sweet cherries and raspberries, rose petals and...
Pre-Arrival
Barone Ricasoli Toscana Merlot Casalferro 2015
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$57.95
Blackberries, blackcurrants, dark plums, Chinese spices and hints of vanilla. Full body, incredibly structured...
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$72.12
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$72.62
Pre-Arrival
Castello Dei Rampolla Merlot Liu' 2020
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$57.62
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:
$165.95
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 2011
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$238.40
A deep and beautiful red with ripe berry, plum and orange peel character. Almost exotic in style. Full body,...
Pre-Arrival
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...
Pre-Arrival
Castello Di Ama Vigna L'apparita 2016
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$221.95
The 2016 L'Apparita, 100% Merlot, is a breathtaking, riveting wine that captures all the potential of the vintage. In...
Pre-Arrival
Castello Di Ama Vigna L'apparita 2017
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$165.95
Intense and exotic on the nose with blackberry, blueberry, violet and walnut aromas that follow through to a full...
Pre-Arrival
Castello Di Ama Vigna L'apparita 2018
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$210.76
The 2018 L'Apparita is a total stunner. Ama's 100% Merlot is usually a wine of bombastic intensity, but the 2018...
Pre-Arrival
Castello Di Ama Vigna L'apparita 2019
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$242.95
The 2019 L'Apparita is incredibly powerful in this vintage. Huge searing tannins wrap around a core of dark-fleshed...
Pre-Arrival
Castello Di Ama Vigna L'apparita 2020
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$227.95
A viscous, salted licoricetinged red, with plum, earth and spice flavors. Reveals a solid grip of tannins lining the...
Pre-Arrival
Chateau Laroque Saint Emilion Grand Cru 2016
1.5Ltr - Case of 6
Bottle:
$79.53
The 2016 Laroque is blended of 95% Merlot, 4.5% Cabernet Franc and 0.5% Cabernet Sauvignon from vines more than 50...
Pre-Arrival
Chateau Laroque Saint Emilion Grand Cru 2016
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$41.41
The 2016 Laroque is blended of 95% Merlot, 4.5% Cabernet Franc and 0.5% Cabernet Sauvignon from vines more than 50...
Pre-Arrival
Chateau Laroque Saint Emilion Grand Cru 2017
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$54.12
Composed of 99% Merlot and 1% Cabernet Franc, the 2017 Laroque sports a deep garnet-purple color and is redolent of...
Pre-Arrival
Chateau Laroque Saint Emilion Grand Cru 2018
1.5Ltr - Case of 6
Bottle:
$103.40
This estate is in a cool, limestone terroir on the eastern side of Saint- Emilion, and it's been firing on all...
Pre-Arrival
Chateau Laroque Saint Emilion Grand Cru 2018
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$37.53
This estate is in a cool, limestone terroir on the eastern side of Saint- Emilion, and it's been firing on all...
Red Merlot Primitivo Pre-Arrival Wine
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.