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Red
750ml
Bottle: $19.17 $21.30
12 bottles: $17.52
A very ripe, jammy cabernet franc with sweet cherries, baked strawberries and licorice spices. Very rich and fruity...
JS
90
White
750ml
Bottle: $12.05
12 bottles: $11.81
COLOR: Clear pale yellow in colour, with greenish reflections. NOSE: Fresh and slightly fruity bouquet with delicate...
Red
750ml
Bottle: $21.92
6 bottles: $21.48
Our Maturana Tinta vines produce small clusters of grapes with high acidity and good resistance to vine diseases, all...
Red
750ml
Bottle: $12.57
12 bottles: $12.32
Colour: Intense bright red colour with violet reflections. Nose: Flavours of prune, tobacco and vanilla. Taste: Dry,...
White
750ml
Bottle: $12.94
12 bottles: $12.68
Made from 100% Garganega, the main grape variety in the Soave DOC. A bright, fresh wine with delicate almond blossom...
Red
750ml
Bottle: $109.93
6 bottles: $107.73
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Red
750ml
Bottle: $98.82
12 bottles: $96.84
Shows macerated black currant and blackberry notes, with dark charcoal and bay leaf lining the finish. This has good...
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WS
90
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Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $126.80 $141.10
This is sensational, characterized by such purity and beauty and with aromas of blackberries, dark chocolate,...
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WE
95
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $93.15 $103.50
This is a delicious and savory wine with beautiful, ripe and creamy tannins, as well as chocolate and plum character....
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JS
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DC
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Red
375ml
Bottle: $61.50
12 bottles: $60.27
Gorgeous perfumes of plums, berries, light chocolate and walnut follow through to a medium body, fine tannins and...
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95
DC
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Sale
Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $92.07 $99.00
Gorgeous perfumes of plums, berries, light chocolate and walnut follow through to a medium body, fine tannins and...
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JS
95
DC
94
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $88.56 $98.40
94-95 Savory black and salted-olive character with oyster shells and black licorice. Fine, almost powdery yet firm...
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Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $43.89 $46.20
12 bottles: $42.75
91-93 The second wine of this terrific estate, which has been playing with the stars of the appellation for several...
12 FREE
JD
93
DC
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Red
750ml
Bottle: $27.20
12 bottles: $24.70
A supple red marked by black currant, blackberry and fruitcake flavors. Spicy, with powdery tannins lining the...
Sale
Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $30.24 $33.60
100% Cabernet Franc from the Ampeleia di Sopra parcels at 450-600 meters above sea level. Vines were planted between...
Red
750ml
Bottle: $22.00
12 bottles: $21.56
Made from 100% Lledoner Negre, the local name for Garnacha in this part of Catalunya, Pla de Gates showcases the...
Red
750ml
Bottle: $27.94
12 bottles: $27.38
Named after the Sky God ‘for its light, ethereal qualities,’ unfiltered, Ouranus has a hazy plum hue, but lovely...
DC
93
Sale
Red
Red
750ml
Bottle: $65.82
12 bottles: $64.50
Once at the winery, the grapes undergo native fermentation with no added sulfites, resulting in a living wine that is...
12 FREE
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $44.46 $46.80
The 2020 Atalier Caíño was produced with ancient vines in the same place as Perez gets the Albariño. It has...
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WA
91

Cabernet Franc Garganega Mencia Nero D'avola Red Bordeaux

Cabernet Franc is not simply an important grape varietal for the fact that it is one of the most widely grown strains of vine in the world, but also because it is a vital grape in the production of many of the finest wines the world has ever seen. For centuries in its native France, it has been a varietal synonymous with elegance and high quality, and has become a key fruit in the production of the Bordeaux and Bordeaux-style blended wines which have gone down in history thanks to their magnificent flavors, aromas and levels of aged complexity. However, Cabernet Franc is also a wine grape varietal for use in single variety, unblended wines, and has plenty to offer on its own. Most commonly, it is renowned for its wide bouquet, which often includes fascinating notes of tobacco, violets or bell pepper over a beautifully pale and decadent liquid.

Italy is a fine country for white grape varietals, and white wines have been produced in this ancient country for thousands of years. One of the more popular varietals in the modern age is Garganega, which is currently the 5th most planted white grape across Italy. This grape is most closely associated with the Veneto region of Italy, although it is also grown in Sicily, where it is known as Grecanico Dorato. Garganega is a rigorous, hardy grape, which can grow in huge yields - explaining its popularity in the past. Today, winemakers must be careful to keep yields as low as possible, as this a varietal which can easily lose its distinctive characteristics and fine qualities when grown in bulk.


We know Garganega most commonly from the Soave wines which have been consistently popular over the past few decades. Indeed, the Soave Classico wines which still sell in large quantities across the globe are made from 70%-100% Garganega varietal grapes, and these wines showcase the varietal’s fresh and delicate qualities. The most common flavors present in Garganega wines are delicate, citrus notes, balanced by a hint of almond, and the best examples have remarkable balance and length, with wonderful aromatic notes.

Italy’s largest island, Sicily, has a wine producing history that can put most other European regions to shame. It was producing quality wines before the days of the Roman empire, and even the Ancient Greeks were not the first to cultivate vines on the island. For as long as anyone knows, the key grape varietal of Sicily has been Nero d’Avola, the beautiful, deep blue skinned grape which produces the region’s characterful, powerful red wines. While in the past, Nero d’Avola was mainly used as a blending grape, due to its deep color and intensely full body, it is today being increasingly celebrated as a single varietal wine grape, and is perfect for those who like their wines boisterous, loud and strong.



Nero d’Avola is grown pretty much everywhere on Sicily, as demand for wines made from this grape have never been higher. Despite its power and body, it is quite a versatile grape - it can be aged in oak barrels, which produces a dense and dark wine which puts its intense characteristics to good use, but it is also often drunk quite young, which allows its jammy, plummy character to come forward. It is also used to make rose wines in some appellations of Sicily, demonstrating a softer side to this otherwise heavy, deeply flavorful grape.

There are few regions in the world with stricter regulations in regards to wine production and grape varietals than those found in Bordeaux, France. Here, in the home of the world's finest wines, the type and quality of grapes used is of utmost importance, and the legendary wineries which work on the banks of the Gironde river have mastered the careful art of juice blending to find the perfect balance for their produce. Whilst there are six 'official' Bordeaux grapes, the two key varietals for almost every fine Bordeaux wine are Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, and with good reason. Whilst Cabernet Sauvignon grapes are renowned for their acidity and astringency, strong fruit and spice flavors and full body, Merlot grapes are notably rounded, soft, fleshy and lighter on tannin. The combination of these two varietals, along with a small percentage of (commonly) Petit Verdot or Cabernet Franc, is the perfect balancing act – the two grape varietals cancel out each others weaker points, and accentuate all that is good about the other.