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Sale
Spirits
700ml
Bottle: $44.87 $47.23
6 bottles: $41.83
Familiar American oak aromas of toasted coconut, dill, and baking spices seamlessly intertwine with notes of creme...
12 FREE
WE
93
UBC
93
Sale
Spirits
700ml
Bottle: $44.45 $46.79
This golden-hued brandy offers an opulent bouquet of toasted oak, crushed lily petals, meringue, and orange balm....
12 FREE
UBC
95
Sale
Spirits
700ml
Bottle: $111.42 $117.28
6 bottles: $107.26
Fresh green table grapes and peach pit are fruity and earthy on the nose. A suggestion of sweetness in the mouth...
12 FREE
UBC
95
Spirits
750ml
Bottle: $70.98
12 bottles: $66.68
90-95 Nice nutty aromas countered with subtle notes of tropical fruit. Palate entry features roasted tastes of...
12 FREE
WE
95
UBC
92
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $12.36 $13.01
12 bottles: $8.08
Our Merlot is garnet in color with flavors of black cherry on the palate. Soft and smooth.
Instore only
Red
187ml
Bottle: $6.99
Bright cherry, ripe plum, milk chocolate, red apple, and vanilla bean flavors combine for this wine’s decadent...
UBC
90
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $11.94 $12.57
12 bottles: $9.51
Bright cherry, ripe plum, milk chocolate, red apple, and vanilla bean flavors combine for this wine’s decadent...
UBC
90
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $15.94 $16.66
12 bottles: $15.83
• 100% Merlot. • Sourced from four vineyards in the Yakima Valley, Red Mountain and Columbia Valleys. • Sees...
Case only
Red
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle: $68.93
Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2021 Merlot bursts with notes of baked black plums, boysenberry preserves, and black...
12 FREE
JS
92
WA
91
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $16.71 $17.59
12 bottles: $11.88
Flavors of rich, ripe cherries and plums are enriched by the smooth, deep, well-structured background. A beautifully...
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $68.94 $73.20
Rated 97 - This Barone Ricasoli 2018 Casalferro is a selection of the best Merlot from three different vineyards with...
12 FREE
WNR
97
JS
95
Red
750ml
Bottle: $79.94
6 bottles: $78.34
A rich, dark expression of Merlot, this red walks the line between austerity and generosity, the latter gaining...
12 FREE
WS
93
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $14.64 $15.41
12 bottles: $11.52
Brilliant garnet red color. The nose reveals nice aromas of ripe fruits (strawberry, blackberry) with delicate coffee...
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $23.94 $25.20
12 bottles: $20.52
The Saint Emilion is bright red with purple highlights. The very fruity aroma of cherries and raspberries is also...
Sale
Spirits
750ml
Bottle: $28.10 $29.58
12 bottles: $23.37
Red
750ml
Bottle: $14.30
12 bottles: $14.01
100% Merlot from 18-year-old vines. The vineyards are sustainably farmed and indigeonous yeasts are used for...
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $11.94 $12.57
12 bottles: $9.51
The wine is a blend of 85% Merlot with its fresh fruit floral character and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon to give the wine...
Sale
Red
1.5Ltr
Bottle: $28.84 $30.36
6 bottles: $19.20
The Beringer Founders’ Estate Merlot is immediately approachable with lush flavors of blueberry, blackberry and...
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $14.34 $15.10
12 bottles: $12.37
The Beringer Founders’ Estate Merlot is immediately approachable with lush flavors of blueberry, blackberry and...
Sale
Red
1.5Ltr
Bottle: $25.81 $27.17
6 bottles: $16.68
The Basics Ripe plum and currant flavors are immediately evident in its aromas and flavors. The Taste A sweet,...

Cognac Merlot Mencia Tequila

For over three hundred years, Cognac has enjoyed its reputation as the king of brandies. Indeed, it is widely regarded as the finest drink to be distilled from grapes to be found anywhere in the world, and it is a testament to its producers and the master craftsmen who make it that this reputation has never faltered, and remains as strong as ever to this day.

Cognac is produced solely in the beautiful towns of Cognac and Jarnac, found about fifty miles north of Bordeaux, on the west coast of France. Here, around six thousand grape growers work exclusively in the production of white wine, used for the Cognac distilleries which are scattered throughout the region. The wines are made primarily from the Ugni Blanc or Trebbiano grape - one of the most commonly planted grape varietals in the world - which benefit from the cool, coastal climate and mineral rich soils which are found there. The wines themselves wouldn’t be suitable for drinking in themselves, as they are high in acid and low in alcohol, but this makes them ideal for distillation, and they can impart their wonderful, complex, rich flavors to the brandy.

Cognac varies quite significantly from bottle to bottle, depending on how long it has been aged for, and which appellation it comes from. The Cognac region is split into six separate Crus, all with their own distinctive characteristics, and the spirit can be aged from two years (VS) to six (Hors d’Age and Napoleon) and longer.

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.

Tequila is probably Mexico’s greatest gift to the world of fine spirits, and is also possibly one of the most underestimated and misunderstood drinks in the world. Widely used for shots and slammers, and more often than not associated with parties and hangovers, Tequila is in fact a wonderful drink full of subtleties and expression of terroir, that is highly rewarding for those who look into its finer points.

One of the special things about Tequila is the fact that it is capable of expressing the fine nuances and subtle notes of its raw material, far more so than other, similar spirits. That raw material is, of course, the Blue Agave - not a cactus, as is commonly believed, but rather a succulent quite like a lily, which grows in the deserts of Mexico mainly around the province of Jalisco. The Blue Agave takes a decade to mature, and during those ten years, it takes in many of the features of its surroundings, just like a grapevine would. This is why Tequila varies in flavor and aroma from region to region, from the earthier Tequilas of the lowlands, to the more delicate and floral examples from areas of a higher altitude.

The picking and peeling of the spiky Agave, and the distillation process of Tequila is a complicated one, and one which is carried out with enormous skill by the jimadors and master craftsmen who produce the spirit. Steam cooking of the body of the plant is followed by crushing, then fermentation and distillation completes the process. The end product is categorized according to whether or not it is made with pure (‘puro’) agave, or blended with other sugars, and according to how long the spirit is aged for.