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Red
750ml
Bottle: $16.15
12 bottles: $15.83
Appearance: Luminous, deep ruby red, with purplish rim. Bouquet: Fruity aromas of dark cherry, wild cherry, red...
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Spirits
750ml
Bottle: $223.15 $234.89
Delicate vanilla and apricot perfume this Cognac. The palate is more forward, showing mouthwatering butterscotch,...
12 FREE
WE
92
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $23.94 $25.20
12 bottles: $22.80
A wine that is full expression of the potential of Apulian nature, the Rosso dei Vespa combines the traditional...
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Red
750ml
Bottle: $13.93 $15.34
Color : Ruby red with delicate garnet undertones. Nose : The minerality of the nose creates a delicate combination...
Case only
Red
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle: $18.80
Color: Ruby red very intense with purple reflexes. Bouquet: Strong and distinctive with sensations of sour cherry...
Case only
Red
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle: $28.40
Color: Dark ruby red with violet highlights that, after ageing, turn on garnet red. Bouquet: Intense, resolute but...
12 FREE
Case only
Red
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle: $14.26
Color: Ruby red very intense with purple reflexes. Bouquet: Strong and distinctive with sensations of spice and ripe...
Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $34.90
Very intense and elegant ruby red colour; broad and complex fruity fragrance with hints of plum, cherry jam and...
12 FREE
Red
1.5Ltr
Bottle: $71.40
3 bottles: $69.97
Ripe crunchy red forest fruits with notes of candied dark cherries. Rich and bold, with juicy tannins. (Bronze) -...
DC
89
Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $24.94
Ripe crunchy red forest fruits with notes of candied dark cherries. Rich and bold, with juicy tannins. (Bronze) -...
DC
89
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $11.54 $12.57
Deep ruby red with violet reflections; intense fruity bouquet with notes of plum and cherry, hints of Mediterranean...
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White
750ml
Bottle: $11.94 $13.43
Herbal and citrus fruit dominate the nose, of lime, lime, orange blossom, mint, and sage. A rIcher palate with...
DC
89
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $12.48 $13.87
Broad, ripe black fruit and spice aromas, with notes of pepper, toasty vanilla and Mediterranean scrub. On the...
White
375ml
Bottle: $12.50
12 bottles: $12.25
This refreshing wine has a zesty character, with crisp acidity and green herbal fruit notes. Drink now. (Best Buy)
WE
89
Sale
White
750ml
Bottle: $14.94 $16.25
12 bottles: $14.25
This refreshing wine has a zesty character, with crisp acidity and green herbal fruit notes. Drink now. (Best Buy)
WE
89
White
750ml
Bottle: $32.94
A very pretty white with sliced-apple, praline and vanilla aromas and flavors that follow through to a full body with...
12 FREE
JS
93
Sale
White
750ml
Bottle: $36.18 $40.20
12 bottles: $32.98
92-94 The 2021 Carbonnieux Blanc has a relatively spicy bouquet, very slight touches of muscat filtering through the...
VM
94
JS
92
White
375ml
Bottle: $25.70
12 bottles: $25.19
Very Carbonnieux with apple and oyster shell character as well as a medium to full body and a delicious finish. Well...
JS
94
DC
93
Rapid Ship
White
750ml
Bottle: $44.95
12 bottles: $44.05
Very Carbonnieux with apple and oyster shell character as well as a medium to full body and a delicious finish. Well...
12 FREE
JS
94
DC
93
Sale
White
750ml
Bottle: $17.89 $19.20
12 bottles: $17.53
91-92 A solid white from Graves with dried lemon, cloves and other spices. Medium body. Plenty of character and a...
JS
92
JD
92

Cognac Mencia Primitivo White Bordeaux

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.

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.

France is widely known as being the home of many of the world's finest white wines, and within France, the name which rings out across the wine world and is always associated with excellence of quality and flavor is Bordeaux. The white wines of the magnificent Bordeaux region are typically blended, and rely on the winemaker's skill and expertise to achieve the fine balance between the primary grape varietals used. Most blended white Bordeaux wines are made up of Sauvignon Blanc, Sémillon and Muscadelle varietals, although there are actually nine grapes officially allowed by French wine law for the inclusion in Bordeaux white wines. The other six are Sauvignon Gris, Merlot Blanc, Ugni Blanc, Colombard, Ondenc and Mauzac, although the use of these other grapes has been in steady decline over the past century.