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White
750ml
Bottle: $43.94
6 bottles: $43.06
Grapefruit pith, flint, roasted almonds and toasted lemons here. It’s medium-bodied, flinty and gently toasty with...
12 FREE
JS
92
WS
91
Sale
Rapid Ship
White
750ml
Bottle: $40.95 $46.80
The 2017 Chardonnay Sangiacomo Vineyards opens with aromas of lemon meringue, popcorn, banana chip and stone fruits...
WA
89
WS
88
White
750ml
Bottle: $49.20
12 bottles: $48.22
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Case only
Spirits
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $55.80
Aromas of roasted agave and lime with delicate floral notes and bright sweet citrus. The palate is fresh and smooth...
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Case only
Spirits
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $62.10
An intense aroma of lemon leaf, pear, pineapple, and vanilla with deep notes of brioche and honey. Smooth flavors of...
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White
750ml
Bottle: $71.10
12 bottles: $69.68
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White
750ml
Bottle: $42.80
12 bottles: $41.94
Intense nose of fresh green fruit – apple, pear – and white flowers and fennel. Mineral with a refreshing acidity.
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Case only
Spirits
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $45.60
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White
750ml
Bottle: $19.43 $21.59
12 bottles: $17.80
With a pale silver straw appearance, the 2021 Chardonnay Alexander Valley has soft, fragrant aromas of white peach,...
JD
89
Sale
Spirits
750ml
Bottle: $52.72 $55.50
12 bottles: $51.59
Nose: Vanilla, banana, honey, caramel, and orange zest. Palate: Banana, vanilla, cooked agave, oak, and baking spice....
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Spirits
750ml
Bottle: $44.40 $46.74
12 bottles: $43.26
Nose: Cooked agave, orange zest, honey, cucumber, sea salt, and pepper. Palate: Citrus-forward, floral, cooked agave,...
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Instore only
White
5.0Ltr
Bottle: $19.94
Dry white wine with flavors of apple and pear. A crisp wine with a clean finish. Semi-dry and medium-bodied.
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White
750ml
Bottle: $65.89 $66.79
Deep nose with a sharp mineral overtone to the complex aromas of white sesame, praline, grilled spices and roasted...
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JS
94
WS
93
White
750ml
Bottle: $19.94
12 bottles: $19.54
12 FREE
White
750ml
Bottle: $26.40
Chopped apples, fresh pears, hints of smoke and nougat on the nose. Creamy and full-bodied, balanced by vibrant...
JS
90
White
750ml
Bottle: $13.94
12 bottles: $13.66
Made from 100% Chardonnay, half of which was fermented in oak giving lovely depth and complexity.
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White
750ml
Bottle: $28.64
12 bottles: $28.07
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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...
12 FREE
WS
90
JS
90
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $139.94 $141.10
This is sensational, characterized by such purity and beauty and with aromas of blackberries, dark chocolate,...
12 FREE
JS
96
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....
12 FREE
JS
94
DC
93

Chardonnay Mencia Red Bordeaux Tequila

Of all the white wine grape varietals, surely the one which has spread the furthest and is most widely appreciated is the Chardonnay. This green skinned grape is now grown all over the Old and New Worlds, from New Zealand to the Americas, from England to Chile, and is one of the first varietals people think of when considering white wine grapes. Perhaps this is because of its huge popularity which reached a peak in the 1990s, thanks to new technologies combining with traditional methods to bring the very best features out of the Chardonnay grape, and allow its unique qualities to shine through. Most fine Chardonnay wines use a process known as malolactic fermentation, wherein the malic acids in the grape juice are converted to lactic acids, allowing a creamier, buttery nature to come forward in the wine. No grape varietal is better suited to this process than Chardonnay, which manages to balance these silky, creamy notes with fresh white fruit flavors beautifully.

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.

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.