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Pre-Arrival
Alpasion Chardonnay Grand 2021
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$131.08
The 2021 Chardonnay Grand Alpasión from the Uco Valley was aged for 12 months in barrels. Yellow in the glass. The...
Pre-Arrival
Bachelet-Monnot Batard Montrachet Grand Cru 2021
750ml - Case of 3
Bottle:
$792.49
The 2021 Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru, which is one of the first picked to capture the acidity, comprises just one...
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$48.67
Pre-Arrival
Bachelet-Monnot Puligny Montrachet 2021
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$111.30
The 2021 Puligny-Montrachet Village has a strict, petrichor/wet limestone-scented bouquet, focused but not powerful....
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$97.61
The austere and tight 2021 Selección de Parcelas Los Primos Chardonnay feels very young. It was harvested the second...
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$143.95
750ml - Case of 3
Bottle:
$157.08
Chardonnay Primitivo Semillon 2021 Pre-Arrival Wine
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.
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.
Semillon was, at one point not so long ago, widely believed to be one of the most grown grape varietals in the world. Whilst today the numbers of Semillon grapes has dropped considerably, it remains a widely planted grape with vineyards all over Europe and the New World dedicated to making the most of this special and flavorful varietal. The grapes are recognizable by their golden color, and the fact that they can take on a pinkish hue in particularly warm climates. The wines the Semillon grape produces are notably varied, and are often very crisp and dry, or sweet and soft, full of a wide range of flavors Commonly, dry Semillon wines are particularly citrus in flavor, with a delicate and summery bouquet. The vine is hardy and vigorous, and notable for being easy to grow and produce high yields from.