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Pre-Arrival
Chateau Ausone Saint Emilion Grand Cru 2003
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle:
$1032.44
Amazing! The limestone soils of Ausone appear to have been the perfect foil for resisting the extreme heat and...
Pre-Arrival
Chateau Calon Segur Saint Estephe 2003
1.5Ltr - Case of 3
Bottle:
$362.53
Loads of crushed berries, with mineral, lightly toasted oak and licorice. Full-bodied, with big, velvety tannins and...
Pre-Arrival
Chateau Calon Segur Saint Estephe 2003
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle:
$167.55
Loads of crushed berries, with mineral, lightly toasted oak and licorice. Full-bodied, with big, velvety tannins and...
Pre-Arrival
Chateau Calon Segur Saint Estephe 2003
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$180.72
Loads of crushed berries, with mineral, lightly toasted oak and licorice. Full-bodied, with big, velvety tannins and...
Pre-Arrival
Chateau Cantemerle Haut Medoc 2003
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle:
$60.61
This is a ripe, complete wine, full of black fruits, spicy wood and solid tannins. Over five-10 years, it will...
Pre-Arrival
Chateau Clinet Pomerol 2003
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle:
$118.12
Loads of blackberry, toasted oak and chocolate here. Full-bodied, with chewy tannins and lots of fruit. This is a...
Pre-Arrival
Chateau Cos D'estournel Saint Estephe 2003
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle:
$224.53
A dense and powerful wine as always with very ripe fruit yet an underlying freshness and complexity with tobacco,...
Pre-Arrival
Chateau Cos D'estournel Saint Estephe 2003
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$316.37
A dense and powerful wine as always with very ripe fruit yet an underlying freshness and complexity with tobacco,...
Pre-Arrival
Chateau D'armailhac Pauillac 2003
1.5Ltr - Case of 6
Bottle:
$188.68
Very fruity with strawberry and currants on the nose. Full bodied, with silky tannins and a long, fruity finish....
Pre-Arrival
Chateau D'issan Margaux 2003
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle:
$111.95
A beautiful red with blackberries, flowers and chocolate. Full body, velvety tannins and a flavorful finish. Sous...
Pre-Arrival
Chateau Du Tertre Margaux 2003
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle:
$72.70
At 33% Cab Franc, this is atypical of the Left Bank but not for du Tertre, which is blessed with high-quality, old...
Pre-Arrival
Chateau Ducru-Beaucaillou Saint Julien 2003
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle:
$207.31
Lots of aromas of roasted fruit, such as blueberries and raisins, and spices. It has full body with plenty of velvety...
Pre-Arrival
Chateau Faugeres Saint Emilion Grand Cru 2003
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle:
$45.00
As I reported last year, this is an atypically powerful, blockbuster Faugeres. The proprietor, Madame Guisez, has hit...
Pre-Arrival
Chateau Figeac Saint Emilion Grand Cru 2003
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$334.31
This has a roasted, grippy-edged feel, with plum skin and licorice root notes framing the core of blackberry, fig and...
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle:
$39.27
Stephane Derenoncourt is the winemaking consultant behind this terrific, bargain-priced sleeper of the vintage. The...
Pre-Arrival
Chateau Gruaud Larose Saint Julien 2003
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$93.70
Aromas of blackberry, toasted oak, sweet tobacco and espresso. Full-bodied, with velvety tannins and a long, fruity...
Pre-Arrival
Chateau Haut Brion Pessac Leognan Rouge 2003
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$524.95
95-97 Restrained power combine with great style and elegance in this beautiful wine. The tannins are certainly solid...
Pre-Arrival
Chateau Haut Brion Pessac Leognan Rouge 2003
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle:
$686.26
95-97 Restrained power combine with great style and elegance in this beautiful wine. The tannins are certainly solid...
Aglianico Gamay Mourvedre Red Bordeaux 2003 Pre-Arrival Wine
Aglianico is a black skinned grape most commonly associated with the exquisite wines of the Campania region of Italy. It thrives most happily in hot and dry climates, and as such, has had plenty of success in the New World, particularly in the United States, where it is used to great effect in many red wines. It was believed to come from Greece several thousand years ago, brought by Pheonician tradesman, and was wildly popular in Roman times, when it was used in the finest wines made by the Roman empire. Aglianico grapes produce full bodied red wines which have a high tannin and acid content. As such, it has excellent ageing potential, and with a standard amount of time in a barrel, it rounds out and mellows to produce beautifully balanced wines.
The French wines of Beaujolais are widely regarded as some of the finest table wines in the world. This is due in part to the qualities of the Gamay grape, from which they are made. Gamay produces beautifully, juicy, rounded and gulpable red wines, usually drank young and full of their natural fruit character. However, it would be a mistake to say that Gamay is limited to easy-drinking, soft wines - it’s a highly flexible and versatile grape, capable of producing aged wines of serious complexity and structure, full of expression and fascinating characteristics.
The majority of Gamay wines from France are labeled under Beaujolais Villages or Beaujolais, and these are the standard table wines we’re used to seeing in French restaurants, at bistros, and at our local wine store. Usually great value for money, these are the light, slightly acidic examples of what the grape can do. Far more interesting are those Gamay wines from the 10 cru villages, just north of Beaujolais, where generations of expertise and a unique soil type made up of granitic schist result in far more unique, complicated wines. The best examples of Gamay feature intense aromatics, all black fruit and forest fare, and are worth cellaring for a few years.
Mourvèdre is a fascinating and ancient grape varietal, thought to have been introduced to Spain by the ancient Phoenicians over two thousand years ago. Since then, it has found a home in many regions of France, and has gone on to be a key grape varietal in the New World, where it is often blended with Grenache and Syrah varietals to make a beautifully rounded and balanced red wine. The Mourvèdre grape itself is renowned for holding a complex set of flavours, which are often described as meaty or gamey, with plenty of bramble fruit notes. As such, they are often served with dark meats, and are enjoyed in many countries across the globe. The grapes are not the easiest to cultivate, as they require plenty of sunshine alongside well irrigated soil. However, their quality and unique attributes mean that wineries all over the globe continue to persevere with this special varietal.
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.