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White
750ml
Bottle: $15.87
12 bottles: $15.55
Bright and juicy, with good energy to its mix of apricot, peach and nectarine flavors. Fresh acidity carries the...
12 FREE
WS
89
Sale
White
750ml
Bottle: $26.89 $27.59
12 bottles: $26.35
Grilled Pineapple, Citrus Blossom, Olive Oil, Stone Fruit, Butterscotch.
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $31.16 $32.80
The aromas of blue fruits, such as raspberries, with subtle cloves and bark follow through to a palate of...
JS
93
VM
92
Sale
Sake/Fruit Wine
1.8Ltr
Bottle: $32.49 $34.20
6 bottles: $31.20
A remarkably elegant honjozo popular with local Miyagi drinkers, this is made from premium Yamada Nishiki rice milled...
Rapid Ship
Sake/Fruit Wine
720ml
Bottle: $16.25
12 bottles: $15.44
A remarkably elegant honjozo popular with local Miyagi drinkers, this is made from premium Yamada Nishiki rice milled...
Sale
Sake/Fruit Wine
720ml
Bottle: $20.52 $21.60
Rich and full, bursting with umami. Deep bass notes of soy sauce mingle with grains and freshly cut herbs.
Sale
Sake/Fruit Wine
720ml
Bottle: $45.60 $48.00
The NV Azuma Ichi Junmai Daiginjo has interesting crispy and refreshing notes, such as green apple, lime and green...
12 FREE
WA
90
Sale
Sake/Fruit Wine
720ml
Bottle: $30.78 $32.40
Medium-full body, savory bass notes of almond and cocoa are contrasted by bright high tones of candied strawberry and...
Sake/Fruit Wine
720ml
Bottle: $24.00
12 bottles: $22.80
Made from local Kita Nishiki rice, which lends the sake a clear structure and sharp finish. Aromas of green apple...
Sale
Sake/Fruit Wine
720ml
Bottle: $79.80 $84.00
Made from the top Yamada Nishiki sake rice from Yokowa, giving definition and transparency to the sake. Aromas of...
12 FREE
Sake/Fruit Wine
720ml
Bottle: $34.80
12 bottles: $33.06
Rare Aiyama rice is only grown in Hyogo, and provides a bright and expressive base for sake. Aroma of fresh...
Sale
Sake/Fruit Wine
720ml
Bottle: $27.36 $28.80
Made from locally grown Grade A Yamada Nishiki rice from Yoshikawa milled to 55%. Soft Ibo river water. Aroma of...
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $49.94 $54.20
Bright and intensely floral, with a lovely violet aroma and long, rich plum sauce, blackberry and currant notes....
12 FREE
WS
92
JS
91
Red
750ml
Bottle: $32.61
12 bottles: $31.96
Firm tannins are holding everything in place right now. There's a tiny dip through the mid-palate before the fruit...
12 FREE
DC
89
VM
88
Red
375ml
Bottle: $22.29
Love the fruit on the center palate here with its brightness and vivid acidity. Citrus undertones and a fresh finish....
JS
93
DC
91
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $36.90 $39.20
12 bottles: $36.16
Love the fruit on the center palate here with its brightness and vivid acidity. Citrus undertones and a fresh finish....
JS
93
DC
91
Case only
Red
375ml - Case of 24
Bottle: $14.17
A very refined nose with redcurrants, red flowers and a complex mix of light, fresh earth and tobacco leaf. The...
JS
90
Case only
Red
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle: $41.10
A very refined nose with redcurrants, red flowers and a complex mix of light, fresh earth and tobacco leaf. The...
12 FREE
JS
90
Red
375ml
Bottle: $21.40
Tight and polished with a beautiful center palate and density. Full-bodied, ripe and polished. Really delicious fruit...
JS
92
DC
91
Sale
Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $27.59 $31.54
Tight and polished with a beautiful center palate and density. Full-bodied, ripe and polished. Really delicious fruit...
JS
92
DC
91

Carignan Red Bordeaux Sake White Rhone Blend

Carignan is an ancient blue-skinned grape varietal, thought to be indigenous to the Aragon region of Spain. However, today it is most commonly associated with the fine wines of southern France, and has been grown in many countries around the world which have the warm and dry conditions it requires to thrive. Carignan is recognized as being quite a sensitive vine, highly susceptible to all kinds of rot and mildew, although producing excellent results when given the right conditions and handled correctly. Its high tannin levels and acidity make the Carignan grapes very astringent, and as such, they are often used as a blending grape to give body to other, lesser bodied varietals. Despite this, with careful treatment, Carignan can produce superb single varietal wines packed full of character and unique attributes.

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.

The Rhone region of France has been producing superb quality white blended wines for centuries, and is a region highly respected and esteemed around the world, with plenty of New World countries keen to emulate the styles and techniques displayed by the historic wineries and skilled vintners of the area. The secret to the Rhone's success when it comes to blended white wines is the careful and expert selection of certain grape varietals, which each lend special features to the blended wine and bring balance and harmony to the bottle. Most commonly, blended white Rhone wines feature no more than two grapes of either the Viognier, Rousanne, Marsanne or Grenache Blanc varietals, and are renowned for their exceptional flavors and highly aromatic, floral character.