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Sale
Dessert/Fortified Wine
375ml
Bottle: $14.89 $15.55
12 bottles: $14.77
A perfect introduction to Sauternes, this has very nice dried-papaya and mango character, creamy richness and...
JS
92
Rapid Ship
Dessert/Fortified Wine
375ml
Bottle: $53.95
Pale gold, the 2009 Climens offers up a fabulously fragrant nose of green tea, chamomile, powdered ginger, lemon...
12 FREE
DC
97
WA
97
Sale
Dessert/Fortified Wine
375ml
Bottle: $39.94 $43.20
24 bottles: $39.90
Pale lemon-gold colored, the 2016 Climens is a little youthfully mute, revealing notions of ripe peaches, mango and...
WA
96
DC
95
Case only
Dessert/Fortified Wine
375ml - Case of 24
Bottle: $31.86
One of the top sweet wines in this report is the 2016 Château Coutet, which has the vintage’s plush, opulent style...
WE
97
JD
97
Case only
Dessert/Fortified Wine
375ml - Case of 24
Bottle: $30.78
Barrel Sample. This wine shows great balance and poised elegance. Its botrytis fruit gives it rich intensity, with a...
WE
97
JS
96
Rapid Ship
Dessert/Fortified Wine
375ml
Bottle: $23.90
The pale lemon-gold colored 2019 Coutet is a thrill ride from the get-go, exploding from the glass with fantastically...
WA
97
JS
95
Sale
Dessert/Fortified Wine
375ml
Bottle: $276.75 $307.50
Pale gold. Knockout aromas of creme brulee, coconut, vanilla bean, honey and orange peel. Lush and seductively silky...
12 FREE
WA
95
VM
95
Sale
Dessert/Fortified Wine
375ml
Bottle: $287.73 $319.70
This isn't sweet, but just so wonderfully rich. It's the concentration of botrytis that makes the wine. The texture...
12 FREE
WE
97
WS
97
Sale
Dessert/Fortified Wine
375ml
Bottle: $244.83 $253.50
12 bottles: $239.40
Barrel sample. This is the rich wine of the vintage. With its intense fruit, piles of spice, but excellent balance,...
12 FREE
WE
96
WS
96
Sale
Dessert/Fortified Wine
375ml
Bottle: $244.95 $252.00
Befitting a glorious Sauternes vintage, the 2007 Yquem stood out in this tasting like a beacon. Sandrine Garbay notes...
12 FREE
DC
98
WA
98
Sale
Dessert/Fortified Wine
375ml
Bottle: $234.95 $248.00
Pale to medium lemon-gold color, the 2010 d'Yquem has retreated into its shell at this youthful stage, offering...
12 FREE
WA
98
WE
98
Sale
Dessert/Fortified Wine
375ml
Bottle: $228.95 $234.00
Bright aromas of sliced mangoes, papaya, botrytis, and lemon follow through to a full body. Medium sweet with a...
12 FREE
WE
98
WS
98
Sale
Dessert/Fortified Wine
375ml
Bottle: $223.95 $235.50
12 bottles: $222.30
Barrel Sample. Apricot tones with lively acidity give this rich wine a vein of freshness. Pear and white peach notes...
12 FREE
WE
99
WA
98
Sale
Dessert/Fortified Wine
375ml
Bottle: $225.18 $250.20
The 2016 Chateau d’Yquem is pure magic and dessert wines don’t get much better. Offering a pale gold color as...
12 FREE
JS
99
JD
99
Sale
Dessert/Fortified Wine
375ml
Bottle: $211.95 $235.50
The 2016 Chateau d’Yquem is pure magic and dessert wines don’t get much better. Offering a pale gold color as...
12 FREE
JS
99
JD
99
Sale
Dessert/Fortified Wine
375ml
Bottle: $219.94 $239.60
This is a great Yquem, delivering thrilling purity and intensity. The nose offers intense aromas of fresh and dried...
12 FREE
WA
99
JS
99
Sale
Dessert/Fortified Wine
375ml
Bottle: $195.48 $217.20
The 2018 d'Yquem is all lime cordial, grapefruit oil and mandarin peel to begin. With a little coaxing, the fireworks...
12 FREE
WA
98
DC
97
Sale
Dessert/Fortified Wine
375ml
Bottle: $201.15 $223.50
Owners LVMH took the decision to delay the release of the 2019 Yquem until spring 2022. It was tasted with winemaker...
12 FREE
VM
98
DC
97
Sale
Dessert/Fortified Wine
375ml
Bottle: $189.63 $210.70
The 2020 Yquem, a blend of 75% Semillon and 25% Sauvignon Blanc, cropped at a measly 10hl/ha, has a very sensual...
12 FREE
VM
97
DC
96
Dessert/Fortified Wine
375ml
Bottle: $39.20
12 bottles: $38.42
Tasted single blind against its peers. Whereas last year the de Fargues 2008 was immediately forthcoming, a few...
12 FREE
WA
95
WS
93

Carignan Lambrusco Semillon/sauvignon Blanc 375ml

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.

Some grape species are distinct and unique varietals, clearly separate from each of their cousins. Others, like Lambrusco and Muscat, are more like umbrella terms, featuring several subspecies which show slight differences from each other from region to region. Indeed, there are astonishingly more than 60 identified varieties of Lambrusco vines, and they are almost all used in the production of characterful Italian sparkling wines. They are distinguishable by their deep ruby blush, caused by strong pigments present in their skins, and their intensely perfumed character.


Lambrusco vines are grown in several Italian regions, although we most closely associate this varietal with Piedmont and Basilicata. It has also been grown successfully in Argentina and Australia. The varietal suffered from a fairly lowly reputation in the late 20th century, due to bulk, low cost production of Lambrusco sparkling wines, aimed at markets across northern Europe and America. However, things are rapidly changing, and the older, more traditional methods of bottle fermentation are returning, along with a higher level of quality and expression, as consumers become more discerning and demanding. Many of the Lambrusco sub-varieties have their own established DOC, such as Lambrusco Salamino di Santa Croce, Lambrusco di Sorbara and Modena, where new regulations are keeping standards high and methods traditional.