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Dessert/Fortified Wine
375ml
Bottle: $29.94
93–95. Barrel Sample. This almost dry wine is full of botrytized fruit tones. Well balanced, it is likely to turn...
WE
95
DC
93
Dessert/Fortified Wine
750ml
Bottle: $59.94
12 bottles: $58.74
93–95. Barrel Sample. This almost dry wine is full of botrytized fruit tones. Well balanced, it is likely to turn...
12 FREE
WE
95
DC
93
Dessert/Fortified Wine
375ml
Bottle: $29.94
Vivid, quite intense nose with a spicy savoury twist to the sweet expressive fruit. The sweet palate has a nice...
Dessert/Fortified Wine
375ml
Bottle: $29.63
Pale lemon-gold colored, the 2020 Doisy-Vedrines is a little closed to begin, opening out to reveal fragrant notes of...
WA
93
VM
93
Dessert/Fortified Wine
750ml
Bottle: $47.20
12 bottles: $46.26
Pale lemon-gold colored, the 2020 Doisy-Vedrines is a little closed to begin, opening out to reveal fragrant notes of...
12 FREE
WA
93
VM
93
Dessert/Fortified Wine
375ml
Bottle: $43.92
12 bottles: $43.04
12 FREE
Dessert/Fortified Wine
375ml
Bottle: $19.93
12 bottles: $19.53
Off dry, light body, medium acid. Palate is stewed pear, followed by honey, ginger and lemon zest.
12 FREE
Dessert/Fortified Wine
750ml
Bottle: $35.94
12 bottles: $35.22
Off dry, light body, medium acid. Palate is stewed pear, followed by honey, ginger and lemon zest.
12 FREE
Sale
Dessert/Fortified Wine
750ml
Bottle: $58.95 $65.20
#4 Top100, 2008. Delivers lots of botrytis spice, with lemon tart and cooked apple. Full-bodied, with loads of cream...
12 FREE
WS
97
Dessert/Fortified Wine
375ml
Bottle: $34.95
12 bottles: $32.30
Sweet, rich orange marmalade flavors, maybe not as imposingly powerful as Guiraud can be, but still with a great...
WE
95
WS
93
Dessert/Fortified Wine
375ml
Bottle: $35.20
12 bottles: $34.50
Tasted as part of a vertical held at the chateau. It is clear that the aromatics on the 2008 are a little simpler and...
12 FREE
WA
93
WS
92
Case only
Dessert/Fortified Wine
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle: $67.94
The 2009 Guiraud is one of the gems of Sauternes this vintage, one of the finest offerings in recent years. It has a...
12 FREE
VM
97
WS
96
Sale
Dessert/Fortified Wine
375ml
Bottle: $29.94 $33.20
Barrel Sample. This wine is packed with dry botrytis flavor, but also a bright freshness. Together they give an...
WE
96
WS
95
Dessert/Fortified Wine
375ml
Bottle: $35.90
12 bottles: $35.18
One of the top Sauternes in this report is the 2016 Château Guiraud, a brilliant wine from a more challenging...
12 FREE
WE
96
JD
96
Dessert/Fortified Wine
375ml
Bottle: $42.94
12 bottles: $42.08
Barrel Sample. Ripe, botrytized fruit currently dominates this wine with its rich concentration. It is a full and...
12 FREE
WE
96
VM
95
Sale
Dessert/Fortified Wine
750ml
Bottle: $54.94 $59.20
Barrel Sample. Ripe, botrytized fruit currently dominates this wine with its rich concentration. It is a full and...
12 FREE
WE
96
VM
95
Sale
Dessert/Fortified Wine
375ml
Bottle: $29.90 $32.20
12 bottles: $29.45
Apricots, honeysuckle, lemons, mango crumble, earl grey and vanilla beans on the nose. Pretty spice notes that keep...
WA
94
JS
94
Sale
Dessert/Fortified Wine
750ml
Bottle: $51.94 $57.20
Apricots, honeysuckle, lemons, mango crumble, earl grey and vanilla beans on the nose. Pretty spice notes that keep...
WA
94
JS
94
Case only
Dessert/Fortified Wine
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle: $49.94
Wow. This has a seamless texture and wonderful depth of fruit with dried pineapple, pear and hints of honey. Full...
12 FREE
JS
96
WS
95
Dessert/Fortified Wine
750ml
Bottle: $33.94
12 bottles: $33.26
Brilliant golden robe. Attractive complex nose of acacias, white flowers, lemon, and a touch of honey. Light, fruity...
12 FREE

Cortese Garganega Semillon/sauvignon Blanc Wine

The Cortese white wine grape varietal has been grown in and around south Piedmont, Italy, for at least five hundred years. Its delicate nature and moderate acidity have made it a favorite with people around the world, and it is most commonly served alongside the excellent seafood and shellfish dishes of the part of Italy it is traditionally grown in. Cortese grapes are easily identifiable by their lime and greengage flavors, and their generally delicate and medium bodied character. Cortese wines are also notable for their freshness and crispness, again, making them an ideal match for seafood. Whilst colder years often produce harsher, more acidic Cortese wines, practices such as allowing malolactic fermentation can solve any such problems and still produce delicious white wines made from this varietal.

Italy is a fine country for white grape varietals, and white wines have been produced in this ancient country for thousands of years. One of the more popular varietals in the modern age is Garganega, which is currently the 5th most planted white grape across Italy. This grape is most closely associated with the Veneto region of Italy, although it is also grown in Sicily, where it is known as Grecanico Dorato. Garganega is a rigorous, hardy grape, which can grow in huge yields - explaining its popularity in the past. Today, winemakers must be careful to keep yields as low as possible, as this a varietal which can easily lose its distinctive characteristics and fine qualities when grown in bulk.


We know Garganega most commonly from the Soave wines which have been consistently popular over the past few decades. Indeed, the Soave Classico wines which still sell in large quantities across the globe are made from 70%-100% Garganega varietal grapes, and these wines showcase the varietal’s fresh and delicate qualities. The most common flavors present in Garganega wines are delicate, citrus notes, balanced by a hint of almond, and the best examples have remarkable balance and length, with wonderful aromatic notes.