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Sale
White
750ml
Bottle: $12.94 $14.30
12 bottles: $12.35
Certified HVE3*. Sourced from 30-year-old Muscadet vines planted on a gentle slope of sandy/silty soils overlaid on a...
Rapid Ship
White
750ml
Bottle: $15.94
Certified HVE3*. Sourced from 40-year-old Muscadet vines planted in shallow soils of disintegrated mica/schist....
White
750ml
Bottle: $15.41
12 bottles: $15.10
Certified HVE3*. Sourced from 40-year-old Muscadet vines planted in shallow soils of disintegrated mica/schist....
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: $30.00
12 bottles: $27.36
Off dry, light body, medium acid. Palate is stewed pear, followed by honey, ginger and lemon zest.
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: $74.85
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: $37.45
12 bottles: $36.70
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
Dessert/Fortified Wine
375ml
Bottle: $20.94
Brilliant golden robe. Attractive complex nose of acacias, white flowers, lemon, and a touch of honey. Light, fruity...
Dessert/Fortified Wine
Dessert/Fortified Wine
375ml
Bottle: $14.95
24 bottles: $12.97

Aidani Melon de Bourgogne Semillon/sauvignon Blanc Mencia

One of the most ancient of the Greek grape varietals, Aidani has been cultivated on and around the Cyclades for millennia for its versatility and gently pleasing aromatic qualities. Wines made primarily with Aidani grapes tend to have a milder alcohol content than other classic Greek wines, and relatively low acidity. This makes Aidani wines a perfectly pleasant accompaniment to a wide range of traditional Greek foods, and equally pleasant to drink chilled at any time under the Greek sun. Nowadays, Aidani grapes are mostly likely to used as a blending grape, often being mixed with Assyrtiko grapes to balance out and mellow the acidity and high alcohol content found in them.

As a blending grape, the Aidani offers light, delicate floral tones, often reminiscent of a Muscat. On the island of Naxos, it has been traditionally blended with the Athiri grape to produce the island's signature sweet wine, Apiranthos, where the subtleties of the Aidani grape are really allowed to shine through. However, elsewhere in Greece you are far more likely to find the blend of these two distinctive grapes in dry white wines, where the Aidani is used primarily not for its flavor, but for its aroma and mellowing effect.

Additional Information on Greek Wines
Greek Wines
Ancient Greek Wines – A Brief History of Wine in Greece
The Myth of Dionysus, Greek God of Wine
What is Retsina?

One of the more unusual French grape varietals, Melon de Bourgogne has been grown in and around the Loire Valley for several hundred years. In fact, this grape was first planted in the Loire region of Pays Nantais back in the mid 17th century, after a devastating frost decimated most of the red grapes which were typical in the area. The winemakers of Pays Nantais were keen to cultivate vines which were hardy, high yielding, and capable of surviving another such frost, and so turned their attention to Melon de Bourgogne for this very reason. The native home of the varietal is actually in Burgundy, where it is still grown to a lesser extent.


Because Melon de Bourgogne produces naturally heavy yields, the vintners of Pays Nantais go to great lengths to reduce the amount of fruit the vines bear. This allows the finest characteristics of the grape to come forward, and also opens up the opportunity for it to express the wonderful granite and schist soils in which the vines are grown. Melon de Bourgogne is a minerally white wine grape varietal, with a very subtle set of fruit flavors. It is prized for its freshness and brightness, and is seeing a revival in the twenty first century as an excellent wine for pairing with a wide range of foods.