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Dessert/Fortified Wine
750ml
Bottle: $113.40
12 bottles: $111.13
Tasted single blind against its peers. This has a very well -defined nose of dried pineapple, quince and vanilla pod...
12 FREE
WA
93
VM
93
Dessert/Fortified Wine
750ml
Bottle: $49.90
12 bottles: $48.90
12 FREE
Sale
Dessert/Fortified Wine
750ml
Bottle: $414.18 $460.20
Barrel sample. Impressively balanced, with the fruit rich, intense with a golden glow. The acidity is as important as...
12 FREE
WE
98
WA
95
Dessert/Fortified Wine
375ml
Bottle: $49.01
12 bottles: $48.02
Tasted single blind against its peers. Whereas last year the de Fargues 2008 was immediately forthcoming, a few...
12 FREE
WA
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
Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $54.90
The 2008 Chinon Les Picasses is an authentic representative of the vintage as well as of the domain. The 2008 has a...
12 FREE
WA
93
VM
92
Case only
Long-term Pre-Arrival
Dessert/Fortified Wine
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $71.95
Tasted single blind against its peers. This has a very well -defined nose of dried pineapple, quince and vanilla pod...
WA
93
VM
93
Case only
Long-term Pre-Arrival
Dessert/Fortified Wine
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle: $321.67
Barrel sample. Impressively balanced, with the fruit rich, intense with a golden glow. The acidity is as important as...
WE
98
WA
95
Case only
Long-term Pre-Arrival
Dessert/Fortified Wine
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $328.73
Barrel sample. Impressively balanced, with the fruit rich, intense with a golden glow. The acidity is as important as...
WE
98
WA
95
Case only
Long-term Pre-Arrival
Dessert/Fortified Wine
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle: $47.78
Pale orange-gold. Tangy aromas of peach, tangerine and honey are pure but a bit youthfully subdued; this reminded me...
VM
92
Case only
Long-term Pre-Arrival
Dessert/Fortified Wine
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle: $44.95
92-94 Barrel sample. Rich rather than sweet, this is stuffed full of botrytis. The wine is powered through with this...
WE
94
WS
92

Cabernet Franc Melon de Bourgogne Semillon/sauvignon Blanc Mencia 2008 Wine

Cabernet Franc is not simply an important grape varietal for the fact that it is one of the most widely grown strains of vine in the world, but also because it is a vital grape in the production of many of the finest wines the world has ever seen. For centuries in its native France, it has been a varietal synonymous with elegance and high quality, and has become a key fruit in the production of the Bordeaux and Bordeaux-style blended wines which have gone down in history thanks to their magnificent flavors, aromas and levels of aged complexity. However, Cabernet Franc is also a wine grape varietal for use in single variety, unblended wines, and has plenty to offer on its own. Most commonly, it is renowned for its wide bouquet, which often includes fascinating notes of tobacco, violets or bell pepper over a beautifully pale and decadent liquid.

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.