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White
750ml
Bottle: $26.00
12 bottles: $25.48
• Practicing organic. • Viognier & Roussanne. • High-altitude single site at the top of the village of Mauves....
White
750ml
Bottle: $29.93
12 bottles: $29.33
The colour is bright on a pale yellow with light green hues. The nose is intense and well-balanced with hints of...
12 FREE
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White
750ml
Bottle: $73.90 $76.39
12 bottles: $72.42
Full and broad, with a well-structured framework for the green plum and citrus cream flavors, while subtle fleur de...
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WA
94
WS
94
Sale
White
750ml
Bottle: $40.66 $42.80
• Practicing organic. •70% Marsanne, 30% Roussanne. • 40+ year old vines. • Rocky gravel terroir. •...
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White
750ml
Bottle: $29.90 $33.19
• Vines planted on steep slopes (with a grade of up to 35%) facing south by south-east. • Grapes are hand picked...
White
750ml
Bottle: $25.10
12 bottles: $24.60
Very smoky and flinty in the nose, this is a powerful and exciting dry white for the Southern Rhone. So much...
JS
94
White
750ml
Bottle: $44.94
12 bottles: $44.04
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White
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Rapid Ship
White
750ml
Bottle: $7.70 $11.00
Clairette, Grenache Blanc and Roussane, from vines of an average age of 20 years, planted on sandy and clay slopes...
White
750ml
Bottle: $15.00
12 bottles: $13.59
20% Viognier, 20% Grenache blanc, 20% Clairette, 15% Roussane, 15% Marsanne, 10% Bourboulenc, all from vines...
White
750ml
Bottle: $24.00
12 bottles: $23.52
Bright yellow-gold. Ripe melon and peach aromas are energized by suggestions of lemon zest and white flowers. Round...
VM
90
White
750ml
Bottle: $24.00
12 bottles: $23.52
Based on 100% Marsanne, the 2019 Crozes-Hermitage Blanc is a solid, attractive effort that offers plenty of buttered...
JD
90
White
750ml
Bottle: $79.80
Brilliant yellow-gold. Powerful scents of nectarine, pear nectar and Meyer lemon pick up vanilla, honey and smoky...
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VM
92
WS
91
White
750ml
Bottle: $39.94
12 bottles: $39.14
Big, bold and concentrated, this entices with expressive ripe peach, apricot and warm brioche, with flecks of dried...
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WS
93
White
375ml
Bottle: $10.94
Yellow gold, clear and brilliant. Freshness marked by the distinctive aromas of Viognier ;white flowers, apricot,...
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White
750ml
Bottle: $14.99 $16.66
Yellow gold, clear and brilliant. Freshness marked by the distinctive aromas of Viognier ;white flowers, apricot,...
White
750ml
Bottle: $30.94
12 bottles: $30.32
The 2020 Crozes Hermitage Blanc from Guigal is a total charmer, with classy apple blossom and citrus-like fruits as...
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JD
90
White
750ml
Bottle: $228.00
The 2015 Hermitage Ex Voto Blanc is certainly in the same league as the 2009 and 2010, and it’s going to be...
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JD
100
WS
96
Sale
White
750ml
Bottle: $180.83 $186.00
Just about perfection in a glass, the 2017 Ermitage Ex Voto Blanc is a tour de force, offering a heavenly bouquet of...
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JD
99
WS
97
Sale
White
750ml
Bottle: $205.20 $228.00
Built for the long haul, the 2018 Ermitage Ex Voto Blanc is a majestic, noble white that could only come from this...
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JD
100
DC
96

Japanese Whiskey Lambrusco Mencia White Rhone Blend

Whisky might not be the first thing that springs to mind when we think of Japanese fine produce, but over the past one hundred years, this fascinating and multi-faceted country has diligently forged a unique whisky identity which is growing in popularity, and which is entirely its own.

The story of Japanese whisky begins in 1918, when Masataka Taketsuru was sent to Scotland to undertake a tour of single malt distilleries in the Highlands, and bring home a knowledge of whisky and distillation skills. He returned full of inspiration, helped no doubt by his new Scottish wife, and alongside his friend, Shinjiro Torii, set up what would become a successful whisky industry.

Today, the Japanese whisky industry is spread over a relatively small handful of distilleries, which continue to use Scottish techniques and recipes, but with a hefty dose of distinctly Japanese experimentalism. This is displayed most obviously in the barrelling techniques the Japanese use - to create a distinctly Oriental set of tasting notes, native Japanese oakwood casks are used for ageing, alongside casks taken from plum wine producers, which impart a beautiful set of floral flavors to the whisky.

While some distilleries produce some excellent single malts, the majority of Japanese whiskies are blended, which reveals a unique set of flavors and aromas ranging from honeysuckle and orange blossom, to toffee and acetone.

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.

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.