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Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $14.99
The wine has a deep, rich purple color. Intense red fruits are on the nose, with black pepper spice and a touch of...
Sale
Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $184.94 $199.94
Lastly, the Syrah-dominated 2021 No 10 reveals a dense purple hue as well as a wild bouquet of blueberries, wild...
12 FREE
JD
100
WA
97
Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $9.94
12 bottles: $9.74
Big rich fruit aromas of blue berry and smoke. Full bodied and bold, upfront and direct. (Bronze) - DWWA 2023
DC
88
Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $52.94
12 bottles: $51.88
Tightly focused and refined for a Zinfandel, this version packs in deep flavors of black cherry, licorice and roasted...
12 FREE
WS
94
Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $21.87
12 bottles: $21.43
Dynamic and generous, this Zin combines old-school briar with sleek suppleness, serving up stylish flavors of...
WS
93
VM
90
Rapid Ship
White
750ml
Bottle: $64.00
An exceptionally old fino, perhaps the oldest on the market, at about 15 years, from a gentle, gracious family, who...
12 FREE
DC
96
WA
95
Sale
Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $33.60 $38.40
Eye: Garnet core, pink rose rim. Nose: Kumquat, exotic spice, wild strawberries, raspberries, Rainier cherry. Time...
Sale
Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $26.93 $28.80
"Bambino" comes from a ten-acre block planted on Old Hill in 1998. This young-vine field blend is patterned after the...
Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $138.94
The 2020 Syrah En Chamberlin Vineyard is youthfully restrained, with a savory blend of cured meat, bacon fat, exotic...
12 FREE
VM
96
WNR
96
Rapid Ship
Red
1.5Ltr
Bottle: $199.94
One of the most complete, layered and elegant 2013s from Cayuse is the 2013 Syrah Walla Walla Special #5, which is...
WA
96
VM
93
Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $18.94
12 bottles: $18.56
A vibrant nose, effusing copious Mediterranean spices, thyme, peppercorn, ripe plums and cherries. Fresh and bright...
VM
92
JS
92
Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $449.94
A good vintage - the problem was the yields,' says Jean-Louis. A tasting of principal component lieux-dits Péléat,...
12 FREE
DC
100
JS
98
Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $38.40
While slender in profile, concentrated blackberry and cassis flavors reverberate through this piercing Syrah. It's...
12 FREE
WE
95
WA
92
Sale
Rapid Ship
White
750ml
Bottle: $35.93 $37.20
The 2022 Santorini Assyrtiko, the flagship 100% Assyrtiko (usually producing around 100,000 bottles), is unoaked and...
WA
94
Rapid Ship
White
750ml
Bottle: $14.85
12 bottles: $14.55
This is a vibrant white showing aromas of pears, white flowers, puffed rice and lemon verbena. Medium-bodied, so...
JS
91
Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $51.94
The 2020 Syrah Estate was made with a touch of whole cluster and matured in neutral oak. Medium ruby-purple in color,...
12 FREE
WA
95
WE
93
Sale
Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $24.54 $26.39
A briar patch in a bottle, this hearty red abounds with bold raspberry, roasted anise and smoky black pepper flavors...
WS
91
Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $107.90
97-99 I was blown away by the 2018 Côte Rôtie Château D'Ampuis, which is certainly in the same league as the famed...
12 FREE
JD
99
JS
96
Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $66.34
In a completely different style to the 2016s, the 2017 Hermitage comes from a ripe, sexy vintage for Hermitage. Aged...
12 FREE
VM
94
JD
94
Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $234.94
The 2021 Syrah Unanswered Prayers appears to be ever so slightly more successful than the Grenache (which, given the...
12 FREE
JD
99
DC
98

Assyrtiko Sherry Syrah Zinfandel Rapid Ship Wine

Cultivated since at least the middle of the Byzantine era, the Assyrtiko grape is generally considered to be one the finest of the Greek grape varietals, as a result of its multi-purpose properties and ability to flourish on a wide range of terrains. The ancient Byzantines used it in conjunction with Aidani and Athiri grapes for the production of their unusual and naturally sweet Vinsanto wines, which are still produced today in Santorini, and continue to be popular. However, the Assyrtiko grapes are used for many different AOC wines across Greece, and are favored by wine makers who want to maintain a dryness and acidic punch to their produce.

The Assyrtiko grapes are renowned for their ability to maintain their acidity as they ripen beneath the blazing Mediterranean sun, resulting in wines which have a distinctive dryness and a range of citrus fruit aromas, as well as great structure and high tannins. Often, Assyrtiko grapes will produce wines which leave an unusual after-taste reminiscent of the mineral rich, volcanic soils they are grown in on the slopes of Santorini, making them a favorite for wine drinkers looking for something full of character and interesting attributes. The past twenty five years have seen Assyrtiko vines planted all over the Greek mainland, and even in Attica and Macedonia, where the softer terrain often produces more fruit forward wines with a milder, less astringent character. However, wherever this fine grape varietal is grown, it is rare the results will be anything less than excellent.

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?

Sherry is made in a unique way using the solera system, which blends fractional shares of young wine from oak barrels with older, more mature wines. Sherry has no vintage date because it is blended from a variety of years. Rare, old sherries can contain wine that dates back 25 to 50 years or more, the date the solera was begun. If a bottle has a date on it, it probably refers to the date the company was founded.

Most sherries begin with the Palomino grape, which enjoys a generally mild climate in and around the triad of towns known as the "Sherry Triangle" and grows in white, limestone and clay soils that look like beach sand. The Pedro Ximenez type of sweet sherry comes from the Pedro Ximenez grape.

Sherry is a "fortified" wine, which means that distilled, neutral spirits are used to fortify the sherry. The added liquor means that the final sherry will be 16 to 20 percent alcohol (higher than table wines) and that it will have a longer shelf life than table wines.

Known as Syrah in most countries around the world, and Shiraz in Australia and certain other regions of the New World, this grape varietal has proven over the centuries to be one of the most powerful and flavorful red wine grapes there is. It is now one of the planet's most widely grown grapes, and is a favorite with wineries as a result of its robustness and versatility. It isn't easy to identify many characteristics of this particular varietal, due to the fact that it is highly versatile and shows significant differences in flavor and character depending on the terroir it is grown in, and the climatic conditions of the region. However, Syrah is most widely associated with full bodied, strong and loud red wines, packed full of fruity and spicy flavors, held in a beautifully deep red liquid.

The precise origins of what became known as the Zinfandel grape variety are uncertain, although it has clear genetic equivalents in both Puglia and Croatia. However, when it was brought to the New World in the mid 19th century, it became known as the Zinfandel, and has been consistently popular and widely grown ever since. These very dark and very round grapes have a remarkably high sugar content, resulting in relatively high levels of alcohol in the wines they are made into, with bottles often displaying as much as fifteen percent. What makes the Zinfandel such an interesting grape, though, is the fact that the flavors produced by this varietal vary considerably depending on the climate they are grown in. In cooler valley regions, the Zinfandel grapes result in wines which hold strong flavors of tart and sweet fruits; raspberry, redcurrant and sweet cherry, held in a very smooth and silky liquid. Conversely, warmer regions result in more complex and spicy notes, including anise, pepper and hedgerow berries.