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A smooth, delicious wine. The fruit flavors go right through this ripe, complex wine, leaving the tannins and wood as...
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750ml
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An evocative nose with perfumed aromas jumping out of the glass. This balances intensity with freshness giving sour...
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Red
750ml
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Full red-ruby. Vinous aromas of currant, milk chocolate, tobacco, hot stones and leather. Juicy and fresh but leaner...
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Full ruby-red. Slightly roasted aromas of black raspberry, cassis, smoked meat, truffle, leather and espresso. Sweet,...
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750ml - Case of 12
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This 7,500-case blend of 62% Merlot and 38% Cabernet Franc is one of the strongest wines of the vintage. A deep...
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In many respects, the 2002 may be even more impressive than the 2003. A far more challenging vintage to get...
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Pretty aromas of crushed blackberry, with hints of ash and light earth. Full-bodied, with ultrafine tannins and a...
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Very grapey and fresh on the nose, with hints of flowers. Full-bodied, with very well-integrated tannins and a...
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Balanced and refined, with tobacco and berry character. Medium body. Long, silky finish. This shows harmony. Almost...
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Balanced and refined, with tobacco and berry character. Medium body. Long, silky finish. This shows harmony. Almost...
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A spectacular garagiste effort from a five-acre, 45-year-old vineyard (90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc and Cabernet...
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750ml - Case of 6
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Lots of coffee and chocolate, with plum and dried cherries. Full-bodied with round yet fine tannins, and a fruity...
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The successful 2002 exhibits a beautiful, dense ruby/purple color, a lovely concoction of raspberries, cassis,...
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Fabulous aromas of crushed berries, with cassis and blueberries and hints of spice. Full-bodied and very rich, with a...
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Fabulous aromas of crushed berries, with cassis and blueberries and hints of spice. Full-bodied and very rich, with a...
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I drank this at Pastis resto in New York City just before my Brunello event on May 18. Love the Paris Bistro vibe....
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Bottle: $256.82

Champange Blend Nero D'avola Red Bordeaux Zinfandel 2002 2004

Italy’s largest island, Sicily, has a wine producing history that can put most other European regions to shame. It was producing quality wines before the days of the Roman empire, and even the Ancient Greeks were not the first to cultivate vines on the island. For as long as anyone knows, the key grape varietal of Sicily has been Nero d’Avola, the beautiful, deep blue skinned grape which produces the region’s characterful, powerful red wines. While in the past, Nero d’Avola was mainly used as a blending grape, due to its deep color and intensely full body, it is today being increasingly celebrated as a single varietal wine grape, and is perfect for those who like their wines boisterous, loud and strong.



Nero d’Avola is grown pretty much everywhere on Sicily, as demand for wines made from this grape have never been higher. Despite its power and body, it is quite a versatile grape - it can be aged in oak barrels, which produces a dense and dark wine which puts its intense characteristics to good use, but it is also often drunk quite young, which allows its jammy, plummy character to come forward. It is also used to make rose wines in some appellations of Sicily, demonstrating a softer side to this otherwise heavy, deeply flavorful grape.

There are few regions in the world with stricter regulations in regards to wine production and grape varietals than those found in Bordeaux, France. Here, in the home of the world's finest wines, the type and quality of grapes used is of utmost importance, and the legendary wineries which work on the banks of the Gironde river have mastered the careful art of juice blending to find the perfect balance for their produce. Whilst there are six 'official' Bordeaux grapes, the two key varietals for almost every fine Bordeaux wine are Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, and with good reason. Whilst Cabernet Sauvignon grapes are renowned for their acidity and astringency, strong fruit and spice flavors and full body, Merlot grapes are notably rounded, soft, fleshy and lighter on tannin. The combination of these two varietals, along with a small percentage of (commonly) Petit Verdot or Cabernet Franc, is the perfect balancing act – the two grape varietals cancel out each others weaker points, and accentuate all that is good about the other.

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.