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750ml - Case of 12
Bottle:
$29.99
This delicious, dry Chenin Blanc was selectively harvested by hand from reduced yield vines, then fermented and and...
750ml
Bottle:
$71.94
Pretty nose of dried honeysuckle, hawthorn, dried pineapple, mango stone, clove and lemon peel. Full-bodied with...
750ml
Bottle:
$71.94
More saline character on the nose with aromas of oyster shells, lime zest, white pears, juniper berries and dried...
750ml
Bottle:
$71.94
Crushed stone, burnt lime, white apricot, dried pineapple and clove on the nose. Medium-bodied, crisp and compact....
750ml
Bottle:
$56.94
12 bottles:
$55.80
• Certified Organic.
• 100% Chenin Blanc.
• From a 0.25 ha parcel in the village of Brézé.
• Clay and...
750ml
Bottle:
$41.94
12 bottles:
$41.10
• Certified Organic.
• 100% Chenin Blanc.
• From a 1.16 ha parcel.
• Clay and limestone terroir.
• A sunny...
750ml
Bottle:
$32.94
12 bottles:
$32.28
• Certified organic. • 100% Chenin Blanc. • From sites in Clos de Mosny and Clos Michet. • 40-60+ year old...
750ml
Bottle:
$34.94
12 bottles:
$34.24
• Certified organic.
• 100% Chenin Blanc.
• 50 year old vines on average.
• Partial botrytis 10-20%.
•...
750ml
Bottle:
$39.84
$40.80
12 bottles:
$39.04
A racy, linear style introduced by pureed apple and crunchy orchard fruit edged in honeycomb. Shows wet stone accents...
500ml - Case of 12
Bottle:
$58.70
Enticing aromas of dried fruit, honey and acacia flowers. Lush, fruity and complex on the palate with beautiful...
750ml
Bottle:
$25.84
$27.20
12 bottles:
$24.70
100% Chenin Blanc. Trois Argiles brings together 3 parcels totaling 3.75 hectares and having a higher proportion of...
750ml
Bottle:
$88.94
$96.00
The 2020 Brézé is a blend of three plots within this esteemed vineyard. It spends two years in 50% new oak,...
1.5Ltr
Bottle:
$116.85
$123.00
A very pure, white-stone character on the nose, framed beautifully by some fresh, matchsticky reduction. This is...
750ml
Bottle:
$38.95
12 bottles:
$38.17
The 2020 Bonnes Blanches Sec is a very pure and seemingly light bodied style which still manages a sense of flesh on...
750ml
Bottle:
$39.95
12 bottles:
$39.15
An intense and tangy style bursting with acid-drive and energy. The 2020 Clos le Grand Beaureau was fermented in...
Chenin Blanc Mavrodaphne Refosco 2020
Originating in France yet now grown in many parts of the New World, Chenin Blanc is one of the most versatile and highly regarded white wine grape varietals on earth. These green skinned grapes hold a relatively high acid content, and as such can be used for making still white wines of exceptional quality, as well as superb sparkling wines (such as the Crémant wines of the Loire Valley) and extremely aromatic dessert wines. Their natural transparency means that they are a fine grape for expressing their terroir in the bottle, and winemakers often experiment with this varietal to coax unusual and intense flavors from the grapes, such as allowing the development of noble rot on the fruit in order to make sweet and viscous wines of a unique character.
In the Archaea region, high in the Northern Peloponnese mountains, the predominant grape varietal grown is the prized Mavrodaphne. Meaning 'Black Laurel', the Mavrodaphne grapes have extremely dark skins, and ripen slowly under the Greek sunshine, helped by the mineral rich soils the vines thrive in. This grape varietal is mostly used to produce the opaque, inky fortified wine of the same name, which is popular all over Greece and elsewhere in the world. This fortified wine allows the grapes to really show off their complex and fascinating flavors, which range from a rich marzipan to flavors of bitter chocolate, sweet coffee, dried figs and prunes, as well as plenty of jammy fruit notes.
Mavrodaphne is produced in a traditional method which involves leaving the grape juice exposed to the sun in large vats, before having its fermentation halted by the addition of various distillates taken from previous successful vintages. This mixture contains plenty of residual sugar, which gives the end result its characteristic sticky sweetness, and also helps with the next fermentation process, which typically takes place in large underground cellars. The final product is a heady drink, absolutely bursting with unusual, rich and sweet flavors and carried in a dark and slightly viscous Port-like liquid.
Mavrodaphne grapes are also used for the production of still red wines, but are generally blended with varietals such as Agiorgitiko or imported grapes like Cabernet Sauvignon. Mavrodaphne grapes are excellent for mellowing more acidic varieties, and producing deliciously rounded wines, which have taken the international market by storm in recent decades.
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?