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Red
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle: $14.26
Color: Ruby red very intense with purple reflexes. Bouquet: Strong and distinctive with sensations of spice and ripe...
White
375ml
Bottle: $30.79
12 bottles: $30.17
Traditionally called demi-sec, since 1996 we call moelleux wines with more than 17 grams of residual sugar. Those...
12 FREE
White
1.5Ltr
Bottle: $39.79
6 bottles: $38.99
The 2019 Les Fondraux might be a Vouvray in the demi-sec mold (residual sugar is in the region of 20g/L) but it is a...
VM
91
Sale
White
750ml
Bottle: $31.94 $33.60
12 bottles: $31.92
Subdued and compact, with subtle lemon meringue and baked apple interwoven with smoke, hay and crushed stone. Silky...
WS
89
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White
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle: $24.94
Racy, focused and dry on the palate, medium bodied with lots of intense notes of tart green apple and saline...
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White
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle: $46.12
Classic aromas of yellow apple and white flowers on the nose. Structured on the palate with raicy acidity, stone...
White
750ml
Bottle: $117.94
12 bottles: $115.58
Organic. Pruning method is Guyau Val de Loire. Grapes are harvested by hand and carefully sorted in the vineyard....
12 FREE
White
750ml
Bottle: $140.75
12 bottles: $137.93
Romain’s grandfather acquired this historic parcel on the hill of Brézé in 1955. It is one of the three clos of...
12 FREE
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White
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle: $35.87
Very fresh and pleasant to drink; blossom and peach aromas dominate, complemented by a distinct minerality and fresh...
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White
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle: $43.32
Dry wine, without residual sugar. The nose is very open with an amazing cocktail of floral (acacia) and fruity notes...
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White
750ml
Bottle: $17.91 $20.08
12 bottles: $17.55
Crisp, fresh and fruity this crowd pleasing, yet complex Vouvray offers traces of apple and citrus. A vibrant acidity...
Red
750ml
Bottle: $14.73
12 bottles: $13.99
Dark, brooding and spicy, the 2019 Primitivo di Manduria lifts up with notes of crushed rocks, cardamom and black...
VM
89
JS
88
White
750ml
Bottle: $48.94
12 bottles: $47.96
This estate, owned by the same family since 1787, has amazing stocks of old sweet wines maturing in its cellars. With...
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WE
95
WA
90
Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $22.80
Dark ruby red, with garnet hues. It opens with notes of ripe blackberry and raspberry, followed by intense aromas of...
Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $24.90
A heady dose of sweet spices grace the nose, with baked black-cherry and plum tones at the core. This is ultrasoft...
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Long-term Pre-Arrival
White
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $51.95
The 2019 Gaudrets is not shy to come forward in a line up of Savennières. It has the ferocity of female gladiator...
VM
93
WS
92
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Long-term Pre-Arrival
White
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $117.94
Organic. Pruning method is Guyau Val de Loire. Grapes are harvested by hand and carefully sorted in the vineyard....
Case only
Long-term Pre-Arrival
White
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $48.94
This estate, owned by the same family since 1787, has amazing stocks of old sweet wines maturing in its cellars. With...
WE
95
WA
90
Case only
Long-term Pre-Arrival
White
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $110.72
Chris and Andrea Mullineux established themselves in Swartland in 2007 and are now among South Africa’s most highly...
DC
95
VM
92
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Long-term Pre-Arrival
White
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $98.42
The 2019 Chenin Quartz was matured for 11 months in used oak. It conveys more terroir expression than the Granite...
VM
94
WS
91

Chenin Blanc Primitivo 1996 2019

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.

As with many European grape varietals, there is some debate regarding the precise origins of the Primitivo grape. Most people now agree that it probably came from Croatia, where it is still used widely in the production of red wine, and it known as Tribidrag. However, today it is a grape most commonly associated with the powerful red wines of Puglia, the heel of Italy’s boot, where the intense sunshine and brisk Mediterranean breezes produce grapes of remarkable character and balance. Primitivo is a dark grape, known for producing intense, inky, highly tannic wines, most notably the naturally sweet Dolce Naturale and the heavy and complex Primitivo di Manduria wines. Primitivo tends to be naturally very high in both tannin and alcohol, making it ideal for both barrel and cellar ageing, which brings out its more rounded and interesting features.


Primitivo is not the easiest grape to grow or manage, and it has had something of a difficult century. Indeed, by the 1990s, there was little interest in Puglian wines in general, and winemakers were neglecting their Primitivo vineyards and looking to other, more commercially viable varietals. However, the last decade has seen this grape come well and truly back into fashion, with new techniques and a heightened interest in native Italian grape varietals bringing Primitivo back into the spotlight. It is now widely loved for its intensity and ability to be paired with strongly flavored foods.