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Red
750ml
Bottle: $25.93
12 bottles: $25.41
Floral aromas, with blueberries and hints of vanilla that follow through to a medium body with fine tannins and a...
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JS
92
JD
91
Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $13.13
Full-flavored Cabernet Sauvignon expresses a rich taste with signature bourbon barrel notes of charred vanilla and...
Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $9.99
Cozy up with an approachable red that's anything but boring. This Cabernet Sauvignon boasts comforting aromas of rich...
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Red
750ml
Bottle: $17.84 $18.40
12 bottles: $17.48
A rich and distinct with complex notes of blackberry, coffee, nutmeg, and caramel. A velvety smooth finish of plump...
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Red
750ml
Bottle: $64.83 $65.68
12 bottles: $63.53
Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Declaration has intense blackcurrant cordial, blueberry pie...
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WA
91
Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $9.99
This wine conjures up red currants, dark berries and sweet vanilla oak in a passing smell. Caramel lurks in the back....
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Red
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle: $14.87
Dry, almost full-bodied with ripe black cherry leading black currant and red berry fruit, with vanilla and cinnamon...
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Red
750ml
Bottle: $19.94 $22.08
12 bottles: $19.54
Cherry pie and red licorice notes are rounded, forward and open-knit in style, ending with a frank dose of vanilla on...
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Red
750ml
Bottle: $50.95 $52.00
12 bottles: $49.93
Sophisticated layers of wild blackberry, forest and baking spice mingle on the nose with violets, leather and...
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Red
750ml
Bottle: $72.72 $80.80
An intriguing bouquet of strawberry, neroli and almond greet the nose. The opening is subtle but quickly crescendos...
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Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $72.72 $80.80
An intriguing bouquet of strawberry, neroli and almond greet the nose. The opening is subtle but quickly crescendos...
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Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $8.63
12 bottles: $8.20
The wine has a luxurious ruby color and impressive structure. It offers enticing aromas of black cherries and barrel...
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Red
750ml
Bottle: $159.94
Made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Sleeping Lady Vineyard is deep garnet-purple in color....
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WA
97
VM
97
Case only
Red
750ml - Case of 3
Bottle: $178.95
The personal project of winemaker Chris Phelps of Inglenook. Since his days at Dominus in the 1990s, he continues to...
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DC
98
WA
97
Red
750ml
Bottle: $89.90
6 bottles: $88.10
Ripe and focused, with a core of raspberry, mulberry and black currant pate de fruit notes that meld nicely with...
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WS
93
Red
750ml
Bottle: $97.45
6 bottles: $95.50
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Red
750ml
Bottle: $185.20
6 bottles: $184.00
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Red
750ml
Bottle: $81.20
6 bottles: $80.00
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Red
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle: $195.00
The inky hued 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Erba Vineyard, which includes 15% Petit Verdot, comes all from Atlas Peak (next...
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JD
95
Case only
Red
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle: $193.95
Coming from a vineyard on Pritchard Hill, just across from Colgan, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Melanson Vineyard is a...
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JD
96
WA
95

Cabernet Sauvignon White Rhone Blends Japanese Whiskey Melon de Bourgogne

Viognier, an exotic, elusive varietal, originally comes from the Northern Rhone Valley of France, and has captured the fascination of the U.S. wine-drinking public. At its finest, it is full-bodied and nearly golden in color, with a haunting bouquet of peaches, apricots and pears, and a floral quality like no other wine in the world. Many vintners are trying their hand at this varietal, spreading from its American beginnings in Napa Valley and Santa Barbara County to wineries as far away as Virginia. Marsanne and Rousanne, two other important varieties from the Rhone Valley are making waves in the U.S., particularly on the Central Coast of California.

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.

One of the more unusual French grape varietals, Melon de Bourgogne has been grown in and around the Loire Valley for several hundred years. In fact, this grape was first planted in the Loire region of Pays Nantais back in the mid 17th century, after a devastating frost decimated most of the red grapes which were typical in the area. The winemakers of Pays Nantais were keen to cultivate vines which were hardy, high yielding, and capable of surviving another such frost, and so turned their attention to Melon de Bourgogne for this very reason. The native home of the varietal is actually in Burgundy, where it is still grown to a lesser extent.


Because Melon de Bourgogne produces naturally heavy yields, the vintners of Pays Nantais go to great lengths to reduce the amount of fruit the vines bear. This allows the finest characteristics of the grape to come forward, and also opens up the opportunity for it to express the wonderful granite and schist soils in which the vines are grown. Melon de Bourgogne is a minerally white wine grape varietal, with a very subtle set of fruit flavors. It is prized for its freshness and brightness, and is seeing a revival in the twenty first century as an excellent wine for pairing with a wide range of foods.