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Dessert/Fortified Wine
375ml
Bottle: $34.95
12 bottles: $32.30
Sweet, rich orange marmalade flavors, maybe not as imposingly powerful as Guiraud can be, but still with a great...
WE
95
WS
93
Dessert/Fortified Wine
375ml
Bottle: $35.20
12 bottles: $34.50
Tasted as part of a vertical held at the chateau. It is clear that the aromatics on the 2008 are a little simpler and...
12 FREE
WA
93
WS
92
Case only
Dessert/Fortified Wine
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle: $67.94
The 2009 Guiraud is one of the gems of Sauternes this vintage, one of the finest offerings in recent years. It has a...
12 FREE
VM
97
WS
96
Sale
Dessert/Fortified Wine
375ml
Bottle: $29.94 $33.20
Barrel Sample. This wine is packed with dry botrytis flavor, but also a bright freshness. Together they give an...
WE
96
WS
95
Dessert/Fortified Wine
375ml
Bottle: $35.90
12 bottles: $35.18
One of the top Sauternes in this report is the 2016 Château Guiraud, a brilliant wine from a more challenging...
12 FREE
WE
96
JD
96
Dessert/Fortified Wine
375ml
Bottle: $42.94
12 bottles: $42.08
Barrel Sample. Ripe, botrytized fruit currently dominates this wine with its rich concentration. It is a full and...
12 FREE
WE
96
VM
95
Sale
Dessert/Fortified Wine
750ml
Bottle: $54.94 $59.20
Barrel Sample. Ripe, botrytized fruit currently dominates this wine with its rich concentration. It is a full and...
12 FREE
WE
96
VM
95
Sale
Dessert/Fortified Wine
375ml
Bottle: $29.90 $32.20
12 bottles: $29.45
Apricots, honeysuckle, lemons, mango crumble, earl grey and vanilla beans on the nose. Pretty spice notes that keep...
WA
94
JS
94
Sale
Dessert/Fortified Wine
750ml
Bottle: $51.94 $57.20
Apricots, honeysuckle, lemons, mango crumble, earl grey and vanilla beans on the nose. Pretty spice notes that keep...
WA
94
JS
94
Case only
Dessert/Fortified Wine
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle: $49.94
Wow. This has a seamless texture and wonderful depth of fruit with dried pineapple, pear and hints of honey. Full...
12 FREE
JS
96
WS
95
Dessert/Fortified Wine
750ml
Bottle: $35.50
12 bottles: $34.79
Brilliant golden robe. Attractive complex nose of acacias, white flowers, lemon, and a touch of honey. Light, fruity...
12 FREE
Dessert/Fortified Wine
375ml
Bottle: $17.91
Brilliant golden robe. Attractive complex nose of acacias, white flowers, lemon, and a touch of honey. Light, fruity...
Dessert/Fortified Wine
375ml
Bottle: $14.95
24 bottles: $12.97
Dessert/Fortified Wine
750ml
Bottle: $25.60
12 bottles: $25.09
Dessert/Fortified Wine
750ml
Bottle: $38.25
12 bottles: $37.49
Pale to medium gold colored, the 2009 Carmes de Rieussec opens with evolving honey-coated almonds, lemon pie and...
12 FREE
WA
92
JS
90
Dessert/Fortified Wine
375ml
Bottle: $18.13
Full nose with notes of jammy white fruit, which evolve towards bitter orange. The initial impression is delicate,...
Sale
Dessert/Fortified Wine
750ml
Bottle: $123.12 $136.80
Captivating, tangy aromas of vineyard peach, pear, white flowers and curry powder. Supple and very concentrated;...
12 FREE
VM
92
WA
91
Sale
Dessert/Fortified Wine
750ml
Bottle: $81.00 $90.00
93-96 Balanced and very spicy, with almond paste and apricot. Full-bodied, medium sweet, with a long, fruity, tangy...
12 FREE
WS
96
VM
93
Sale
Dessert/Fortified Wine
750ml
Bottle: $63.95 $71.10
95-96 I love the botrytis spice character to this wine with dried apricots and tropical fruits. It’s full bodied,...
12 FREE
VM
96
WE
96
Sale
Dessert/Fortified Wine
750ml
Bottle: $68.95 $76.20
95-97 The Château Rieussec 2014 is a blend of 93% Semillon, 5% Sauvignon Blanc and 2% Muscadelle, picked from 15 to...
12 FREE
WA
97
WS
96

White Rhone Blends Savatiano Semillon/sauvignon Blanc

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.

Savatiano is probably Greece's most well known and most widely grown grape varietal, as it is the primary grape used in the production of Retsina, where the fermenting juices of the Savatiano varietal are flavored with pine resin in order to make this distinctive and famous wine. One of the reasons for the wide cultivation of this grape is due to its hardiness, and resistance to drought conditions. In the sun-drenched and dry, rocky Greek landscapes, this makes it an ideal vine to grow for wine-makers who require a strong and bounteous yield each year.

However, there are plenty of examples of Greek white wines which use the Savatiano grape but withhold from the addition the pine resin flavoring, allowing the true characteristics of this varietal to shine through. The result is often very pleasing indeed, with Savatiano grapes generally producing extremely well balanced and rounded white wines, with a juicily fruity flavor. Their aromas can vary quite a lot, with many Savatiano wines bearing the fragrance of citrus fruits, and also occasionally having a strong floral aroma reminiscent of elder and rose. Due to the relatively low acidity of Savatiano grapes, the wines which use them (including Retsina) generally bolster themselves with the addition of smaller quantities of more acidic varieties, such as Assyrtiko or Rhoditis, in order to improve their sometimes weak structure.

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?