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Fruit-filled Cabernet Franc, lightly spiced on the nose and backed-up with soft tannins and ripe redcurrant and...
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1.5Ltr
Bottle: $156.06 $173.40
The 2017 Saumur Brézé Les Arboises, from the south-facing monopole that was planted on sand and silt topsoil over...
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92
Red
1.5Ltr
Bottle: $167.95
3 bottles: $164.59
This shows great tension between the firm but ripe tannins and the intensely flavored palate, which displays notes of...
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750ml
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Veltliner from the Schön vineyards can be quite reclusive in their youth. Its many dimensions need time to open and...
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375ml
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100% Cabernet Franc. Les Picasses is the most famous Chinon lieu-dit, close to the village of Beaumont-En-Véron on...
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Red
750ml
Bottle: $26.95
100% Cabernet Franc. Les Picasses is the most famous Chinon lieu-dit, close to the village of Beaumont-En-Véron on...
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Red
750ml
Bottle: $17.50
12 bottles: $17.15
Jammy black plum and blackberry aromas include hints of oak, varietal spice and herbal notes. A healthy palate is...
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750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $105.78
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750ml - Case of 6
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750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $600.62
The 2017 Le Bourg exemplifies the site's characteristic power and structure. This is not a wine that you should buy...
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750ml - Case of 6
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A sense of minerality with gunflint on the nose, almost a tertiary character, giving the impression of a cooler...
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750ml - Case of 6
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Set for release in November 2022, the 2017 Les Poyeux is a delightful wine. While waiting for the winemaker, I was...
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If there's a Cabernet Franc vineyard you need to know in the Saumur Champigny - or the Loire or the world for that...
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The 2017 Saumur Brézé Les Arboises, from the south-facing monopole that was planted on sand and silt topsoil over...
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92
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This shows great tension between the firm but ripe tannins and the intensely flavored palate, which displays notes of...
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The 2017 Gran Enemigo Gualtallary Single Vineyard didn't show any heat or excess ripeness from a warm and dry year....
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750ml - Case of 3
Bottle: $80.22
A supple, fluid red, this exhibits black currant, black cherry, iron, tobacco and toasty oak flavors. This firms up...
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750ml - Case of 3
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750ml - Case of 3
Bottle: $417.00
A gorgeous, young wine, the 2017 Bolgheri Superiore Matarocchio is rich and sumptuous, with generous dark fruit,...
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Cabernet Franc Gruner Veltliner Japanese Whiskey 2017

Cabernet Franc is not simply an important grape varietal for the fact that it is one of the most widely grown strains of vine in the world, but also because it is a vital grape in the production of many of the finest wines the world has ever seen. For centuries in its native France, it has been a varietal synonymous with elegance and high quality, and has become a key fruit in the production of the Bordeaux and Bordeaux-style blended wines which have gone down in history thanks to their magnificent flavors, aromas and levels of aged complexity. However, Cabernet Franc is also a wine grape varietal for use in single variety, unblended wines, and has plenty to offer on its own. Most commonly, it is renowned for its wide bouquet, which often includes fascinating notes of tobacco, violets or bell pepper over a beautifully pale and decadent liquid.

Gruner Veltliner is a pale skinned white wine grape varietal most closely associated with central European countries such as Austria, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. In recent years, it has spread somewhat to several New World countries, where it is becoming gradually more popular and regularly seen in wine stores. One of the main attractions of this grape varietal for winemakers is the fact that it is highly versatile, and can be used for the production of several different wine styles, including young, dry white wines, excellent sparkling wines, and it is also a grape varietal which is well suited for aging Gruner Veltliner has the ability to express much of its terroir, and the best examples are generally those which are full of delightfully mineral-rich flavors alongside the more usual notes of citrus fruits and peach.

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.