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750ml
Bottle:
$41.94
12 bottles:
$41.10
• 100% Chardonnay.
• Old Wente selection planted in 1999 by Ulises Valdez on Goldridge Soil in a block of...
750ml
Bottle:
$18.36
$20.40
12 bottles:
$16.63
Blanc de Bleu, a sparkling wine with an added hint of blueberries, is a delicate wine reserved for memorable...
750ml
Bottle:
$14.73
12 bottles:
$13.99
Ours is not a buttery, oaky Chard. It sees no malolactic fermentation and no oak so you get a dry and bright palate...
750ml
Bottle:
$9.99
An initial impression of rich, buttery cream quickly turns to aromas of honey and lightly toasted almonds, followed...
750ml
Bottle:
$19.60
12 bottles:
$15.83
The brilliant light green and golden straw hue of our Estate Chardonnay hints at the depth of flavor that unfolds in...
750ml
Bottle:
$46.94
$51.59
Nestled between the shore of the upper Russian River and a blue heron nesting site and preserve, the Blue Heron Ranch...
750ml
Bottle:
$17.94
6 bottles:
$17.58
This layered wine comes from the neighbors' grapes, largely the noted Ferrington Vineyard, and offers enticing...
750ml
Bottle:
$34.90
12 bottles:
$34.20
This appellation blend of Chardonnay is sourced from two organically farmed vineyards on opposite sides of Anderson...
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle:
$32.40
A solidly well-balanced and classic expression of Chardonnay with notes of lemon, lime and grapefruit, white peach...
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle:
$42.12
Satiny, rich, and complex, with layers of butterscotch, fig, apricot and pear that are impeccably balanced. Bold and...
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle:
$42.12
Another overall engaging and interesting Chardonnay expression from Ettore. A deep gold in the glass, initial aromas...
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle:
$38.81
An unusually deep gold color and well-developed, mature aromas and flavors set this wine apart from the crowd, along...
750ml
Bottle:
$20.60
$21.68
12 bottles:
$15.05
Nice entrance, juicy midpalate with creamy oak and a lengthy finish framed by a crisp, mouth-watering acidity.
750ml
Bottle:
$15.94
$16.66
12 bottles:
$15.83
This vibrant, flint colored Chardonnay illustrates its unoaked composition in appearance as well as profile. The...
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$52.94
The 2019 Chardonnay Skycrest is a knockout. Bright, floral and energetic, the 2019 is wonderfully detailed and...
Chardonnay Ice Wine Mavrodaphne Sangiovese United States California Mendocino County
Of all the white wine grape varietals, surely the one which has spread the furthest and is most widely appreciated is the Chardonnay. This green skinned grape is now grown all over the Old and New Worlds, from New Zealand to the Americas, from England to Chile, and is one of the first varietals people think of when considering white wine grapes. Perhaps this is because of its huge popularity which reached a peak in the 1990s, thanks to new technologies combining with traditional methods to bring the very best features out of the Chardonnay grape, and allow its unique qualities to shine through. Most fine Chardonnay wines use a process known as malolactic fermentation, wherein the malic acids in the grape juice are converted to lactic acids, allowing a creamier, buttery nature to come forward in the wine. No grape varietal is better suited to this process than Chardonnay, which manages to balance these silky, creamy notes with fresh white fruit flavors beautifully.
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?
The name of this grape, meaning 'blood of Jove' conjures up evocative images of long dead civilizations, and gives the Sangiovese varietal a sense of the holy, the sacred, the special. Indeed, this particular type of Italian grape has been cultivated and processed for thousands of years, and is said to be the original favorite grape varietal of the Romans, and the Etruscans before them. Throughout history, vintners have continued to plant this varietal, and they continue to produce wonderful wines to this day. The long bunches of very dark, round fruit are treasured by fine wineries in Italy and a few other places around the world, and when young, these grapes are lively – full of strawberry flavors and a little spiciness. However, it is when they are aged in oak that they take on some truly special flavors and aromas, as seen in some of the finest wines of the Old World.
Of all the New World wine countries, perhaps the one which has demonstrated the most flair for producing high quality wines - using a combination of traditional and forward-thinking contemporary methods - has been the United States of America. For the past couple of centuries, the United States has set about transforming much of its suitable land into vast vineyards, capable of supporting a wide variety of world-class grape varietals which thrive on both the Atlantic and the Pacific coastlines. Of course, we immediately think of sun-drenched California in regards to American wines, with its enormous vineyards responsible for the New World's finest examples of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot based wines, but many other states have taken to viticulture in a big way, with impressive results. Oregon, Washington State and New York have all developed sophisticated and technologically advanced wine cultures of their own, and the output of U.S wineries is increasing each year as more and more people are converted to their produce.
California as a wine producing region has grown in size and importance considerably over the past couple of centuries, and today is the proud producer of more than ninety percent of the United States' wines. Indeed, if California was a country, it would be the fourth largest producer of wine in the world, with a vast range of vineyards covering almost half a million acres. The secret to California's success as a wine region has a lot to do with the high quality of its soils, and the fact that it has an extensive Pacific coastline which perfectly tempers the blazing sunshine it experiences all year round. The winds coming off the ocean cool the vines, and the natural valleys and mountainsides which make up most of the state's wine regions make for ideal areas in which to cultivate a variety of high quality grapes.