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Red
750ml
Bottle: $19.44 $21.60
12 bottles: $17.10
Beautiful, broad and plush, this structured but charming wine overflows with red fruits and baking spices, with a...
WE
93
DC
90
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Red
750ml
Bottle: $31.93 $33.60
12 bottles: $31.29
Red
750ml
Bottle: $13.93
12 bottles: $13.65
Our Castle Rock Merlot is produced from grapes grown on hillside vineyards in Washington State’s prestigious...
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White
750ml
Bottle: $15.94
Certified HVE3*. Sourced from 40-year-old Muscadet vines planted in shallow soils of disintegrated mica/schist....
White
750ml
Bottle: $13.50
12 bottles: $13.23
Certified HVE3*. Extraordinary Muscadet from vines aged 45-60 years planted in decomposed mica/schist soils. The...
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Red
750ml
Bottle: $13.94 $15.17
12 bottles: $13.66
Lots of blackberry and tar character with medium body, firm tannins and a tangy finish. Drink after 2023.
JS
91
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Red
750ml
Bottle: $37.80
12 bottles: $37.04
The 2020 Laroque is even better than the en primeur sample. Dark and enveloping, with tons of class, Laroque is a...
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VM
96
JD
95
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Red
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle: $38.93
Another brilliant Pomerol in the vintage, the 2020 Château Montviel has a pure, medium to full-bodied, vibrant...
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JD
94
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Red
750ml
Bottle: $18.07 $20.08
12 bottles: $15.04
The aromas of mocha and spice in this classic Merlot mingle with the richness of black cherry perfect for hearty...
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Red
750ml
Bottle: $18.79 $20.88
12 bottles: $16.63
Sourced from warm vineyard sites, Indian Wells wines showcase a signature fruit-forward, mouth-filling style....
Red
750ml
Bottle: $36.20
12 bottles: $35.48
Fresh, spiced plums, cassis and a hint of mushroom and graphite to the nose. The medium-bodied palate shows good...
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WA
92
JS
92
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White
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Red
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $92.00
Dark ruby red, strong, tannin-containing wine, aromas of dark fruits and strong tannin structure, you can still...
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Red
750ml
Bottle: $97.27 $108.08
Black olives with some fresh basil and lemongrass aromas that follow through to a medium body with a juicy center...
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91
WS
90
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Red
750ml
Bottle: $8.40 $12.00
COLOR: Bright purple with little to no meniscus. Clear. Opaque. NOSE: Bing cherries with a hint of eucalyptus and...
Red
750ml
Bottle: $69.14
12 bottles: $67.76
Spiced and meaty character here with dried cherries, blackberries, vanilla, licorice and moist earth. Medium- to...
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92
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Red
750ml
Bottle: $17.06 $18.34
Delivers dried cherry and red currant flavors, which are framed by sinewy tannins on the firm finish. Best after...
Red
750ml
Bottle: $319.20
A nose like a private library with old books on the shelves, dried lavender and violets on the desk, and sunbeams and...
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WE
98
JD
98

Ice Wine Japanese Whiskey Melon de Bourgogne Merlot 2020

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.

With its dark blue colored fruits and high juice content, Merlot varietal grapes have long been a favorite of wine producers around the globe, with it being found in vineyards across Europe, the Americas and elsewhere in the New World. One of the distinguishing features of Merlot grapes is the fact that they have a relatively low tannin content and an exceptionally soft and fleshy character, meaning they are capable of producing incredibly rounded and mellow wines. This mellowness is balanced with plenty of flavor, however, and has made Merlot grapes the varietal of choice for softening other, more astringent and tannin-heavy wines, often resulting in truly exceptional produce. Merlot is regarded as one of the key 'Bordeaux' varietals for precisely this reason; when combined with the drier Cabernet Sauvignon, it is capable of blending beautifully to produce some of the finest wines available in the world.