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Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $9.99
Red plum, currants and cedar aromas with a touch of earthy goodness. This wine is medium to full-bodied and...
Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $39.69
12 bottles: $38.90
Aromas of currants, cedar and violets follow through to a medium body and fine tannins with a lovely, light velvety...
12 FREE
VM
92
JS
92
Red
750ml
Bottle: $57.94
12 bottles: $56.78
From warm, fully south-facing vineyards near the township of Castelnuovo dell’Abate, Agostina Pieri’s 2018...
12 FREE
DC
92
WA
92
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $49.86 $52.00
12 bottles: $49.40
Overtones of vanilla give way to pungent fennel and sage. Belying Agostina Pieri’s warm, southerly location, the...
12 FREE
DC
91
Red
750ml
Bottle: $22.80
12 bottles: $21.66
The Pieri Rosso seeks for the best balance between tradition and modernity. There’s always precocious Sangiovese...
Case only
Red
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle: $33.16
A bold wine with impressive tannic structure. Ripe black fruit and dark berries on the nose with hints of roasted...
Sale
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
Red
375ml
Bottle: $13.22
12 bottles: $12.96
This wine impresses red wine lovers immediately with spicy aromas of cassis, black cherry, plum, vanilla, oak and...
Instore only
Red
5.0Ltr
Bottle: $19.94
Flavors of blackberry aromas and raspberry. Soft, medium-bodied wine with a smooth finish. Serve at room temperature.
Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $64.94
A concentrated bead of blackberries and minerals pervades the nose and palate. Medium-to full-bodied with...
12 FREE
JS
95
WA
94
Red
375ml
Bottle: $29.67
12 bottles: $29.08
This has fantastic intensity with concentrated hazelnut, chocolate and dark berry aromas alongside dried flower and...
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JS
95
WA
93
Red
750ml
Bottle: $48.95
12 bottles: $47.97
This has fantastic intensity with concentrated hazelnut, chocolate and dark berry aromas alongside dried flower and...
12 FREE
JS
95
WA
93
Sale
Red
375ml
Bottle: $32.94 $35.20
12 bottles: $32.68
The Altesino 2019 Brunello di Montalcino boasts a rich and savory side that this wine wears very well. There is a...
WA
95
JD
95
Sale
Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $52.92 $56.00
The Altesino 2019 Brunello di Montalcino boasts a rich and savory side that this wine wears very well. There is a...
12 FREE
WA
95
JD
95
Red
1.5Ltr
Bottle: $264.95
6 bottles: $259.65
Super clean black fruit and minerals on the nose and palate. Floral and herbal nuances, too. Medium-to full-bodied...
JS
97
WA
95
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $104.81 $113.99
Super clean black fruit and minerals on the nose and palate. Floral and herbal nuances, too. Medium-to full-bodied...
12 FREE
JS
97
WA
95
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $98.94 $104.80
This has a complex nose of cranberries, dried pineapple, soy, bark, cardamom, mocha, iodine and wet leather....
12 FREE
JS
97
JD
96
Red
1.5Ltr
Bottle: $244.20
6 bottles: $240.00
Perfumed and beautiful with raspberry and cherry aromas and flavors. Purity like a mountain stream. Medium to full...
WA
97
VM
97
Sale
Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $104.16 $112.00
Perfumed and beautiful with raspberry and cherry aromas and flavors. Purity like a mountain stream. Medium to full...
12 FREE
WA
97
VM
97
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $109.79 $121.99
The Altesino 2016 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva holds tight to its unique character and power. The classic 2016...
12 FREE
WA
96
WE
95

Ice Wine Merlot Sangiovese Savatiano

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.

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.

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?