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750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $91.99
Aromatic, with hints of tea rose, graphite and bergamot, this creamy Champagne is svelte and well-knit, with bright...
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WS
91
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Sparkling
750ml
Bottle: $248.95
This is very lively and vibrant with a dense and rich center palate. Lots of complexity and balance with pastry,...
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97
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96
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Sparkling
750ml
Bottle: $199.94 $220.08
#80 TOP 100 WINES OF FRANCE 2022. This has a gorgeous nose of pie crust, biscuit, dried apple, hazelnut and citrus...
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95
Sparkling
1.5Ltr
Bottle: $444.94
6 bottles: $436.04
The 2006 Extra Brut Premier Cru Millésime Terre is pure, fine and intense on the nose, with sweet cherry flavors and...
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95
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750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $138.95
The 2006 Brut Cuvée Nicolas François is showing superbly, bursting with aromas of warm bread, citrus oil, wild...
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95
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94
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750ml - Case of 3
Bottle: $472.87
#74 Wine of the World 2022. Baked raspberries, salted yellow plums, figs, walnuts, orange zest, mahogany and some...
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99
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95
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Sparkling
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $223.18
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Sparkling
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $210.95
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Sparkling
1.5Ltr - 1 Bottle
Bottle: $2640.95 $2686.59
The 2006 Brut wafts from the glass with aromas of ripe citrus fruit, warm bread, smoke and honeycomb that mingle with...
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750ml - Case of 3
Bottle: $1545.59
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750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $84.01
A beautiful, transparent pink-gold rosé, this wine feels effortless. Five percent red wine grown in Verzenay and Aÿ...
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93
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750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $98.95
Rich notes of pastry, crushed cherry, espresso cream, saffron and spice are well-meshed with vibrant acidity in this...
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92
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Sparkling
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $240.04
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750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $83.95
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750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $196.49
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Sparkling
1.5Ltr - Case of 3
Bottle: $692.87
This is very lively and vibrant with a dense and rich center palate. Lots of complexity and balance with pastry,...
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97
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96
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Sparkling
1.5Ltr - Case of 3
Bottle: $1226.01
The 2006 Dom Pérignon Rosé is every bit as captivating as it was last year, maybe even more so. At times powerful,...
VM
97
DC
96
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Sparkling
750ml - Case of 3
Bottle: $353.95
The 2006 Dom Pérignon Rosé is every bit as captivating as it was last year, maybe even more so. At times powerful,...
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97
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96
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Sparkling
750ml - Case of 3
Bottle: $475.95
This graceful 2006 shows lovely freshness, featuring a pronounced note of pink grapefruit granita layered with finely...
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Sparkling
750ml - Case of 3
Bottle: $583.10

Champagne Blend Mavrodaphne Verduzzo 2006

The sparkling wines of Champagne have been revered by wine drinkers for hundreds of years, and even today they maintain their reputation for excellence of flavor and character, and are consistently associated with quality, decadence, and a cause for celebration. Their unique characteristics are partly due to the careful blending of a small number of selected grape varietals, most commonly Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. These grapes, blended in fairly equal quantities, give the wines of Champagne their wonderful flavors and aromas, with the Pinot Noir offering length and backbone, and the Chardonnay varietal giving its acidity and dry, biscuity nature. It isn't unusual to sometimes see Champagne labeled as 'blanc de blanc', meaning it is made using only Chardonnay varietal grapes, or 'blanc de noir', which is made solely with Pinot Noir.

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?