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750ml
Bottle:
$47.16
$52.40
Colour: Lively, deep ruby-red; nature's gift.
Perfume: Complex scent of ripe red fruit (mainly black cherry), spices,...
750ml
Bottle:
$31.16
$32.80
The aromas of blue fruits, such as raspberries, with subtle cloves and bark follow through to a palate of...
750ml
Bottle:
$29.94
12 bottles:
$29.34
• 100% Carignan.
• Practicing Organic.
• Poor Ranch Vyd (mult-generational family owned on benchland outside...
750ml
Bottle:
$29.94
6 bottles:
$29.34
Colour: Deep, almost solid ruby red.
Nose: Intense fruity notes of blackberry, blueberry, vanilla, myrtle, leather...
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle:
$18.13
Big raspberry and plum aromas on the nose as well as a hint of eucalyptus and liquorice. The wine is rich and mouth...
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle:
$16.85
Roasted coffee and liquorice on the nose with some blackberry notes and a light smokiness showing the age of the...
750ml
Bottle:
$13.93
12 bottles:
$13.65
All old vine Carignan, the 2019 Côtes Catalanes Tessellae from Jean-Marc Lafage offers a beautifully pure nose of...
750ml
Bottle:
$21.20
12 bottles:
$20.78
• 100% Mavrodaphne.
• Low yielding vines from loamy clay soils.
• Fermented and aged in stainless steel.
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle:
$68.50
Rich and powerful with expressions of ripe cherries, dark chocolate and spices. This full bodied wine is supported by...
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle:
$25.01
Deep purple color with crimson highlights. Elegant floral nose with peony and violet flowers along with the typical...
750ml
Bottle:
$33.94
12 bottles:
$33.26
Aroma : Black cherry, sarsaparilla, cacao.
Flavor : Salted plum, black raspberry, cola.
750ml
Bottle:
$33.94
12 bottles:
$33.26
Soft tannin and stimulating acidity rise to meet this deeply fruited, social wine. Carignan from this beloved site...
750ml
Bottle:
$13.43
12 bottles:
$11.52
Our Cabrerisse comes from 40-60 year-old Carignan vines, dry-famed in the stony landscape of this small Languedoc...
750ml
Bottle:
$24.94
12 bottles:
$24.44
The 2021 Carignane from Jessie's Grove is fabulous. Rich, deep, and dynamic, the 2021 is done in a style that shows...
750ml
Bottle:
$19.20
Our style of wine began with the discovery of a centenary organic vineyard, lost in Cauquenes, in the Tres Esquinas...
750ml
Bottle:
$19.20
Our style of wine began with the discovery of a centenary organic vineyard, lost in Cauquenes, in the Tres Esquinas...
750ml
Bottle:
$15.94
$16.66
12 bottles:
$15.62
The 2022 Savatiano Old Vines is unoaked and comes in at 12.6% alcohol. This is mightily impressive in its youth....
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle:
$11.70
Intense deep purple color with ruby red tints. At first you smell spices and blackberry on the nose, the second nose...
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle:
$15.93
Intense ruby red color with purple hues. On the nose are aromas of ripe raspberries accompanied by spicy notes and...
Carignan Mavrodaphne Savatiano
Carignan is an ancient blue-skinned grape varietal, thought to be indigenous to the Aragon region of Spain. However, today it is most commonly associated with the fine wines of southern France, and has been grown in many countries around the world which have the warm and dry conditions it requires to thrive. Carignan is recognized as being quite a sensitive vine, highly susceptible to all kinds of rot and mildew, although producing excellent results when given the right conditions and handled correctly. Its high tannin levels and acidity make the Carignan grapes very astringent, and as such, they are often used as a blending grape to give body to other, lesser bodied varietals. Despite this, with careful treatment, Carignan can produce superb single varietal wines packed full of character and unique attributes.
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?
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?