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750ml - Case of 12
Bottle:
$14.25
Alta Vita embodies the spirit and purpose-driven lifestyle of the Sardinians. The wine is full-bodied, robust and...
750ml
Bottle:
$11.31
$12.57
• 100% Loureiro from choice, south-facing parcels on granite in the Lima Valley.
• Hand-harvested.
• Fermented...
375ml
Bottle:
$44.40
Floral nose. Waxy (candlewax, crayons), then spicy, fruity notes emerge, in particular raisin and plum, becomes more...
750ml
Bottle:
$27.94
12 bottles:
$27.38
Melissae is named after the nymphs of honey. The wine shows intense flowery aromatics reminiscent of nectar, making...
750ml
Bottle:
$14.62
$16.25
Crystaline citrus color. Delicate tangerine and lime zest in a mineral, elegant, low alcohol profile where a touch of...
750ml
Bottle:
$17.94
12 bottles:
$17.58
Bright pale yellow citrus hue. A wine with the backbone of granite minerality, were the aromas dominated by fruits...
![Aphros Loureiro [Amphora] 'Phaunus' 2022 750ml](https://www.saratogawine.com/files/images/cached_thumbs/4f/4fb59c52c8a45085a3451527ec5303d8.jpg){kind=small}
750ml
Bottle:
$23.94
12 bottles:
$23.46
This delicious wine is bright, lively and balanced. With flavors of citrus fruits, and apple aromas, this wine pairs...
![Aphros Palhete [Amphora] 'Phaunus' 2020 750ml](https://www.saratogawine.com/files/images/cached_thumbs/fc/fc9129046d0ff5547826b6070cf04bd0.jpg){kind=small}
750ml
Bottle:
$22.94
12 bottles:
$22.48
Loureiro and Vinhão. Harvested and destemmed manually before spontaneous fermentation with the skins in...
750ml
Bottle:
$19.93
12 bottles:
$19.53
Ruby red in color with aromas of wild blackberry and ripe plum. Intense and elegant on the palate with notes of red...
750ml
Bottle:
$15.00
12 bottles:
$14.25
Intense aromas of marasca cherry and redcurrant with hints of blackberry jelly. Dynamic and enveloping on the palate...
750ml
Bottle:
$24.90
Cannonau is a typical grapevine in Sardinia that here in Usini assumes unique organoleptic nuances that are found in...
700ml
Bottle:
$36.79
6 bottles:
$36.00
The nose is fragrant, delicate and harmonious. On the palate, this grappa is intense and complex, but with a smooth...
750ml
Bottle:
$82.39
4 bottles:
$81.60
Complex profile with multiple nuances attributable to spicy and fruity notes with hints of vanilla, morello cherry...
700ml - Case of 4
Bottle:
$82.50
Sweet oak and cereal on the nose. Enjoyably elegant on the palate, with rich nutty and floral notes. Richly textured...
![Caffo Grappa Vecchia [Barrique] 750ml](https://www.saratogawine.com/files/images/cached_thumbs/27/27b3f764d9c6078ff71534c6397be9ef.jpg)
750ml
Bottle:
$26.40
12 bottles:
$22.80
Aged in oak for 12 months, this golden grappa edges close to aged brandy territory—although one sip and that grappa...
750ml
Bottle:
$16.25
12 bottles:
$15.93
Known in France as Grenache, this classic Cannonau is full-bodied, pure and authentic. It is a brilliant Ruby red and...
750ml
Bottle:
$13.43
12 bottles:
$13.16
Simply delicious Melon de Bourgogne! Just the right amount of acidity and final dryness to keep it well balanced....
750ml
Bottle:
$11.94
$13.43
12 bottles:
$11.52
Chateau de la Chesnaie is a family owned estate dedicated to the production of high quality Muscadet. This wine is...
Grenache Grappa Loureiro Melon de Bourgogne
The Grenache grape holds the honor of being the most widely planted wine grape varietal on earth. It has a long and impressive history, and has been the backbone of the some of the planet’s most respected and famed wine regions, blended with Syrah in regions such as Chateauneuf du Pape, and in certain other Loire and Languedoc regions where it reigns supreme as a single varietal wine grape. In other key areas, such as Spain’s La Rioja (where it is known as Garnacha Tinta), it is blended with Tempranillo to make that country’s signature red wine, and is widely used as a blending grape in other old and new world countries, due to its unique character and jammy, fruit forward character.
For a long time, the Grenache grape was somewhat looked down upon as an ignoble varietal, incapable of producing wines of any particular interest. However, times are very much changing - in the right hands, Grenache grapes result in astonishingly intense and complex wines, full of fascinating features, and capable of achieving plenty of expression. For a while now, Grenache has been a major player in Australian wines. While not yet quite as extensively planted down under as Shiraz is, the Barossa Valley is bringing out some of the finest examples of this grape’s wines in recent years.
Like so many of the great spirits of Europe, Grappa was born from a need to make resources go that little bit further, to eke out the last drop of flavor and potential from the crops of winemakers. Indeed, Italian vintners invented Grappa as a way to make use of the pomace - leftover grape skins, stems, pulp and seeds - which remained after the juice was extracted from the fruit needed to make wine. Over the centuries, the process was refined, and the distillation of Grappa became an art in itself. Today, top Grappa producers use a range of state of the art equipment, from continuous stills to pot stills, to manufacture a wide variety of Grappas, each with their own distinct characteristics.
Most of us know Grappa from our local Italian restaurants, where it is commonly served as a digestif. However, in the twenty first century, there is a high interest in unique, boutique Grappas, which showcase the talent of the distillers through a range of interesting qualities. Grappa can be aged in oak, in which case it takes on a beautiful golden color, quite different from the clear Grappas we are most familiar with. The high end Grappas are a world away from the harsh spirit many of us have encountered, and have a smooth, gentle quality which can be nothing short of a revelation.
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.