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Sparkling
750ml
Bottle: $184.03 $204.48
6 bottles: $175.20
Grilled bread with flowers, pears and apples. Lots of perfumes. Lavender and some herbs and nutmeg. The palate is...
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JS
97
DC
92
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Sparkling
750ml - Case of 3
Bottle: $457.94
A fragrant, appealing Champagne, with wafts of elderflower and medicinal herbs on the nose, followed by expressive...
WS
95
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Sparkling
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $751.24
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Sparkling
750ml - 1 Bottle
Bottle: $1396.95 $1473.24
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Sparkling
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $143.77
Impressive concentration and power here. This is really assertive with ripe yellow orchard fruits and citrus within a...
WS
94
JS
94
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Sparkling
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $234.45
A good rest on lees in the cellar through to May 2015 has seen this salmon-colored rosé develop a wealth of dried...
JS
96
DC
95
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Sparkling
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $108.55
Pale in color, but rich in texture and fruit, this wonderfully mature rosé is structured from 70% Pinot Noir in the...
WE
96
WS
94
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Sparkling
1.5Ltr - Case of 3
Bottle: $509.95
I believe that the 2005 DP is the best since 2002, which remains the best recent vintage and is probably only...
JS
97
WE
95
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Sparkling
750ml - Case of 3
Bottle: $421.39
A mind-blowing wine. This is super subtle and intense with aromas of peaches, light strawberry and cream. Also shows...
JS
99
WE
95
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Sparkling
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $419.97
A mind-blowing wine. This is super subtle and intense with aromas of peaches, light strawberry and cream. Also shows...
JS
99
WE
95
Case only
Long-term Pre-Arrival
Sparkling
750ml - Case of 3
Bottle: $504.95
A mind-blowing wine. This is super subtle and intense with aromas of peaches, light strawberry and cream. Also shows...
JS
99
WE
95
Case only
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Sparkling
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $746.45
Disgorged in July 2014, Francis Egly's 2005 Brut Grand Cru Millésime is a brilliant wine in this middling vintage,...
WA
94
WS
92
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Sparkling
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $95.76
Case only
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Sparkling
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $238.23
Rich hints of baked plum and marzipan are enlivened by sleek, well-knit acidity in this harmonious Champagne. The...
WS
93
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Sparkling
750ml - Case of 3
Bottle: $320.08
Fabulous nose with great blood orange intensity neatly framed by brioche. On the extravagant and concentrated palate...
JS
99
WE
97
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Sparkling
750ml - Case of 3
Bottle: $138.62
In 1833, Annonciade, the daughter of a winemaker from Bouzy, married Auguste François Bara, a young cooper from the...
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Sparkling
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $175.78
A truly special site, this is a majestic Champagne that has superb darker notes of brulée, roasted almonds and...
JS
95
VM
94
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Sparkling
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $210.71
Grilled bread with flowers, pears and apples. Lots of perfumes. Lavender and some herbs and nutmeg. The palate is...
JS
97
DC
92
Case only
Long-term Pre-Arrival
Sparkling
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $148.48
A warm, sunny year produced this concentrated, elegant wine with refined aromas of ripe apple and quince, fresh...
DC
95
WE
95
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Sparkling
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $253.95
The 2005 Comtes de Champagne Rosé is a wine of contrasts. At first rich and vinous on the palate, the 2005 turns...
VM
93
WS
93

Champagne Blend Lambrusco Mencia 2005

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.

Some grape species are distinct and unique varietals, clearly separate from each of their cousins. Others, like Lambrusco and Muscat, are more like umbrella terms, featuring several subspecies which show slight differences from each other from region to region. Indeed, there are astonishingly more than 60 identified varieties of Lambrusco vines, and they are almost all used in the production of characterful Italian sparkling wines. They are distinguishable by their deep ruby blush, caused by strong pigments present in their skins, and their intensely perfumed character.


Lambrusco vines are grown in several Italian regions, although we most closely associate this varietal with Piedmont and Basilicata. It has also been grown successfully in Argentina and Australia. The varietal suffered from a fairly lowly reputation in the late 20th century, due to bulk, low cost production of Lambrusco sparkling wines, aimed at markets across northern Europe and America. However, things are rapidly changing, and the older, more traditional methods of bottle fermentation are returning, along with a higher level of quality and expression, as consumers become more discerning and demanding. Many of the Lambrusco sub-varieties have their own established DOC, such as Lambrusco Salamino di Santa Croce, Lambrusco di Sorbara and Modena, where new regulations are keeping standards high and methods traditional.