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1.5Ltr - Case of 6
Bottle:
$133.02
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$67.64
Pre-Arrival
Adrien Renoir Champagne Grand Cru Le Terroir NV
1.5Ltr - Case of 6
Bottle:
$119.40
Renoir's NV Extra-Brut Grand Cru Le Terroir is showing very well, unfurling in the glass with aromas of nashi pear,...
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$72.88
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$123.21
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$58.40
Agrapart describes this as its 'entry-level' wine, but it's far from your normal non-vintage Champagne. A blend of...
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$281.66
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$249.93
Lovely nose of peaches, white apricots, jasmine, lemon curd, olives and almonds. Distinct salty and chalky...
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$247.03
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$239.93
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$160.42
Disgorged in May 2019 with three grams per liter dosage after tirage under natural cork, the 2013 Extra-Brut Blanc de...
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$148.60
The 2014 Extra Brut Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru L’Avizoise, from old vines in the Les Robards and Voie d'Epernay...
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$181.36
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$147.95
Champagne Blend Mavrodaphne Mencia Pre-Arrival
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?