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Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $410.40 $456.00
6 bottles: $355.00
Fine tannins, this is elegant and finessed, with cool blueberry and raspberry fruits, touches of orange peel, rose...
12 FREE
DC
95
WA
94
Case only
Red
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle: $49.35
90-92 Barrel sample. Aromas of new wood mark this wine. On the palate, the tannins are gentle, with flavors of ripe...
12 FREE
WE
92
DC
91
Red
750ml
Bottle: $40.76
12 bottles: $39.94
12 FREE
Red
750ml
Bottle: $72.75
12 bottles: $71.30
With dense fruit and a powerful, complex structure, this is one of the best wines from this chateau. Blackberries,...
12 FREE
WE
94
DC
93
Red
750ml
Bottle: $167.10
12 bottles: $163.76
This is from a precocious vintage, with a harvest beginning on September 3, the very day the estate’s longtime...
12 FREE
DC
95
WE
95
Case only
Red
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $96.95
Barrel sample. A firm and tannic wine, it has the weight to support its tannins. It's balanced, solid and dense, with...
12 FREE
WE
95
JD
94
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $624.95 $679.50
A vintage that’s being drunk with abandon in France these days, the 2011 Chateau Cheval Blanc showed beautifully,...
12 FREE
JD
96
DC
95
Red
750ml
Bottle: $118.59
12 bottles: $116.22
Continuing its impressive development, Clerc Milon 2011 is a serious wine. It is elegant, stylish, its fruits well...
12 FREE
WE
94
JS
93
Red
750ml
Bottle: $30.39
12 bottles: $29.78
This has a tangy sanguine edge running through it, with floral and cherry notes backed by a pomegranate edge on the...
12 FREE
WS
88
Red
750ml
Bottle: $114.80
6 bottles: $112.50
A Duhart that was particularly subdued when young, it is continuing to develop and will be even better in two or...
12 FREE
DC
92
WE
92
Red
750ml
Bottle: $42.30
6 bottles: $41.45
This red shows good berry and spice character, with hints of minerals. It’s medium-bodied, with chewy tannins and a...
12 FREE
JS
90
Red
750ml
Bottle: $70.00
12 bottles: $68.60
Plenty of Pauillac character in terms of its tannic density and dark fruits, a little angular. Once you coax oxygen...
12 FREE
DC
91
WE
91
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $74.90 $78.60
12 bottles: $74.10
The savoury, floral edge of Cabernet on gravel is fully on display, and it needs time in the glass to soften and...
12 FREE
DC
93
JS
93
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $89.90 $97.50
Gruaud Larose can be underestimated in its early years but knows exactly how to show itself with a bit of bottle age,...
12 FREE
DC
94
WE
91
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $616.68 $685.20
A serious Haut-Brion, still very much closed. Concentrated with firm tannins, this has real depth to it, showing...
12 FREE
DC
97
WE
96
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $199.94 $205.50
12 bottles: $193.80
A dark, grippy, structured version, with a strong charcoal spine running through the core of dark fig, steeped plum...
12 FREE
WS
93
WE
92
Case only
Red
12 FREE
Red
750ml
Bottle: $50.19
12 bottles: $49.19
This is a wine that has great potential—you can tell from the firm tannins, tight acidity and closed texture....
12 FREE
WE
92
VM
90
Red
750ml
Bottle: $59.94
12 bottles: $58.74
Full in the mouth, this is a soft and juicy wine at the outset. There is a cushioned, plump feel to the wine, with...
12 FREE
WE
93
JS
91
Case only
Red
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $48.00
This is a little more ready to drink than the 2010 vintage at this point, but still delivers plenty of rich, fleshy...
12 FREE
DC
92

Mencia Primitivo Red Bordeaux 2011

As with many European grape varietals, there is some debate regarding the precise origins of the Primitivo grape. Most people now agree that it probably came from Croatia, where it is still used widely in the production of red wine, and it known as Tribidrag. However, today it is a grape most commonly associated with the powerful red wines of Puglia, the heel of Italy’s boot, where the intense sunshine and brisk Mediterranean breezes produce grapes of remarkable character and balance. Primitivo is a dark grape, known for producing intense, inky, highly tannic wines, most notably the naturally sweet Dolce Naturale and the heavy and complex Primitivo di Manduria wines. Primitivo tends to be naturally very high in both tannin and alcohol, making it ideal for both barrel and cellar ageing, which brings out its more rounded and interesting features.


Primitivo is not the easiest grape to grow or manage, and it has had something of a difficult century. Indeed, by the 1990s, there was little interest in Puglian wines in general, and winemakers were neglecting their Primitivo vineyards and looking to other, more commercially viable varietals. However, the last decade has seen this grape come well and truly back into fashion, with new techniques and a heightened interest in native Italian grape varietals bringing Primitivo back into the spotlight. It is now widely loved for its intensity and ability to be paired with strongly flavored foods.

There are few regions in the world with stricter regulations in regards to wine production and grape varietals than those found in Bordeaux, France. Here, in the home of the world's finest wines, the type and quality of grapes used is of utmost importance, and the legendary wineries which work on the banks of the Gironde river have mastered the careful art of juice blending to find the perfect balance for their produce. Whilst there are six 'official' Bordeaux grapes, the two key varietals for almost every fine Bordeaux wine are Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, and with good reason. Whilst Cabernet Sauvignon grapes are renowned for their acidity and astringency, strong fruit and spice flavors and full body, Merlot grapes are notably rounded, soft, fleshy and lighter on tannin. The combination of these two varietals, along with a small percentage of (commonly) Petit Verdot or Cabernet Franc, is the perfect balancing act – the two grape varietals cancel out each others weaker points, and accentuate all that is good about the other.