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Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $32.92 $35.60
6 bottles: $32.00
A juicy red, with flesh and bright acidity framing cherry and strawberry flavors. Firm and taut, yet finds...
WS
90
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $15.90 $17.54
12 bottles: $15.87
The Rosso di Montepulciano 2020 has a ruby red colour highlighted by purple streaks. The bouquet presents caresses of...
Sale
Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $11.68 $12.56
A tight, focused red with currant and cherry character and hints of chocolate and sandalwood. Medium to full body,...
JS
93
Red
750ml
Bottle: $15.94
12 bottles: $15.62
A versatile, young red wine with a ruby red colour and a bouquet characterised by inviting aromas of ripe cherries,...
12 FREE
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $84.94 $88.79
12 FREE
Red
750ml
Bottle: $21.93
6 bottles: $21.49
The clay gives this 100% Sangiovese a vibrant and unvarnished taste of red fruit. Da-Di is bursting with the...
12 FREE
Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $17.85
12 bottles: $17.49
A savory and pretty nuanced Vino Nobile here showing orange zest, plums, grapefruit, mineral and fine spices. A twist...
JS
92
Red
750ml
Bottle: $49.93
6 bottles: $48.93
Subtle roasted spices are chiselled to the pomegranate and grapefruit notes with some savory berries, sage and...
12 FREE
JS
95
VM
93
Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $69.94
Leafy underbrush, earth and dusty mineral notes frame the core of cherry and raspberry flavors in this succulent red,...
12 FREE
WS
97
DC
96
Sale
Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $16.93 $18.00
Notes of cooked strawberries, red licorice, blood orange and cedar. Medium body. Bright and racy with crunchy acidity...
JS
92
VM
91
Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $36.94
Red cherries, cranberries, slate, cloves, bay leaves and lemon peel on the nose. Medium-bodied with fine tannins and...
12 FREE
VM
92
JS
92
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $30.85 $32.80
The organic Badia a Coltibuono 2019 Chianti Classico Riserva is 90% Sangiovese with Canaiolo, Ciliegiolo and Colorino...
WA
93
JS
92
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $33.11 $36.79
Notes of dried strawberries and cherries with hints of chocolate and sweet spices. Dry and polished with firm...
JS
93
Sale
Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $9.44 $10.01
Notes of red and purple fruit with cocoa, nutmeg and bark on offer. Some licorice, too. Medium-bodied with steady...
JS
91
Red
750ml
Bottle: $12.99
12 bottles: $11.52
Intense bright ruby red, cherry nose with floral nuances. Well-balanced, soft but tasty, with good structure....
Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $15.25
12 bottles: $14.94
The 2021 Chianti Classico RS Cultusboni is rich, boisterous and quite appealing. I would open it in advance to allow...
VM
91
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $55.51 $61.68
6 bottles: $54.41
24 Jul, 2023 – This is really velvety and open with a caressing texture that entices with every sip. Medium-bodied...
JS
94
JD
94
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $63.72 $70.80
Rated 94 - Wild berry, forest floor and dark spice aromas mingle with eucalyptus. Aged in predominately in large...
12 FREE
WNR
94
WA
93
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $68.04 $75.60
Color: Intense ruby red with garnet reflections. Bouquet: Ethereal, violet, vanilla with hints of licorice. Taste:...
12 FREE
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $79.92 $83.59
Complex aromas of tar, cherries, and violets. Grippy tannins with bright acidity and elevated abv for a very good...
12 FREE
DC
95
WE
95

Mencia Primitivo Sangiovese

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.

The name of this grape, meaning 'blood of Jove' conjures up evocative images of long dead civilizations, and gives the Sangiovese varietal a sense of the holy, the sacred, the special. Indeed, this particular type of Italian grape has been cultivated and processed for thousands of years, and is said to be the original favorite grape varietal of the Romans, and the Etruscans before them. Throughout history, vintners have continued to plant this varietal, and they continue to produce wonderful wines to this day. The long bunches of very dark, round fruit are treasured by fine wineries in Italy and a few other places around the world, and when young, these grapes are lively – full of strawberry flavors and a little spiciness. However, it is when they are aged in oak that they take on some truly special flavors and aromas, as seen in some of the finest wines of the Old World.