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Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $486.00 $540.00
Initially the wine is all firm tannins, but then there is a pure line of fresh black fruits that comes through, with...
12 FREE
WE
95
DC
94
Red
750ml
Bottle: $100.00
12 bottles: $98.00
Taking advantage of the delicious fruit of 2006, this Branaire-Ducru shows a charming side. It brings out ripe, spicy...
12 FREE
WE
92
WS
90
Case only
Red
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle: $219.78
Not a wine that will please everyone. This has the austerity and backward thinking of 2006 mixed with the sleek fruit...
12 FREE
DC
93
WA
93
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $714.95 $786.20
Barrel Sample Dark chocolate and mocha flavors, very dark and intense, this is a big, concentrated wine, flavored...
12 FREE
WE
98
WA
97
Red
750ml
Bottle: $234.95
Cos d'Estournel has softened those austere Saint-Estèphe tannins and produced a wine that is all opulence and...
12 FREE
WE
95
WA
94
Red
750ml
Bottle: $49.20
12 bottles: $48.22
12 FREE
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $227.34 $252.60
This is not quite as silky smooth and rich as the 2005 and yet it's full of promise. It feels young, with tannins...
12 FREE
DC
95
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95
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $93.95 $101.90
After initial tastings suggested there was too much tannin, the wine has undergone a welcome transformation. It has...
12 FREE
WE
94
WS
91
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $124.74 $138.60
Among the most seductive noses from Pauillac. Strong, cassis-stained palate with a lovely sense of upwards motion and...
12 FREE
DC
96
WA
94
Red
750ml
Bottle: $120.20
12 bottles: $113.05
Deep, intense brambly fruit unfurls gently over the palate. Not yet reached its tertiary stage but this knows where...
12 FREE
DC
93
WE
91
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $126.99 $141.10
The 2006 Haut Bailly is just now entering its prime drink window, and is certainly a gorgeous bottle of wine. Still...
12 FREE
JD
95
DC
93
Red
750ml
Bottle: $64.95
12 bottles: $63.65
A strong sleeper of the vintage, this sexy, hedonistic, modern-styled St.-Emilion has the tell-tale toasty new oak...
12 FREE
WA
90
Case only
Red
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $463.50
Colour still tight and inky at 10 years old. Smooth, silky, very expressive; this is so powerful it almost lulls you...
12 FREE
DC
97
WE
96
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $744.48 $827.20
As to the Grand Vin, the 2006 Latour showed beautifully. A blend of 86% Cabernet Sauvignon and the balance mostly...
12 FREE
WE
96
JS
96
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $126.99 $141.10
Right at the top of its form, this 2006 is one of the finest wines to come out of the vintage. The wine is structured...
12 FREE
WE
94
WS
94
Sale
Red
375ml
Bottle: $108.27 $120.30
Slowly and confidently inching towards its drinking window, but needs another three to five years before it gets...
12 FREE
DC
94
WE
94
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $216.00 $240.00
Slowly and confidently inching towards its drinking window, but needs another three to five years before it gets...
12 FREE
DC
94
WE
94
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $643.50 $715.00
Plenty of tannins still in play, and it is dense, powerful and reserved even at 15 years old. The tertiary notes of...
12 FREE
DC
95
WE
95
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $180.99 $201.10
Beautiful, rich and incredibly softly textured, this is still very young. Also supremely measured and stately, with...
12 FREE
DC
95
WE
94
Case only
Red
750ml - Case of 3
Bottle: $960.00
At the time it was shown as a barrel sample in early 2007, this was the best wine of 2006. That accolade remains. It...
12 FREE
WE
97
WA
96

Bourbon Red Bordeaux 2006

Bourbon has survived all manner of difficulties and restrictions to become one of the world’s best selling and most recognizable spirits. This unique and distinctly American whiskey came from humble origins, allowing poor farmers in the fields of Pennsylvania and Maryland to make a living from their crops. Prohibition, temperance movements and conflict continuously threatened to wipe Bourbon from existence, but today the drink is stronger than ever and has a global audience of millions. Over time, it has become more refined, and innovation and experimentation has set modern Bourbon apart from other whiskey styles.

Today, the Bourbon heartland and spiritual home is in Kentucky, where the whiskey producers of northern states traveled to seek a new home, free from oppressive tax regimes in the early days. It is now far from the rough and ready spirit of yesteryear, governed by strict rules and regulations to maintain standards and keep quality high. Modern Bourbon must be made from a mash which is no less than 51% and no more than 80% corn (the rest of the mash being made from rye, wheat or barley), giving it a distinctive sweetness, and it must be aged in charred, white oak casks with no other added ingredient but water.

The varied flavors of different Bourbons come about mainly from the different quantities of the permitted grains in the mash. A larger proportion of rye will produce a spicy, peppery whiskey, whereas more wheat will result in a smoother, more subtle drink. Ageing and water quality, as well as the expertise and vision of the craftsmen who distill it, will also make a difference, meaning there is much more to Bourbon than might first meet the eye.

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.