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750ml
Bottle:
$189.94
The 1998 Calon-Ségur, blended of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot, is deep...
750ml
Bottle:
$1189.08
$1321.20
A blend of 81% Cabernet Sauvignon and 19% Merlot, the 1998 Lafite Rothschild is deep garnet with a hint of brick and...
750ml
Bottle:
$221.58
$246.20
Not a great vintage (very hot August, rain in the last half of September), but the Merlot was luscious and wines made...
750ml
Bottle:
$128.95
6 bottles:
$126.37
The first vintage for the Dillon family, who purchased this estate in 1997, the 1998 Château Nenin is a sexy, ripe,...
Pre-Arrival
Chateau Ausone Saint Emilion Grand Cru 1998
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle:
$769.65
I’m still looking forward to tasting the great Château Ausone of Saint-Émilion later this week, but in the...
Pre-Arrival
Chateau Cantenac Brown Margaux 1998
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle:
$85.08
What I would describe as a classic Margaux, the 1998 Chateau Cantenac Brown reveals a mature yet healthy ruby hue...
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$1289.19
The reference chateau of the vintage, this wine is showing its class here and then some. It was the first year with...
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle:
$1285.67
The reference chateau of the vintage, this wine is showing its class here and then some. It was the first year with...
Pre-Arrival
Chateau Du Tertre Margaux 1998
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle:
$89.83
A sleeper of the vintage, this excellent Du Tertre is reminiscent of this estate's fine 1979. Sweet aromas of black...
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Chateau Ducru-Beaucaillou Saint Julien 1998
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle:
$242.95
The 1998 vintage is still vibrant and fresh with plum, black berries, mint aromas with leather and rose petal notes...
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Chateau Giscours Margaux 1998
1.5Ltr - Case of 6
Bottle:
$199.94
The colour is red with brick at the rim. The bouquet is attractively mature with cedar, tobacco and forest floor...
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Chateau Grand Mayne Saint Emilion Grand Cru 1998
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle:
$99.95
A wine must reflect its terroir, its origins. We strongly believe that the uniqueness of the vineyard’s location is...
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Chateau Grand-Puy-Lacoste Pauillac 1998
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle:
$108.95
Tasted at the château, the 1998 Grand-Puy-Lacoste has really developed in commendable fashion in recent years. It...
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Chateau Haut Brion Pessac Leognan Rouge 1998
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle:
$682.43
Still incredibly youthful and sporting a lot of fruit, the deep garnet-brick colored 1998 Haut-Brion sashays out of...
Lambrusco Mavrodaphne Red Bordeaux 1998
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.
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?
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.