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Red
750ml
Bottle: $98.82
12 bottles: $96.84
Shows macerated black currant and blackberry notes, with dark charcoal and bay leaf lining the finish. This has good...
12 FREE
WS
90
JS
90
Red
750ml
Bottle: $63.95
12 bottles: $62.67
This estate has produced an impressive wine for the vintage. It balances acidity, tarry wood flavors and ripe...
12 FREE
WE
93
JS
91
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $85.13 $94.59
Extremely perfumed with cocoa powder, nuts and hints of cherries. Medium body, lovely density of fruit and a soft and...
12 FREE
JS
93
WE
92
Red
750ml
Bottle: $86.95
12 bottles: $85.21
93–95. Barrel Sample. A rich and structured wine, this combines both the ripeness of mature Merlot and a solid, dry...
12 FREE
WE
95
WA
91
Red
750ml
Bottle: $49.94
12 bottles: $48.94
This is a 2013 with blueberry and currant aromas and flavors. Medium body, polished tannins and a juicy finish. Hints...
12 FREE
WE
90
JS
90
Red
750ml
Bottle: $78.75
12 bottles: $77.18
Dense and silky with lots of flowers and black currant character. Medium to full body, fine tannins and a long finish...
12 FREE
WE
91
JS
91
Red
750ml
Bottle: $50.19
12 bottles: $49.19
The 2013 Haut Batailley wraps around the palate with lovely depth and nuance. A layered, resonant wine, the 2013...
12 FREE
VM
91
Case only
Red
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle: $37.60
12 FREE
Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $240.95
The thing that impresses here is the long finish of subtle currant, chocolate and walnut. Full body, silky tannins...
12 FREE
WE
94
JS
94
Case only
Red
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $39.94
Red
750ml
Bottle: $36.94
12 bottles: $36.20
Dark cherry, plum, smoke, tobacco and game notes emerge from the 2013 Ormes de Pez. Broad and ample on the palate...
12 FREE
VM
91
WE
91
Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $34.94
This is one of the most immediately appealing 2014s from the appellation thanks to its very ripe black fruits, and...
12 FREE
WA
89
WS
89
Red
375ml
Bottle: $29.61
The fresh tobacco, olive, cedar and red currant notes are direct and focused, with a light tangy feel through the...
WS
89
Red
750ml
Bottle: $70.20
12 bottles: $68.80
Barrel Sample. This is a soft wine, with ripe blackberry flavors and ample acidity. Perhaps the fruit tannins are too...
12 FREE
WE
91
VM
90
Red
750ml
Bottle: $17.94
12 bottles: $17.58
Case only
Red
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle: $63.18
A perfumed wine, this is full of black fruits that are shot through with acidity. It is bright, soft and only hinting...
12 FREE
WE
91
Case only
Long-term Pre-Arrival
Red
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $145.13
Case only
Long-term Pre-Arrival
Red
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $59.96
Shows a toasty profile, with well-roasted tobacco leaf and charcoal notes coating a core of steeped plum and...
WS
88
Case only
Long-term Pre-Arrival
Red
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $378.16
Pretty density and flavor for Carruades in this less than perfect year. Shows tobacco, cream and chocolate aromas and...
JS
92
DC
90
Case only
Long-term Pre-Arrival
Red
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle: $439.08
Pretty density and flavor for Carruades in this less than perfect year. Shows tobacco, cream and chocolate aromas and...
JS
92
DC
90

Malbec Mavrodaphne Red Bordeaux 2013

The purple Malbec variety grapes which now grow all over the Old and New Worlds had their origins in France, where they are one of the few grape varieties allowed to be used in the highly esteemed blended wines of Bordeaux. However, it is perhaps the New World Malbec wines which have attracted the most attention in recent years, as they thrive in hot southern climates in ways they cannot in their native country, where the damp conditions leave them highly vulnerable to rot. Malbec grapes are renowned for their high tannin content, resulting in full-bodied red wines packed with ripe, plummy flavors and held in their characteristically dark, garnet colored liquid. In many countries, Malbec is still used primarily as a varietal for blending, as it adds a great level of richness and density to other, lighter and thinner varietals. However, single variety Malbec wines have been greatly on the rise in recent years, with some fantastic results and big, juicy flavors marking them out as a great wine for matching with a wide range of foods.

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.