Calvados, Bitters, White Blend...

Equal parts Mouvèdre, Grenache and Cinsault all hand harvested and macerated on skins for 24 hours at 10° C. Luminous pale pink colour. Fresh and aromatic with lifted citrus and delicate rose petal and wild raspberry red fruit aromas with a hint of Provence herbs. Fresh and softly textural palate with hints of raspberry and rose petal on the palate with a citrus twist of freshness coming from the limestone terroirs underneath the deep red clay that helps to regulate and ensure perfect ripeness in this warm and dry terroir.

STAGE 14 - MOUNTAIN - PAU > SAINT-LARY-SOULAN PLA D'ADET 151.9 KM

Franck Lihour is a relative newcomer with only his first vintage in 2014. But within a short amount of time, he has lifted his family's estate, Domaine Castera, to be one of the top producers of Jurançon. His ability to tame the searing acidity with concentrated fruit while keeping the wines bone dry and without ever losing any balance is exceptional. His work in the vineyard, slow & long pressing, time in old neutral oak and use of whole clusters the key to maintaining the knife edge wines he has endeared his fans with.

Waxy citrus, pear and white orchard fruit entice you in while a gentle floral lilt and softly spice nose keep you coming back for more. The palate is refined and electric, with a long, slightly leesy finish, that seems to build and build in on its self as you continue to sip it. This is at once luxurious and broad that seems to paint the flavours across your palate while sitting up, fresh and bright on a web of tightly woven acidity. Very cool!

More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!

More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!

A bitter obtained from a skilful work through infusion in a water-alcohol solution with well-balanced roots and herbs, aromatic plants and citrus fruit that give the product a classic taste, round, harmonious with fruity and lightly bitter sensations that make it unique in its kind.
Clear, transparent, classic red color; its perfect mixability makes it an ideal base for the preparation of cocktails of higher quality. TUVE TURIN

Grenache (60%) Shiraz (25%), Mataro (10%) and Cinsault (5%). It’s in keeping with my little Grenache theme this week, except it’s from the Yarra Valley!

It’s complex and a wine of many layers. Raspberry and blackberry, plenty of perfume and spice, hazelnut, something in the way of dried herbs and earth. Medium-bodied, no shortage of red and black fruit, rose oil, but also something a little more meaty and savoury in the mix, with fresh acidity, kind of like pomegranate, fine emery board tannin grip, and a fine ‘minerally’ finish of excellent length. Outstanding in 2021. (95) GARY WALSH, The Wine Front

60/25/10/5% grenache/shiraz/mourvèdre/cinsault. The grenache spends 16 months in 1600L seasoned foudre, the rest matured in barriques (15% new for the shiraz). A wine that shows both the potential of these varieties and this blend at Mount Mary. Perfumed and spicy with red and black fruits and a little Mediterranean garrigue. Brightly fruited and with tannins that are juicy and balanced, this medium-bodied wine is already a treat to drink. PHILIP RICH, Halliday Wine Companion

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A great rendition of this wonderful blend. Dark Cherries and plums with spice notes. The fruit is ripe, but very bright and the tightly wound structure opens up beautifully with air. SARA TORRES, PWS SYDNEY

Pinot Gris 25%, Sauvignon Blanc 25%, Vermentino 25%, Verdelho 25%. All fruit sourced from organic vineyards in Lodi and San Benito (Verdelho). Each variety is fermented separately with natural yeasts in a mix of stainless steel and neutral barrels before blending. Matured for 5 months in neutral oak.

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Known more as a cutting-edge cider maker, Eric Bordelet was a top sommelier at Arpege in Paris, before returning home to Normandy in 1992 to take over the family business. He biodynamically grows more than 20 apple varieties and 15 pear varieties. JASON WILSON, Vinous

Eric Bordelet approaches Cider-making with the same intensity as a passionate oenologist brings to winemaking. Bordelet worked as sommelier in the leading 3 star Parisian restaurant, ‘Arpege’ where he became deeply familiar with the top winemakers and wineries of France. In 1992 he took over the tiny patch of family farmed orchards in Charchigné, in the heart of Normandy’s premium Cider producing area. Since then he has set about rescuing the ancient ‘heirloom’ varieties of pears and apples that produce tiny quantities and amazing flavour.

Produced from pear trees estimated to be about 300 years old. Poiré Granit has 25-80 grams of sugar per liter, yet it doesn't taste particularly sweet.  This is due to the tannin and acidity, which Bordelet says is twice as high as the apple! Stunning as aperitif or with cheese or desserts. With just 4% alc/vol this can be enjoyed any time. Cider simply doesn't get better than this !!

From 50 year old Grenache and Mourvèdre vines in lirac - all Biodynamic fruit.

A sense of elegance, energy, and complexity with nuance. Mouth-washing acidity with a focus on freshness. Both delicious and pretty. Flavours of citrus blossom, bitter almond, and fresh melon. Accents of flint and oyster shell. Pleasant, lightly textural palate. Beautifully done. (17.5/20) JANCIS ROBINSON

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More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!

More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!

Limpid orange. Mineral-accented blood orange, strawberry, floral and succulent herb scents show fine definition and pick up a spicy nuance with air. Chewy and densely packed yet energetic and sharply focused on the palate, offering vibrant red berry, bitter cherry, citrus pith and honeysuckle flavors and a deeper peach pit flourish. The mineral and floral notes return on the very long, precise finish. JOSH RAYNOLDS, vinous.com

50% Mourvèdre, 25% Grenache, 25% Cinsault.  An exceptional expression of Bandol Rose. Brilliant Sites, considered farming (organic) & purposeful wine making.

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A sweet spice and floral blend complements candied lime and crushed apple notes as the 2021 Bianco Manna opens in the glass. This coasts across the palate lifted and finessed with a stunning mix of zesty acidity and ripe citrus under an air of tropical inner florals. The 2021 leaves a salty flourish and the mouth watering for more as Granny Smith apples slowly fade. The Manna is a blend of 40% Riesling, 20% Chardonnay, 15% Kerner, 15% Gewürztraminer and 10% Sauvignon Blanc. ERIC GUIDO, Vinous

Looking at the 2021s from barrel, the 2021 Lirac Antares shows the fresher style of the vintage yet still brings solid fruit and texture. Spice, violets, flowers, and lavender as well as both red and black fruits define the nose, and it's balanced, has fine tannins, and lots to like. JEB DUNNUCK

Antarès is the main star of the constellation of Scorpio. One of the basic principles of biodynamics is to work in harmony with cosmic rhythms. Antarès is a selection of vines located on hillsides facing North, at the Western end of the Lirac appellation, at an altitude of 160m. The vines are 50 years old. The harvest is fully de-stemmed. Each variety is vinified separately using  natural yeasts. The Grenache is aged in cement vats, the Mourvèdre in old French oak demi-muids  for 12 months.

60% Grenache, 40% Mouvèdre farmed organically (Certified).Notes of strawberry, black raspberries, pine, sandalwood and a hint of ground black pepper in this ripe but restrained blend. A full-bodied and concentrated wine that maintains remarkable vibrance and acidity throughout. Fine-grained tannins accentuate its youthful appeal. Supple mouthfeel, we love the generosity of mid palate filled with ripe black berries and blue fruits and spices. Beautiful Lirac for all lovers of great Southern Rhone reds.

 

 

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More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!

More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!

The Keber family settled at Localita’ Zegla 300+ years ago, when Collio (Italy) and Brda (Slovenia) belonged to the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Today, they have been instrumental in the push for a new DOC, one that would be a world first between two countries and unite Collio and Brda once more. In 2008 they took the radical step to produce just a single white wine, a blend of Friulano, Ribolla and Malvasia that they feel best expresses the uniqueness of their territory. The wine has become an Italian/Slovenian benchmark.

The vineyards are all terraced and the climate is moderated by two competing elements, warm breezes from the Adriatic and the chilly Bora from continental Europe. Farming is certified organic and Kristian uses some biodynamic preparations.

A blend of 70% Friulano with 15% each of Ribolla Gialla and Malvasia. Typically Friulano gives the body and structure, Ribolla for acidity and freshness and Malvasia for complex aromatics. The wine is co-fermented with natural yeasts (in concrete) and aged in concrete for 16 months. This extended ageing, over two winters, allows for a slow natural decantation of the sediment and the wine can be bottled unfiltered. Aromas of white stone fruits, apple, almond and yellow flowers. There's the classic textural push and pull on the palate that the Friulano grape, and wines from Collio, do so well, adding complexity and intrigue. The palate balances a sense of richness and body with minerality and an almost salty finish that really holds your interest. Great, and interesting, white wine.

 

A blend of Riesling, Pinot Gris and some Pinot Blanc, the 2021 Riquewihr was harvested along the Schoenenbourg Grand Cru, on the more exposed side of the grand cru Sporen, and from parcels towards Kientzheim. After some funky reduction has dissipated, luminous candied lemon notes appear. The palate, however, is fuller and seems buffered and airy, with very concentrated freshness, soft fruit and defining pithy bitterness that makes the mouth water. The finish is bone-dry and rapier-like, edged with ginger. (Bone-dry) ANNE KREBIEHL MW, Vinous

This wine comes from the parcels of Domaine Marcel Deiss located on the end of Riquewihr (places called Engelsreben and Rosenbourg) conducted biodynamically. The siliceous superficial framework of these soils resting on deep marls, gives a wine extremely salivating, precise, robust, thick, aristocratic and cold in primitive youth, but fleshy. Complete and very long aging. This is the complex message of a vibrant fruit from a deep cold earth.

If you have never had the wines of Deiss this is a great place to start. He has always been adamant that the great wines of Alsace are 100% about place and grape second, so much so that he famous for his field blend wines that combine several grapes and that which for Deiss represent one of the great expressions of the region.

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More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!

More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!

Aged in small apple brandy casks for over 12 months, this rich and generous liqueur is a result of blending pressed French and British heirloom apple varieties with our apple spirit.

Complex and well-structured with baked apple and spice, balanced with firm tannins and cask influence.

Our take on the traditional aperitif from North-West France – enjoy as such or serve with blue cheese or dessert. WILLIE SMITH

In the words of Sergio and Lorenzo, their Aromatico Bitter is a "collision… made by mixing cold with heat, bitter with sweet, bright red with the brown tones of the earth". With a partially different mix than for the Chinato, here we have a neutral alcohol, sugar, distilled water and a natural infusion of aromatic herbs, which include gentian, cinchona, liquorice, wild cherry and cardo gobbo. Initially packed with bitter herbs, this cocktail of medicinal goodies moves into a typical bittersweet taste, with marked notes of fresh fruit and spices. 25% alc.

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Freshly released, no reviews are available so have included last years below
2023 review
As always, this estate crafted one of the most perfumed and complex rosé wines in France. The 2023 Bandol Rose exhales aromas of spring flowers, guava, lemon, spices and iodine mingled with delicate licorice hints. Medium-bodied, textural and layered, it’s perfectly balanced with a fleshy core of fruit and bright acids, concluding with a long, mineral and iodine-inflected finish. Kudos! YOHAN CASTAING

Wonderfully perfumed, the 2023 Rosé entices with orange oil, nectarines, crushed wild berries and savory herbs. Rich and broad yet with a stimulating core of acidity, this plays a game of contrasts on the palate, mixing citrus-laced green melon with zesty spice and crisp mineral tones. A cascade of rosy inner florals fills the senses, as a resonance of white peach and a zest of lime keep the mouth salivating. Glorious today yet also gently tannic, the 2023 is a showstopper. ERIC GUIDO

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More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!

More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!

More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!

Aromas of peach, thyme and lilies. Medium-bodied with refreshing tannins. Bright acidity, but overall pleasant, mellow presence. Fresh stone fruit and jasmine on the palate. Well balanced with a soft finish. 63% roussanne, 20% grenache blanc, 14% picpoul blanc, 3% picardan. 95 points, JAMES SUCKLING

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More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!

More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!

More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!

Poli are best known for there fine range of premium Grappa, liquers and distillates from North east Italy. Established in 1898 this quality producer has over a 100 years' experience with distilling. Recently they have produced a unique Gin - MARCONI 46. Artisanaly distilled and obtained from a unique infusion of juniper berries, muscat grape, mountain pine, cembra pine, mint, cardamom and coriander reminding of the Asiago plateau in the north of the Veneto region, where the Poli family comes from. This is a heady and perfumed gin that is at once powerful and refined. A truly unique product that speaks of its home in the hills and of the philosophy of this family run operation.

In addition to this month's Italian Mixed dozen we thought we would like to offer a Negroni pack featuring this incredible product. We have matched it with our very own Vermouths and Bitters from its western counterpart Turin Vermouth. Their philosophy is to maintain tradition through the production while sourcing aromats and herbs from all over the world and based on the local wines of the Piemonte's hills. Together this forms once of the world great classic cocktail- the Negroni.

This classic was first created for Count Camillo Negroni in 1919 at Florence's Café Casoni.  A century later and millions of Negroinis, and this has sealed itself as one of the world's greatest classics. Below is the deceptively simple and delicious cocktail. We have included 2 bottles each of the Turin Bitters and the Drapo Rosso Vermouth so once you have gone through your first bottle of Marconi 46 all you have to do is grab another bottle or choose any one of your favourite local or international gins.

Ingredients

1 oz. Italian Bitters
1 oz. Gin
1 oz. Sweet vermouth

Instructions

Stir Tuve Bitters, gin, and vermouth in an ice-filled tumbler; garnish with orange slice.

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More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!

There are only a select few, perfect locations, to grow great wine on this big blue orb of ours and those are between 30 and 50 degrees north and south latitudes. Those regions need to provide just the right temperature, humidity, heat and climate to grow high quality grapes. We are absolutely spoilt for choice when it comes to the northern reaches with the whole of Europe at our disposal, but travel further south and things are a little different.

While New Zealand and Tasmania provide us with plenty of choices (and we would be remiss not to include them) the southern reaches sitting on and just below the 40 degrees latitude offer a up a wholy unique drinking experience.

While grapes like riesling, cabernet and pinot noir are familiar to us, a number of the wines in this months pack aren't seen so regularly on your local wines list or on the shelves of your corner wine store. From Malbec's in Argentina to the infamous Pinotage and the more classic varietals like Chenin in South Africa this is an exploration of all that is good in these great southern lands of ours.

Where do we start with such an awesome selection of interesting wine? It's hard to decide we might just do a quick run down by country.

South America is relatively new to the wine scene but has come along in leap and bounds. WE start with a couple of classics with the Finca Los Moras Malbec and the Santa Ana Cabernet. These are text book varietal wines with plenty to love in their up-front fruit and modern styling. For something a little different we through in the Bouchon pais. For those who do not know, Pais is an old variety that is Chile's answer to pinot noir. With a little more bite and a wild flourish this a great introduction to this fascinating wine.

Closer to home in New Zealand we have few classic drops with the Palliser Estate Pencarrow pinot. A wine you would be hard pressed to find with the structure, concentration and complexity at the same price. Off to Hawkes Bay for some stonking Chardonnay from Bilancia fame and some of the world most underrated syrah from stars Te Mata. What a treat!

Just in our backyard, Tassie continues to pump out some of the best wine in the country and while we would never miss out on showcasing another great pinot there is some real winners with pinot gris and riesling on the rise. The Moores Hill gris is a freat example of textural and vibrant gris from the Apple Isle with the Riversdale riesling hot on its tale.

And for something a little different we have got the latest release Willie Smiths Cider. This is an absolute belter, and we couldn't help but included it once we were told it had been released. Perfect timing! We will take that one!

Last, and something we don't see much in Aus is a cracking selection of wines from South Africa. Long-term customers may recognise some of these wines and as far as we are concerned, they are some of the best modern day Cape wines to make it over. The Bare Bones cinsault is a zippy red full of energy while the Winery of Good Hope pinotage is a juicy and fun take on this classic red variety,

And what would a selection of wine from South Africa be without a chenin blanc. The Secateurs is clean and crunchy with a plush fruit profile that is cleaned up by chenin's zippy acidity.
All in al a pretty awesome and exciting collection of stellar wines from the great south!

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