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| Name: |
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W & J Graham's SIX GRAPES Vintage Character Ruby Port |
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Where it's from:
Portugal, Douro
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| Price per case: |
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£102.23
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| Bottles per case: |
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6 x 75 cl |
| Style: |
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Port |
| Description: |
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Six Grapes is one of Graham's original Port blends and is thus one of the Company's oldest marks. It is a very full-bodied, luscious wine drawn from the same vineyards as Graham's Vintage Ports. Blended from two or three years' harvests, the wine is an average of five to six years old when bottled. It follows the Graham's Vintage style very closely, although it has softened more quickly by being matured in oak casks rather than in bottle. Its extremely rich fruity style makes it a truly superb, rare and appealing Port. The rather curious depiction on the bottle of bunches of grapes has always been used to identify the "Six Grapes" blend. (6 x 75 cl)
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| Region: |
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Portugal, Douro |
| Producer: |
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W & J Graham's |
| Product ID: |
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43649 |
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Vina Ijalba Graciano Rioja
Description: Organic. The first 100% Graciano wine in the world! Incredibly good, yet highly unusual wine from Rioja. Graciano is a grape normally blended in small quantities with Tempranillo and Garnacha. Here it exhibits all its style unencumbered by other grape varieties. Aged in oak for six months, its perfumed, blueberry fruit and spicy complexity make this an altogether excellent wine. (12 x 75 cl)
Price: £141.28
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Highfield Estate ELSTREE Brut Sparkling Marlborough
Description: Thirty six months on yeast lees prior to disgorging has provided savoury, toasty aromas to compliment the fruitier flavours more often found in Marlborough Methode Champenoise. Natural lively acids have mellowed during the bottle ageing process resulting in a balanced, softer and more rounded sensation. The grapes were hand harvested and whole bunch pressed as a true Cuvée, to a maximum of 500 litres per tonne. The primary ferment was conducted by Prix de Mousse yeast in a 50/50 mix of stainless steel tanks and aged French oak barriques. At the end of the alcoholic fermentation the barrels were inoculated for malo-lactic fermentation. Blending from the barrels was carried out in January 1998 and the wine was then bottled, where it remained sur lies until being disgorged in March . (12 x 75 cl)
Price: £224.69
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Botalcura EL DELIRIO Merlot Chile
Description: Vina Botalcura is the result of the passion of two men. Chilean partner, Juan Fernando Waidele, was seduced by the charm of the town of Botalcura and its environs, and this is where the idea to build a winery started. Juan Fernando then met enologist Philippe Debrus, who had a strong desire to return to a hands-on approach to winemaking, a style he learned in his native France when he was young. The winery is named after the town it is based in, Botalcura, near Talca, about 3 hours south of Santiago, in the coastal mountain range that forms the Maule Valley. Additionally, the word Botalcura means Large Stone in Mapundungun, the language of the Mapuche people of southern Chile. To complement the fruit grown on the company's own vineyards, grapes are sourced from the best areas of Chile, selecting those that fully express the intense, particular characteristics of the soils and climates from which they originate. Here great care is taken from hand picking the grapes only in the morning hours to keep fruit cool in the vine yard into the winery where 30% of the wine is aged six months in one and two year-old oak barrels before being bottled. A red ruby coloured wine with dark reflects and aomas of intense blackberry, plum, vanilla, nutmeg and oak. Gentle on the front palate, opening to full fruit flavours in the mouth-filling middle this wine is showing intense and well-integrated tannins that lend a solid structure, in harmony with the acidity. Medium-bodied and long on the finish this is a wine to savour. (12 x 75 cl)
Price: £92.58
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Jackson Wine Estates LA CREMA Chardonnay Sonoma Coast California
Description: La Crema was founded in 1979 and quickly established itself as a pioneer for intensely flavoured Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from the cool Sonoma Coast. Continuing this tradition, La Crema pursues the ultimate expression of the Russian River Valley, Carneros and Anderson Valley by handcrafting wines of distinctive flavour which achieve elegance and balance The Sonoma Coast is located on the western coastal fringe of Sonoma County, starting with a narrow strip at the Mendocino County border and continuing through the mouth of the Russian River; then down to the Sonoma Carneros border of Napa. This AVA is the largest in Sonoma County yet is the least planted. Known for its dramatic flux in temperature, the warm days and cool nights allow gradual ripening of grapes with fully developed flavours, high natural acidity and low pH. The region’s cold conditions push the limits of grape growing making it particularly well suited for Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. The hand-picked Chardonnay grapes from cool climate vineyards located six to twenty-five miles from the cold Pacific Ocean are delivered to the winery in small half ton bins to protect the integrity of the fruit. Once in the winery the belt delivery system for whole cluster pressing is used to to capture fresh fruit flavours. A clonal selection union of Dijon, Rued, and Wente add layers of complexity and aromatics and then 90% of the fruit undergoes barrel fermentation and 85% malolactic fermentation to enhance creamy textures. Finally, the barrel aged wine is left for seven months with bi-monthly lees stirring to create richness in the mouth. Melissa Stackhouse Wine Maker commented: 'Citrus aromas, lemon peel and green apple are balanced with clove and subtle vanilla in the background. Flavours of green apple, lemon and lime, with an unctuous middle, with spice and caramel that add richness and texture to the lingering finish..' (12 x 37.5 cl)
Price: £84.93
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Quinta da Franqueira BRANCO Vinho Verde DOC Portugal
Description: The Franciscan monks were drawn to the site of this vineyard by the ancient spring of the 'Fonte da Vida' famous for it's healing powers since 1493. Through the ages there has been great change and the Quinta do Convento da Franqueira was built in the 1560's using stones taken from the nearby ruined castle of Faria, stronghold in the 14th century of Nuno Goncalves, a portuguese hero. More recently in 1965 it was bought by an englishman, Brian Gallie who set about with enthusiasm to restore the, by then, dilapidated building. A talented draughtsman, he left such detailed drawings that today his son Piers is continuing the work that has turned Franqueira into a haven of timeless peace and subtle beauty. Today, the six hectare vineyard and modern winery produces the refreshing vinho verde 'Quinta da Franqueira' and Piers Gallie is always pleased to show guests round and explain how the wine is made. He uses the Trajadura and Loureiro grapes to produce a light, soft floral wine showing fresh green apple. (12 x 75 cl)
Price: £78.92
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Adriano Ramos Pinto DUAS QUINTAS RESERVA Vinho Tinto Douro DOC
Description: Founded by Adriano Ramos Pinto in 1880, Casa Ramos Pinto rapidly became noted, at the time, for its innovative and enterprising strategy. Aware that the quality of its wines were confined to the terrior of the wine producing Douro region, Casa Ramos Pinto meticulously studied the Demarcated Region and eventually became the owners of a number of estates with very special characteristics that are reflected in the wines produced today. By perfecting its wines, Ramos Pinto created unique nectars with its own signature and in 1990, Casa Ramos Pinto became part of the Roederer Group that has enabled it to develop and promote its wines to the international market. Duas Quintas is a blend of grapes from two very special Ramos-Pinto vineyards. Quinta da Ervamoira lies in a rocky, low altitude area on the banks of the river Caa. Here the grapes grow to full maturity in the hot, dry weather, contributing density and body to the blend. About 20 miles away lie the granite-filled vineyards of the Quinta dos Bons Ares. Situated at a higher altitude, the grapes here derive fresh aromas and lively flavours from the cooler growing conditions, adding lively vivacity to the finished wine. This wine is a blend of Touriga Nacional grapes, with a small proportion of Tinta Barroca. After malolactic fermentation, the wine is aged for six months in new oak casks and then bottled at Bons Ares, where it matures for another two years. An intense dark red coloured wine with red fruit aromas. Spicy and mature the oak is evident with a touch of vanilla in this intensely flavoured wine. Good acidity gives this wine balance in the mouth while there is a harmony between the sweet powerful fruit and the tannins. (6 x 75 cl)
Price: £156.34
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Gallo Family Vineyards LAGUNA RANCH Chardonnay Russian River Valley California
Description: Our Laguna Vineyard Chardonnay displays the intense peach, pear, apple and melon of a great cool-climate Chardonnay. Accentuated by the creaminess from sur-lie aging along with the sweet vanilla and toastiness from the oak barrels, this wine is deliciously complex with a long, lingering finish. Grapes for this wine were handpicked and sent whole cluster to a membrane press, bypassing the crusher to reduce the potential for bitter tannin extraction. A press cut was taken at approx. 140 gallons/ton to increase elegance and eliminate phenolic harshness.Grapes were gently pressed in whole clusters to increase elegance and minimize phenolics. Our family's Laguna Ranch Vineyard, originally planted in the late 1800's, is located in the Region I hillsides of the Russian River Valley. Soils here are a combination of gravelly and sandy loam, referred to as Sebastopol series. The fog that lingers here throughout the day makes this one of our coolest Sonoma County vineyards, and produces Chardonnay grapes with crisp acidity and concentrated citrus, apple, and pear flavors and aromas. With three generations and over six decades of experience in northern Sonoma, our family believes that the secret to making world class wines is to begin with world class grapes. This is why we vigorously shoot-thinned and leaf-removed vines to intensify varietal character for this wine. Hand harvesting of the specially selected vineyard blocks for this wine occurred in late 2000. (6 x 75 cl)
Price: £91.29
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Laurent-Perrier BRUT MILLESIME Vintage Champagne
Description: Vintage Champagnes are made in exceptional years. Ideal ripening conditions produce grapes with balanced acidity and sugar levels, which, unlike non-vintage cuvees, do not need the addition of reserve wines from other years. The blend is made from at least thirteen 100% rated Grand Crus and is aged for a minimum of six years on its lees prior to being disgorged and given a light dosage. The wine is medium, straw-yellow in colour with an open and well-developed nose. On the palate it is rich, well-sustained, with a slight biscuity character from the prolonged lees ageing, and a long finish of honeyed ripe fruit. (6 x 75 cl)
Price: £222.11
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Bodegas Muerza RIOJA VEGA Crianza Rioja
Description: The Bodegas Muerza has recently moved into an impressive new winery with state of the art equipment and a large temperature controlled warehouse for ageing the reds. The wines are modern in style, with the emphsis very much on the purity of fruit. This Crianza is made from Tempranillo, Mazuelo and Garnacha grapes that are picked at their optimal ripeness. The wine undergoes careful ageing for twelve months in oak casks, followed by at least a further six months in the bottle before it is released. The result is a complex wine, rich in aromas and flavours. Clean, bright ruby red with aromas of vanilla, toast and spices. Well-structured, meaty and balanced in the mouth. (12 x 75 cl)
Price: £97.82
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Castello Banfi SUMMUS Sant Antimo DOC Toscana
Description: In 1978 John and Harry Mariani, successful American importers, joined forces with Italy's leading enologist, Ezio Rivella; their objective was to produce top-quality wine on a scale never before attempted in Italy. Castello Banfi is a rarity among Italian wine estates, not just because of its size , its composition of single vineyards, or its state-of-the-art winery, but because it was started from scratch a little over 25 years ago. At that time the Mariani Brothers were looking for an estate where the climate and soil had to be ideal for the cultivation of many of the world's noble grape varieties, and it had to be within a region of Italy that already had a tradition of quality winemaking. The 4,500 acres that the Mariani Brothers first found were near Montalcino, and eligible for the status DOCG of Brunello di Montalcino, one of the most prestigious of all Italian wines and it met the other criteria as well. By good luck the adjacent estate, of 2,600 acres, became available shortly afterwards and in 1984 the 11th century castle was the final purchase, and the estate was renamed Castello Banfi. Today Castello Banfi is producing a wide range of wines including Brunello di Montalcino that was Italy's first wine to be accorded D.O.C.G. status, a testament to its aristocracy, balance and fabulous proclivity for ageing. This wine is a blend of 45% Sangiovese , 40% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Syrah. It is aged Approximately 24 months but because of the outstanding structure an additional six months barrel ageing was required to achieve balance and harmony. The varietal spices contribute great complexity to the rich Brunello and Cabernet characteristics, resulting in rare length and richness. A wine that will handsomely reward the patience of lengthy bottle ageing. (1 x 75 cl)
Price: £92.70
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Los Robles Carmenere Curico Valley Chile
Description: In 1939, when an earthquake devestated the Curico Valley in Central Chile the Los Robles Co-operative was formed to help rebuild the local community. Today, the Co-operative ensures local small-scale farmers receive a fair price for their grapes and through the fairtrade scheme earn a sustainable livelihood through export trade. Los Robles was recently nominated as the 'Best Chilean Winery' and this Single Varietal wine shows why. 100% Carmenere and harvested by hand, once in the winery this wine stays four to six months in American oak barrels before release. This has produced an intense plummy red colour with an elegant, fine, fruity aroma of berries and plums, with notes of chocolate, caramel and pepper. A well balanced wine with a heavy fruity presence of mature red fruits with wood overtones, as well as a toasty, spicy flavour that gives way to a long soft finish of this enjoyable Fairtrade wine. (12 x 75 cl)
Price: £59.88
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Backsberg Estate BABYLONS TOREN Viognier Paarl RSA
Description: This Babylons Toren selection Viognier came from low yielding vineyards producing grapes with exceptional flavours of apricot, peach and lemon. Barrel fermentation in small French oak barriques has provided the complex nuances of cinnamon and hazelnut. Partial malolactic fermentation and six months ageing on the yeast lees has added a butterfly texture and a powerful finish. (6 x 75 cl)
Price: £104.79
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Gloria Ferrer Carneros Chardonnay California
Description: The grapes were hand harvested in the last three weeks of September from our 335-acre Carneros estate vineyard. Due to the region's meager soils and cooling afternoon winds, Carneros has become synonymous with the production of superb Chardonnay. With a warm growing season and a cool fall, the 2001 vintage will be remembered for its fast pace and an ideal, cool finish that yielded perfectly ripe, aromatic wines. This Chardonnay defies convention, blending elements of richness, bright fruit and substantial natural acidity into one splendid wine. DESCRIPTION Ripe pineapple and mango aromas are intermingled with citrus blossom and toffee elements in the bouquet. Explosive tropical, citrus and toast flavors are enveloped in a textural richness, which is beautifully offset by the wine's ample acidity. WINEMAKING • 100% Estate fruit • Whole cluster pressed to minimize extraction of bitter compounds • 100% barrel fermented • Partial malolactic fermentation balances the wine and contributes richness and complexity to the blend, while maintaining lively natural acidity • Battonage was performed every three weeks for six months to contribute richness to the palate (6 x 75 cl)
Price: £98.12
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Chateau Haut-Brion 1er Cru Grand Cru Pessac-Leognan
Description: Available in Magnum Bottles. The grapes that have been carefully sorted in the vines are brought to the chai. The separation of the grapes from their stems means the grapes are then slightly crushed. Thus the skins are simply popped open and never pulverized. The resulting issue of juice, skin, pulp, and pips is pumped into the vats by a system perfected so as never to squash them. This mixture of juice, skin, pulp, and pips starts to ferment thanks to the natural yeast present in the vineyard. This important step is constantly supervised. The fermenting must is controlled twice a day. The temperature of the vat is constantly measured. If it rises too high cooling water automatically runs down the sides of the vat. The wine is regularly recycled from the top to the bottom of the vat. The fermentation lasts on the average about five days. Once the fermentation is finished the natural sugar of the grape is totally converted into alcohol. The wine remains in the vat in contact with the skins and pips for about ten days. The wine evolves from the steeping of the skins pulp and pips of the grapes. One terms "cuvaison" the time during which the first the must and then the wine is in contact with the skins and pips. It lasts about fifteen days. This step consists of conveying to the press the remaining must from the vat and pressing it to extract whatever wine is left. This wine is called the "vin de presse." Later it may be used in different sized quantities for the blending with the wine drained from the vat without pressure. The totality of the draining and pressing lasts about one day for each vat. The malolactic fermentation happens by itself thanks to natural lactic bacteria emanating from the vineyard and the chai. These bacteria convert one of the natural acids known as malic into a less acidic one known as lactic. This is called the malolactic fermentation and lasts for about ten days. It softens the wine and eliminates the greenness that comes from the fresh grapes. This step is very important to the assemblage of the wine. It consists of seeking out among the different vats of the vintage those that qualify for making the Grand Vin. One must single out the best vats of the Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlots and make sure that the resulting synergy of their blending will develop great harmony as well as complexity in the resulting wine. This step comes after the alcoholic and malolactic fermentation is finished. Numerous trial blendings are necessary in judging the quality of the wine. The tastings progress gradually until finally one decides on the best blend. Little by little the Grand Vin has emerged with the best equilibrium, the most perfect harmony, and the complexity of aromatic characteristics that are found year after year in the wines of Haut-Brion. The date of the bottling is not decided by chance nor is it systematically at the same time each year. The date is studied each year and decided upon according to the structure of the wine and above all the evolution it undergoes during its aging in the barrel. The date may vary up to six months between certain years. In 1970 A perfect year without excess . Very dry summer and a fine month of September. The harvest was very abundant and of very good quality. Excellent wines produced in the entire Bordeaux area. Today, this is the sort of wine to wait for. Very complex and tannic, but also harmonious and with good wood, notes of spice and the Cabernet grape. In the mouth, it is round, fleshy, young.
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Bodegas Riojanas PUERTA VIEJA Tinto Crianza Rioja
Description: Intense, brilliant cherry-red, very pronnounced, fruity aroma with noticeable spicy notes from new wood. Robust in the mouth and vinous, with pleasant tannins and a harmonious, very persistent finish. 80% Tempranillo 15% Mazuelo 5% Graciano From the vineyards of Cenicero, Sonsierra and Villalba de Rioja. Classical vinification with destalked, crushed grapes, using the latest fermentation control technologies and long maceration periods. Aged for 18 months in American oak casks with natural stabilisation. Aged in the bottle for about six months. Serve at between 16º and 18ºC (24 x 37.5 cl)
Price: £114.69
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Esk Valley RESERVE Merlot/Malbec/Cabernet Sauvignon Hawke's Bay NZ
Description: The growing season of the 2002 vintage was characterised by an early budburst after a mild winter, followed by a cool and damp summer until late February when an extended period of fine, hot weather took hold. This coupled with low yields in our vineyards provided the ideal conditions for a very successful red wine harvest. This wine is from two vineyard sites within the Gimblett Gravels Winegrowing District. These vineyards were planted in 1990 and 1992 respectively, and show a consistency of flavour and tannin development expected from older vines. They are spur pruned on a standard vertical trellis system and cropped at extremely low levels to ensure maximum quality. The grapes for this wine were destemmed and crushed to our 70 year old open topped concrete fermenters and inoculated with selected red wine yeast strains. Once active, the ferments were plunged six hourly by hand to ensure a complete and gentle extraction of colour and tannin. When fermentation was complete the new wines were pressed to tank and barrel and underwent malolactic fermentation. The wines were then aged in French oak barriques for 21 months before egg white fining and bottling. This is consistently one of New Zealand's top red wines and this vintage is no exception. The wine is black in colour with aromas and flavours of black fruits and chocolate. It is generous in flavour and mouthfeel, and possesses high tannin levels due to the ripeness of grapes at harvest, and vine maturity. The wine will benefit from time in the cellar and is amongst the best wines yet from this Estate. (6 x 75 cl)
Price: £112.12
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Woody Nook Shiraz
Description: A rich firmly structured wine with fresh blackberry flavours enhanced by well-balanced toasty oak. Drinking well now or cellar for up to 10 years. Winemaker's Notes 6.1 tonnes of shiraz grapes were picked by hand at the Woody Nook vineyard on March 1999, the same day seeing them begin their illustrious journey, first into the open top fermenters for six days of plunging, followed by ten days in stainless steel tanks for malolactic fermentation. Shiraz is matured in American oak barrels at Woody Nook and remains in them for 12 (12 x 75 cl)
Price: £234.91
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Montana PATUTAHI ESTATE Gewurztraminer Gisborne
Description: The 260 acres of Patutahi Estate overlook the Poverty Bay plains, bound by hills which offer excellent protection from the winds, especially in spring and is far enough inland to be unaffected by the cooling sea breezes. The soils, exclusive to the area, are classified as Waihirere heavy silt loam. These are deep and fertile, and when combined with the vineyard's elevated aspect, make it exceptionally well drained. Typically in summer the soils dry and crack, imparting a degree of vine stress which assists in concentrating the fruit flavours. Excellent weather during the 2002 vintage resulted in maximum ripening of the Gewürztraminer grapes and intensely aromatic fruit with outstanding flavours. The majority of the fruit was hand harvested and whole bunch pressed to add elegance and finesse. The balance was skin contacted for four hours to increase complexity of flavour and aroma. The fruit was harvested on six days between the 7th March and 28th March from low cropping blocks within the Patutahi region. The flavour development of the grapes is monitored closely to find the point where natural grape dehydration creates intense aromatics and fruit concentration. Following gentle fruit handling and a long slow pressing. Separate portions of free run juice were cool fermented to preserve the aromatic varietal characters. The fermentation's were stopped to provide a natural balance between alcohol, sweetness, acidity and fruit flavour The wine was then fined, blended, filtered and bottled. Rich and golden in colour this wine has a distinctive rose petal, citrus blossom, lychee and spice aromas of ripe Gewürztraminer fruit. The concentrated palate of ripe fruit flavours are rich and spicy, is balanced with natural grape sweetness and acid. Well structured and refreshing with great length, the wine finishes with an attractive rose oil sweetness. (6 x 75 cl)
Price: £77.11
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Ca' Rugate L'EREMITA Recioto delle Valpolicella DOC
Description: Ca’ Rugate established by the Tessari family in 1986 has a great deal of respect for tradition and a passion for viticulture, inspired by firm convinction that the quality first is created in the vineyard and then in the cellar. Cà Rugate takes the name from the hill of volcanic origin, at the centre of the Soave Classico area, in which its vineyards are positioned. The soft inclinations of those hills were always adapted to create great wines because of their fantastic position, special microclima and special soil composition. The Estate covers 30 ha of Ca’Rugate, 25 ha around monforte d’apone and 5 ha around montecchia di crosara, in the region of Valpolicella. In the vineyard, they use modern pruning techniques, along with careful canopy management and green pruning; while the latest vinification techniques bring out distinctive aromas and refined flavours in the wines. Made from a selection of the best grapes from Ca’ Rugate’s own vineyards in the hills around Montecchia di Crosara this is a blend of 50% Rondinella and 50% Corvin. The grapes are Hand picked during the last two weeks of September, and laid flat in small wooden boxes containing an average of just six kilograms.This allows good air flow during the crucial drying process. The grapes are allowed to dry gently in well-ventilated rooms for around 6-7 months, concentrating their flavours, sweetness and colour. In the spring, the grapes are crushed, fermentation starts with natural yeast and then the must is filled into barriques to finish fermenting. The wine then matures in wood on its lees for 10-12 months before bottling. Only 3.000 bottles are produced each year of this dark intense ruby red coloured wine. On the nose this wine shows black fruit and berry notes, with hints of wild herbs and spice. The plate is sweet, luscious while it is balanced by velvety tannins and enjoyable finish. (6 x 50 cl)
Price: £139.22
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