Fancifull Gift Baskets Wine List
- Marco Real 04 - Spain
The winemaking tends to favor younger, more easily accessible styles of red wine, with good levels of extraction, but with nice balance for earlier consumption. There is a measured use of wood, but only to add a little complexity, often for only a part of the final assemblage. The wines do not pass through a long elevage and are released early, often in the spring after harvest.
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- Pasqua Valpolicella 05 - Italy
Tasting Note:
An attracted garnet wine, well structured and balanced, it is dominated by fruit flavours gently supported by oaky characters and enhanced by a fine, easy finish.
Food Accompaniment:
Light Poultry and Meat
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- Santa Julia Organica Cabernet - Argentina
The organically grown Cabernet Sauvignon from Argentina has a deep ruby color. Tasting notes: Black cherries and currant flavors, with a touch of plum and spices at the end. This wine is wonderful with grilled scallops, roasted lamb, grilled steak or spaghetti.
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- Penascal Tempranillo Rosado 04 - Spain
Real roses are marvels. And some of the best come from Spain. The Penascal is low in alcohol with tart cranberry flavors; light body; crisp and dry. An excellent summer wine.
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- Reds 06 - California
2006 REDS is delicious, spicy, and rich with zinfandel providing dark raspberry fruit, carignan adding an exotic tang of white pepper, while the petite syrah tones down the tendency of zinfandel to become too jammy and pulls the whole blend together with its deep color and black bepper flavors. Enjoy with Mediterranean cuisine, burgers, and barbeque!
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- Terra Rosa, Malbec 04
The 2004 Terra Rosa is a big and juicy mouthful of wine, with a lashing of oak. The vintage dictated the result, and it is really delicious-at once rich and powerful and with the delicate, long finish which the best malbecs display. Due to a warm and troublefree season the grapes ripened at higher than normal sugars, while still maintaining balance and Finesse. 90% Malbec and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon.
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- Fontalem l'Auriolle 04 - Bordeaux, France
An excellent Bordeaux for the price! Dark red fruits, fennel and herbs in the nose. Bright on the palate with well balanced tannins and acid with a long smooth finish. Light enough to accompany hearty pastas but will go equally well with meats.
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- Regaleali Nero d'Avola 04 - Sicily
One of the most famous Nero d'Avola wines of Sicily. Regaleali Nero d'Avola expresses all the style and class of the best-known European wineries. It was the first wine to exalt the expressive and timeless wealth of the noble Sicilian tradition. Regaleali Nero d'Avola now has a completely new image which evidences its personality and natural elegance.
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- Castiglioni Chianti 2005
A sturdy young red, offering blackberry, black cherry, rose and a hint of toasty coconut. Enjoyable. Drink now.
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- Crianza 2000 - Spain
Red fruit, raisins and spice on the nose. Bright red fruit in the mouth with smoothly integrated tannins. A great wine, and rated 87 by Wine Spectator. Fine with hearty pastas but will go equally well with meats. Even turkey, depending on how it's dressed.
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- Praxis Merlot 03 - California
Praxis is the second label of one of our favorite vinters, Bill Arbios of Arbios Cellars. The Praxis label allows Bill to play with different winemaking techniques. "Praxis makes perfect," he likes to say. All of Bill's wines tend to be more European in style - balanced without excessive alcohol. This Merlot is no exception. Aged for 16 months predominantly in American oak, Bill likes the spice and vanilla component that American Oak complements the varietal characteristics of Merlot in a lovely way. Aromas of black cherry, plum and blackberry predominate with scents of vanilla and roasted coffee rounding out the flavors.The Texture shows ample well-integrated and ripe tannins with a moderate to long finish.
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- St. Clair Pinot Noir 06
A luscious, medium bodied Pinot Noir with flavors of blackberry and boysenberry on a round, soft palate leading to a full, lingering finish.
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- Domaine d'Aupilhac Rouge 04 - France
If you haven't yet discovered the wines of southern France, this would be a great place to start. It's like a slow dance with a beautiful girl on a summer evening. It's earthy and sultry and charged with potential. You just want to keep dancing. A dark black-red wine with scents of earthy herbs and blackberries. Solid structure with balanced tannins and acids, great finish. A blend of Mourvedre, Syrah, Carignan, Grenache and Cinsault. A hands-down winner at our last wine tasting. You'll find it in our Connoisseur's Choice basket, or choose it for any other wine basket on our site.
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- Beaumes De Venise 05 - France
This organic combination of grenache (70%) and syrah (30%) shows a very expressive and pure taste of berry fruit with hints of minerals and spice. Meant to drink while young and fresh, this is a very pure and delightful example of fruit-forwardness, with finesse to boot. Bottled unfiltered. Guy Jullien is the owner of this small domaine, located in the beautifully scenic Beaume de Venise appellation of the southern Rhone.
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- Cairanne Cotes du Rhone 2006
Domaine Catherine Le Goeuil - 100% Biodynamic made from Organic Grapes and imported from Kermit Lynch (whose taste, in our opinion, is unparalleled). This dynamic Cotes du Rhone village wine is 50% Grenache from 100 year old vines, with rest being composed of Syrah, Mourvedre, Cinsault, Carignan, and Counoise. Generous and round in the mouth with flavors of red fruit and spice, these wines can be enjoyed young but age very well. Perfect with lamb and meats off the grill or a great cheese plate. Catherine is a talented winemaker, whose talent is apparent in the bottle.
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- Piromafo Negramaro 01 - Italy
Negramaro means Black-Bitter, Deep Red, Full-bodied, Earthy, Grassy and Aromatic. This is an organic wine made from the Negromaro grape.
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- Joguet Chinon Cuvee Terroir
Charles Joguet has always made good Cab Franc wines, but under the guidance of Francois-Xavier Barc, they are only getting better and better. Barc has introduced organic farming practices and hand harvesting, keeping the yields low (more concentrated flavor in the grapes) among other techniques that show in the wine. Since Chinon is all Cab Franc, Joguet concentrates on terroir - all grapes from the same vineyard in order to celebrate that particular parcel of earth. The Cuvee Terroir is one of his lighter wines, but is still medium bodied, full of earth, red fruit, and soft, but not wimpy, tanins. Great with food, this could pair with goat cheese (a specialty of the region), poultry, lamb and the classic rillettes which are famous in the Loire (meat terrine).
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- Arbios Cabernet 02 - California
An earthy aroma is accented with scents of cedar, violets and sage. Bright flavors of bing cherries and rich, warm vanilla blend easily on the palate. Arbios is full bodied, smooth and balanced. Two years in French oak give the wine a toasty character and the tannins are well integrated. The wine is ready to drink now and will keep for ten years or more.
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- Robert Sinskey Merlot 02 - Napa Valley, California
A fantastic nose with thyme, bay leaf and licorice mingled with the deeper scent of ripe blackberry. Underpinning the rich ruit are well-developed silky tannins, mouthwatering acidity, and a smooth, indulgent texture that echoes its velvety color. A complex and rewarding experience.
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- Les Pallieres Gigondas 04 - Southern Rhone, France
This is a large, complicated domaine because of so many different parcels and micro-climates. The wine spends a year in tank after which a selection is made, and it is moved to old wood foudres for the second year. The 2004 may be the best Les Pallieres made under the new regime. Tipping the scales at 15.2% alcohol, it is hardly light, but it does have a cool-climate elegance, nice wood spice, plenty of sweet cherries, garrigue, and a floral note. Medium to full-bodied, this wine seems to be the best example yet of combining power and elegance from this well-known property. About 25% stems are used in the winemaking, and the wine is of course bottled unfiltered. Score range: 91-93 points. Score: 93. -Robert Parker, February 2006.
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- Chateau Monbrison Margaux 03 - France
The soft, supple, medium-bodied 2003 exhibits a plum/ruby/garnet color, elegant fruit, herb, and spice characteristics, but little depth and persistence. It should be consumed over the next 5-8 years.
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- Keller Estate Pinot Noir 2005
Estate grown and bottled, this classic Pinot Noir is firm and concentrated, with an earthy undertone with black cherry and blackberry fruit. Firm tanins on the finish give the flavors structure and detail. 88 points from Wine Spectator
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- Morgon "Cote du Py" 06 - Burgundy, France
Foillard's Morgon is a beauty in 2006, but what else is new? Talk about user friendly! Foillard's vines are on the famed Cote du Py terroir in Morgon, a granite hillside that produces some of the greatest Gamay in the world. Foillard manages to harness the power and stoniness of this terroir while enrobing it in a wine so sensuously textured that there is never a rough edge, only the purest expression of fruit that is simply a pleasure to drink.
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- Les Cocalieres 2005
Les Cocalières - 2005 Montpeyroux, France
Thanks to the altitude and exposure to the elements that slow the ripening of the grapes, this wine is beautifully fresh with aromas of red fruit, spice and all the wild plants of the garrigue. This wine's fruitiness combined with its softness and length make it an ideal aperitif drink in addition to being an elegant companion for pasta or lamb.
Another outstanding wine made by Sylvain Fadat. It is imported by Kermit Lynch.
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- Schneider Cabernet Franc 03 - New York
This luscious cabernet franc has enticing aromas of spice, ripe berries, dried herbs and smoky cedar. On the palate, it has delicious flavors of sweet blueberries and ripe red currants that are finely balanced by a soft silky texture. This alluring wine is approachable now, but has enough structure to last another seven to ten years.
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- Les Pagodes de Cos 03 - Bordeaux, France
Good Colour. Good plump nose. No lack of volume. Ripe and fresh. Plenty of depth and good acidity. This is very good indeed for a second wine. No weakness. Medium to medium-full body.
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- Unity 05 - Napa Valley, California
A limited production cuvee, the 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon is a blend of 90% Cabernet, 6 % Malbec and 4% Cabernet Franc. This luscious wine possesses chocolate, blackberry, cassis, charcoal, new wood and spice characteristics. Medium to full-bodied, it will keep for 10-20 years. 90+ from Robert Parker. This is a sensational wine from the renowned Fisher Vineyard. This wine is the definition of Unity: in art, a relation of all the elements of a work contituting a harmonious whole and producing a single effect.
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- Trefethen Cabernet 03 - Napa Valley, CA
Deep ruby in color, this complex Cabernet Sauvignon exhibits luxurious nose of blackberry, black cherry, plum, black currant, black pepper, cola nut, and chocolate with a hint of black pepper and olive. The tannins are ripe and velvety, leading to a richly textured palate. The wine's fresh, rich raspberry jam, blackberry, currant, and chocolate flavors lead to a long persistent finish of cherry and toasted oak vanilla.
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- Conn Valley Reserve Cab 2004
"Since 1990, Cabernet Sauvignon has an enviable track record at AndersonÆs Conn Valley Vineyard. Moreover, they should last for 20-30 or more years. The 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve is a more front end-loaded, fruit-driven effort boasting a dense ruby/purple color as well as an exotic nose of black fruits, soy, toasty oak, truffles, tapenade, and spice box. Fleshy with low acidity and loads of texture and richness, it should drink well for 15-20 years."
-Wine Advocate
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- Da Vinci Brunello 01 - Italy
"Gorgeous aroma of raspberry, flowers, and minerals follow through to a silky palate, with lovely tannins and a medium finish."
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- Chateau de Pommard 1997 - Burgundy, France
A superb burgundy, rich and dark in texture. Dark fruit and spices on the nose. Long finish. Will easily age 10 - 15 years.
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- Chateau Lynch Bages 03 - Bordeaux, France
Lynch-Bages made primarily from Cabernet-Sauvignon, is famous for its fine bouquet and rich tannins, which become soft and delicious with age. Lynch-Bages is powerful with a long aftertaste. A wine with silky, refined tannins and delicate fruit. Full-bodied, with chewy tannins and a lovely long, textured finish.
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- Chateau Pichon Longueville 04 - Bordeaux, France
A blend of 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36% Merlot, 7% Petit Verdot, and 4% Cabernet Franc, the 2004 Pichon Lalande is vaguely reminiscent of the 1986 and 1988. Deep ruby/purple-tinged, with moderately high, firm tannin, a degree of austerity, plummy black currant fruit intermixed with licorice, smoke, and dried herbs, good freshness, and medium body, give it 2-3 years of cellaring, and drink it over the following 15+ years.
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- Penascal Sauvignon Blanc 04 - Spain
This is a lively, fresh, well focused Sauvignon Blanc featuring good fruit in the lime, grapefruit, and green pear range and surprising richness. Shows just a hint of grassy Sauvignon Blanc character. Quite clean and very refreshing.
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- Pasqua Pinot Grigio 06 - Italy
Very light colored, almost transparent, with a very floral nose. On the tongue honeysuckle and melon with no spices noticed competing for attention. Very low acidity made for a pleasant finish
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- Santa Julia Organica Chard
Familia Zuccaardi is one of Argentina's most innovative wine producers. This Chardonnay that carries the name of Jose Zuccardi's only daughter, Julia, comes from organic vineyards that were planted on land which was originally desert but has come to life thanks to pure Andean mountain water.
Tasting Notes: A lovely chardonnay that empasizes pineapple and grapefruit flavors with a lingering finish.
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- Santa Julia Organica Torrontes
A fragrant, floral nose with fresh, ripe muscat and Gewurz-like aromas(rose petals, lychee). In the mouth it has a similarly fresh and ripe, grapey fruit flavors -- lime, pomegranate, lychee -- with a hint of mineral and a mild, pleasing acidity. Overall it is a nicely balanced wine with a clean finish.
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- Chateau Haut Rian 04 - Bordeaux, France
The white wines of Bordeaux provide a great alternative to your run-of-the-mill California Chardonnay. We were delighted to find this floral blend of Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc. Chateau Haut Rian is lively, clean, crisp, with lovely citrus notes and a lush, lingering finish.
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- Praxis Viognier 07
From one of our favorite wine makers, Bill Arbios. The wine is light straw in color with a hint of green. Aromas of peaches, guavas, tropical fruit and a hint of honeysuckle perfume on the nose. Flavors of pears are accentuated by a lingering taste of strawberry and stone fruits. The wine has a crisp, bright acidity, rich body and a dry finish. Houston Rodeo Uncorked 2008 - Best of Class & Double Gold Medal California State Fair 2007 Silver Medal.
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- Terlano Alto Adige Pinot Bianc
Cantina Terlano's goal is, "to produce wines that transmit the memory of our orgins." This pale straw colored wine with a bouquet and palate of apples and pears - fresh and crisp- achieves this end. Just a hint of honey lies behind the fruit gives this wine a soft and full feel with a long finish. Perfect with a big summer salad, tomatoes and mozzarella, or just sipping chilled on the front porch.
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- Calera Chardonnay
The 2006 Central Coast Chardonnay is wonderfully vibrant. Bright, fresh varietal aromas are accented with notes of citrus, pineapple and exotic tropical fruits. On the palate excellent structure and balance promote the wine's intriguing combination of ripe fruit flavors, accented with floral notes and a subtle touch of oak
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- Keller Estates Pinot Gris 06
Fermented and aged in stainless steel tanks, this wine retains its delightfully fresh and lively flavors. This is a rich, Alsatian style Pinot Gris. Classic aromas of white flowers and peaches are complimented by mineral and fennel notes. Powerful flavors and rich mouth feel are beautifully proportioned and followed by a long dry finish. This is a fantastic, versatile food wine that would pair nicely with foods ranging from lighter summer fair such as nicoise salad or poached fish to heartier fair like stuffed pork chops or even French onion soup.
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- Dix Arpents Chenin Blanc
Domaine Taille aux Loups, Montlouis Sec, Dix Arpents. This refreshing bright wine is brought to you by phenomenon Jackie Blot who is making a name for himself and the whites of the Loire Valley in France. Jackie works closely with nature - handpicking the grapes, few fertilizers, pruning short and keeping yields down - to produce this crisply acidic wine. You might find hints of apricot, a stoney minerality, yet a roundness at the core, and tones of lime on the finish with a vibrancy that we must attribute to fine winemaking. Pour a cold glass and enjoy with poultry, fish, cream sauces, cheese (great with goat cheese) and salads. This is not the California Chenin Blanc of the 70s! It's an elegant wine to fit all tastes.
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- Sancerre Millesime 05 - France
100% Sauvignon Blanc
The wine is a beautiful bright pale yellow colour. A pure nose, hints of citrus fruits and white flowers. On the palate it is fresh and full. The finish is typically elegant, well-balanced and long.
Drinking advice
Excellent served at about 50 degrees Farenheit with fish, shell fish, white meats, and the local speciality cheese, Crottin de Chavignol. Otherwise serve simply by itself as an aperitif.
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- Olivier Savary Chablis 05 - Burgundy, France
Located in the north of Burgundy, the soil of Chablis is composed of limestone and clay -- this minerality is deliciously evident in the wine. Great acidity -- brisk, dry and fruity. Perfect for chicken or grilled salmon.
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- Taille Aux Loups Sec Remus 04 - Montlouis, France
Another amazing Chenin Blanc from the wonderful Jacky Blot of France. As always, his wines are elegant, refreshing, and true crowd pleasers. The grapes for this wine are picked late in harvest, giving them slightly higher sugar thus a richness in the mouth. Honeysuckle, peach and lime are all present as is his signature crisp acidity. Perfect for all poultry, fish, shellfish, buttery and cream dishes as well being perfect with goat cheese (also a specialty of the region).
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- Trefethen Chardonnay 05 - Napa Valley, CA
Beguiling ripe, yellow apple, peach, honeyed citrus and light butter scents, with intriguing hints of anise and tarragon. On the beautifully structured palate, its bright apple, lemon and pineapple flavors boast a refreshing minerality that persists throughout the wine's long, clean finish.
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- Domaine Tempier Bandol 07
"Domaine Tempier is a place in Provence, a home with its winery and vineyards, its olive trees and cypresses. It is home to a large joyful Provencal family. It is a wine. And while it must be inadvertent, one of those fortuitous miracles that embellish existence (there is no recipe for it dispensed at wine school), there is a certain vital spirit that one imbibes with each gorgeous swallow of Domaine Tempier's wine." - Kermit Lynch, Wine Importer.
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- Grand Regnard Chablis 04
This wine is a classic Chablis colour, bright, pale-straw accented with green. On the nose it is elegant and fresh with notes of green apples, lemon and apricot, its has a notable, intense aroma. On the palate it is rich, rounded and mellow. There is ample, ripe, lemony fruit and white peaches. The finish is long and freshened by balanced acidity leaving some dried fruit characters at the end. A truly modern style of Chablis reflecting the innovation of the House of Regnard.
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- Chassagne-Montrachet 06 - France
Lively aromas of lemon cream and white flowers complicated by smoky oak. Then sweet and exotic in the mouth, with the ripe, fleshy apricot and peach flavors nicely lifted by harmonious acids. Conveys an almost buttery ripeness and a texture of liquid silk. A wine with considerable sex appeal and lovely lingering sweetness. Produced by one of our favorites, Philippe Colin.
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- Puligny-Montrachet 06
Aromas of peach, soft citrus fruits and flowers. Distinctly drier and more classic than the Chassagne, even a bit youthfully austere, with peach and mineral flavors nicely framed by bright acidity. This one actually finished with less than a gram of residual sugar and it comes across as downright 2004-like.
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- Meursault-Genevrieres 2005
Wine importer Kermit Lynch has this to say about Francois & Antoine Jobard, the producers of this great wine: "Father and son, what a combo. We now have a dynamic duo producing some of the best white Burgundies you can buy... Wow is the tasting note."
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- Castellblanch Cava Rosado - Spain
Dark and Rosy, with a sweet strawberry fizz-like bouquet. The palate is firm and the flavor package delivers a full of ripe tangerine and nectarine. Yes, it tastes somewhat like a confection, meaning it's rather sweet, but the balance and acids are right there, so it goes down well.
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- Ruggeri Prosecco Valdobbiadene - Italy
The perfect summer sparkler! Lively, bright, fresh apple fruit flavors. This wine is served in all the top resturants in SF & New York! Great with antipasti or after dinner with biscotti.
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- Roederer Estate (CA) - Napa Valley, California
Rich, deep strawish color, fine, tiny beads, very good active mousse; tart apple aromas with a decidedly crisp turn to it, excellent fruit definition; medium bodied, zesty on the palate, refreshiing and crisp; fine core fruit flavors with a slightly creamy accent; very good finsh, zesty aftertaste.
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- Henriot Brut Souverain - Champagne, France
Beautiful golden color. Persistent sparkle, fine, regular bubbles. Pleasant nose made very elegant by the large amount of Chardonnay. Sharp, well-balanced and harmonious on the palate.
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- Henriot Millesime - Champagne, France
Beautiful golden color. Persistent sparkle, fine, regular bubbles. Pleasant nose made very elegant by the large amount of Chardonnay. Sharp, well-balanced and harmonious on the palate.
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- Dom Perignon - Champagne, France
The most incredible champagne. Dom Perignon has always been enjoyed in the most exclusive and most famous places around the world. An effervescent wine of golden hue with glints of silver and green and numerous delicate and vivacious bubbles. The nose has fine intensity with classic background aromas of puree of apples, poached pears, vanilla, hazelnuts, melba toast and yellow-plum jam as well as superb hints of quince and chalk. On the palate the attack is incisive and combines acidic freshness with the finesse of the bubbles. Try it with rock lobster Parisian style, lobster thermidor, caviar, poached turbot with champagne sauce, or, on its own, since Dom Perignon is sufficient unto itself.
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- Cristal Champagne - Champagne, France
The jewel of Louis Roederer House is Cristal, created in 1876 for Tsar Alexander II. This is champagne at its finest, as inspired today as it has always been, the embodiment of elegance and purity. Cristal is made according to the strictest criteria, based on a drastic process of selection applying to the vintage, the cru, the village, the grapes, and, finally, the wines. Only Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes from the House's ten most celebrated crus are used in the production of this legendary cuvee.
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