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New Arrivals from The USA
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We've just had an incredible shipment of top-tier USA wines arrive in the country, and we couldn't be more excited to offer them to you. Many outstanding producers' wines never reach our shores, but now we're starting to see a few of these in Australia. The producers below are true artisans of the winemaking craft and are worthy of a place in any cellar.
All wines below are available now at our special offer prices for the next seven days only. To place your order, simply click on the links below or contact us by email, by fax at 03 9419 6970, or by phone on 03 9419 6990.
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"Alex Krause and John Locke founded Birichino in Santa Cruz in 2008. Drawing on a combined four decades making wine in California, France, Italy, and beyond, they are focused on attaining the perfect balance of perfume, poise, and puckishness. Sourcing from a number of carefully farmed, family-owned, own-rooted 19th and early 20th century vineyards (and a few from the late disco era) planted by and large in more moderate, marine-influenced climates, their preoccupation is to safeguard the quality and vibrance of their raw materials. Their preference is for minimal intervention, most often favoring native fermentations, employing stainless or neutral barrels, minimal racking and fining, and avoiding filtration altogether when possible. But most critically, their aim is to make delicious wines that give pleasure, revitalize, and revive."
Importer Notes, Bibendum
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2022 Scylla Red Blend
Usually $79 - Special Offer $72
"The Montague fruit (about half of the blend) is destemmed, while the Mule Plain fruit had whole bunches and stalks layered throughout the ferment. The Mourvedre fermented in a small bin. After 10 days with daily punch-downs, the wines were pressed off and blended before maturation in neutral wood until the following summer (about eight months)... Krause describes Scylla as the brighter, juicier, more immediately approachable wine. Blue fruited with edges of spice, earth and dark flowers, it’s a silky and seductive Rhone-inspired blend that charms from the word go..."
Importer Notes, Bibendum
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2021 Saint Georges Pinot Noir
Usually $96 - Special Offer $86
"Santa Cruz. The Saint Georges Pinot Noir hails primarily from the very old Besson Vineyard, established in the early 1900s at the southern reach of the Santa Cruz Mountains. The site is marginally too low and on the wrong side of the road to be officially included in the Santa Cruz Mountains AVA. Instead, the wine is labelled in homage to George Besson, with whom Birichino has worked for over 20 years. The vineyard is managed organically to make the most of the rich granitic and sandy loams...
This is already a delicious wine, offering up waves of succulent red fruit, sappy brightness and underbrush to go with its juicy, supple and balanced palate. To quote an anonymous source at our USA tasing in Melbourne recently, “It’s really delicious”
Importer Notes, Bibendum
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2022 Saint Georges Pinot Noir
Usually $85 - Special Offer $79
“A prevalent sense of chaparral and wild herb marks the nose of this appellation cuvée, which also shows dark cranberry and baked pastry. The palate picks up a gamy quality that gives savory edges to the dark plum and cranberry flavors.”
92 Points
Matt Kettmann, Wine Enthusiast
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“Although their wines are different, [all the Pax wines] lean toward delicacy and grace, and they share a sense of exploration and curiosity, an aesthetic of sculptural discovery that looks at vineyards and grapes and asks what they want to become rather than molding them to fit some predetermined ideal.”
Eric Asimov, The New York Times
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2022 North Coast Syrah
Usually $109 - Special Offer $97
“Damp earth, crushed cherries, white pepper, spice-laden black fruits with a taunt finish of black liquorice, tar and pomegranate liqueur. Medium-bodied and juicy, this one punches well above its weight class. Nothing less than a classic Syrah, this shows a lovely balance of fruit, spice and earth. Drink now and stash a couple away to be rewarded with more weight and texture.”
Pax Mahle, Winemaker
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2020 Sonoma Coast Syrah
Usually $119 - Special Offer $109
“Racy and intense nose, full of wild cherries, bayberries and haw fruit with a tangy lift of white pepper. Bright and juicy on the palate, with soft and fresh tannins carrying through to a vivid, savory finish. So bright, crunchy and drinkable! Enjoy now.”
92 Points
jamessuckling.com
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2021 Sonoma Hillsides Syrah
Usually $169 - Special Offer $159
“The 2021 Syrah Sonoma Hillsides is towering and statuesque in bearing from the very first taste. I don’t think I have ever tasted a Sonoma Hillsides with this much finesse, this much purity. A wine of vertical energy, the Sonoma Hillsides possesses tremendous depth from start to finish. In many vintages, the Hillsides leans towards a darker expression of Syrah. The 2021, on the other hand, is marked by more of a red/purplish fruit profile, with bright floral and citrus overtones that confer freshness. Once again, Pax Mahle made one of the truly epic wines of the year. His Sonoma Hillsides has been one of the very finest wines in Northern California for a number of years now.”
98 Points
Antonio Galloni, vinous.com
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2022 Sonoma Hillsides Syrah
Usually $179 - Special Offer $169
“Sweet purple flowers, pink peppercorns, blueberry liqueur, white pepper, and exotic high-toned fruit pastilles. Plush blue fruits on the palate, spicy with high-toned red fruits and swirling aromas of earth, umami and fresh summer fruits. Intense and vibrant, this will stay fresh and lively for many years into the future and improve with time in your cellar.”
Pax Mahle, Winemaker
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Lore Olds discovered Mount Veeder as a young winemaker in the mid-1960s. He learned to make mountain wines in the classic Napa style. In 1971, he purchased the Sky Vineyard and decided to focus on California's Zinfandel grape variety. The site is located 670 metres high on Mount Veeder, which enjoys cool, breezy Pacific conditions. Sky Vineyards is entirely off-the-grid, relying on solar panels and occasional generator use. All of Sky's wine rests in a bottle for many years before release, allowing for slow ripening, the development of complex flavours, and the retention of natural acidity. Sky Vineyards operates under the radar but offers some of the State's most soulful, terroir-driven, and original wines.
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2015 Zinfandel
Usually $145 - Special Offer $135
"A small portion of fruit from Sky’s original 1972 block is included in the blend, but the lion’s share is drawn from vines planted in 1999. In 2015, California was in the midst of a five-year drought, so berries and clusters were small in this low-yielding year...There is real sinew and intensity here, yet Lore’s wine beautifully balances a Syrah-like spicy berry succulence with Zinfandel’s meaty-peppery savouriness. It’s long and complex, unfurling in leatherwood honey, olives, herbs and liquorice, with a tangy freshness and finish steeped in berries and spices."
Importer Notes, Bibendum
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2012 Old Vine Zinfandel
Usually $259 - Special Offer $245
"Zinfandel’s ability to adapt to its place is highly prized amongst California’s old guard. With a decade in bottle, the variety has faded into the background, revealing a sweet, elegant, stony and savoury wine of terroir—almost classical Bordeaux-weighted—that is hard to stop sipping. Each sniff and sip reveals something evocative and new. At the same time, the wine’s svelte, braided tannin and mass of bright acidity provide a fine canvas for the wine’s procession of mellow raspberry, resin, earth, black tea and spiced meat notes. In a word: compelling."
Importer Notes, Bibendum
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"A visit to the Eyrie Vineyards, where Jason Lett now presides, is like getting a history lesson in how wine used to be made, and some say, still should be made. From the ‘grape-growing’ through the elevage, this is an artisanal, noninterventionist, unique operation that continues to turn out some of the most fascinating wines on the planet."
Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate
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2021 Chardonnay
Usually $159 - Special Offer $149
"The 2021 Chardonnay Estate offers exotic aromas of ripe peaches, honey, pie crust, tangerine oil and musky floral perfume. The medium-bodied palate is satiny and expansive with an impressively concentrated core of spicy fruit. Its broad, mouth-coating texture is balanced by fireworks of fresh acidity, and it has a long, spicy finish with flavor that goes on and on."
96 Points
Erin Brooks, The Wine Advocate
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2020 Trifolium Red Blend
Usually $95 - Special Offer $85
"This blend of Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Trousseau is the poster child for balance. The show starts with blackberry and thyme aromas, along with notes of earth and citrus. The Trifolium's zingy acidity and optimal tannic structure support flavors like black cherry, cocoa nibs and a nice pot roast. Best trio since Rush."
95 Points
Michael Alberty, Wine Enthusiast
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2019 Pinot Meunier
Usually $169 - Special Offer $154
"The 2019 Pinot Meunier is expressive and detailed. It has a medium ruby color and aromas of wild red and black berries, orange peel, pipe tobacco, iodine and leather. The medium-bodied palate features restrained, mineral-driven fruit, chalky tannins, mouthwatering acidity and a long, spicy finish that calls you in for another sip."
96 Points
Erin Brooks, The Wine Advocate
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2021 Pinot Noir
Usually $199 - Special Offer $184
"The medium ruby 2021 Pinot Noir Estate is fresh with aromas of wild strawberries, fresh roses, and beet root. Medium-bodied and elegant, it floats across the palate with fine tannins and a delicately earthy finish. It’s a killer value and a great snapshot of what Eyrie is all about. It is hands down one of the best entry level Pinot Noir with a clear vision of what you can expect further in the range."
93 Points
Jeb Dunnuck,jebdunnuck.com
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2019 Daphne Vineyard Pinot Noir
Usually $289 - Special Offer $265
"The 2019 Pinot Noir Daphne is juicy, highly aromatic and irresistible! Medium ruby, it has pure scents of raspberry and strawberry preserves, tangerine peel, Earl Grey tea leaves, star anise and tar. Light-bodied with powdery tannins and fireworks of fresh acidity, it features perfumed, crunchy red fruit and detailed floral and spice accents that fan across the finish."
97 Points
Erin Brooks, The Wine Advocate
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2019 The Eyrie Pinot Noir
Usually $289 - Special Offer $265
"The 2019 Pinot Noir The Eyrie, which includes fruit from 54-year-old vines, has alluring aromas of cranberries, blackberries, orange peel, mushroom powder and pipe tobacco with streaks of flint. The medium-bodied palate is soft and juicy yet loaded with detailed, concentrated fruit, and it finishes with a flourish of earthy, spicy accents."
98 Points
Erin Brooks, The Wine Advocate
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"Time passes, but nothing much seems to change at this reference-point estate on Spring Mountain. Philip, Birgitta and Lisa Togni continue to make classy, elegant Cabernet Sauvignons in a super-classic style that rewards aging. These remain some of the most distinctive wines being made in Napa Valley."
Antonio Galloni, vinous.com
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2018 Cabernet Sauvignon
Usually $519 - Special Offer $489
"Philip Togni’s Cabernet Sauvignon is an instant classic in the phenomenal 2018 vintage. Leading with its characteristic black-toned fruit, dusty graphite, green tobacco, and masterfully integrated cedarwood spices, it turns a surprising corner on the palate, leaning into the freshness of the vintage, with a medium-bodied palate and layers of velvety textured red and black fruits intertwined with cigar box, sagebrush, and dried wildflowers."
98 Points
Jonathan Cristaldi, Decanter
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"One of the most iconic estates of Napa Valley… For six decades Bob Travers made some of the most compelling, age worthy and profound Napa Valley wines at Mayacamas. These magnificent Cabernet Sauvignons capture an artisan spirit from a long-gone era in Napa Valley that is only now being rediscovered and fully appreciated for what it is: one of the richest legacies in Napa Valley, the United States and the world."
Antonio Galloni, vinous.com
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2021 Chardonnay
Usually $209 - Special Offer $195
"The 2021 Chardonnay is a rich, phenolic wine that shows just how distinctive this site is. Rich and layered, with striking intensity, the 2021 is lights out today. Lemon oil, almond, dried flowers and earthy undertones open beautifully with aeration."
95 Points
Antonio Galloni, vinous.com
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2019 Cabernet Sauvignon
Usually $569 - Special Offer $529
"The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon is a pretty rich, bombastic wine, especially for Mayacamas. A blast of dark fruit, incense, tobacco, licorice, spice and mocha hits the palate. I would give the 2019 at least a few years in bottle to settle down, as it is quite the powerhouse today. This is an unusually flamboyant wine with plenty of richness and a bit less in the way of subtlety. The opulence of the vintage comes through loud and clear."
97 Points
Antonio Galloni, vinous.com
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All wines below are available now at our special offer prices for the next seven days only. To place your order, simply click on the links below or contact us by email, by fax at 03 9419 6970, or by phone on 03 9419 6990.
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