SIZE

12 PACK, 750ml BOTTLES, $18.99 EACH

PRODUCER

Leaping Horse

VINTAGE

2021

COLOUR

Red

REGION, COUNTRY

California, United States

GRAPE

Merlot

 

Straight-forward in style, the Leaping Horse 2018 Merlot has violet and dark fruit aromas with plums, black cherry, cocoa vanilla and sweet oak character creeping into the flavor. Mouth-filling yet smooth, Leaping Horse has created an unpretentious wine that can pair with just about anything.

 

The Kautz family has been promoting and working with sustainable viticulture for over 35 years. This Merlot comes from soils that are sandy loam and well-drained allowing the wonderful ripeness come through to the grapes.

 

SIZE

12 PACK, 750ml BOTTLES, $16.99 EACH

PRODUCER

Laurent Miquel

VINTAGE

2023

COLOUR

Red

REGION, COUNTRY

Languedoc, France

GRAPE

Merlot, Syrah, Grenache

 

The wine is a beautiful garnet red. Fruit filled aromas with raspberry and red berries. On the palate, smooth and elegant.

Laurent Miquel produces elegant wines in his family vineyards high in the Languedoc hills of Southern France. He harvests at night when temperatures are cooler to ensure the delicate grapes are gathered under perfect conditions. Laurent represents a new generation of winemakers combining his ancestors’ wisdom with his innovative approach and an inflexible focus on quality. Working in harmony with nature, he creates wines of character which reflect the Languedoc’s inimitable style.

SIZE

6 PACK, 750ml BOTTLES, $73.99 EACH

PRODUCER

Meerlust Estate

VINTAGE

2021

COLOUR

Red

SUB-REGION, REGION, COUNTRY

Stellenbosch, western cape, South Africa

GRAPE

Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc

 

Very youthful colour, deep and dense with almost purple hue. Quintessential Rubicon nose with violets, ripe plum, cedar wood, fennel, and intense spiciness. Typical liquorice notes also evident on the nose. Still young and intense, the palate is full bodied, structured but packed with fresh dark fruit and rounded tannins and seamlessly integrated oak.

The Rubicon is a true expression of the Meerlust estate and draws fruit from their four distinctive terroirs. Each terroir provides a unique element to the final blend.

SIZE

12 PACK, 750ml BOTTLES, $22.99 EACH

PRODUCER

Ironstone Vineyards

VINTAGE

2021

COLOUR

Red

REGION, COUNTRY

California, United States

GRAPE

Merlot

 

Bursting with luscious fruit and soft tannins, for excellent drinkability. Rich, ripe black cherry and black plums lead to a hint of vanilla and toast. Flavors of currants with juicy dark fruit and spicy cedar ends with rounded, well-balanced and complex finish.

Merlot grapes for this vintage were grown in several of Lodi’s sub-appellations including Alta Mesa, Sloughhouse, Mokelumne River, and Jahant. These different locations provide diverse soils and climate that, when combined, create a more complex wine than coming from one vineyard alone. The wine spends two months’ aging in new French oak.

SIZE

12 PACK, 750ml BOTTLES, $22.99 EACH

PRODUCER

Château Grand Renom

VINTAGE

2022

COLOUR

RED

SUB-REGION, REGION, COUNTRY

Bordeaux, France

GRAPE

CABERNET FRANC, merlot

Located at an altitude of 80 metres on a rich, diversified terroir, the Merlot and Cabernet Franc grapes are rigorously sorted and selected to produce a typical Bordeaux wine. The wine is vinified in temperature-controlled stainless-steel vats and matured for 8 to 14 months in stainless steel and concrete vats. A fruity, rich wine, with a beautiful ruby-red colour. Delicate notes of red and black fruit (blackcurrant, blackberry, cherry) enhanced by a hint of woodiness. Balanced on the palate, the attack is full bodied and pleasant. Tannins are silky and delicate with fine aromatic freshness.

90 Points, Wine Enthusiast

An aroma with a touch of chocolate and with fresh acidity and spice give complexity and a juicy character. The wine has depth, with its black-currant aftertaste. Drink from 2025. 

SIZE

6 PACK, 750ml BOTTLES, $71.99 EACH

PRODUCER

Château du Glana

VINTAGE

2018

COLOUR

RED

SUB-REGION, REGION, COUNTRY

Bordeaux, France

GRAPE

CABERNET FRANC, merlot

91 Points, Decanter

A good estate to note down. Brothers Ludovic and Julien Meffre are making good wines here outside of the classified rankings that dominate the appellation. It has a touch of hedgerow in it, which in my mind is shorthand for not being over-polished, so you still get a sense of vibrancy but of actually being made by someone, not pulled off a conveyor belt. It's not the most sumptuous 2018 that you're going to find, but it's beautifully enjoyable, full of vigour and displays the ripe fruit of the vintage. 

SIZE

6 PACK, 750ml BOTTLES, $69.99 EACH

PRODUCER

The BLANKBOTTLE Winery

VINTAGE

2021

COLOUR

Red

SUB-REGION, REGION, COUNTRY

Somerset West, South Africa

GRAPE

Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot

 

Scared is what you feel, BRAVE is what you do 2021! 

Grown in the Helderberg Vineyard - right next to Somerset West. Decomposed granitic soil down the mountain at 190 meters above sea level protected against the South Easter. The grapes were picked at optimal ripeness and cooled overnight to 4 degrees celsius. The next morning the grapes were destemmed to open top fermenters. The juice underwent spontaneous fermentation and stayed on the skins for as long as possible. Pressed into French oak small barrels - 40% new oak, 18 months in barrel, blended and bottled.

SIZE

12 PACK, 750ml BOTTLES, $13.99 EACH

PRODUCER

Viña Echeverria

VINTAGE

2022

COLOUR

Red

REGION, COUNTRY

Central Valley, Chile

GRAPE

merlot 

100% Merlot grapes, from ungrafted selected clones of pre-phylloxera French rootstock. Smooth and tasty, strawberries and blueberry confiture blend nicely, leaving a round and pleasant finish.

SIZE

3 PACK, 750ml BOTTLES, $659.99 EACH

PRODUCER

Giuseppe Quintarelli

VINTAGE

2016

COLOUR

red

SUB-REGION, REGION, COUNTRY

Veneto IGT, Veneto, Italy

GRAPE

cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, merlot

96 Points, Robert Parker Wine Advocate

The Quintarelli Giuseppe 2012 Cabernet Alzero (packaged in a heavy glass bottle) is a stunning wine that delivers a level of cautious brawn, intensity and fruit weight that sets this wine apart within the portfolio. The blend is 40% Cabernet Franc, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Merlot, and the grapes all undergo a few months of appassimento. I've been asked about possible perception of VA (volatile acidity) that can sometimes appear in wines made with air-dried fruit. As a much-respected Italian colleague once told me, "serve a dare spalla," ("it gives a shoulder to the wine"), and I can't help but admire the beautifully lifted and upright quality of the bouquet that appears especially radiant and buoyant in this wine. The magic, whatever it is, works.

Notes by Anthony Lynch 

Have you ever wondered what first-growth Bordeaux would taste like if subjected to the great Venetian tradition of producing wine from dried grapes? The Alzero is just that, combining the leather, tobacco, and blackcurrant of the Left Bank with the concentration and intense notes of ripe fruit acquired from appassimento in this powerful monument to northern Italian viticulture. The sublime flavors persist on the epic, never-ending finale to what is essentially an Amarone made from Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot.

SIZE

6 PACK, 750ml BOTTLES, $81.99 EACH

PRODUCER

tenuta di arceno

VINTAGE

2021

COLOUR

Red

SUB-REGION, REGION, COUNTRY

tUSCANY, Italy

GRAPE

merlot, Cabernet franc, cabernet sauvignon, petit verdot

The nose reveals fresh and juicy aromas of strawberries and raspberries, with notes of mint. The palate is rich with flavors of ripe plums and bright cherries, as well as floral tones of rose and honeysuckle notes. Soft tannins are framed by lively acids. The finish is long and spicy with notes of nutmeg and black licorice, followed by persistent white pepper and tobacco. 

 

Fauno Arcanum is a Bordeaux blend that embodies the diversity of the estate. It comes mainly from the Arceno di Sotto, La Curva, Colombaio and San Giovanni blocks, located in the south-west part of the estate, in a lower and warmer subsection, well exposed and which ripens early. The soils are predominantly clayey, with high water retention and produce wines that tend to be richer and more opulent. 

 

93 Points, James Suckling

Cedary oak with plenty of dark chocolate, tapenade, black beans, roasted pepper and blackberries. Recognizable cabernet characters give this depth and a demureness. Full-bodied on the palate with fine, dusty tannins and a flavorful middle extending to a long, solid finish. Some bitter chocolate at the end. Drinkable now, but better from 2025.

SIZE

6 PACK, 750ml BOTTLES, $94.99 EACH

PRODUCER

freemark abbey

VINTAGE

2019

COLOUR

Red

REGION, COUNTRY

Napa Valley, United States

GRAPE

merlot

 

Red ruby color, our merlot expresses red and blue fruits, composed of dried cherries, ripe strawberry, blue berry cobbler, fruit cake, red raspberry jam, and plum. A very pleasant complexity includes baking spice, leather, milk chocolate and arugula. The spicy oak is very well integrated. Entry and finish are very smooth, with fruit resembling cherry and plum nuances. This Merlot has a good overall balance of fruit, body, and tannin, with a long fruitful finish. 15+ years in cellar. 80% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Petit Verdot

SIZE

6 PACK, 750ml BOTTLES, $87.99 EACH

PRODUCER

Château le Pape

VINTAGE

2019

COLOUR

RED

SUB-REGION, REGION, COUNTRY

Bordeaux, France

GRAPE

CABERNET FRANC, merlot

94 Points, Decanter

Le Pape's 7th vintage under the Haut-Bailly umbrella, now well and truly into its stride. This is structured and intense, the raspberry fruit ripe and rich with pencil lead and ash giving balance, and a fresh lift that makes it overall super friendly and inviting.