Shop from a selection of full-bodied whites and soul-warming reds that will get your cellars ready for getting together with friends and family, all through the cooler seasons.
36 products
36 products
- White Wine
- Melon de Bourgogne
- Dry
- Light Bodied
- 750ml
- 11.9% alc./vol
Press Reviews
WineAlign
90 points - Sara d'Amato
A Muscadet made with care and reverence, refreshing with a delicate leesy influence contributing toastiness and amplitude. Features more complexity than the norm with flavours of pear, anise, clay and chalk. Saly, energetic and undeniably engaging! Great value. Tasted February 2023.
90 points - Michael Godel
A deliciously leesy and liquid chalky melon de bourgogne that is simply what the doctor orders for those of modest means when they need a quenching after sucking back a briny oyster. This is like liquifying the shell as a chaser and with some mouthfeel to boot. Salty and just refined enough to do the bivalve molluscs pulled from marine or brackish habitats proud. Drink 2023-2025. Tasted February 2023.
90 points - Megha Jandhyala
This golden muscadet was made with fruit from vines that are more than 40 years old, planted on slopes facing south and south-east. It is relatively aromatic, perfumed with notes of honeysuckle, grapefruits, and toasted bread. The palate feels fleshy and rounded but also fresh and vibrant, and delicately salty. The finish is long-lasting, leaving flavours of citrus zest and a fine texture in its wake. I would pair this muscadet with subtly flavoured seafood, like mussels or oysters. Tasted February 2023 by Critic Understudy Megha Jandhyala.
- White Wine
- Grechetto
- Organic
- Dry
- 750ml
- Red Wine
- Malbec
- Vegan-Friendly
- Dry
- Medium Bodied
- 750ml
- 14.5% alc./vol
About the Winery
Bodega Marco Zunino
The dream of 4 French partners in Argentina's Mendoza region can be found 200 kilometers from the district capital, in the South of the region, in the town of San Rafael. It's an oasis surrounded by large canyons and crossed by two rivers, Diamante and Atuel, vital for agriculture and tourism in the region.The arid climate, rugged landscape coupled with the plane trees located along the country roads and weeping willows bordering its rivers that makes the area reminiscent of the midi region in the South of France.
The thirty-hectare vineyard boasts an exceptional site and an idyllic regional climate for wine producing. The low rainfall, vineyard altitude (670m) and high temperature variations are key to the diversity and quality of San Rafael’s terroir and offers the ideal setting for a truly exceptional quality of grape.
Press Reviews
Wine Align
90 points - Sara d'Amato
A bright and cheery malbec made with finesse. The palate is cut and refreshed with a salty component, zesty acidity and mildly sinewy tannins. Sleek with notes of earth, new leather and blackberry. Impressively complex with a memorable finish. Drink now or hold until 2023. Tasted July 2020.
90 points - David Lawrason
This is a very generous, open knit, dense and just slightly sweet malbec with classic aromas of mulberry/raspberry, thyme, a touch of meatiness and oak vanillin. It is very smooth, almost slippery and dense with fine tannin and warm. The length is very good to excellent. Lots here for $20. Tasted June 2021
- White Wine
- Carricante
- Sustainable, Volcanic
- Dry
- 750ml
- 12.5% alc./vol
About the Winery
Azienda Agricola Tornatore
Out of a Sicilian family heritage that traces back to the 17th century, the Tornatore’s Mount Etna wine ventures began in 1865. Today the family’s operations are headed by Giuseppe Tornatore, a businessman whose expertise led to the acquisition of some of the region’s finest north-facing vineyards in the early 2000’s. That heritage and the Tornatore’s profound respect and understanding of the land is showcased in wines that capture the essence of Etna, deftly balancing concentrated flavors, complexity, freshness and refinement.
The company lies in the northern side of Mount Etna, the highest active volcano in Europe. The soils have volcanic origin and were created through the disintegration of lava, ash and stones from previous volcanic eruptions. The climate on the northern side of the Etna is characterized by mild temperatures, and more rain fall reflecting the influence of the Volcano. The combination of soil, climate and the skill of the winemakers, have made the northern slope of Etna an ideal area for the production of high-quality wines. “Our vineyards and our winery are only a few kilometers from our family home. Our entire family is rooted there. We have the greatest respect for this region, and we believe we have a responsibility to be stewards of Etna and to reflect its distinct character in our wines.” - Giuseppe Tornatore
Press Reviews
Wine Align
92 points - Megha Jandhyala
Cast in a compelling golden hue, this is a riveting Etna Bianco, made with grapes grown at an elevation of 650m on the northern slope of Mount Etna. Mineral, smoky, and savoury, it is fragrant with pineapples, apricots, and peaches. The palate is gently rounded, waxy, and salty, supported and lifted by taut acidity. Concentration and complexity are remarkable at this price-point. Length is excellent, with a lingering note of crushed rocks on the finish. Tasted December 2022.
92 points - David Lawrason
From high altitude, terraced vineyards on the north slope of Etna, this pours fairly deep lemon yellow. The nose shows ripe almost tropical fruit but foremost is the flinty, waxy note from Etna's volcanic soils. Then in comes the peach/pineapple fruit, lemon marmalade, savoury dried bay leaf, with some spice. It is full bodied but built on such great acidity and minerality that it drinks with real freshness. Very intense on the palate with lemon, herbs and rocks hitting the finish running. The length is excellent to outstanding. Tasted December 2022.
91 points - Sara d'Amato
Bright, salty and vibrant, this delectable volcanic-grown carricante has quickly become a consumer (and critic) favourite. Flavours of white pepper, ginger, laurel, pear and grapefruit contribute to the complex but ethereal flavour set. Mid-weight with a light viscosity. Lingering finish. Tasted December 2022.
91 points - Michael Godel
Hard to unearth better basaltic value than Tornatore’s Etna Bianco which serves as the great carricante pre-cursor to the white Etna oeuvre. Here comes a great white raised in concrete vats to preserve freshness and allow the salty terroir to work in such perfect cahoots with the fruit. A warm vintage and it shows but the volcano and these weathered, layered and cumulative rocky soils can never be denied. Open the dictionary, look for Etna Bianco and Tornatore will be there. Though not a wine of cru or sub-terroir specific reality it matters little because this is the place to begin your Etna journey. Drink 2022-2025. Tasted December 2022.
91 points - John Szabo, MS
A pure carricante from the north side of Etna, Tornatore's 2021 Bianco is a ripe and smoky wine, flinty, with grilled pineapple and quince, salty and briny, green olive tapenade flavours, unique and complex to be sure - it's quite rare to find such singular wines in this price category. Acids are bright and lively, alcohol a modest 12.5% declared, and length and depth very good to excellent. There's so much character on offer for under $25, though I can't call it a wine of mass appeal, more of a adventurer's selection. Drink or hold 4-6 years - I think this will age nicely. Tasted December 2022.
Decanter
91 points
Made from 100% Carricante, with fine balance between minerality and fruit and hints of sweetness; full of white peaches, balsamic herbs and a refreshing citrus finale. A nicely direct wine. Drinking Window 2019 - 2024.
91 points
Showing white blossoms and ripe fruit on the nose, this perfumed white is salty and mouthwatering on the palate, with a touch of lemon zest enlivening the flavors of Asian pear, blanched almond, chamomile and lemon oil. Drink now through 2027.
James Suckling
91 points
For a basic Etna bianco, the concentration here is very impressive, as it delivers citrus, nectarines and Granny Smith apples. Lots of energy on the medium-bodied palate, in the form of crisp acidity and a zippy finish. Drink now.
- Red Wine
- Mourvèdre / Monastrell, Syrah
- Natural, Organic, Vegan-Friendly
- Dry
- Full Bodied
- 750ml
- 13.5% alc./vol
About the Winery
Domaine Frédéric Brouca
Frédéric grew up in Normandy and met his Canadian wife Elaine at university in Lille, Northern France. They live a nomadic lifestyle (Canada, India, Singapore and USA) though Frédéric spends about half of his time in Faugères. Since early age, Frédéric had a calling for farming and the fierce desire to become a winegrower. After completing a Masters Degree in Finance in 2001, Frédéric went back to college for a Sommelier diploma and started his career as a Burgundy wine broker.
In late 2012, Frédéric and Elaine were fortunate to take over 25 acres of old vines in Faugères, organically farmed for twenty years and deeply rooted in schist soils.
2013 was the inaugural vintage for Domaine Frédéric Brouca. In his modest winery in the village of Laurens, Frédéric is creating a new vision for Faugères wines; fresh, vibrant and made without artifice. Nothing revolutionary, simply returning to our grandparent's ideology of farming and winemaking to craft 'Vins Vivants'. The Faugères Appellation is in the heart of Languedoc in the Hérault department. Here, winemaking dates back to the Greek times and was developed during the Roman Era. It wasn't until the early 1900's, however, that the wines became more widely known for its unique schist soils and moderate Mediterranean climate. These villages are heavily reliant on wine as an important part of their culture and economy.
The area is stunning with mountain views and close proximity to the Mediterranean Sea (20 miles / 30 kms). Faugères has a long history of responsible farming. It boasts the highest percentage of organic vineyards for any AOC in all of France with almost 50% of farmers making the choice.
Press Reviews
Wine Align
93 points - John Szabo
Clos Sauveplan is a blend of about 3/4 high density planted mourvèdre and the balance in half-century-old syrah from the lieu-dit of the same name, a plateau in the Faugères AOC in southern France. It's showing beautifully at the moment, rich, redolent of fresh black forest fruits, blackberry coulis, wild violets and cracked black peppercorn, really quite a tour de force. The palate is broad but fresh, impeccably balanced and so lively considering the warm vintage, declared at 12.5% alcohol but coming across as riper and denser than the numbers would imply. Tannins are silky and resolving nicely, and length, depth, and ultimately complexity, are excellent. One of Brouca's best to date I'd say; drink or hold a half dozen years - the stuffing augurs well for development. Tasted January 2024.
92 points - Michael Godel
The source for this co-ferment of mourvèdre and syrah is a “clos,” meaning an isolated walled vineyard in a lieu-dit called “Sauveplane”, plateau at the eastern limit of the Faugères appellation. A mix of 20 and 40 year-old vines, volcanic soils, some whole cluster fermentation. Exotically spiced, sweetly volatile. Low-level Brettanomyces, so bloody Faugères, exemplary and expected for a wine to speak up on behalf of this particular sense of place. The kind of Languedoc red that sommeliers and naturalists will share and swig with reckless abandon while those who have never tried this style and origin may be left to wonder in confounded disarray. Just know that this is very correct for producer, style and place. Drink 2024-2027. Tasted January 2023.
91 points - Sara d'Amato
From old vines farmed with minimal intervention on the plateau of "Sauveplane", a lieu-dit on the eastern edge of Faugères. Spontaneously co-fermented syrah and mourvèdre grapes are left unfined and unfiltered in the low-interventionist style of Fredric Brouca. Subsequently aged 13 months in oak resulting in very gentle spice and pleasantly mellow tannins. Offers a notable sense of place and varietal character. Relatively speaking, the wine is quite clean and still exhibits plenty of fresh fruit and very good length. Tasted January 2024.