By David Cowley
There are a lot of different varieties of wine to choose from. That is one of the main reasons that wine is such a popular beverage. People all around the world drink wine and wine has been around for ages. It is even believed that in the days BC there was wine and [...]

Made by Chile's foremost organic and biodynamic winemaker from a couple of small vineyard blocks in the Maipo. No chemicals are used at any stage, making this fascinating blend of Cabernet, Carmenere and Syrah particularly pure and that much more enticing. Miniscule quantities made Black fruit, spice and some wild forest floor aromas.
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A fanfare of alluring black fruit, spice and warm autumnal aromas. A modern classic from the Languedoc. Rhône meets Bordeaux, falls in love, and cocks-a-snook at all New World pretenders. Divine.
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Strong. Rich black fruit with liquorice undertones. The character of the Syrah shines through in exemplary fashion on the finish. Textbook stuff with added pleasure.
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The Great Zorbel. Youthful Traslepuy proprietor Frédéric Z. has the attention-grabbing skills of a circus ringmaster. Hearing we were in the southern Rhône he waylaid us with an invitation to taste and we're glad he did. In 2000 he took vineyards around Roquemaure and Lirac, began cultivating organically and built his own winery. This big, [...]

Substantial, well-structured, biodynamic claret with ripe concentration of black fruit flavours and restrained oak. John and Véronique Cochran, whose vineyards spread out from their 14th century château (once home to the lords of Lansac, faithful to the English Crown) in an area called 'the little Switzerland of the Gironde' have won praise for their wines [...]

Well-made, Cabernet-rich, classic Graves, full of red and black fruit flavours with a hint of green peppers. Pierre and Hélène Coste have been producing impressive, deeply fruity wines from their 12 hectare Graves estate for many years. They've also done sterling work at 180-year-old Graves property Château L'Etoile, which has swept up the quality rankings [...]

At their rustic Ampuis estate (where the eggs from happy free range chickens are used to filter wines), Jean François and Carmen Garon have been producing old-fashioned, gently-oaked, full-bodied Côte-Rôties since 1995. Soft and well-rounded, with subtle concentration of black fruit flavours, this appealing style is lovely with pan-fried duck breasts.
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This is a rich, ripe wine with plenty of smooth black fruit and warming hints of spice. On the palate it is just as fruity with soft tannins and a long finish.
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This is a subtle and stylish wine with intense plum, mulberry and black fruit flavours. Maturation in French oak has added a soft complexity and well integrated tannins.
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Mercurey is a region that consistently produces good quality wines at great value in Burgundy. This example is wonderfully aromatic with plenty of black fruit, particularly cherry, and underlying sweet spice aromas. On the palate there is good concentration of flavours and crunchy, firm tannins. A good partner for your roast turkey.
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The 1998 is a refined, elegant offering with a dark ruby color, sweet cassis fruit, attractive fat, surprisingly soft tannin, and a good finish. There is firmness and muscle in the background, but this is not an enormous or powerful Latour. However, it is very pure, with the vineyard's mineral/black fruit character presented in a [...]

From what turned out to be a superb vintage for Zin in California. Now beginning to open out somewhat it has an incredible nose of currants, macerated plums and apricot blossom. On the palate it is intense, rich and very well balanced with lots of extract and layer after layer of brooding black fruit and [...]

A rich, muscular wine exhibiting black fruit, truffle and cigar box notes on the nose, followed by a rich, tannic palate. Beginning to drink well now, the wine has sufficient tannin and acidity to reward another 5-10 years cellaring.
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Taylor's 1985 'has a good intensity of colour, with more impressive thick, oily legs. The nose has rich black fruit with spice and a hint of cigar-box. A smooth, rich palate, with good fruit and obvious alcohol, which retains a fiery presence.' www.thewinedoctor.com
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From a privately owned estate in the southern Rhône Valley comes this beautiful Gigondas wine with great concentration and balance. An elegant nose of black fruit is followed by a remarkable palate of blackcurrant, thyme, liquorice and tobacco characters. Warming peppery spice on the finish makes this perfect with casseroles.
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From one of Bordeaux's most prestigious names and presented in a wonderful leatherette presentation case featuring a corkscrew, bottle stopper and pourer, and drip-stop, this fully mature wine will delight any wine lover. A tightly knit wine showing plenty of black fruit, violets and cigar box notes. Rich and full, with firm tannins.
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From one of Bordeaux's most prestigious names and presented in an individual wooden case, this fully mature wine will delight any wine lover. A tightly knit wine showing plenty of black fruit, violets and cigar box notes. Rich and full, with firm tannins.
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From one of Bordeaux's most prestigious names, this fully mature wine will delight any wine lover. A tightly knit wine showing plenty of black fruit, violets and cigar box notes. Rich and full, with firm tannins.
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From vines with an average age of 45 years this deeply coloured Lirac is a taste sensation and is absolutely brimming with black fruit and berry flavours. Rich and complex it has good concentration and excellent length.
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"The 1990 will charm tasters with its flashy display of opulent Merlot (about 40% of the blend) mixed with ripe Cabernet Sauvignon. It was one of the more forward 1990s in the tasting, which no doubt accounted for its precocious showing. This super-concentrated wine possesses a roasted herb, sweet, jammy black fruit-scented nose, with noteworthy [...]