Dinner Party Pack
- Mixed
- Various
It’s that time of year. Time to get together with friends and family for a feast. Course after course of delicious food until you’ve gotta loosen your belt a few notches. And there needs to be a new wine with each course. There just has to be. So we’ve got you covered. Starting with some Champagne and working through rosé and lighter reds until you get to the full-bodied big boys. We’re all going to sleep well tonight.
Each case contains ONE bottle of the following:
Sparkling
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- Champagne Rosé
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- Champagne
- Champagne Rosé
- Champagne
With Tyson Stelzer, the go-to wine critic on all things Champagne classing this Grand Cru rosé as in his top 25 rosé of the year (from his annual Champagne guid, 2020-2021), you know you’re onto a good thing. Nicolas is the ninth generation of the Maillart family to practice quality winemaking. They’ve been working the vines since 1753 and 260-ish years later, this Grand Cru rosé has proven itself to be kind of a big deal. Bursting with creamy bubbles, there are notes of white cherry and blossoms with a touch of lemon zest on the finish. It won 92 points from Wine Spectator thanks to its “mouthwatering acidity” and will go down a treat at any celebration, an iconic import that’ll impress to no end.
Red
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- Cabernet Blend
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- Margaret River
- Cabernet Blend
- Margaret River
As a buyer here at the ‘Fo, I taste more wines than I care to count. Some are a bit rough (we pass on those), some are only pretty good (we usually pass on those too) and some are quite good (of course we get those). But after spending so much time looking at wines, it’s honestly somewhat rare to have one of those ‘holy shit, that’s amazing!’ moments. For me, this wine from Wills Domain in Margaret River hit that level. It’s a Left Bank Bordeaux-inspired cabernet blend that balances brightness, richness, structure and complexity so perfectly. The nose is lifted with berry and violet, and the palate brings chalky tannins, herbaceous notes, hints of chocolate and enough acidity to perfectly compliment meaty dishes.
Red
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- Grenache Blend
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- Châteauneuf-du-Pape
- Grenache Blend
- Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Domaine Serres have crafted an exceptional Châteauneuf-du-Pape with this wine. Grenache plays the leading roll, with a mix of other varieties backing it up. Aromatically, there’s a wide spectrum of raspberry and plum fruit, violet floral notes and sweet baking spice. The palate is weighty and powerful, with the right amount of oak tannin integrating with puckering raspberries, dark plum and licorice spice. The team at Robert Parker were just as impressed as us - giving the wine a whopping 95 points.
Red
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- Merlot Blend
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- Bordeaux
- Merlot Blend
- Bordeaux
Saint-Émilion is famous for its deep and complex wines made from merlot and cabernet franc. If you are a red drinker that hasn’t dipped their toe into Bordeaux yet, this could be the wine to win you over. There’s the usual cocoa and mulberry, with ripe raspberry and musk notes lifting things up, lightening the nose. There’s lots more to like, too: a little licorice, a little earth, a touch of fresh sage, a squeeze of damson plum and a crush of orange - it’s all going on. And the palate, while it’s got the expected serious structure and good length, has more upfront fruit than you’d imagine. The result is a wine that’s as juicy as it is serious, wonderfully balanced, and accessible.
Red
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- Pinot Noir
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- Central Otago
- Pinot Noir
- Central Otago
This is one of the top pinots of an absolute mofo fave - Wild Earth. They are not only one of our favourites, but a darling of the wine media who absolutely love them. The best grapes from vineyards in the renowned Bannockburn area are the ingredients for this wine, along with a modest 22% new oak that’s judicious use really let’s the fruit shine. And shine it does - cherry and plum abound in vibrant spades, complimented by incense, cedar and wild thyme. All of the reviews mention the well-handled and abundant tannins - so get this wine into a decanter for the best experience.
Rosé
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- Rosé
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- France
- Rosé
- France
Château La Borie, one of the few domains in Côtes-du-Rhône bearing the name Château, was built in the 17th century. Since then, it has passed through several families and is under the care of the Margnat family today. Situated ten kilometres from the left bank of the Rhône river, the winery produces four wines from its 75 hectares of vines. La Borie’s rosé, composed of mostly grenache with a touch of syrah, comes from a small 3 hectare plot of vines over clay, marl and stone. Fermentation in cement vats keeps the fruit purity (think strawberries) in the foreground, making for a bright, yet slightly musky wine with light colour, a delicate nose and a touch of spice on the finish.