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This Charismatic 2017 Vintage Cab Blend Drinks like Margaux!

This Charismatic 2017 Vintage Cab Blend Drinks like Margaux!

It seems fitting that a wine made in a garage ended up lost in a warehouse! Today’s classic Cabernet-based red isn’t from California, Washington, Italy or Bordeaux. It's from Australia, it is delicious, and it has spent the last few years inadvertently buried at the importer's west coast warehouse!

In the tradition of the famous "garagiste" wines of Bordeaux, d'Arenberg's Chester Osborn handcrafts this wine in an old galvanized steel garage, using traditional equipment that is a throwback to years gone by. After gently crushing the fruit in small lots, he transfers it to open top fermenters to begin vinification. Partway through the fermentation, Chester jumps in the tanks to trod by foot before pressing the wine in a traditional wooden basket press and moving it to a combination of new and used French oak barrels for completion of fermentation and extended aging. Eighteen months later, it is blended and bottled without fining or filtration. The result is a beautiful, old-school Bordeaux-style wine that screams for a few years of aging in the bottle.

The happy accident is that the bottles we bring you today appear to have been misplaced for several years at the importer's warehouse. The result of this are two very important things:

The aging has already happened, and this wine is singing!
The importer wanted to move this recently rediscovered wine out fast, and gave a very special price to make it happen.

As a result, we bring you a small amount of Chester's 2017 "Galvo Garage" for a lowest-on-the-planet price that is nearly 40% below typical retail!

Scroll down our tasting notes, and for a very smart Kiwi Sauvignon Blanc opportunity, then click the Big Green Button to pick up a six-pack or two!

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2017 D’Arenberg "The Galvo Garage"
McLaren Vale, South Australia
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Dusty, earthy and herbal, the 2017 Galvo Garage shows deep layers of red and black fruits complemented by mint, tobacco, cedar, green olive and pepper. Dense and soft, this delicious red boasts nicely structured tannins and acidity, and it only gets better with exposure to air.

One of the more experienced member of our team wrote that it reminded them of famed the Margaux, Château d'Issan. Bordeaux lovers will enjoy sipping this on its own - preferably from a large glass - and pretty much everyone will thoroughly appreciate it paired with a grilled rack of lamb or perfectly cooked ribeyes!

Three years ago when it was initially released, this blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (78%), Merlot (12%), Petit Verdot (8%) and Cabernet Franc (2%) would have been rather chewy and much less giving. Now that it has had those few unintended years in the importer's warehouse, it is drinking BEAUTIFULLY.

Wines like this that are alive and ever-changing are often the most soulful and most authentic, and are so often our favorites to drink. We give a solid 92+ points, and are maybe being a bit conservative.

Making things even more exciting is the price. This is one of those rare instances where we are able to bring you a perfectly aged bottling for less than initial release price. In this case, SIGNIFICANTLY less.

Looking online, we found two listings in the United States, at $29 and $33. Today's price not only blows those away, it beats every listing we could find across the planet - even in Australia - for ANY vintage of this wine. Click quick, this is something very tasty and very unique!

Median Online Retail: $31
Vin Chicago Price: 18.99

 

Special Price on a Juicy New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc!

2024 Frenzy "Mount Richmond Estate" Sauvignon Blanc
Marlborough, New Zealand
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This juicy and tangy Sauvignon Blanc comes from the Upper Wairau Valley's Mount Richmond Estate, and it is a great option for New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc fans, or friends of theirs, who are looking to drink something a step above the big names while still hitting a perfect price.

To our palate, this 2024 vintage of Frenzy is their best yet, offering candied lime, grapefruit and crunchy apple flavors complemented by hints of pepper, snap pea and citrus blossoms. Zippy and fresh, it’s a perfect summertime party wine and, paired with fresh sliced garden tomatoes, seasoned with a dash of salt, will blow you away.

“Lemon-lime, pear and green apple flavors are at the core, with wonderful focus. Shows details of green tea, pear and white pepper on a mouthwatering frame. Drink now.”
          - 89 Points, Wine Spectator (6/30/2025)

Awarding a solid 89 points, Wine Spectator lists a price of $18. Median online retail is $16. Beating every single one of the 95 online listings, our price puts this one right in the New Zealand sweet spot!

Vin Chicago Price: 12.79

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