OTHER IMPORTS

Owned by Jill and Naji Boutros, Château Belle-Vue is a dynamic operation. It’s a small one (even by Lebanese standards), comprising just 24 hectares in plots scattered about Bhamdoun in the Mount Lebanon range. The grapes are organically farmed and the vineyards are at elevations ranging from 3,116 to 4101 feet. The 2011 Le Chateau is composed of 40% Cabernet Franc, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Syrah. It is a rich, full-bodied yet elegant red ready to drink now.

The 2006 Chateau Musar is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Carignan and Cinsault sourced from vineyards located in the Bekaa Valley. The vines are planted on gravelly soils over limestone. The average age of the organically farmed vines is 40-years-old. This unfiltered and unfined red displays nice fruit, an elegant mid-palate, and a persistent finish.

The Crnko farm is located on the eastern side of Slovenia, north of Maribor and just south of the Austrian border. All the fruit is estate grown and comes from the family's 6 hectares of mixed white varietals. The vines are planted in the region's unique marl soils and sustainably farmed. This charming white is a blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Ravenec (Muller-Thurgau), Laski Riesling (Welschriesling). It has only 11% alcohol and is as drinkable and refreshing as wine comes. Riesling dominates the aromatics offering juicy tangerine and quince notes to the silty minerality that Crnko wines often share. As a beverage it is thirst quenching and light on its feet with invigorating acidity that makes it difficult to set down. During the summers in the village of Jarenina, locals mix it with sparkling water and then proceed to consume it long into the night.

This pleasant, clean, fruity yet crisp Pinot Grigio comes to us from father and son team Edi and Aleks Simcic (SEEM chitch) in the Primorska region of Slovenia, just a stone's throw from Italy's Friulian border and the Colli Orientali. Green apples on the nose; good fruit in the mouth balanced by good acidity on the finish. Great value!

Full-bodied and well-balanced with smooth tannins, this wine is packed with flavors of dried strawberry, raspberry licorice, and hints of wild game. Enjoy with grilled and cured meats, hard cheeses and pizza. Grgic Vina was established in 1996 by legendary Napa Valley winemaker, Croation-born Miljenko "Mike" Grgich, and his daughter, Violet. The winery is just north of the historic walled city Dubrovnik in the southern Dalmatian wine region. Mike started the winery to produce the finest wines from native Dalmatian grapes. When Mike Grgich came to the Napa Valley in 1958 to make wine, he noticed a remarkable resemblance between the Zinfandel and Plavac Mali of his native Croatia. Some 35 years later, Mike worked with scientists at University of California, Davis to prove that Zinfandel was actually Crljenak Kaštelanski, a grape native to Croatia and parent of Plavac Mali.

This red, sourced from high altitude vineyards in Lebanon's Batroun district, is composed of 35% Cabernet Sauvignon; 26% Caladoc (a cross of Malbec and Grenache); 22% Syrah and 17% Tempranillo. Decanter magazine describes Ixsir's Altitudes Rouge as: "... a beautifully integrated wine made with the help of Chateau Angelus' Hubert de Bouard. Lifted cassis, capsicum, herbs and violets meld with silky tannins and fresh acidity."

The wine, made of the grape variety once called Tocai Friulano or Briški Tokaj, is crystalline with a straw yellow colour. Its bouquet is very fruity, with ripe peach, pear and apricot kernel aroma. The sensation of fruitiness persists in the mouth with a fresh and pleasant medium length finish. It goes well with white meat and fish.

The Karas red is an elegant blend of 35% Syrah; 35% Malbec; 20% Cabernet Franc and 10% Tannat. Full bodied with balanced fruit, this ruby red wine has rich flavors of red and black berries leading to a long finish. The Armavir region, located at the base of Mount Ararat, is known for its higher levation climate and volcanic soil.

This delicious Winemaker's Selection Red is a blend of 40% Montepulciano; 25% Cabernet Franc; 20% Syrah and 15% Malbec grown in the Armavir region of Northwestern Armenia.

La Ferme Rouge was founded as a vineyard and olive orchard in 1908. The winery was started in 1933. Located in the Zaer region of Morocco, about 45 kilometers from the Atlantic ocean and at an elevation of 450 meters, the vineyards benefit from cool ocean breezes. Grapes are hand-picked, pressed gently and fermented in temperature-regulated concrete vats. This full-bodied red is a blend of Syrah and Tempranillo. Aromas of violets (and a hint of mocha) lead to black currant flavors on the palate.

This is a delightful blend of organically farmed Cabernet Sauvignon (80%), Carignan (10%) and 10% Marselan (a crossing of Grenache and Cabernet Sauvignon) from the Zaer region of Morocco. La Ferme Rouge was founded as a vineyard and olive orchard in 1908. The winery was started in 1933. Located in the Zaer region of Morocco, about 45 kilometers from the Atlantic ocean and at an elevation of 450 meters, the vineyards benefit from cool ocean breezes. Grapes are organically farmed, hand-picked, pressed gently and fermented in temperature-regulated concrete vats. Winemaker Jaques Poulain believes in farming harmoniously with nature.

The 2018 Terres Blanches from La Ferme Rouge is composed of organically farmed Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Viognier. The nose displays aromas of acacia flowers and citrus fruits, with a touch of apricot and white peaches. This aromatic complexity quickly gives way to a lively attack on the palate leading to round, mouthfilling flavors and a dry, elegant finish.

La Ferme Rouge was founded as a vineyard and olive orchard in 1908. The winery was started in 1933. Located in the Zaer region of Morocco, about 45 kilometers from the Atlantic ocean and at an elevation of 450 meters, the vineyards benefit from cool ocean breezes. Grapes are organically farmed, hand-picked, pressed gently and fermented in temperature-regulated concrete vats. Winemaker Jaques Poulain believes in farming harmoniously with nature.

La Ferme Rouge was founded as a vineyard and olive orchard in 1908. The winery was started in 1933. Located in the Zaer region of Morocco, about 45 kilometers from the Atlantic ocean and at an elevation of 450 meters, the vineyards benefit from cool ocean breezes. Grapes are hand-picked, pressed gently and fermented in temperature-regulated concrete vats.

The 2019 Le Gris is composed of 100% Cinsault. This rose has a lovely pink color and aromas of fresh berries on the nose. On the palate rich red berry and peach flavors lead to a clean dry finish.

Naturally sweet on the palate, warm, velvety with delicate fruit flavors. Complements soft cheeses, sweet meat and fish dishes and all desserts.

This Plavac has a very dark color. On the nose you find aromas of boysenberries with a hint of fine herbs. On the palate this red has good fruit without a hint of jamminess. The finish is long and smooth.

The Milos(Mee-loash)family has farmed and lived on their land near the village of Ston for over 500 years. Their vineyards are located on steep hillsides leading down to the Adriatic Sea. The Plavac Mali (a relative of Zinfandel) vines are head pruned and organically farmed. Fermentation (only the native yeasts are used) takes place in open-topped stainless steel to start and then finishes in large Slavonian oak barrels, never new. The wine is aged first in the barrels then in the bottle until its ready to be released.

In 1930, at just 20 years old, Gaston Hochar founded Chateau Musar, inspired by Lebanon's 6,000 year winemaking tradition and his travels in Bordeaux. His 'wines with noblesse' greatly impressed senior officers in the army following on from the French mandate of the 1920s. Major Ronald Barton, of Château Langoa-Barton, stationed in Lebanon during World War II became a great friend, strengthening the links between Chateau Musar and Bordeaux that remain to this day. Flanked by snow-covered mountains, and nestled at 1000m (3,000 feet) above sea level, the serenely beautiful Bekaa Valley is blessed with 300 days of sunshine a year, fresh mountain breezes and an average temperature of 25°C (encompassing snowy winters and hot summers). Remote and unspoilt, the Musar vineyards were ‘organic’ by default before the term was coined. Hochar Père et Fils Red has been described as the ‘second’ wine of Chateau Musar, and it does bear some resemblance to the ‘Grand Vin’: rich, spicy and profoundly fruity, with a mellow quality derived from lengthy oak- and bottle ageing. Since its launch in the late 1980s, it has been sourced from a single Bekaa Valley vineyard planted in the late 1940s. When young, the wines are robust and aromatic, with baked plum, warm earth, leather, thyme and dark chocolate characters. With age they become tawnier and spicier.

Pasaeli K2 is a blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Cabernet Franc, 5% Merlot, and 5% Petit Verdot grown in the Serez vineyard in Kaynaklar - Izmir. After fermentation, the wine is aged for 12 months in French oak. This is the winery's best seller in Turkey, and has gained them some notoriety with Jancis Robinson, among other critics, over the years. The nose has rich aromas of sweet, ripe cassis and blackberry.

This amber/orange wine comes from the Telavi wine district of the Republic of Georgia. It is composed of the ancient Georgian white grape variety, Rkatsiteli, fermented and aged on the skins in traditional clay amphora (Qvevri).

All of the Toreta wines are fruitful without being overly primary and are intensely mineral and textural. This premium Pošip is the best example of this balance. Pošip can often produce a lot of sugars on the vine and result in some of the biggest and fullest bodied whites in Dalmatia. Pungent and unique it is the perfect refreshment for the sun-drenched beaches of Korcula. Naturally appropriate for sea-fare and or pork smothered in Mediterranean herbs. One regional favorite is ravioli stuffed with local goat cheese. As opposed to the Special, this spends a few months in a Slavonian oak barrel to add some weight and texture. Yellow peach, mango, lemon, wild herbs, sea spray. Bright acidity and unexpected texture.

Certified Organic. Red and black fruit, brambleberry, flowers, nutmeg, white pepper and spice. Rich dark chocolate notes on the tangy mid-palate. Long finish.