RL Buller Calliope Rare Tokay 375ml

RL Buller Calliope Rare Tokay is a fortified wine from Rutherglen in North-East Victoria, Australia, blended from vintages spanning 1946 to 1986 and made entirely from Muscadelle — the grape Australia has long called Tokay. The youngest component is from 1986; the oldest reaches back to 1946 and 1947, cask-aged at the family winery before bottling. This is multi-generational blending on a scale rare outside Rutherglen, and it shows in every sip. Buller Wines was established in Rutherglen in 1921 by Reginald Langdon Buller, and the current generation — his grandsons — inherited not just the winery but barrels laid down by their father and grandfather decades ago. Rutherglen sits in Australia's warm northeast, where fortified Muscadelle develops profound concentration and oxidative complexity. The wine is aged in cask using a solera-like system, adding younger vintages to older stocks over time, then bottled without filtration. The Buller family's foresight in reserving the best barrels from past decades is what makes the Calliope Rare possible. The nose is full-blown: toffee, walnut, pecan, dried cherry, raisin, orange peel, tobacco, and a whisper of pepper. The palate is rich and round, concentrated but never cloying — the sugar-acid balance keeps it lifted despite the weight. Flavors layer on: rancio, coffee, more dried cherry and walnut, spice and warmth that carry through a long, elegant finish. Pour it after dinner alongside blue cheese, dark chocolate, or roasted nuts. It also pairs beautifully with caramel desserts or a cheese plate anchored by aged cheddar. RL Buller Calliope Rare Tokay is available at Off Premise in Lincoln Park for pickup at 1128 W Armitage Ave, local Chicago delivery, or nationwide shipping.