2007 Domaine les Ondines Vacqueyras

Dear Rene, The southern Rhone's amazing 2007 vintage received a98 point vintage rating by Robert Parker, tied with 2000 and 1998 as his highest rated vintage ever for the region. Yet our price today on the excellent Vacqueyras from Domaine les Ondines, one of our favorite Southern Rhone reds, is as low as $15.99 per bottle, lower than many generic Cotes du Rhone. This is a deal you won't want to miss. It will disappear fast, though. There isn't much of this wine to go around. Simply put, this wine is a no-brainer. It will impress collectors as much as infrequent wine drinkers just looking for a delicious glass of wine. And it will do it at a shockingly low price, as low as $15.99 per bottle. If you normally spend $25 or $30 per bottle for Rhone wines, this is your chance to save some real money without sacrificing anything. I would also like to invite you to a special Wednesday Winemaker Tasting, tomorrow from 5:30 to 7:30 pm. Meet and taste with Maria José Lopez de Heredia of Haro, Rioja Alta Spain. The Lopez de Heredia family has over 130 years of winemaking experience. Their name is synonymous with Rioja. Lopez de Heredia is the oldest winery in Haro and still crafts wines that epitomize the "classic style" of extended maturation in cooperage crafted from the finest American oak. The barrels are made at the winery. Each wine then receives years of bottle aging before release. This dedication to traditional methods has made Lopez de Heredia amongst the most sought after and respected names in Spanish Wine. Please take the opportunity to meet Maria Jose tomorrow, March 25th from 5:30 to 7:30 and taste through her exciting portfolio of wines. Maria Jose will be pouring her 1987 Vina Tondonia Gran Reserva, 2000 Vina Bosconia Reserva and 2002 Vina Cubillo along with several others. See you then! Doug Rosen 2007 Domaine les Ondines Vacqueyras 2007 Domaine les Ondines Vacqueyras (Rhône Red) Regular: $19.99 Half Case (6): $17.99 each Full Case (12): $15.99 each Save over 20% Wine guru Robert Parker has called the rich reds of the Rhône Valley "the world's most delicious red wines." Vacqueyras is among the top growing areas in the entire Southern Rhône. And today's offering, the 2007 Vacqueyras from Domaine les Ondines, is one of the best values in all of Vacqueyras. Domaine les Ondines has it all. It has excellent "terroir"-- a beautiful location with excellent sun exposure for ripeness and good drainage for concentration. It has wonderful old vinesthat produce very low yields, even by the strict standards of Vacqueyras, allowing them to achieve excellent complexity. They use no chemical herbicides or pesticides, instead relying on hard work in the vineyards. This blend of 60% grenache, 30% syrah and 10% cinsault comes from old vines (many over 50 years of age). Despite all this, Domaine les Ondines and others in Vacqueyras remain in the marketing shadow of their much bigger, more historical neighbor to the east, Châteauneuf du Pape. Being less than half the size of Châteauneuf du Pape and having been recognized with its own official appellation (AOC) 67 years after Châteauneuf du Pape (not until 1990) means that, though the wines can be very similar, the prices for Vacqueyras are generally significantly lower than Châteauneuf du Pape. And the price on the Ondines is even better than almost all Vacqueyras wines because of their commitment to value and because this is brought directly to Arrowine by our friend Ed Addiss of Wine Tradition. It shows a beautiful garnet color. The perfume is a beautifully intense combination ofripe blackberries, violets, and crushed herbs such as sage and thyme. It hits the palate with a juicy, opulent and easy-to-like blackberry and dark plum character, but then fills the mouth with herbs and spices and a very subtle minerality. The finish is medium in length and immensely appealing with lots of spicy black fruit and a gentle tannic structure. This is already excellent, but will improve for a year and hold for four or five more. This compares to many wines at double the price and will make an excellent companion to grilled or roasted meats, especially lamb or duck. This superb find has an exceptional quality/price ratio - a feature shared by many wines selected by importer Ed Addiss of Wine Traditions. It is luxurious on the palate, but easy on the pocketbook! To order, please call 703.525.0990 or reply to this email. We need your Visa or MasterCard information including expiration date. Wine arrives tomorrow, Wednesday, March 25th. Thank you for reading. Jim Cutts