2007 Domaine du Grand Arc "Cuvee des Quarante," Corbieres

Dear Rene, In a recent "Value Report" edition, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate called this wine from my friend Bruno Schenck of Domaine du Grand Arc, pictured below, "highly recommended" and wrote "This is going to prove immensely versatile and satisfying to anyone smart enough to acquire some." I'm thrilled to see the press is starting to catch on to what Arrowine's customers have known for years! Arrowine introduced "Cuvee des Quarante" to the United States seven vintages ago and our customers have raved about it ever since. It, somehow, keeps getting better with each vintage. The 2007, from the best growing season in memory for southern France, is simply one of the best wines I have ever found for the money. Word is getting out, though. La Revue du Vin de France (a top French wine journal) wrote that the wines of Grand Arc are "among the best Corbieres" and Robert Parker's The Wine Advocate has featured this wine as a top value for two years running. This Corbieres has concentration you won't believe at this price; it is the deepest and fullest Grand Arc "Quarante" yet with more weight and more length than any previous vintage. The aromas are full and expressive. The mouthfeel is powerful yet elegant. The flavors are incredibly complex showing rich black fruit, spicy garrigue, great mineral quality, and excellent freshness and purity. The quality is the best yet and the number of cases available is down from past years since the press is catching on and people around the world are now seeking out Grand Arc's wines. Still, I've refused to raise our price. It's still as low as $13.99 per bottle, a price that has not gone up for four straight vintages. This won't last long,call soon. Doug Rosen 2007 Domaine du Grand Arc "Cuvee des Quarante," Corbieres 2007 Domaine du Grand Arc "Cuvee des Quarante," Corbieres Reg. $17.99 Buy 6 bottles or more at $14.99 per bottle Buy a case (12 bottles) at just $13.99 per bottle Arrives tomorrow March 24th Only 65 cases available I was introduced to this wine and this estate by my good friend and one of the top palates in France, Thomas Calder. It was fantastic then and it's even better today. I have introduced many of my own friends to it in the seven vintages I've bought and sold. This 2007, though, hits a whole new level of depth and concentration. The immense flavors in this wine are why so many in France, and now in this area, love this wine and why many others are eager to try it after reading about it in top reviews. Another reason we love it is the terrific price. The wine is significantly better than past vintages (that have been excellent) but we've been able to keep the same low sale price for four straight vintages. About the wine: This is grown in some of the highest vineyards of the Hautes (high) Corbières, with cool nighttime temperatures that result in wines with wonderful aromatic expression and great freshness. The south facing vineyards are on a dry, windy slope and vines are forced to reach deep for moisture and nutrition. The result is low yields and surprising depth of flavor and concentration. The small Grand Arc estate has 150 hectares of land, but only the best 22 hectares with ideal soils (rocky clay, limestone, and silex),good drainage, and perfect southern exposures are used for vineyards. This allows for fabulously rich and ripe wines, with extremely complex and satisfying flavors. It also means the wine can be made entirely from wonderfully high quality grapes. By only growing grapes in the best spots, they only have great grapes to use. There are no underripe, rotted, or waterlogged grapes to dilute the quality. This Grand Arc "Cuvee des Quarante" is made from about 40% carignan, along with about 35% grenache, 20% syrah, and 5% mourvedre, all of which are grown organically and harvested by hand. The vines average over 45 years of age. The grapes are de-stemmed then undergo a long cool maceration to achieve deep color and intense flavor. The wine is fermented in tank for freshness and maximum fruit expression; only indigenous yeasts are used. About 25% of the wine is then aged in new Alliers oak barrels to give it luxurious texture without imparting overtly woody flavors. The flavors are intense and satisfying with great fruit concentration. The wine is bottled unfiltered. Filtering is thought to strip away flavor, but it is not necessary for wines that are so carefully grown and vinified. The intense fruit flavors make this very enjoyable now, the structure and depth mean this will only become more complex over the next 3-5 years. Here's how it tastes:  There is very deep crimson purple color, nearly black. The nose is rich and intense withblackberry cream, red plums, minerals, spicy garrigue (rosemary and thyme) and licorice. The palate is full of flavor, dry yet rich and bursting with berries, plums, cinnamon spice and a subtle stone dust minerality. The finish is long, powerful, refreshing and satisfying. The wood regime is completely transparent and wonderfully integrated, adding creamy mouthfeel to the dry, long, complex flavors of the finish.This is a wonderfully deep, satisfying, and complex bottle of wine. I would consider it a fine value at $25. That it can be had for only $13.99 makes it no mystery why this is so popular and why it is becoming recognized as a "top value," especially from a great year like 2007. To order, please phone us at (703) 525-0990. We will need your name, phone number, and Visa or MasterCard information with expiration date. This arrives tomorrow, Wednesday, March 24th.  Thank you for your support of Arrowine and the work that we do. Doug Rosen