2009 La Chapinière, Touraine, Loire Valley Sauvignon Blanc & 2009 Pierre Gaillard Syrah (VdP Collines Rhodaniennes, Northern Rhone Valley, France

Dear Rene, Please take advantage of these two wines. They (one red, one white) set the standard for excellence in their respective appellations. Both are sold out at the winery and our allocations are nearly gone and both are now available for under $15 per bottle. Winemaker Florence Veilex has set a new standard for sauvignon blanc from Touraine. The great thing is that we now have the terrific 2009 vintage, one of the best vintages ever in the Loire Valley. The even greater thing is that it can still be had for as low as $13.99 per bottle, (matching our lowest sale price ever for this wine). Wine broker Thomas Calder and I discovered La Chapinière Sauvignon Blanc more than three years ago at the Salon des Vins de Loire wine show. We were captivated by the quality of the wine and by winemaker Florence Veilex. Her work is inspired. Winemaking at this level can't be taught, it has to be felt. Like creating any great work of art, it must come from the soul. I've often heard Touraine Sauvignon Blanc described as "poor man's Sancerre," as if it was an inferior substitute. This wine shows that Touraine sauvignon has its ownpersonality and charm and that it can actually be superior in quality to all but the very best of Sancerre. Robert Parker's Wine Advocate recently wrote (and underlined) "Touraine is a treasure trove of value" and this is "exhibit A" to prove his point. To find a wine with this much depth and character often means spending twice as much or more. Next we have a wonderful syrah from Pierre Gaillard, a "superstar" (as proclaimed by The Wine Advocate's Robert Parker), that will wow any devotee of Northern Rhone reds. Gaillard makes magnificent syrahs in Côte Rôtie that sell for $50 - $120 per bottle depending on the vineyard site and the vintage. Robert Parker wrote (in the Wine Advocate) "Pierre Gaillard has over two decades of experience, so he no longer qualifies as an 'up and coming' superstar as he has achieved that status."I've been selling Gaillard's wine for years and have visited his domaine numerous times, which is how I know about this little gem of syrah, only sold to friends and a few insiders in France and elsewhere. It's a steal for syrah from the Northern Rhone. It comes from the very first vineyard that he ever worked. A vineyard that Pierre's father bought him as a gift when he first showed an interest in making wine many years ago. It was from growing the grapes in this vineyard and making the wine that Pierre started his climb to superstardom. It's about eight miles north of Côte Rôtie, located near the village of Ternay. Pierre lavishes attention on this vineyard and makes the wine with the same attention he gives to his Côte Rôtie. One more great feature of this wine is that it is from 2009, a spectacular vintage in the Northern Rhone about which Parker recently wrote, "Where 2009 is great is in the northern Rhone. A number of producers who have been making wines for over thirty years claim it is the greatest vintage in their lifetime. I can say that without a doubt it is the finest overall vintage in the north since 1999, and probably since 1990. However, 2009 is different than either of those vintages as it is much more concentrated than 1999, and fresher and more delineated than 1990." Have a wonderful Thanksgiving, Doug Rosen 2009 La Chapinière, Touraine, Loire Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2009 La Chapinière, Touraine, Loire Valley Sauvignon Blanc Regular Price $17.99 6 bottle Price: $15.99 per bottle Case Price $13.99 per bottle This delicious sauvignon blanc is a mirror image of the woman who made it. It is bright, complex, poetic, and full of life. Florence Veilex is a remarkable woman who never stopped dreaming. Even though she had a highly successful career with doctorates in mathematics and computer science that enabled her to rise to the highest ranks of the corporate world, she just wasn't satisfied. Florence wanted to make wine and the wine she makes is extraordinary. In 2003, after 20 years of dreaming, she turned her dream into reality. Florence and her husband, journalist and literary critic, Eric Yung, bought the small domaine of La Chapinière in Touraine in France's Loire Valley, not far from where Eric was raised. This is what makes Florence so special: As an adolescent she always wanted to work with the land. Florence worked in a botanical garden to help support herself while in University. Her father liked wine and encouraged Florence to explore the world of wine. For over a year and a half Florence returned to school to receive a Bachelor of Technical Science in viticulture. She's more proud of this degree then her Ph.D.s. She immersed herself in the culture of the area, talking at length with vignerons, gleaning what she could about farming, making wine and the business of wine. After seven vintages, Florence's passion for working the soil and making wine is stronger than ever. She is doing what she was meant to do. Here's what makes Florence's wine so special: The 7.5 hectares of sauvignon blanc are farmed organically. Her vines are up to 50 years old and create intense and complex grapes. She allows wild grasses to grow between the rows, eliminating the need for weed killers, reducing the vine's vigor to concentrate flavor in the grapes, andrecreating biodiversity in the vineyards, which allows the vineyards to achieve a natural balance. Florence pulls the excess foliage and grape clusters from the vines by hand toreduce yields and concentrate flavors in the grapes. No systemic chemicals are used. The grapes are harvested in the morning when they are cool, they are lightly pressed and the juice is cooled. The juice is then cold macerated for roughly 10 days, resulting in enhanced richness. The duration of the maceration period is determined by taste. The juice is allowed to settle and as the temperature begins to rise,fermentation begins using the natural, indigenous yeasts. The temperature of the juice is kept cool during fermentation to retain freshness. The wine is kept on fine lees for three months and then stored outside during the winter to stabilize naturally. The wine is bottled unfiltered with minimal use of sulphur. As Florence puts it, "We are always guided by love or passion and the desire to make wines that we will enjoy sharing with our friends and clients, because for us, pleasure and sharing are an integral part of the best job in the world - vigneronne!" This is what Domaine La Chapinière, Touraine sauvignon blanc tastes like: Ethereal aromas of lemon rind, tangerine, rose water and white gardenia. This is full-bodied, dry sauvignon, bursting with flavors of tangerine, lime, sweet pink grapefruit and fresh white flowers, elegantly presented with lush texture, remarkable depth, and surprising persistence. Serving this will heighten the experience of eating nearly any great preparation of fish or other seafood. It is also a wonderful aperitif served with creamy cheeses (like camembert) or tangy goat cheeses. For $13.99 (or $19.99, for that matter), you can't buy better sauvignon blanc. Buy some and be happy! To order, please call 703.525.0990. We need your Visa or MasterCard information, including expiration date. Wine is here now, ready for pickup. 2009 Pierre Gaillard Syrah (VdP Collines Rhodaniennes, Northern Rhone Valley, France) 2009 Pierre Gaillard Syrah (VdP Collines Rhodaniennes, Northern Rhone Valley, France) Reg. $14.99 Sale: Buy 6 bottles at $11.99 per bottle Case Sale: Buy 12+ bottles at $10.99 per bottle Pierre Gaillard, the superstar winemaker of Côte Rôtie, has a vineyard about eight miles north of Côte Rôtie, located near the village of Ternay. This excellent vineyard is planted on the hillsides of a glacial moraine facing south-west to take full advantage of the afternoon sun. The vineyard is also primarily on clay soil (ideal for syrah) and is covered with large rounded pebbles which hold the sun's heat well into the evening. Because of the southwest orientation and the pebble-covered clay soil, the location is especially warm and perfect for producing especially ripe grapes (just like in Côte Rôtie, the prestigious area just to the south that translates to "roasted slope"). Even though it's in a less-famous area, Gaillard cuts no corners with the grapes from this vineyard. The grapes are hand harvested and then further sorted by hand so that only perfect, clean, optimally ripe grapes are used. The grapes are then partially de-stemmed and crushed, and allowed to cold-macerate for about 5 days before fermentation. Just as in Côte Rôtie, the fermenting wine goes through a "punch down" ("pigeage") three times a day and a "pump over" ("remontage") at least once so that the deep color and expressive aromas and flavors can be extracted from the syrah. The wine is then aged for eight months, 2/3 in large casks, 1/3 in smaller used barrels. The result is a wonderfully expressive syrah with great freshness and a soft, pure palate of red and black syrah fruit and spice. Here's how it tastes: Beautiful garnet color. Pristine nose of dark red raspberry and stone dust. The palate is incredibly pure with delicious flavors of black raspberry, plum and spice that finish with a hint of violet very long and clean. This wine will help you get through winter's chill. To order please call 703.525.0990. We need your Visa or MasterCard information including expiration date. Wine is here now, ready for pickup. Thank you for your support of Arrowine and the work that we do. Doug Rosen