2006 Savigny-les-Beaunes "Les Picotins" Vieilles Vignes

Dear Rene, At only $19.99 a bottle by the case (the lowest price in the country by far) this is easily the best buy in estate-bottled, single-vineyard Red Burgundy you can find. A bold statement, but true. I challenge you to find a Burg that tastes this good for twenty bucks! I've been working on getting this wine into your hands for almost two years. Shem and I selected the tastiest six barrels of "Les Picotins" in the Spring of 2007 with our good friend wine-broker Peter Vezan and had it raised and bottled to our taste. With the help of Yannis Tsapos of Dionysos Imports, (thanks Yanni) we squirreled it away until this delicious moment. It's ready to enjoy now, or will age quite nicely. In fact, I retasted it last night, and my wife, who is most definitely not a "pinot freak," said it was "delicious!" The 2006 Savigny-les-Beaunes "Les Picotins" Vieilles Vignes combines the elegant and racy qualities of the region with a rich concentrated complexity. It does all of this at prices that harken back to 1996. Red Burgundy from a famous single vineyard and star winemaker at $19.99? Now THAT is reason for pinot freaks to rejoice! And if you haven't had enough pinot, we're tasting some of Oregon's best this Saturday. Please come by this weekend for our wine, beer and cheese tastings. Check out the delicious cheese and charcuterie specials Perry has, this week from Italy. I look forward to seeing you. Doug Rosen Domaine Jean-Luc Dubois For years I have been extolling the virtues of Jean-Luc Dubois and the wines he produces in Burgundy's Côtes de Beaune. Jean-Luc inherited his 7.5 hectare estate from his father in 1988, and hasn't looked back since. The quality of the wines has soared. Once fully in control of the family estate he: Dramatically lowered yields Became one of the first in his region to green harvest (removing all imperfect fruit to further reduce yields and improve quality) Bought a destemmer to reduce the possibility of unripe tannins that can cause harshness in the wine Introduced the use of barriques to gracefully age his wines and enhance their texture and mouthfeel 2006 Savigny-les-Beaunes "Les Picotins" Vieilles Vignes 2006 Savigny-les-Beaunes "Les Picotins" Vieilles Vignes, Jean-Luc Dubois Reg. $29.99 3 bottle special: $24.99 each (Save 16%) 6 bottle special: $22.99 each (Save 23%) Case (12) special: $19.99 per bottle Save 33%! This is one of my favorite Red Burgundies every year. Due to the unwavering hard work in the vineyards and the confident yet light handed approach in the cellar, Jean-Luc Dubois seems to never miss. The 2006 is no exception. It is just this sort of wine that Allen Meadows' Burghound.com was talking about when he said, of the 2006 vintage: "At their very best, the Cote de Beaune 2006s are classic burgundies that mirror the finest wines from the Cote de Nuits. This is to say that they are exceptionally aromatic and elegant with the best transparency to the underlying terroir since the 2001s, all wrapped in admirably persistent finishes with fine detail and a more pronounced sense of minerality than most vintages possess. " The other happy news about the vintage is drinkability. This 2006 is still young, but it is already starting to show the beautiful fruit, perfect balance, and exceptional complexity that are the hallmarks of great Burgundy. It promises to get still better over the next year and keep beautiful for six or seven more years. In other words, this is a wine you'll be able to drink in the near future, unlike many of the 2005s that will require many years of additional cellaring. Here's what it tastes like: It the glass this has deep dark ruby color. The perfumed aromas start out shy but blossom as the wine airs to show violets, black cherries, and ripe raspberries. The palate shows a deep, rich, and serious quality with ripe cherry fruit, soft vanilla spice, and a clear sense of minerality. The flavors seem to unfold and expand as the wine airs. This has plenty of deep rich fruit and it's all wrapped in bright, silky, racy structure. Wines of this quality/price value are rare indeed. Buy enough to experience it soon and also see how it evolves through 2015. If you are already a pinot freak, load up. If you're not, try this to see what all the excitement is about. I've tasted many $40 pinots from Oregon without this much character and class. To order please call 703.525.0990. We need your Visa or MasterCard information including expiration date. Wine arrives tomorrow, Friday March 6th. Thank you for reading. Jim Cutts

2005 Bordeaux from Ed Addiss

Dear Rene, It's not surprising to me that Ed Addiss' 2005 Château Chabiran was singled out by Dave McIntyre of The Washington Post last Wednesday. Our phones have been ringing off the hook with people in search of this wine. I've secured as much as I could for your drinking pleasure. This delicious 2005 Bordeaux is only $10.99. Yes, that's right. This is not a typo. Ed Addiss has scored again! Email or call us right away! You'll be glad you did. We are finalizing our Empson pre-sale order of Barolos and Barbarescos. If you have not yet placed your order, please take a moment to read through our offerings and call us by Friday, March 6 at noon. Priority orders will be given to those received by noon Wednesday. Doug Rosen 2005 Bordeaux from Ed Addiss There's never been a vintage like 2005 in Bordeaux. Nearly all critics consider it the best ever; better than 2000, better than 1982, even better than 1961 or 1945. Maybe that explains why last Wednesday's Washington Post article, "Aim for These Bordeaux, and You Can't Miss," generated so much excitement. Dave McIntyre's article wasn't about $500+ classified growths; it was about 2005 Bordeaux for the rest of us. Great wines from a great region from a great vintage that are $20 or less per bottle. Of the recommended wines, only one was called "Gorgeous", "Excellent", and a "Great Value:" the 2005 Château Chabiran Bordeaux Superieur, which, not surprisingly, is imported by our good friend Ed Addiss of Wine Traditions.  Our email promotion allows you to get this excellent, under $20, 2005 for considerably less: Only $10.99 per bottle by the case. You know the drill: Ed brings this from the château to Arrowine. He cuts out a middleman or two and you save! 2005 Château Chabiran, Bordeaux Superieur National price: $14.99 per bottle, Usual local price: $13.99 Our regular price: $12.99 per bottle 6 bottle special: $11.99 per bottle 12 bottle special: $10.99 per bottle  Château Chabiran is located near the appellation of Fronsac. Year in and year out it is one of the best buys in Bordeaux. Luckily, production is too small to have ever been reviewed by Parker or The Wine Spectator, otherwise we'd never see any. But the estate has been noticed; it's a favorite of wine professionals and novices alike. The property was singled out by Michel Rolland (the world's most famous winemaker) as one of the greatest Bordeaux Superieur properties. Though it's good every year, in 2005 it's great! This is how Dave McIntyre described it in the Washington Post: Two Stars (Excellent). A great value. Low yields and densely planted vineyards give this wine tremendous concentration. It is modern in style, with plum, cherry, cocoa and a hint of clove in the flavor mix and soft, grippy tannins on the finish. Gorgeous. Don't wait. Order soon. This is a small Château and there is limited wine. As The Post said: "...in the under-$20 range, we don't have to worry about the drama. We just need to worry about availability, because these gems from 2005 will not be around much longer. If you haven't tried them, now's the time." To order please reply or call Arrowine at (703) 525-0990. We will need your name, phone number, and Visa or MasterCard information (with expiration date). Wine arrives Wednesday, March 4. Thank you for reading. Jim Cutts

2006 Le Clos du Caillou Cotes du Rhone

Dear Rene, Stop by Arrowine tomorrow, Wednesday November 26th for a special wine tasting to help you pick out Thanksgiving wines. Pinot noirs are especially suited for the Thanksgiving meal. Details are below. We will feature Oregon pinots by star producer Patricia Green and many others. But first, we have found a great, great deal from one of the truly excellent estates in the Rhone Valley, Le Clos du Caillou. Our price is BY FAR the lowest we've seen in the country on any wine by Le Clos du Caillou from the excellent 2006 vintage. We hope you and your family and friends have a Happy Thanksgiving, filled with good food, wine and cheer. Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at Arrowine! Doug Rosen Domaine du Caillou "...the efforts produced by Domaine du Caillou since 1998 rank among the most exciting I have ever tasted."- Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate The wines that my friend Sylvie Vacheron has crafted, in concert with winemaker Bruno Gaspard (pictured here) and consulting oenologist Philippe Cambie, not only rival those of her late husband Jean-Denis Vacheron, but surpass them. The wines are better balanced and far more elegant. Parker has noticed and says the estate has reached "brilliant heights" and that "Sylvie Vacheron is to be applauded for maintaining his vision of distinctive wines of world-class quality." Get today's wine before Parker reviews this specific offering and makes it disappear from the market and prices rise. 2006 Le Clos du Caillou Cotes du Rhone 2006 Le Clos du Caillou Cotes du Rhone (Rhone Valley, France) Common retail price: $18.99 Our reg.: $15.99 Super Sale: 6 bottle special: $13.99 per bottle Case (12 or more) bottles: $11.99 per bottle From one of the truly great estates in the Rhone Valley, this is a first class blend of 90% grenache, 5% syrah, 3% mourvedre, and 2% counoise that comes primarily from vines over 55 years of age. The price is absurd. It's way too low for wine of this quality coming from low-yielding, deep-rooted old vines.The price is by far the lowest in the USA. The wine shows everything that is excellent about great 2006 vintage thatParker rated 90 points and about which the International Wine Cellar said: "...this vintage offers plenty of wines defined by their up-front, supple and sweet fruit and their typically more pliant textures and harmonious tannins." - Josh Raynolds, IWC Jan/Feb 2008 Here's how it tastes: This violet-ruby colored Rhone has beautiful aromas of strawberries, raspberries, red plum, tropical flowers and spice. The palate has plenty of weight, but what it's really all about is elegance and balance. You get lots of fresh red raspberry fruit, subtle spice, nice concentration balanced with refreshing acidity, and a long, spicy, mouthwatering finish. Wine arrives Friday, November 28th. Only 100 cases are available. To order please call 703.525.0990. We need your Visa or MasterCard information including expiration date.