2006 Ferrando Carema Etichetta Bianca
Perfumed, Nuanced, High-Altitude Nebbiolo

"When I am asked which wine would I choose were I to be restricted to a single one, my answer is: Carema."
- Neal Rosenthal

Today marks the fourth Ferrando email that we've begun with the quote above. It was too good to resist using it again... after all, it's difficult not to pause on these words, since they come from a person with luminary bottlings such as Fourrier's Griotte and Barthod's Cras at his fingertips.

Tenacity in the Toro
2006 Numanthia Termanthia
Over 120-Year-Old Vines; Under $120 a Bottle

The last 20 years have seen the Toro appellation explode from unknown esoterica to a young, budding international celebrity. But the vines aren't young; many are well-over a century old. The quality of these raw materials is epic...

And so is today's value on what may well be this region's most accoladed wine: 2006 Numanthia Termanthia at as low as $114 a bottle - over 20% below the lowest price in the nation. We know what they say about "never" but, in fact, today's pricing may never be seen again for this consistently high-scoring wine.

*RARE* Half-Bottles, Half Price...
2009 FX Pichler Grüner Veltliner Loibenberg
2009 FX Pichler Grüner Veltliner "M"

Top bottlings of FX Pichler for under $40?

Y'up, that's fun.

In the half-bottle format it's also a reality.

Today we present two top Grüners from FX Pichler in the rare half-bottle format. For their value as well as for their everyday utility, the half-bottle is one of our favorite formats (aging them is very rewarding as well, see below). Pichler's top Grüner bottling, the literally monumental "M" is, after all, an $80 investment in 750ml - not especially a bottle you want to casually pop open on a Wednesday evening.

If the Rhône Had Grand Crus...
2007 Chave Hermitage Blanc
Recipe for a Monument - Lowest Price in the Nation

Chave's Hermitage Blanc is a paradox, full of elements that you wouldn't necessarily think - especially from the Rhône - could coexist in such harmony. But there they are: power fused with elegance, embellishment joined with focus. This is his genius. How does he do it?

If I had the answer, I'd be minting the stuff for my own personal consumption and cellar.

Since I don't, I've done the next best thing and grabbed a very well-priced parcel that today I'll share with a select few of you: 2007 Chave Hermitage Blanc at $159.95 - the lowest price in the nation, and an outstanding value for what would certainly be a Grand Cru wine in the Rhône if they had such a thing.

Rarities from the Saar
2009 Lauer Extra Trocken - Saarfeilser - Kern
Special Pricing on Very Limited, Very Intense Lauer

As with Burgundy, German wine is not for the faint of heart.

Thousands of vineyard names, miniscule estates that fill their entire output into a few small casks.

In both Burgundy and Germany, details are important.

So today, we present a few rarities from Lauer - special bottlings that are available in extraordinarily limited quantities.

Everything in the Right Place
1996 Dom Pérignon Oenothèque
Precision, Intensity and Harmony: Renewed

"At first deceptively understated, the wine turns positively explosive and layered on the palate... remarkable tension, elegance and power, all wrapped around a seriously intense frame. The balance between fruit and acidity is awesome... a marvelous DP OEeno." - Antonio Galloni, Wine Advocate

We kind of knew that it would be though, didn't we?

Undoubtedly, this Champagne comes to market with what's already the grandest of reputations - a synthesis of the incredible 96 vintage, the huge impression of the original version, and the stature and persistence of Dom Pérignon's Oenothèque bottlings. All this plus the fact that this is a very, very small release, with few retailers in the country getting this in stock (with quantities, for the most part, being small and fragmented).

Class and Confidence for the Long Haul
2008 Bouchard Chambertin-Clos de Bèze
"The suggested initial drinking window is not a typo.
Drink: 2033+." - Burghound

Yes, Meadows, we concur: This wine should be screaming good in a quarter century. But let's not ignore that this is already really impressive - in fact, one of the best from the 2008 vintage that we sampled on our trip to Burgundy this July.

Capturing the Heart of 09 Beaujolais
2009 Vissoux Fleurie Les Garants
Ripeness, Clarity, Precision from a "Grand" Cru Fleurie

Domaine Vissoux was my first visit during my tour through Beaujolais this July, and when we discussed the vintage, owner/winemaker Pierre Chermette wasn't bashful in comparing 09 to great vintages stretching far back: 47, 49, 76...

Italy's "Required Reading" 2000 Quintarelli Amarone Veneto: Unit 1.1 - Transcendentalism in Wine

Enter Quintarelli Amarone.

What can I say about Quintarelli that hasn’t been said before? He’s simply the master. The legend of Veneto’s Valpolicella region. The benchmark old-school Amarone producer whose only considerable peer is Romano Dal Forno.