"An Off-The-Charts Value That's Smoking Good"
(and 94 points to boot)

We have another slam dunk offering for you today but we're going to have to lay our cards on the table right away. This is going to be another one of those time-sensitive offers.

We're not playing games here, it's just the nature of the wine industry. There's only a fixed amount of any given wine brought into the state and different retailers have varying degrees of clout and success in obtaining it, particularly when you're talking about a wine with high points and an exceptional review from the press like today's offering.

You see, just because a wine retailer wants to purchase a wine doesn't necessarily mean they will be allowed access to it. When it comes down to it, the old adage is halfway true. Here's our version of it.

It's what you know AND who you know.

That's why building strong relationships directly with importers has always been the foundation of our wine business. When we go the extra mile to help our favorite importers and delve deep into their portfolios, unearthing and selling gems nobody else has even heard of, let's just say they remember it.

And then the magic happens.

Last week we offered a Wine Spectator Top 100 Wine of the Year (a Rioja) and it sold out in less than two days. We have a bit more of today's offering, but access is still very limited for one good reason.

This wine received a stunning review and a 94 point score from the Wine Advocate.

"An off-the-charts value."

"Voluptuous, decadent, yet seamless and gorgeously pure."

"This wine is smoking good."

"Just pretend you paid more for it."

Sounds pretty tasty, don't you think? Are you intrigued? We sure were!

Today's offering is from Eric Solomon's European Cellars portfolio, whom we've supported for as long as we can remember. In fact, we're one of their top accounts in the entire state of Massachusetts. Many years ago an industry insider let us in on a little secret. She had no vested interest in their portfolio. In fact, she was an industry competitor, but she's also a good friend of ours. One night over dinner and too many glasses of wine, she told us to watch this importer very carefully.

Boom! We were all over it. Ever since that dinner we've been besties with European Cellars and that's really good news for you. Here's why:

Lafage Tessellae Vieilles Vignes Carignan 2013

"A custom cuvee and joint venture with importer Eric Solomon, the 2013 Tessellae Vieilles Vignes is 100% Carignan and comes from 70-year-old vines and the schist soils of Maury and Les Aspres.

It is an off-the-charts value that offers up thrilling notes of black raspberry, chocolate, graphite, tar and licorice to go with a voluptuous, decadent, yet seamless and gorgeously pure feel on the palate.

Seriously, this wine is smoking good and should thrill for 4-5 years, if not longer. Just pretend you paid more for it.

Most of these wines are custom cuvees made for importer Eric Solomon. All of these are incredible values and should not be missed!" (Wine Advocate)

Wine Advocate: 94 points

This is one of the most alluring wine reviews we've read in a long time. We've carried this wine throughout several vintages, but the 2013 is the most difficult to obtain. There's a statewide limit of 5 cases per retailer and even that has to be pre-approved by the portfolio manager before purchase. Fortunately we can do better than that (he he) because we have something akin to "most favored nation" status with Solomon. We're so thrilled to be able to offer this wine to you.

Before we let you in the actual offer, we have some personal news to share with you. This is just between us. The 2013 vintage was only released into Massachusetts this week. We received our shipment yesterday. Within hours we popped the cork to evaluate the wine. We had mixed opinions we want to share with you.

Say what?!? Is this really going to help us sell wine? Absolutely not. We can sell wine merely off of reviews, but that doesn't make us Cape Cod's Most Trusted Wine Merchant. This, however, most certainly does:

Kevin loved the wine. He enjoys bigger red wines which are on the voluptuous side, definitely more masculine and in your face with bold flavors. This wine was right up his alley. Two thumbs up! He believes every point was earned and rightfully so. He enthusiastically agrees with the review and he even has plans to take a case home to enjoy over the winter (who's kidding whom, it won't last that long!).

Well, The Wife had a very different opinion. Leslie likes more feminine wines which are more balanced with lovely acidity, minerality and complexity. She thought the wine was overblown, too big and too awkward. Plus it's 100% Carignan, which you don't see every day. Carignan is more of a blending grape. She did like the fact it was made from 70+ year old vines. Respect for that. However, this wine just wasn't really her bag. No harm, no foul. It was good, just not her thing.

Every single person has a different palate and that's what makes wine so darned exciting. So now the decision is up to you. You know what you like. If you enjoy a big, lush and voluptuous red then stop what you're doing right now and reserve your case while it lasts. A review like this doesn't come around every day.

If you enjoy more delicate red wines then you may want to consider purchasing this wine for holiday gifts because there will be a LOT of people who will go nuts for this.

Either way, this offer is "SMOKING GOOD" so please hit reply to this email to reserve your wine today!

$15.99/Bottle or $153.50/12 pack case ($12.79/bottle) or just $12.79/bottle in a mixed case of wine.

A 94 point wine for less than $13/bottle? Come on now, we can't make this stuff up!!!

* Wine & Spirit Education Trust Certified *

Town Center Wine & Spirits Cape Cod's Most Trusted Wine Merchant

Location 4550 State Highway North Eastham, MA 02651 (Next to the Royal Thai Restaurant in the Town Center Plaza) Tel: 508 255 3660 Fax: 508 255 6736

December Hours Mon-Sat: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m Sunday: 10 to 6 p.m. . We're open year round. Closed only on Memorial Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas.