I am writing to you full of excitement, as always.

The 2010 wines have been put to bed for the winter; it is now travel time. I visited Chicago for the first time as a winemaker at the beginning of the month, and the trip was amazing. I need to find the right words—what was so special had much in common with the beauty of my next trip, to Florida. Let me try to explain it to you.

The Schollium Project is gaining fame. I do not kid myself: The fame is both relative and highly circumscribed.. It is pretty much limited to a world of wine-geeks, food freaks, and the segment of consumers who seek wines with unpronounceable names rooted and in ancient Greek. Nonetheless, the word is getting out and spreading to a wider world—our work was celebrated this month in a rather unlikely article in Esquire. And yet, when I reached Chicago and began showing the wines, each palate I met was fresh and unprejudiced, without knowledge or expectation of our winemaking. And the wines were received with an enthusiasm I have perhaps never felt before. And most interesting—one wine, which I have never sold to a restaurant before, and to only one wine shop—was the universal favorite. Androkteinos—an imposing and not inexpensive Syrah, now in a half-dozen of the best restaurants in Chicago. The next most enthusiasm was for LSB, a very beautiful Sauvignon Blanc which always seems to get lost in the shadows of it attention-grabbing sibling from the same vineyard, the Prince.

It was truly wonderful for me for people to praise and even love these wines—and only because of the wines. Not because of my reputation, good or bad. It allowed me to see my wines anew, and to be grateful again for the surprising pleasure they give.

I have had the same experience in Florida. This state has a unique place in wine word (perhaps I will create a page on the web site to explain more fully). Whether in small stores on the outskirts of Orlando, or in huge, Satrapic resorts surrounded by Bentleys, I had the wonderful experience of pouring my wines for people who have never heard of Scholium Project. They receive me sometimes warily (not a another producer!) and sometimes warmly (from their inherent hospitality), but in every case, their eyes gain a certain focus after the first wine, and then unspoken questions form on their faces; lastly, wonder joins with pleasure and respect—and the taster looks up at me and shakes his head. “Why have I never heard of this?” It is a wonderful compliment.

You are still part of a very small community. There are 8 or 10 more of you than there were a week ago. Even with articles in Esquire and placements at golf resorts, the number of people who will purchase and enjoy these wines will remain minute, limited by nature.

That is why it is important for me to check in with you, the community of my supporters.

I have two worlds of wine to offer you.

The first you know well: the world of the Scholium Project. You can see our current releases and library wines here— and more importantly, we are learning something about rewarding your loyalty. We have built a new online store which is modern and pleasant to use, and we have stocked it with 4 special packages of wine, well priced and without shipping charges. You can see them here.

And the second world is both far and not far from Scholium, and it is high time that I tell you about it. I am introducing you here and now to Clos Thales, my French project.

It is a collaboration, a partnership—hardly me alone. We have been working very hard since 2004, when I first came to Maury. We searched out vineyards for two years, and in 2006 purchased 5 small historical lieu-dits, none with vines younger than 70 years. We made our first wines in 2007 and just brought them over here this year. I have been so focused on Scholium for the last few months that I have neglected to introduce you to these wines. We have a great supporter in Jesse Salazar of Union Square Wines in NY. He has spurred me to write to you and finally to introduce these wines to you with some force. And because of his enthusiasm for them, he will sell them to you.

We have put together a special offering too: members of this mailing list alone will be able to purchase the wines at very deep discounts—50% of normal retail. Please go here to read more and purchase the wines.

You will also find much more information about the vineyards here, and can sign up for a specific Clos Thales mailing list. After all, they are different projects.