Greetings from New London,
Thames River Wine & Spirits - 860-443-9463 - 84 Bank Street
Thames River Greenery - 860-443-6817 - 70 State Street
Brie & Bleu - 860-437-2474 - 84 Bank Street
Now Open: Import - 60 State Street
www.thamesriver.com
It has been a very exciting week here in the Whaling City - and we have a great list of wines for Friday night.
They are listed a bit further down the page - but first here are a couple of items of interest.
• A lot of broken hearts will be felt in New London - last week our own cheesemonger, the fare Colleen, was married. You can ask her about the details - it is a good story - but we wish her congratulations and best wishes.
• Last Tuesday night we were joined for dinner by Etienne Hugel - from the legendary Hugel family of Alsace.
He is the 12th generation of that winemaking dynasty and it was a wonderful night. Thank you to all that attended -
Normally would have been made to stand in front of a group and recite facts and figures about his wines to a bunch of strangers. Not here. With us he sat right at the table and shared stories and condiments and a wonderful evening.
He talked about everything including his wine and made a lot of new friends - At the end of the night people were hugging, exchanging phone numbers, and brushing the tears from their cheeks....Many thanks to Mr. Mark Raymond of Frederick Wildman & Sons for pulling it together for us.
You can catch a glimpse of the evening in a short video clip that Etienne recorded just before dinner.
It is on our calendar page: http://thamesriver.com/wine/calendar.html
Scroll down to Etienne's smiling face.
• Thursday Kristin Webers presided over our latest beer dinner - and did a great job.
Keep a look out for the next beer dinner date on the calendar of events page.
• Friday night we welcomed Jaime Echevaria from Baron de lay and Museum vineyards - all they way from Cigales Spain.
Spend just five minutes with this man and you feel as though you have a new best friend in Spain. And for all of the folks that came out in the rain - thank you. It was a great night. You can listen to our WineRadio interview with Jaime on our Calendar Page - just scroll down to the WineRadio logo and click on the link.
• New London has a new specialty store - Please welcome O Brasil! http://www.obrasildesign.com/
From the Heartland of Brasil - A collection of fine artisan sculpture, carvings, textiles, paintings, stonework, papier- mâché, furniture, and home furnishings. There will be a Grand Opening Reception - we will be serving the wine - on:
Saturday September 23rd at 2pm at 165 State Street - This is the Harris building - the one with the great glass atrium.
For more information visit the website or call them at: 860-437-1646
THIS WEEK AT BRIE & BLEU:
Featured Cheese:
Crater Lake Blue usually $19/lb is $17/lb this week at Brie and Blue. A little history about the cheese - from The Rogue Creamerys inauspicious beginnings in 1935 has come one of the finest artisan cheese operations in the world today. In 2002, Ig (Ignazio "Ig" Vella, affectionately known as the Godfather of artisan cheese) hand selected Cary Bryant and David Gremmels as the new owners of what is now known as The Rogue Creamery. Of utmost importance was to carry on the tradition of hand-milled cheese. Bryant and Gremmels hit the ground running. Within a year they were producing award-winning cheeses, one of which is the gorgeously named Crater Lake Blue.
Crater Lake Blue, the American Cheese Society's 2004 gold medal winner, is a contemporary blue cheese. Robust and sweet with a rich buttery finish. It is best described as a blend of Roquefort and Danish blue cheese recipes. Versatile on a cheese plate or in a special recipe. Its complexity of flavor makes it one of the rare blues that can pair perfectly with both Ruby and Tawny ports. Simply an outstanding cheese, Crater Lake Blue is a terrific example of the craftmanship exhibited by today's American cheesemakers. For an addtional 10% off the cheese pair with Ramos tawny port purchased at Thames River Wine and Spirits.
WINE TASTING PLEASE JOIN US
Friday September 22nd - 6-9 p.m. - No Charge
1 - Hayman & Hill 2005 Russian River Chardonnay $14
Full-bodied and opulent, with fresh, steely citrus aromas coupled with hints of toasted oak -
This is the kind of wine that surprises people- especially when they believe that they do not like chardonnay. This wine is the baby of two well known industry pro's - they know how to make wine - David Hayman and Dennis Hill have utilized resources at their disposal to make top notch, single varietal, appellation designated wines. David Hayman spent five years overseeing production across eleven Hardys wineries throughout Australia, and currently serves as Blackstone Winery’s Senior Vice President of Operations, overseeing all California winemaking operations. Dennis Hill has over twenty five years of winemaking experience with many leading Sonoma wineries. In 1994, Dennis joined the Blackstone Winery and for the past nine years, has delivered a wine profile that strikes a chord with consumers. Dennis is the Chief Winemaker for the Blackstone Winery and works in Sonoma County. Give it a try this Friday.
2 - Georges Duboeuf 2005 Morgon Cru Beaujolais $12 (rated 91pts Robert Parker) - http://www.chilledred.com/
For over 40 years Georges Duboeuf has been the Beaujolais region`s most renowned négociant and is today regarded in the wine world as the "King of Beaujolais." Born in 1933 in Pouilly-Fuissé, the son of a winegrower, Georges began selling his family`s wines from the back of his bicycle to now-legendary local chefs such as Paul Bocuse and Paul Blanc - You have seen his wine - it comes in those very colorful bottles. Every year the release of the Nouveau Beaujolais is met with great fan fare - you may have also heard of the slogan "the red wine you can chill."
Well this is a little different - this is the good stuff - The much anticipated 2005 wines are here and you will want a few bottles of this one. The 2005 Morgon bursts with massive doses of black fruits and satiny-texture. Its powerful and it lingers with a long finish.
3 - Louis Bernard Cotes du Rhone Village 2003 $12
Louis Bernard was founded in the Rhône Valley in 1976 based on a totally unique concept: an alliance between over 40 estates and an expert management team. Because the members of the executive team are also wine specialists, a commitment to quality wine is maintained on every level. This is a relatively large-scaled gutsy Cotes-du-Rhone, with a modest level of those funky and sweaty leather tones. The color is Intense and a brilliant red. Its spicy with a little strawberry too. Balanced and has a good lengthy finish. I would serve this with pork chops, curry chicken salad maybe even a nice turkey sandwich - Absolutely perfect for the fall picnics you should already be planning - remember to bring a sweater.
4 - Penalolen 2004 cabernet $18 (89 points Tanzer)
We say it all of the time around here - The wines coming from Chile represent some of the finest values in the world.
It is hard to think that the prices for this level of quality will stay the same for long. This is what wine expert Steven Tanzer said about this wine:
"Peñalolén's Cabernet Sauvignon is “spicy and medium-bodied with tangy red fruit flavors complicated by fresh herbs. A suave, elegant wine, with fine tannins and a juicy, fresh finish. Impressive complexity.” Peñalolén winery was founded by vineyard owner Ricardo Peña and his wife Isabel with the objective to produce unique Chilean wines, full of personality and verve. All grapes are grown and hand harvested with meticulous care to guarantee the integrity of the fruit, and picked early in the morning when the weather is coolest. Peñalolén is truly a family-owned, boutique winery committed to making wines of distinction. Do not miss trying this wine on Friday - it would be a bargain at twice the price.
Thank you for all of the support you are showing - it makes us stand out when we have special guests and opens many new doors too. You might be surprised at the offers we are starting to get from authors, chefs, and winemakers. We could not do it without you.
We are working hard to fill up out calendar with your special requests - remember our secret weapon - we listen.
We hope to see you this week.
Pleas Join Us - It is fun, informal and a great way to start your weekend.
AAA
Monday, September 18, 2006
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