Monday, December 29, 2008

Special New Year's Edition 2009

New Years 2
Are You Ready For The Big Night?
All Stores Will Be Open - Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday.
From olives, crackers & dips - to a perfect centerpiece.

We can delivery the party right to your front door.

Greetings from New London,
We hope that you all have had as much fun as we did during the last year. Many of you have shared the moments with us - thank you one and all.

We have a very special Friday night planned for you, but first we have to remind everyone that we have the Finest Collection of Champagne in the State of Connecticut, right here in little old New London.
And you don't have to drop fifty to a hundred dollars a bottle to find great stuff!

Every year, we encourage our friends and customers to try new sparkling wines. In addition to the Cavas from Spain and Proseccos from Italy, there are many tremendous Champagnes to explore that aren't Clicquot, Moet, Taittinger, etc. We offer the finest Grower Champagne. This is estate wine produced by hand in very small quantities and bottled by real wine makers and their families. It is not made in a factory by people holding clipboards and checking the gauges on batch numbers that have six-digits.

But that's not all we also carry Cava $10, Prosecco $15, Gruet Blancs de Noir $17 and other delicious and affordable options for dancing on table tops and christening ships. Think about it - aren't you over due to be dancing on a table?
We can help - 8 6 0 - 4 4 3 - 9 4 6 3

champagne on a tray2

Daves New Years2

The Monday Tasting 12.29.08

saint sulpice Chateau Saint-Sulpice Bordeaux 2005 $14

Cold indoor weather calls for a mellow full-bodied red wine. For the last Monday tasting of 2008
I'd like to pour one of our favorite go-to staples - this rich, earthy Merlot-based Bordeaux from just south of St. Emilion.

This bulletproof bottle sits patiently on the shelf, its price still unchanged where it seems all others have inched upwards.

Wine maker Pierre Duberge oversees the small 100-acre vineyard and the classic winemaking process - he declared the 2005 vintage to be "The best wine we have made in 20 years." Drop by Monday afternoon and see what he's talking about!
Order Now





Charlie & Liza
New Year's Edition 2009
The Friday Tasting - Please Join Us
Friday January 2nd - 6-9 p.m. - No Charge


1 - Salomon Gruner Veltliner 2007 $18
Soloman GruVee

The Gruner Veltliner has became the darling of hot shot sommeliers in NYC, and while wine trends usually get me headed the other way, Gruner Veltliner has an enduring quality that is hard to ignore. It works with ALL KINDS OF FOOD. All of those hard to pair dishes become child's play with Gruner Veltliner. Artichokes? No problem. Asparagus, curry, thai peppers, orange chutney, No Problem. From Importer Terry Theise:
"This 2007 is extraordinarily aromatic, with generous fruit, snappy structure, beany and lentilly, forthright and generous. The best vintage yet."
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2 - Les Deux Rives Corbieres 2007 $9


Les Deux Rives
Sometimes it's easy to overlook the little things in life, like $9 Corbieres. Dave poured this wine recently at a Dave's Fave, and the first guy to taste it bought all that we had. This got my attention, so I bought one for myself and I'll be damned, this is great wine!

The wine is a blend of 40% Granache, 30% Syrah, 20% Mourverde and 10% Carignan which is fairly typical for Corbieres, if more complicated than you would expect for $9.

Despite it's humble origins, the wine reminds me of some of our finer offerings form the Rhone. If you like meat, especially lamb, or if you just want to spend your evening as I do, sitting on the couch drinking and watching Dancing with the Stars, this is the wine for you.
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3 - Ego Bolgheri Rosso 2005 $18


Freud Ego
Bolgheri is home to some of the biggest names in Italian wine, Sassacaia, Tignanello and Ornellaia being the most famous. The vineyards of Le Grascete are so close to Sassacaia and Ornellaia that they are literally an empty wine bottle's throw away.

Made from hand harvested estate fruit the wine is surprisingly structured and intense for $18.

This is a wine that will definitely benefit from decanting and a little patience, but once you're there, you're all the way there.
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4 - Willunga Creek Black Duck Merlot 2005 $30

willunga creek
Made Another wine from our new buddy Chris at 2fly wines. Willunga Creek is a family owned winery in Mc Laren Vale Australia.
McLaren Vale is one of Australia's premiere wine producing regions, and the Black Duck conveys this unique climate and style. The wine is VERY rich, with well integrated tannins, copious fruit and a hint and Cinnamon. Lots of stuffing here, Rubenesque. A tremendous value for those in pursuit of the ultimate wave.
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Thanks very much for your support over the past year - we sincerely appreciate it.

And from all of us we wish you all a safe, happy, and healthy New Year for you and your family.

Please join us. It's fun, informal and a great way to start your weekend.


AAA.

Sunday, December 21, 2008

Holiday Edition 2008

Bank Street Snow
Friday Night In The Big City

Greetings from New London,
Like most of New London we had to close early because of the storm on Friday - it was the right thing to do. So this Friday will be extra special.

Many thanks for all of the support and enthusiasm over this holiday season - we appreciate it. The Day After Christmas Wine Tasting is all set and it includes a "first timer" - check out the list just below a few items of interest.


Saturday night at Brie & Bleu was a cozy winter affair - and an impromtu gathering of fans and friends led to an intimate dinner. The wine was flowing, the flurries were falling and a topic came up that we should mention. Some of our readers work for banks, pharmaceutical companies, and other large organizations that "FILTER" your email. Many of them remove all of the graphics and photos that we include each week. The images are replaced with an "X" or other symbol that indicates where the image would be. We want to remind you that all of our emails can be seen in their Full Uncut Directors Version - HERE

And they are fully searchable - so if you are trying to remember what that hard to find gem from three tastings ago was - you can look for it in our archives.

Universal Memory 300

This Just In:
Trapiche Single Vineyard Gift Packs $150
Free Decanter with every purchase.
Limited Quantities.
First come, First Served - 8 6 0 - 4 4 3 - 9 4 6 3
Trapiche Gift Box

Each year, Trapiche´s chief oenologist and winemaker Daniel Pi and his team, will select Mendoza's three best Malbec grape growers to communicate Trapiche´s foundations: the richness of diversity.

"It's been only recently, after 20 years in the industry", said Pi, "that I realize just how blessed I have been to work in Argentina, a country with the most diverse wine growing areas and unique climatic conditions."

Three outstanding wines, three remarkable grape growers, one variety: Malbec. The essence of Trapiche's Single Vineyard Malbecs lies in the combination of these factors.
Reserve Yours Now - 8 6 0 - 4 4 3 - 9 4 6 3
Order Now

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Friends & Neighbors:
The State Street Studios will host a reception at their sweet new digs on Sunday December 28, from 1:00 p.m. - 4:00p.m. Located just next door to Thames River Greenery & City News, and ALVA Gallery at 60 State Street all five studios will showcase their work.
INFORMATION: 8 6 0 - 9 6 1 - 4 0 0 1


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Make Someone Happy
We have seriously fine cigars in stock at City News, including many famous brands like Partagas, H. Upman, Avo, Padron, and Punch to name just a few.

We select our cigars in the same manner that we stock our famous wine cellar. We seek out the experts & artisans of the industry, choose carefully, and stock items that are hard to find & represent real quality. Handmade with tradition and pride - not on a machine that can make thousands in an hour - but by people that might make 30 or 40 on a good day.

Combine cigars with fine wine & spirits in a gift basket and you've got a gift that will bring hours of enjoyment to the connoisseur in your life. Of course we will gift wrap your choices at no extra charge.
padron tobacco
We Rely On The Experts & Artisans
Full Boxes, Singles & Gift Box Samplers Ready To Go.

8 6 0 - 4 4 3 - 6 8 1 7
City News
70 State Street New London

Universal Memory 300



Daves Fave Santa

The Monday Tasting 12.22.08

Gruet Brut Blanc de Noirs Gruet Brut Blanc de Noirs $17
Let's pop some bubbly on Monday afternoon!

Champagne winemaker Gilbert Gruet planted plots of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir in the hills near Albequerque, New Mexico in the early 1980's.

Sparkling wines with the quality of Champagne from the sunny American Southwest?

The secret lies in the limestone soils and the high altitude - the limestone mimics the terroir of Champagne, and at 4,300 feet, Gruet's vineyards are some of the highest in North America, giving the fruit cool nights and long maturation.

This Blanc de Noirs is 100% Pinot Noir with at least two years maturation - the wine has tons of berry fruit plus brioche toastiness that harkens to vintage Champagne. Priced under 20 bucks!!
Order Now

Universal Memory 300



Wne Tasting Please join us 2008 xmas
Holiday Edition 2008
The Friday Tasting - Please Join Us
Friday December 12 -26 - 9 p.m. - No Charge


1 - Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2008 $30
Cloudy Bay Sblanc

The Marlborough region is blessed with a unique terroir where a cool, maritime South Pacific climate produces wines of great fruit intensity.

Widely regarded as the quintessential expression of the acclaimed Marlborough wine region, Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc is an international benchmark wine noted for its vibrant aromatics, layers of pure fruit flavours, and fine structure.

Meticulous viticulture combined with modern technology and traditional vinification methods, consistently produces a style that has become the reference for this remote southern wine region.
We are offering this wine at our wine tasting for the first time in our history.
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2 - Pares Balta Mas Elena 2005 $15


Pares Balta Elena


Parés Baltà is situated South of Barcelona, in the Penedès region of Catalunya. The winery was founded in the 1930's in an area that has been producing wine since the 1700's. Parès Balta is owned by the Cusiné family and produces red, white, as well as Cava wines.

Parés Baltà prides itself in using ecologically friendly farming techniques, such as using sheep to fertilize the vineyards, thus eliminating any need for artificial fertilizers and bees to facilitate pollination. In 2004 the winery was certified "organic.

The Mas Elena is made up of Cabernet Sauvignon 31%, Merlot Pujols 25%, Merlot Miret 36 % and Cabernet Franc 8%. The four varieties were macerated and fermented separately. Maceration lasted for 18 to 23 days. Malolactic fermentation was induced using indigenous bacteria.

The wine was fermented for eight months in 2nd and 3rd fill French Oak barrels from Allier. A full bodied Bordeaux blend in the French style.
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3 - Green & Red Chiles Canyon Zinfandel 2006 $28


Green & Red Chiles Canyon

FromGreen & Red Vineyard, named for its red iron soils veined with green serpentine, is located in the steep hills on the east side of Napa Valley.

The planting was started in 1972 on ground originally in vineyards in the 1890's. The vineyards are a small percentage of the 200-acre property, which ranges in elevation from 900 to 2,000 feet.

Vines on our red hillsides produce a vigorous, spicy black pepper and berried wine. Dryed rose petals over anise and black cherry. Tastes of dark red berries dashed with Christmas spices. Goes well with rare roasted wild duck.
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4 - Domaine de la Pertuisane "Le Nain Violet" 2005 $24

Domaine de la PertuisaneMAP
Made from grapes from extremely low yielding 50 year old Grenache and Carignan Vines. Harvested from steep schistous slopes surrounding the village of Maury in Roussillon. Le Nain Violet is wild yeast fermented and after 18 months in French oak, bottled unfiltered and unfined for the truest expression terroir. Big and succulent and very French.
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Thanks very much for your support over the holiday season - we appreciate it.
The new year is just around the corner - and so are some of the exciting things we have been working on - Dinners, Special Events and Guests - all based on your input. We welcome all comments and suggestions, we need your help to stay on the leading edge and to get better at what we do. We love to hear from you.

Please join us. It's fun, informal and a great way to start your weekend.


AAA.






Friday, December 19, 2008

Elegance and Decadence - Fun For The Whole Family

mutual Fund Santa


This holiday season, give the sweetest gift of all - Moonstruck Chocolates are handcrafted and available only through selected retailers across the country. We are proud to be included on that list.
Moonstruck holiday2008

Established in 1993 Moonstruck was founded on the premise that chocolate is not simply a candy, but an experience to be enjoyed by all of the senses. Today, the company's delicately crafted truffles and other confections are inspired works that have been enjoyed in such prestigious locations as the White House and The Academy Awards. We offer the full line - Please call for details. 8 6 0 - 4 4 3 - 6 8 1 7

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Ken WrightThis just in:
Ken Wright Pinot Noir. Abbott's Claim, Merideth Mitchell, Freedom Hill, Savoya, Carter, Mcrone, Shea all just $50 a bottle. Ken Wright Cellars

Robert Parker on the subject of Ken Wright and the 2007 Vintage "Ken Wright Cellars has long been one of the reference points for Pinot Noir fanatics. Ken Wright is the ultimate terroirist"

"2007 appears to be a superb vintage for Pinot Noir. It will appeal to fans who like the intellectual appeal of Burgundy as well as those who come down more on the hedonist's side of the coin.There was a significant rain event on 9/29/07.

Those who panicked and picked everything before the rain were able to make decent wine but those who waited (and most did) were rewarded. The grapes gained flavor but not alcohol due to the cool weather. The resulting wines have superb natural acidity, modest alcohol levels, but also superbflavors and concentration. It may be the best vintage since 2002."
Extremely Limited Quantities - First Come First Served. 8 6 0 - 4 4 3 - 9 4 6 3

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Make Someone Happy
We have seriously fine cigars in stock at City News, including many famous brands for the holiday season. Combine cigars with any of our other decadent treats in a gift basket and you've got a gift that will bring hours of enjoyment to the connoisseur in your life. Of course we will gift wrap your choices at no extra charge.
Happines is a cigar2
Singles & Gift Box Samplers Ready To Go.
8 6 0 - 4 4 3 - 6 8 1 7
City News
70 State Street New London

daves fave ooh dave

The Monday Tasting 12.15.08

empty wine bottle2 Porta Sole Montepulciano D'Abruzzo 2006 $8

From the eastern coastal hills of Italy near Pescara comes this very affordable treat! A spicy, rustic, easy-drinking Montepulciano.

This wine would make a nice companion to say, some skirt steak in wine and olive sauce with a handful of wild braised greens... or eggplant rollatini with a side of mushrooms?

Why don't we raise a glass on the deck, squint out at Long Island Sound and pretend it's the Adriatic?

Please stop on by!
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Elegance & Decadence
The Friday Tasting - Please Join Us
Friday December 12 -19 - 9 p.m. - No Charge


1 - Hugel Gentil 2006 $15

hugel gentil

The Hugels have been making wine in Alsace since 1639 and own one of the oldest wine casks in the world "Sainte Caterine" dated 1715. This sense of history and place comes through in their wines as they express the varied terroirs of Alsace.

The Gentil is a field blend of classic Alsace varietals such as Gewurztraminer, Riesling, Pinot Gris and Sylvaner. Anyone who has met Etienne Hugel at our wine dinners can attest he is enthusiastic about Asian cuisine (actually he is enthusiastic about a lot of things, but mostly food and wine).

True to his passion, this wine is a perfect pairing for Thai, Schezuan or Indian food. This wine can take the heat, but is also well paired with cheese, pate, fried mushrooms, shrimp cocktail, pho, white bean soup, mixed green salad and holiday Turkey.
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2 - Casaia Rosso Toscano 2006 $14


Casaia Rosso Toscano


This is a nice little Super-Tuscan, a blend of 50% Sangiovese and 50% Cabernet Sauvignon. It's delightful right out of the gate, but give it and hour or so in a decanter and the wine really finds it's stride.

A wine of dark roasted plums, dark cherries and cassis. Affordable enough for pizza night with the heft and complexity to take on the richest stew or roast.


Order Now


















3 - Mclaren Vale Associates "Squid Ink" Shiraz 2006 $34


Mclaren Vale

From It doesn't happen often enough, but sometimes a guy walks in the store with a case of wine and says, "Drink these and tell me what you think". So it was with Chris from 2fly imports, a new kid on the block. 2fly imports small production Australian wines that exhibit a refreshing sense of restraint and integration, yet have the massivity you would expect from wine called Squid Ink.

From the tasting notes, " The nose is complex with ripe berry and hits of chocolate and vanilla. The palate is rich, full bodied with intense flavors and a lingering finish. The tannins are firm and concentrated but clean. The most intense wine we have ever bottled. "
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4 - Steltzner Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 $42
steltner
Remember when California Cabernet was great? Remember when it didn't have to cost $100 a bottle to wow you?

Steltzner Cabernet harkens back to those simpler times, when family wineries made great wine with estate fruit and didn't charge and arm and a leg for it.

Their vineyard is not only in Napa, but in the very prestigious Stag's Leap District. A great value from one of the premiere Cabernet producing regions on Earth.
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Thanks very much for your support over the holiday season - we appreciate it.
Please join us. It's fun, informal and a great way to start your weekend.


AAA.





Monday, December 08, 2008

Wine Loves Everyone - Love It Back.

Light The Tree
Card Available At Thames River Greenery

Greetings from New London,
The Flock Theater was in fine form at City News over the weekend. Part of The Holly and The Ivy living history play taking place throughout New London until December 14. Witness 200 years of NL history come alive. It's just one more reason to visit downtown during the holidays. Details Here
Flock Theater

***

Monday - 12.8.08 -
2nd and Final Presentation for 2008
Round two of our annual Champagne & Pizza extravaganza starts at 6 p.m. -
8 6 0 - 4 4 3 - 9 4 6 3

***
Fine Cigars and Spirits -
Made by hand and individually numbered the Padron Anniversary Series cigars are impossibly hard to find. We have them in stock with many other famous brands for the holiday season. Combine cigars with one of the amazing Single Malt Whiskies we have on our shelves and you've got a gift that will bring hours of enjoyment to the connoisseur in your life. Of course we will gift wrap your choices at no extra charge.
Padron
Singles & Gift Box Samplers Ready To Go.
8 6 0 - 4 4 3 - 6 8 1 7

Our Friends and Neighbors

New London & The New York Times
New London and it's residents seem to be featured in The Paper of Record a lot lately. You may have seen the article that featured our very own Miss Charlotte just a couple of weeks ago. Well it has happened again. Local artist Barkley Hendricks was the subject of a beautiful review this past Friday in the Arts Section. If we have said it once, we have said it a thousand times - New London is loaded with interesting people - come on down to the Big City.
Guilt Free
Dave's Fave

The Monday Tasting 12.8.08

Les Deux Rives Les Deux Rives Corbieres Rouge 2007 $9
We've had so many great Granache-based goodies recently I'm going to continue the theme with this gem from the Mediterranean coast of France.
Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre and Carignan, with all the sunshine and ripe spicy fruit of southern France.

So once you've bought the flatscreen, the emerald pendant, and the Lexus convertible with the red bow, you can enjoy the guilt-free relaxation of a bargain French red and a hunk of cheese! Enjoy!
Order Now















Please Join Us Metro
Wine Loves Everyone -
Love it back.
The Friday Tasting - Please Join Us
Friday December 12 - 6 - 9 p.m. - No Charge


1 - Pares Balta Blanc de Pacs 2006 $11

Paris Balta
Ever since Patricio Brongo from Pares Balta stopped by the store and tried us on this wine, we've been selling it like beer in the Fenway bleacher seats.

It's so omnipresent, own nickname for it is "Pares Hilton." But this tasty white can still be confusing, like, what is it? "Why, it's a blend of Macabeo, Parellada and Xarello of course." What does that mean?


That means it's actually still Cava. Cava without the bubbles. Simpler still, it's YUMMY. produced From estate fruit, organically farmed.


Order Now













2 - Cune Rioja Crianza 2005 $14


Cune Rioja


This Crianza of 80% Tempranillo and 20% Garnacha is medium ruby color and displays aromas of black cherry fruit with a touch of leather and roasted meat.

Fermented in stainless steel and aged in American oak, it offers a soft attach of lush red and black fruit that is nicely integrated with oak, round tannins and a long finish.

Exhibits modern winemaking techniques, especially managing oxygenation.

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3 - Costozza Cabernet 2002 $24


Costozza Cabernet MAP

From year to year, Italy and France trade the title of world's leading wine producer. But Italians point out it was the ancient Romans who introduced wine making to France.


In fact, Italians were cultivating grapes some 2,500 years ago, before the rise of the Roman Empire.

The Veneto produces more premium wines than any other part of Italy. In the heart of the region, an hour's drive west of Venice, fields of grapes surround charming hill towns. The village of Costozza lies at the base of Monte Brosimo. This 1,312-foot hill is part of the Colli Berici, a mountain range of volcanic origin. Both the soil and mild climate are ideal for growing grapes.

Costozza has been documented as a winemaking center since at least 1250, but archaeological excavations indicate it's possible that wine was being made in the Berici Hills thousands of years earlier. The village of 2,000 has a delightful old restaurant, Taverna Aeolia. Astronomer Galileo Galilei mentioned in his memoirs that he was a guest there 400 years ago. Order Now



4 - The Chocolate Block 2007 $36
Chocolate Block2
We Love This Wine.
In fact - we love it so much we went all the way to South Africa to visit the vineyards and hang out with the people that make it.
Here are three links to choose from:
1 - Our Photos
2 - Our Interview With The Wine Maker
3 - The Official Website

WINEMAKERS COMMENTS:
The 2007 Chocolate Block is a blend of Syrah (55%); Grenache noir (20%); Cabernet Sauvignon (16%); Cinsault (5%) and Viognier (4%). Although the varieties have remained the same for this wine since the initial 2002 vintage, the percentages of grapes in the blend may vary. An increase in Cabernet Sauvignon meant less Cinsault made the final assemblage for the 2007 vintage. 2007 was a bumper vintage for us. We believe this to be the best Chocolate Block to date. For the 2007 vintage no Viognier was blended as white wine to lift the perfume profile of the wine but only the skins and some stalks of the Viognier were used and fermented in partnership with a few selected batches of Syrah. The making of the Chocolate Block has been a yearly learning curve for us in our winemaking approach and in hindsight we believe that better integration of the Viognier can only be achieved with co-fermenting the Syrah and Viognier.

TASTING NOTES:
Fresh berry flavours and a fine white pepperiness add a spicy profile to the nose. This is a wine of elegance and linearity. The palate seems almost seamless with the soft approachable tannins rounding off the mouthfeel. Maximum ageing potential of 8 years.
Order Now

Thanks very much for your support over the holiday season - we appreciate it.
Please join us. It's fun, informal and a great way to start your weekend.


AAA.

Tuesday, December 02, 2008

Wine Stimulus Program

tough week

Greetings from New London,
We have a nice line up for Friday night, the list is just below a few items of interest.

top 100

This just in:
The Wine Spectator's top 100 came out last week and we have been lucky to have had many of the names on our shelf over the past season. We also managed to get a few extra bottles of some of them - not easy after they publish the list.

#10 Seghesio Sonoma zinfandel 2007 93pts $26

And Our Very Favorite Wine Of All Time - #8
The Perrin Family's Chateau Beaucastel - we have had Marc Perrin in our store, we have had dinners and incredible vertical tastings with him, we have even been to the chateau for a sleep-over - we love this wine.

#8 Chateau Beaucastel
Chateau-Neuf-Du-Pape 96pts 2005 $115
"One of my favorite wines of all time, if for no other reason than I have a deep history with the wine going back many vintages.

Once, I even did a vertical tasting with Marc Perrin of the 2004, 2003, 2001, 1995, 1989, 1985, 1983, 1978, as well as several vintages of the Rousanne V.V.. Beaucastel ages better than any wine I've ever had, there I said it.

The 1978 and 1983 are still drinking beautifully, they get finer and lighter as they age obviously, but still show no sign of being in decline. I've even done head to heads with Ch Rayas and even once Beaucastel 1983 vs. Ch Latour 1982. When the dusk settles and you get past the fame of the other suitors for your palate, I still prefer Beaucastel, it is my tongue's favorite lover. There is an intrinsic advantage to that scope of varietal blending, in terms of complexity, and depth of flavor and what can I say about Mouverde that hasn't been said before in song and story."
-Jim Morrison

Wine Man
A Face You Can Trust
Dave's Fave
The Monday Tasting 12.1.08

Seiterre Montesalionze Bardolino Superiore 2006 $15
I know what you're saying, it's cold, I want to stay inside, and I'm craving a hearty Italian wine at the right price. Found one!

From our friends at Seiterre, who also make the slammin' Pinot Grigio we poured Friday and our popular Casaia Rosso Toscana. The Rosso Toscana has an appealing red and yellow label which, we suspect, may cause this Bardolino, with it's brown and purple label, to be overlooked on the shelf - so what have you been missing?

A classic Bardolino, produced in the high, cool climate of Verona, on the glacial moraine hills east of Lake Garda. The traditional varietals of the region (Rondinella, Corvina, and Molinara) produce a wine with ample fruit and a spicy, herbal quality. "Very nice fruity opulence safeguarded," declares an Italian website. I think you'll agree.
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Piggy Bank
Wine Stimulus Program
The Friday Tasting - Please Join Us
Friday December 5 - 6 - 9 p.m. - No Charge


1 - Alexander Valley Vineyards New Gewurztraminer 2008 $12

Alexander Valley  New Gewurztraminer Sustainably farmed and produced from organic grapes in Mendocino California.

Bursting with exotic flavors of pear and lychee and a bit of spice on the nose.

This soft young wine pairs well with ethic and spicy food. The perfect wine for Lamb Saag or Chicken Vindaloo from our friends at Northern Indian on State Street.
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2 - Vina Albali Tempranillo Reserva 1999 $9


Vina Albali From Valdepenas in southern Spain comes this clear and pretty expression of the Tempranillo grape.


Light bodied with a ruby red color, ripe cherry and notes of spice and Vanilla . Come see how inexpensive good, authentic wine can be.

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3 - Alto Moncayo veraton Garnacha 2006 $32


Alto MoncayoA perennial favorite, as always in limited quantities.

"Saturated ruby. Very spicy on the nose, which displays blackberry, blueberry, white pepper and cinnamon qualities. Sappy dark berry flavors combine intensity with depth, picking up candied licorice with air.

Turns sweeter on the finish, which leaves an exotic floral note behind.

This went through multiple changes in the glass and is utterly delicious now." Josh Raynolds, 91pts International Wine Cellar
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4 - Alto Moncayo (the big one) garnacha 2006 $50
Alto Moncayo Big Clear
93 points from Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar:
"Deep ruby with a bright rim. Impressively complex, seductive bouquet of dark berry preserves, tobacco, graphite and smoky Indian spices. Pliant black raspberry and candied cherry flavors are enlivened by zesty minerals and firmed by fine-grained tannins. An exotic floral pastille quality emerges with air and carries into the finish, which is strikingly sweet, lively and persistent. "

92 points from Wine Spectator:
"This plush, dense red shows coffee and spicy oak, with berry and wild plum fruit and accents of licorice and black pepper. The tannins are firm but well-integrated, and this finishes warm and spicy. Modern and alluring. Drink now through 2012. Only 600 cases made.
Order Now





Thanks very much for your support over the holiday season - we appreciate it.

And thanks for always making this so much fun.
We have a lot of things planned for the coming weeks and the New Year. Everything is based on your comments and suggestions - we are listening.

Please join us. It's fun, informal and a great way to start your weekend.



AAA.