Ground Breaking News

What A Beautiful Audience

How would you like to taste wine with Michael Mondavi himself? You will have your chance in November - and in the next few weeks we will publish a list of guests that will set a new benchmark for bringing our friends and customers directly to the makers of the greatest wines in the world.

First of their kind, ground breaking, one on one - that's what we are working on now. And it is only because of your remarkable support that we are able to make these types of events happen. Thank you for being part of the revolution. Drink Different.

This Friday - 10.16.12

1 - Cline 2011 Cashmere - $16

Let's face it: $16 wine values from the Côtes Du Rhône region of southeastern France are among the world's best red wine values. But that doesn't mean that California versions, using similar grape blends, shouldn't also share space on your wine rack. Cline Cellars has been doing Rhône for years, and one of their most recent incarnations, seductively named "Cashmere," is a treat.

Garnet/ruby color. High-toned, slightly grapey nose, with appealing brightness and notes of fresh herbs, raspberry, Kirsch, and coffee grounds. Turns more toward cherry flavors and hints of milk chocolate in its smooth, warm and balanced texture. Good acids on the finish to cut through burgers, lamb chops or a mushroom/onion tart. (A blend of Mourvèdre, Grenache and Syrah)


Cline Cellars proudly supports Living Beyond Breast Cancer and over the years has contributed more than $200,000 to breast cancer foundations.

We are proud to support their efforts this Friday night - please join us.


 2 - Paso a Paso Verdejo - $12

 
This winery is located in the best terroir of La Mancha found in the eastern region of the ¨Denomination of Origin. Sandy soils with lots of chalk. Winters are very cold; summers are hot with cool nights and it is a very arid climate. The grapes for this wine come from 14 hectares ( 34 acres) of Verdejo vines planted in 1998. The yield is 4T/ha (1.60 T/acre). After very careful vineyard selections, only the best vines of Verdejo grapes are hand harvested.

Tanzer's Internation Wine Cellars::
"Green-tinged gold. Very fresh scents of quince, melon and agave. Juicy and broad in the mouth, with good depth to its pit and orchard fruit flavours. Becomes spicier with air and finishes with strong cut and a lingering citrus pith note. This offers excellent value. "


This has got to be one of the best values we have offered in a long time - this is a wine that you will want to have around for the rest of the year. Perfect for dinners, hosting a holiday get together, or just sipping with friends. It is as they say - a crowd pleaser.  Please try it on Friday night.

The Fall Season - Events

WINE WORKS LIKE MAGIC

Please Mark Your Calendars

Wednesday - 10.24.12 - The Wines Of South Africa
No Charge - Please RSVP - Limited SeatingPresented by Knauth & Visser. Paired with small plates.
Learn about the great South African Winelands and try wine that is available here for the first time.

SPECIAL - Friday - 11.16.12 - No Charge - RSVP Required

Very Limited Seating
Jim Kowalyschyn Espris Du Vin Wine &
Samantha Brennen Artisinal Cheese of
New York.
Wine and cheese pairings presented by two of the leaders in the field.

SATURDAY - 11.17.12 - 3PM
Eric Bellnier presents Essential Italian Wines for the holidays.
Special pricing on Award Winning Fontodi Wines.

ALSO -

Friday October 19
Mangetout Restaurant
We have a collaboration dinner event with Mangetout the
Organic Cafe just up the block.

An Organic Oktoberfest Dinner and wine pairing
Friday, October 19 
Just Two Seatings
6pm & 8pm.

We will be pairing wine with each course. You must contact Mangetout directly to make reservations. Seating Is Very Limited. 8 6 0 - 4 4 4 - 2 0 6 6. Do Not Wait To Call if you are interested.

THIS FRIDAY NIGHT Will will be joined by a special guest - Please Join Us. 1 - Clos des Mures a Single Vineyard Syrah - $16 Jean-Claude Mas has blazed the trail for premium winemaking in the Languedoc region of the South of France. Since taking the helm of the centuries-old Domaines in 2000, his driving mission has been to use only premium quality grapes to craft superior wines with a modern, New World flair. Intense purple violet with garnet tints. Complex nose with blackcurrants, violet, blackberries, turning to cacao and spices. Well balanced and smooth tannins, full bodied. WINEMAKER: "Grapes, some of which are cultivated on 40-year old vines, benefit from hot summer days and a cooling sea breeze. A deep garnet red wine.Complex on the nose with aromas of blackcurrants, violets and blackberries that evolve into hints of cocoa and spice. Elegant and fruit-filled on the palate, liquorice and toasted notes lead   to a long-lasting and well-balanced finish over smooth tannins.  The Syrah vines are between 26 and 46 years old, the Grenache 47 years old. The wine is aged for 10 months in French and American Seguin Moreau and François Frére oak barrels 30% new oak barrels, 35% 1 year old oak barrels, 35% 2 year old oak barrel. Intense purple violet with garnet tints. Complex nose with blackcurrants, violet, blackberries, turning to cacao and spices. Well balanced and smooth tannins, full bodied. Strong fruity characters with a long finish evolving towards liquorice and toasted notes. Elegant and refined.  Food pairing: Preferably pasta dishes, beef stews, red meat, game, pate and soft full flavor cheeses."     2 - La Forge Estate, Languedoc France - $14    Deep Bright and lovely light garnet-red colour. Nose: Very elegant with a quintessence of red berries, strawberry, cherry, and soft spices aromas with a hint of vanilla. Palate: It's a medium bodied wine, with ripe tannins and acidity which testify his capability to age. It develops very delicate aromas and a long lasting finish. Pinot Noir causes more discussion and dispute in the wine world than any other grape variety, most of which centers around the wine style which best represents the 'true' Pinot Noir. Examples from Central Otago are so different from those grown in Santenay that even an untrained palate can tell them apart. Yet both are unmistakably, unquestionably Pinot Noir. It is this strength of character which has made Pinot Noir such an internationally successful and desirable grape variety. Pairs well with grilled red meats such as lamb, veal, pork and game. Also goes well with soft cheeses such as brie or goat's cheese. 3 - Domaine Paul Mas Carignan 2010 - $14 Never heard of Carignan? Until around 1990, it was the most widely grown grape in France. The workhorse grape of France and Spain, its ancestral home (where it is called Cariñena), Carignan is traditionally used in blends and is the primary, unsung ingredient in French wines that are labeled simply "Red table wine" or "Vin de Table." That is why most people have heard of Carignan only in passing, or not at all. Located on the hillsides of the Hérault overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, the Savignac vineyard is the ideal growing location for Carignan grapes. These mature vines, some over 50-years old, have reached a perfect natural balance. Even though produced in the Côteaux du Languedoc, Cru Grés de Montpellier appellation, this single varietal wine can only be designated IGP Pays de L'Hérault.   100% Carignan On the nose, spices and blackberry give way to aromas of cherry jam and cocoa over toasted oak notes. A full-bodied, rich and mellow wine, with delicious velvety tannins and complex flavors.    BUZZ - News & Events          As promised our dance card is filling up for the coming season. Please take a moment to check your calendar with our posted dates. If you see something that you like, don't wait to call because things fill up quickly. We will be adding more attractions and finalizing more special guests in the next couple of weeks Thanks for all of the comments and suggestions that we receive every week. We try to incorporate as many of your ideas as possible. AND Thank you for the support, we know there are a lot of choices you can make for shopping - but keeping your business local and supporting small business in New London is greatly appreciated. We hope to see you soon.

 ThamesRiver.com

Please Join Us On Friday Night.

It Is Fun Informal And A Great Way To Start Your Weekend.

Wine & Cheese Tasting Every Friday 5-8 PM - No Charge

WINE - The New Energy Drink.

Christophe Reboul Salze bought his Bordeaux wine vineyard Chateau Les Grands Marechaux located in the Cotes de Blaye appellation in 1997.

Les Grands Marechaux is a contender for the best value Bordeaux wine produced today.




This estate-bottled, hand-harvested Bordeaux has also been a favorite of Robert Parker who has featured it in
"The World's Best Wine
Values Under $25"
calling it "sensational" and writing that the wine is "velvety textured, sumptuous, and long...". He's called Stephane Derenoncourt (who consults at the estate) "brilliant" and the estate was classified as "excellent".

Wow - I can hardly wait for Friday night - how about you?

Chateau les Grands Marechaux  - $22
Rated 92 points in the Wine Spectator

So, just how great is the 2009 vintage?

"The finest vintage I have tasted in 32 years of covering Bordeaux!!!" - Robert M. Parker Jr.

"In France's most famous wine region, Bordeaux, some people are touting the 2009 vintage as the mother of great modern vintages. Licorice and tar on the nose. Full-bodied, with a lovely core of fruit and silky tannins. Focused and clear. Could be best ever from here." - James Suckling, Wine Spectator

Wine Advocate: Consultant Stephane Darenoncourt has fashioned a medium dark ruby-hued 2009 with seductive fruit, earth, spice, and dark berry characteristics as well as a medium to full-bodied finish.








Llicorella Priorat 2005 - $22
Louis Latour Pouilly Vinzelles - 18 

      

Already known to the Romans, Vinzelles takes its name from the latin vincella which means small vine. The distinctive feature of the village of Vinzelles is the presence of two "chateaux" separated by just a few metres: a fortified castle from the 11th century and the other from the 13th and 17th centuries.  

 

The appellation of Pouilly-Vinzelles encompasses the villages of Vinzelles and Loche. Continuing from the predominantly limestone slopes of Chaintre and Fuisse, the vineyards of Pouilly-Vinzelles are exclusively planted with Chardonnay and closely resemble those wines from its neighbor Pouilly-Fuisse.

Golden yellow in color, this Pouilly-Vinzelles is characterized by its heady aromas of Williams pear and peppered mango. Round, fat and very full in the mouth with liquorice notes. Finishes with an attractive balance.

Rated 91 Points - The Wine Spectator 

 

Wine Spectator:  Rated as Outstanding: a wine of superior character and style. "This red is light and crisp, yet has plenty of structure to power its raspberry, licorice and mountain herb flavors. Focused and lively, with a floral, spicy finish.

Wine Maker: 

"A cherry red wine, with purple reflections and an aroma of black fruits with roasted notes. Concentrated and with sweet notes that are reminiscent of cacao. Has a long, well-balanced after-taste.  From a rugged region with sharp relief, in which the grapes are grown on terraces and on the mountain sides or “costers”. The earth is the distinctive element of this region, and is stony and poor with a volcanic constitution, formed by thin layers of slate or “llicorella”, that retain little water, giving the wines produced in this region a marked mineral character. "

Named for the priory of a 12th century order of Carthasian monks, Priorat's vineyards are necessarily on terraces due to the tightly-folded mountainous terrain of the region.  Mechanism is virtually impossible because of the lay of the land, so the wines are hand-crafted.  The solid structure and lively personality of the Llicorella Priorat allow it to pair with a great variety of foods.  Lamb and meat as well as duck, game and robust fish will all do well.  Sample your first glass with a nutty Manchego cheese from Spain; it will really bring out the mountain herbs of this Priorat.  The hint of fruit in this focused red will be delicious with crisp-skinned rotisserie duck served with a sweet-tart cherry chutney.  A pan of paella made with fideo noodles instead of rice will bring out the more earthy, spicy side of this Llicorella. 
We like ours with sausage, chicken and/or duck.  If you want something simple, grill up some lamb sausages and serve them with oven-roasted garlic potatoes.  Pour another generous glass and savor it with a rich, full-flavored Spanish Zamorano cheese.  Its texture melts in your mouth and is the perfect ending to what will no doubt be a great meal.   Disfrutar!