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Size May Matter After All
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G O T F L O W E R S ?

According to Dr. Alan Hirsch, a neurologist and director of the Smell & Taste Treatment and Research Foundation, if you're learning a new skill, you'll pick it up 17% faster when exposed to the smell of flowers - any flowers, so long as you like the scent. We recommend hydrangeas. Because they are so pretty.

Greetings From New London,

The lyric's of a great WW I song say it best:
"...How you gonna keep them down on the farm once they've seen Paree....?"

Many of you know our kitchen staff at Brie & Bleu has taken advantage of offers presented by a large well known Rhode Island establishment.

While we get our new people in place, and everything running the way we like - Thanks for your patience.

NEXT

New London had a fair share of personalities passing through last week - And Dave Anderson - as usual - was there.

Senate Candidate Linda McMahon & Dave Anderson

NEXT

Thanks very much to the crew and family of the
USS TOLEDO for choosing to share some off duty time with us - Go Navy!

NEXT

Toad Hollow July 30th - 6-9 p.m.
Toad Hollow Special Event Friday July 30th.
Meet Toad Hollow Owner Frankie Williams.

Frankie will be with us pouring wine, telling stories, shaking hands, and kissing babies!

Meet a woman that
personifies the pioneering principles of the California wine industry.

Toad Hollow wines are very seriously crafted from premium vineyards along the California Coast.

Toad Hollow won 2 Gold Medals and 1 Silver Medal at the 2009 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition!
Please mark your calendars for a great night.




NEXT

It Is Always COOL In Our Cellar
Wine Tasting Please Join Us
Friday July 16th - 6-9 p.m.
No Charge

Domaine du Tariquet Ugni Blanc-Colombard $10


Another gem from Tariquet - from France's northern Gascony coast,
this is a perfect hot weather wine - crisp, refreshing with a touch of tropical fruit.

A little softer than their very popular Sauvignon Blanc.

Enjoy with shelfish and salads or sitting in a garden with a fountain bubbling a few feet away. This is a wine that wipes away the heat, humidity, and the long hours of work that make sipping a wine like this so enjoyable. Unbeatable for the price.

Dominio de Haredia Rioja $14

Medium-bodied, old school Rioja, 100% Tempranillo with a classic mellow cherry fruit plus tobacco smoke and leather.

Drinking beautifully now, stands up exceptionally well with grilled meats while not overpowering the palate.

This is a wine drinkers wine - solid, authentic, and faithful to the tradition behind it. This is a wine that drinks like something twice its cost - please try it this Friday.



La Capra Cabernet $12



From Charles Back of Fairview (of "Goats do Roam" fame), this table red displays the smoky character unique to South Africa, but somehow remains fruity easy
and crisp.

Another lovely summer wine that would work perfectly with a bit of char from a wood-grilling picnic.

Fruit sourced from the Stellenbosch region, the wine displays a hefty cassis and currant nose with blackberry and plum notes swirling in cedar smoke.

Charles Back is a wine pioneer in South Africa and an all around maverick in the business world of wine.

He is not afraid to poke his finger into the eye of the powers that be - and that includes making fun of some of the biggest names in wine for their pretense and ostentation.

His motto is a good one: "Let's have a little fun before we die."
Friday night is a good time to start - we hope to see you at this weeks tasting.
















Please Join Us - it's fun, informal, and a great way to start your weekend.

Think of us as Wine - "With Benefits."

AAA.

Ready, Set, Drink!

Are You Thinking Valentine's Day?

We have a huge selection of cards, wine & spirits, fine chocolate,
exquisite flowers and so much more for you this Valentine' Day.


Order Early For Timely Deliveries

8 6 0 - 4 4 3 - 6 8 1 7

The wine list for Friday is just below these few items of interest

Right about now many of you are getting ready to watch
"The Big Dance." So I will keep it short this week - Just a few reminders and you can get back to the pre-game-pre-game show.

If you need an affordable selection of Seriously Fine items to remember someone special in your life - consider this:

We Know
"Joie de Vivre"


And we can take all the stress out of Valentine's Day for you.
Just pick up the phone and give us a call.

If you have someone in your life that is a Choc-O-Holic you have to see what we have on display right now for Valentine's Day. Handmade truffles from Moonstruck Chocolates in Oregon - they come in an amazing variety of shapes and colors.

Available in boxed sets or individually,
this is something you have to try.

Moonstruck Chocolates are served at The White House &
The Academy Awards.

·

·

The Valentine's Day Tasting
Please Join Us
Friday February 12 - 6-9 p.m.
No Charge

A Great Way To Start Your Weekend.


Gruet Rose Brut $18

Here's a lovely choice for Valentine's day - a dry, pink "Methode Champenoise" from the Gruet vineyards located on the limestone ridges of Albequerque, New Mexico. They say: "This nearly garnet Rose, like all our non-vintage sparkling wines, is aged 24 months en tirage. It has a lovely, bright floral bouquet with hints of strawberry, raspberry, and cherry. On the palate, it is rich and fruity in a dry, Brut style. The flavor of berries continues on the palate, revealing more strawberry, raspberry, cherry. This sparkler is lots of fun and very festive, but production is limited to 5000 cases per year, so don't miss out!" Yes - you read right - TWO YEARS on the lees for an $18 bottle. Even famous Champagnes with orange labels don't bother with that any more...

Santa Carolina Pinot Noir Reserva 2007 $14

We're happy to introduce to you the quality wines of Santa Carolina, from the Colchagua Valley of Chile. First off - their Pinot Noir: Wild berry toned Pinot at a great price. Reserva Pinot Noir has a perfectly integrated palate and a long finish.

Santa Carolina Cabernet Sauvignon Reerva 2007 $14

And here is their Cab: "This Cabernet Sauvignon has a bright vivid ruby red colour. It features ripe cherry and black currant with chocolate and pepper aroma, enhanced by sweet spices and vanilla and cinnamon notes. On the palate, this dry and full-bodied Cabernet Sauvignon offers a perfect balance between fruit and oak, ripe and soft tannins and a lingering finish."

Domaine Faillenc Sainte Marie Corbieres 2006 $20

This is not the current vintage. We've always loved this wine, then the '06 came and after a sip, we pulled it off the shelf. WHY? Not just brambly or wild tasting, but downright thorny and difficult! I mean, we adore serious French wine, but this just needed to chill out in the cellar. So it did - for 18 months. NOW? Amazing! What a sleeper, a blend of Syrah, Grenache and Cinsault - like if Chateauneuf du Pape moved south at a fraction of the price. We might have a case left. We don't even want to share it, but we will - with you! Happy Valentine's Day.

Saturday afternoon was a great day. Mr. Thomas Lochem made a surprise visit to the store and held court in the lounge answering questions and handing out samples of his amazing cigars like they were CANDY.
Thank You Tomas!

New This Week:

Cain Full Ligeros
From the creator of "Nubs" Sam Leccia. This is a very full bodied cigar - but somehow he made it as smooth as silk. First come, first served.

Brickhouse Churchill's
rated 93 points by Cigar Aficionado Magazine. Simply beautiful - and one of the best values we have in the humidor - it is a huge bang for the buck.

Authentic 1900's Atmosphere

Cheese & Wine Favorites
Our Cupid's
Collection

Cheese For Lovers

A collection of decadent treats that are sure to make you fall in love - or to make someone fall in love with you.

Some are in limited quantities - first come, first served.


PLEASE VISIT OUR EXPANDING GOURMET DEPARTMENT AT
Thames River Greenery
8 6 0 - 4 4 3 - 6 8 1 7

70 State Street
New London
Open 7 Days

R E M E M B E R
For Special Occasions
Private Parties
Wine Tastings
Beer Dinners


Remember that Valentine's Day falls on Sunday this year. We will be open and making deliveries on Sunday at Thames River Greenery - but please remember to order early.

We are all looking forward to dinner at Brie & Bleu this week - We want to say thank you for your support - we appreciate it.

We hope to see you at this weeks tasting.
Please Join Us - it's fun, informal, and a great way to start your weekend.

AAA.

Wine-Flu? We Have The Cure

Happy Holidays
We have something for everyone.
8 6 0 - 4 4 3 - 6 8 1 7
Greetings from New London,

Hey - we still have a few bottles left of this
New York Times - Rated #1 of '07s by Eric Asimov -
Domaine Montpertuis - First come, first served.

ALSO - Cloudy Bay - THE wine of New Zealand - rewrote the book on Sauvignon Blanc around the world - Impossible to get, impossible to forget.
But we called in a few "markers" and you can get as much as you like from us for the holidays.

*****

The Tasting This Week:
Portugal Part Deux!
With the help of our host Lisa Sansevarino from Iberia Wines we've come to learn that Portugal makes a lot more wine than Port. Grapes we may never have heard of (but have experienced elsewhere) from some of the most ancient vineyards in the world.

These wines are detailed, rich and all represent outstanding value - totally under the radar - what fun!
And they are a remarkable value - don't miss them.
More details below.

*****

The holiday season is the perfect time for rum. Rum is mostly famous for being the active ingredient in popular cocktails, like the Cuba Libré, the Mojito and the Mai-Tai.

What is less well-known, however, is that, like single malt scotch, tequila and a host of other spirits, many of the best rums are so refined that they don't need mixers to taste great.

Rum makes a great holiday gift:
It's an essential in any respectably stocked bar, and it's something special the recipient can share with friends (lucky you) the whole year.

Here are some of our current favorites:

Cruzan Single Barrel - A real stand-out, and one of my favorites. This rum is big and creamy in the front of the mouth, but surprises with a very long finish accented with hints of earth and spice.

Old Monk is one of our top selling rums. A velvety smooth dark rum with a hint of vanilla. Honored the world over, Old Monk had been awarded gold medals at Monde World Selections since 1982. With the first drop of Old Monk Rum, the sheer aroma of distilled cane sugar grown in lush green fields of India, stirs up the age old legend. Old Monk Rum is a form of the legendary 'Som-ras' of India's centuries old scriptures - The Drink of Gods and Lords of India.

El Dorado - This rum is dark and amber-colored, with an intriguing smoky sweetness on the nose. The flavor is all fruitcake and treacle in the front of the mouth, but shows an unusual dry finish.

English Harbor - Five Year Old - It's pale color-almost like dry sherry-is mirrored in the flavor; this is the most delicate and refined of rums, with an almost feminine character. The longer it sat in the glass, the more elegant and polished it became.

Neisson Reserve - One of the few rums made from the juice of sugar cane-as opposed to molasses-which gives it a more polished, refined character. It's full and rich in the mouth, with subtle hints of vanilla, dried fruits and exotic spices, and a long, lingering and sweet finish.

Pyrat - A rich blend of 15-year-old rums from various parts of the Caribbean, it is packed with ripe fruit flavors-apricots, banana and fresh oranges-all held together by pronounced vanilla and honey.

Barbancourt 15 year Reserve - Round, rich and creamy, like old-fashioned plum pudding with lots of heavy cream. Voluptuous and sensual, but with a spicy kick in the long finish.

We have a great selection of rum - stop in and have a look.

C I T Y N E W S
NEW LONDON

Santa Knows Where To Get A Good Cigar

We have The perfect stocking stuffer for the cigar lover in your life.

We have a beautiful selection of gift packs from the finest cigar makers in the world.

They are priced right for the holidays and ready to go.




Hard to Find
Perdomo Reserve
Gift Boxs with free Cigar Cutter - start at $45.00

And a great selection of fine cigars, humidors, accessories and gift sets.

And we also have the finest smoking lounge on the planet. Authentic 1900's ambiance - stop by and take a look.

Cigar Society Lounge
is open everyday.

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

Please Join Us
Friday December 18 - 6-9 p.m. - No Charge

A Great Way To Start Your Weekend.

1 - Caves da Cepa Vinho Verde $8

Turns out our old omnipresent Vinho Verde was like seeing Coca-Cola for sale on the shelf - it made our Portuguese experts wince and turn away like Dracula from the sun!

No problem - it has been replaced with a MUCH higher quality wine - for only a dollar more. Light and lovely - Caves da Cepa shows beautiful light apricot fruit with the fizzy tingle that we all expect from our green wines. Perfect with Atlantic cod and shellfish.

Penedo da Moura Vinho Tinto $8

This little wine from the Estremadura region has a rich aroma and tart fruit flavors. With hints of dry figs, oak and spices this wine is excellent with grilled meats, but light and elegant with relatively low alcohol. One of our favorite bargain sleepers!

Monte das Servas Escolha $14

Aragonez (40%), Alicante Bouschet (25%), Trincadeira (20%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (15%) give this wine a deep, concentrated color with complex aromas. Elegant and dense, showing good tannic structure with cinnamon and plum notes. Full-bodied with a long lingering finish.

Monte das Aservas Colheita Seleccionada$ $20

A blend of Aragonez (20%), Touriga Nacional (40%) Alicante Bouschet (20%), Trincadeira (20%) - this wine sees more oak than its little brother, and has a full fruity flavor with an endless smoky finish. A stunning full-bodied red for the price!

****

Please join us. Its fun informal and a great way to start your weekend.

First - we want to thank everyone for the fantastic holiday wishes and support you have been giving to us during these past couple of weeks.

All of the merchants in downtown New London appreciate the "Shop Local" mantra that so many people have embraced - it makes a difference.

Next -
The rumors are true - we will begin accepting reservations for our new series of wine dinners in the coming weeks - we just want to get through the holidays before we announce the menus and the special guests.

We have a lot of things planned for New Year - Special guests, dinners, live performances & more - so please stayed tuned.

AAA.

Duckhorn Give-Away

Happy Holidays
We have something for everyone.
Greetings from New London,
A great line up this Friday includes (hold on to your hats) Duckhorn Merlot. This is not the first time that we have pulled the cork on this California star - but people always get giddy when we do. We hope you can join us.

A quick heads up:
New York Times - Rated #1 of '07s by Eric Asimov -
Domaine Montpertuis - WE GOT IT!
This will not last long.

****

Mary Posner read to a standing room only crowd last Sunday.

A woman that routinely hung out with the likes of Miles Davis & the "Beat" poets read selections from her new book.

The Book Is Available at
City News.


To learn more about our Poetry Series check out the information in the side bar under City News.

******

St. Bernard's Reunion Party

Another fabulous reception at City News.
Our space is a perfect setting for parties and receptions of all kinds. Authentic 1900's New London architecture makes a special backdrop. Call us to reserve your gathering - 860-443-6817

****

Remember - Scotch makes a great holiday gift: It's an essential in any respectably stocked bar, and it's something special the recipient can share with friends (lucky you) the whole year.
Here are five of our current favorites.

The Glenrothes Select Reserve
Nutty and caramely; this Scotch from Speyside brings to mind flavors like dulce de leche or pralines and cream.

Ardbeg 10 Year Old
The peatiest of the bunch, this Islay Scotch is like liquid smoked bacon. The perfect gift for the man who (thinks he) has everything.

Highland Park 18 Year Old
Very smoky with notes of citrus, vanilla, and sea salt caramels; from the Orkney Islands, off the northern coast of Scotland.

The Balvenie Madeira Cask
Citrus aromas, with a sweet finish. Very smooth, which is typical of a Scotch from Speyside.

Oban 18 Year Old
Apples and spice with a burnt-orange finish. From the Western Highlands, it's a great gateway to peatier Islay versions.

Please Join Us

Friday December 11 - 6-9 p.m. - No Charge

A Great Way To Start Your Weekend.

1 - Jean Manciat Macon Charnay 2007 $18

Jean Manciat has a small family estate (14 acres) in the Macon region of Burgundy - unlike the mass-produced coop wines that dominatea the American market, this wine is made using traditional artisanal forms of vine tending and hand-harvesting.

As with all selections from the wine importing sleuths at Louis/Dressner, this product is both organic and biodynamic. The wine itself is a revelation - bright fruit and clean acidity with flinty minerality, made unoaked in stainless steel vats.
A classic style made by a tiny independent producer at a very fair price!

2 - Marques de Murrieta Rioja Reserva 2005 $24

Another classic from central Spain (we've really been getting lucky with Rioja around here) This blend of Tempranillo with small parts Granache and Mazuelo is one of the roundest and smoothest of the style, a pleasure to drink with no hard edges, but retaining the unmistakably smoky character of old-school Rioja. Hand-picked old vine grapes are fermented in traditional style for maximum extraction and color, then aged in American oak for 22 months. A pretty and satisfying red for the colder weather.

3 - Flying Fish Merlot 2007 $15

This Washington State Merlot is simply unbeatable at this price point - spicy, smooth and detailed, sourced from carefully selected sites in the Columbia River Valley - a unique growing region with constant winds, long sunny days and cool nights. Grapes ripen slowly resulting in forward fruit, but with exceptional backbone and character - plum, cherry and cocoa with managed oaky vanilla tones. And in honor of the local wild salmon, Flying Fish donates a portion of the profits to theOcean Conservancy

4 - Duckhorn Vineyards Napa Valley Merlot 2006 $50

Just realized we are featuring two "animal wines" this week, The Fish and The Duck! Well, there was a point to this - for those of you who'd like to perceive the difference between a $15 and a $50 wine, Friday will be a splendid opportunity!

Duckhorn Merlot from St. Helena in the Northern Napa Valley is quite simply one of our favorite California wines of all time. Blended with trace amounts of Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot, aged in French oak, this wine has rich texture, lush layers of ripe plum and bright raspberry underscored by notes of sandalwood, walnut and spice. A luxurious treat for the holidays.


*****

We love the holidays around here - There is extra excitement in the store. New people milling around. Unusual orders coming in from far off places, and lots of familiar things too. Annual orders and requests that have been in the same family for years and years. We are proud and grateful to be included in so many family traditions.

One example is a woman that calls from San Francisco every year to send a cemetery wreath to her grandmother's marker in Stonington. They placed their first order with us 26 years ago.

"It gives me piece of mind." she says - "I know you will do a great job and I don't have to worry."

Honestly - we promise never to take that kind of confidence for granted.

We have a lot of things planned for New Year - Special guests, dinners, live performances & more - so please stayed tuned, and remember to keep your hands and feet inside the ride at all times.

We will do a great job, and you won't have to worry.
AAA.


8 6 0 - 4 4 3 - 6 8 1 7

You Are Definitely on The List - Please Join Us

Happy Holidays
8 6 0 - 4 4 3 - 6 8 1 7
Greetings from New London,

Its been a great busy week here - thanks for all of the excitement. Parties, reunions, poetry readings, and secret rendezvous.

Just a couple of very quick notes this week.

Remember all of the Cheese and Specialty Foods at
Brie & Bleu are available Seven Days A Week -
From 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. right through the holidays.
The entire department is now open at Thames River Greenery.

The full assortment of cheeses, breads, imported nuts, charcuterie, and specialty foods are all on display.


We will even deliver them right to your front door with the centerpiece you have ordered for the holiday.


Please stop in and take a look at our new gourmet department.

Or call us with any questions that you might have.
8 6 0 - 4 4 3 - 6 8 1 7

******


Friday December 4 2009
6 - 9 p.m. - No Charge

1 - Crios Torrontes 2009 $15

Winemaker Susana Balbo has been a winemaking powerhouse in Argentina since the early 1980's - we're a fan of all of her "Crios" table wines, but this Torrontes may be the most compelling. Sourced from 30-year old Torrontes vines situated at 5,800 feet elevation in Cafayate, Argentina, the wine is unoaked and meant to be enjoyed young. A remarkable floral and fruity nose, with citrus similar to Sauvignon Blanc, yet weightier and more aromatic. Torrontes is truly it's own delicacy, and Balbo is widely considered to be the master of the varietal. Sublime paired with light cheeses, and stunning paired with crab or lobster!

2 - Domaine de la Solitude Cotes-du-Rhone 2007 $14

From the Lancon Family, situated near Chateneuf-du-Pape for five centuries, comes this elegant, affordable old-school Rhone. Syrah and Grenache, loads of plummy fruit and smoke, silky mouthfeel and a bright ruby color. A beautifully rounded full-bodied French red, this wine also will mature and integrate nicely over the next five years.

3 - Diemersdal Pinotage 2007 $14

Often affordable Pinotage tastes like it got a spoonful of barbeque sauce in each bottle - this is NOT one of those numbers! From the Durbanville Region of South Africa, this wine displays remarkable harmony and balance. With a nose of coffee and dark chocolate, the palate is full-flavoured and smoothly textured with dark fruit, Asian spice and roasted flavours. Yes, one can percieve it's heritage with that touch of smoke, but we've found it to be an extremely enjoyable table red if you'd like to try something different!

4 - Borsao Tres Picos Garnacha 2008 $18

This old vine Grenache comes to us from the Campo de Borja region in Northeastern Spain. The yields of these vines are extremely low (less than 2 tons per acre), resulting in a wine of serious concentration and structure. Purple lavender in color, lush and smoky with flavors of blackberry, strawberry and tones of leather and vanilla from the oak. This wine will age and mellow beautifully. It's always a favorite around here and represents a great value - we just got the new vintage in and have a stack of it!he 2007 offering is sourced from a thirty-five year old vineyard on the south side of Calistoga. A gorgeous dark ruby color is pleasing to the eye and the deep black cherry aroma paired with a long complex finish will thrill your other senses as well. This robust Merlot will continue to develop in the bottle for at least 5-8 years. Enjoy this with red pasta dishes, meats and your favorite cheeses.



The response to our new gourmet selections at The Greenery has been beyond our expectations.
Thank you.

And as always thanks for the suggestions and comments - we will use them to better serve you during this holiday season.

AAA.