Wine Stimulus Program

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



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

A Face You Can Trust

Dave's Fave
The Monday Tasting 12.1.08

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. Order Now

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

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.
Order Now


2 - Vina Albali Tempranillo Reserva 1999 $9

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.

Order Now





3 - Alto Moncayo veraton Garnacha 2006 $32

A 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

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.

Montecillo Rioja Crianza, Ceretto Arneis "Blange" , Tenuta San Leone Bardolino Superiore, Perrini Primitivo, Mas de Can Blau, Juan Gil

Greetings from all of us in New London,
Thames River Wine & Spirits - 860-443-9463
Thames River Greenery - 860-443-6817
Brie & Bleu - 860-437-2474
IMPORT - 860-443-6817
www.ThamesRiver.com


We will get right to the list of wine for Friday night - just below these items of interest.

• August 15 - A Taste of Chesapeake Maryland Cuisine - Sold Out, Thank you.

• The Scotch & Cigar evening on Thursday August 23 is Sold Out - Thank You.

• For those of you that have been waiting: The 2002 Penfolds Grange has just arrived. It took a modest price increase and is now $255 a bottle just 6 bottles available - first come, first served.



Dave's Fave - Monday Tasting - 8/13/07
"Montecillo Rioja Crianza 2003 $12

Dave Says: "This takes me back to the days when my buddy Patrick and I would sit around broke with a bottle or two of Montecillo, a hunk of cheese and a crusty baguette for dinner. The murky midwinter boredom would slowly lift as the Rioja kicked in and we reviewed the great Miles Davis quintets. Ahh, but that was a simpler time, back in 2004.

This little number was still in oak casks way back then (for the "Crianza" designation, reds must see a minimum two years age --one in oak and one in the bottle). It's a spicy, lighter-bodied Tempranillo, ruby red and smoky. Come on in and try a taste Monday afternoon!"

Wine Tasting Please Join Us
Friday August 17 - 6-9 p.m. - No Charge

1 - Ceretto Arneis "Blange" 2006 $18
This is a traditional Piemontese white with a twist. Arneis produces a wine with very low acidity in good years and virtually no acidity at all in off years. Italians are not used to this, and to correct the problem Ceretto ferments the wine in sealed tanks that capture the CO2 given off. This CO2 is kept with the wine until bottling, and the wine consequently has a light sparkle to it that makes it considerably livelier than it would be otherwise.
Wine Makers Notes: "It's a pale greenish yellow, and has a surprisingly delicate bouquet, with some pleasant yeasty smells from the sparkle, and also hints of butterscotch. On the palate it is zesty, with nice fruit, and rather tart -- an impression produced by the CO2, because once it has bubbled away the acidity is much reduced. The finish is clean, with faint butterscotch notes. Again, a wine for fish, though in this case things that are not quite so elaborate -- say grilled sea bass. I think it would also go well with vegetable-based dishes. Clean fresh fruits with nuances of lemon zeal. Bright flavors and powerful, with a long elegant finish."

2 - Tenuta San Leone Bardolino Superiore 2005 $14
Italian Verone Winemaker Luigi Rizzi ages this wine with double the skin contact to produce a rich, supple wine with more plumpness and flavor than you would ever expect! This is a great value - and it deserves your attention on Friday night.

3 - Perrini Primitivo 2004 $16
The ancient ancestor of Zinfandel from southern Italy, the immigration from this part of southern Italy to California in the 19th and early 20th c. is the reason that California has such old Zinfandel vines . People brought what they had and over the years Primitivo evolved into Zinfandel. This wine is certified organic by ICEA. It has smooth cherry and blackberry aromas and an easy finish - enjoy it on friday night.

4 - Mas de Can Blau 2004 $45 - Rated 92 points -
POW! - this is a show stopper from Spain. And even at $45 it is a steal.
This is what Robert Parker's Wine Advocate said about this wine:
"The 2004 Mas de Can Blau, the first vintage of this cuvee, comes from the estate’s oldest Carinena, Garnacha, and Syrah vines. It received malolactic fermentation in barrel, was aged for 20 months in new French oak, and bottled unfiltered. Dark ruby/purple-colored, it offers a flamboyant nose of pain grille, scorched earth, tar, and kirsch. Full-bodied with a supple texture, the wine has layers of sweet fruit, nicely integrated oak, tannin, and acidity, in its racy personality. Drink this outgoing wine over the next 8-10 years." Be sure to try this wine on Friday night.

While I am on the subject of Spanish wine - I want to mention that we have recently received the 2005 vintage of a particular favorite of ours.
The 2005 Juan Gil is on the shelf and it is amazing. Robert Parker has consistently rated this wine in the 90's, and this vintage will be no exception.
We had the pleasure of being in Spain at the vineyard in Jumilla when the first grapes for the 2005 vintage arrived at the bodega for crushing.
(see photos here: http://thamesriver.com/wine/photos.html ) -
Visit their website here: http://www.juangil.es/ing/index.htm

We were standing in the warm sunshine and the tarp covering the old wooden wagon was pulled back. Vineyard owner Miguel Gil plucked a few grapes from the pile and handed them to us. We all ate the sweet, juicy, warm fruit - and I remember thinking to myself that "these are the best grapes I have ever tasted" - Then, Miguel looked at us and said that these were the best grapes he had tasted in the last ten years - "this will be a great vintage" - he said.

At $16 a bottle it has to be one of the best values we have ever offered. Ask for it, give it a try, you will not be disappointed. And as you take that first sip or two, imagine that you are standing in the warm spanish sunshine - it feels so good, don't you agree?

Thanks for all of your support - we appreciate it.

We have new programs and events that are about to be posted - please keep your eye on the Calendar & Events page of the website, and of course right here in the weekly email.

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




AAA.