Dinner of the Century - Thirsty Thursday - Oberon Tasting

Greetings from all of us in New London, CT

Thames River Wine & Spirits - 860-443-9463
Thames River Greenery - 860-443-6817
Brie & Bleu - 860-437-2474
www.thamesriver.com

The notes on this Friday night are below - but I have to mention a couple of things...
NEW HOURS for Brie & Bleu - check the website: www.thamesriver.com

It has been a week full of excitement...

There was a very special evening at Go Fish restaurant last Thursday night.
A Vintage Bordeaux Dinner - I am calling it The Dinner Of The Century
For all of our friends and customers that joined us THANK YOU.

The evening was Hosted by Mr. "Go Fish" himself - Jon Kodama
From his private cellar Jon selected bottles from ALL FIVE FIRST GROWTH CHATEAUS.
Because that's the way he rolls!

By coincidence the current issue of Wine Spectator has on it's cover the wines I am talking about.
The kitchen at Go Fish matched the food and wines with a great deal of skill. Each and every forkful was perfect.

There was also a guest speaker - a man that is intimately familiar with Bordeaux and a man that has actually met and drank with the fabled wine makers in their chateaus. Mr. Jorgé Hernandez.

He grew up in one of those wonderful european households where everyone spoke in a different language and there was wine poured at every meal.
By the time Jorgé was 15 he had already tasted most of the great wines of the world. He is a wonderful speaker and made each of us feel as though we were old friends of his. Having the opportunity to try these wines side by side and being guided by an expert - is practically a once in a life time event.
In fact there is no doubt that it would be impossible to assemble these vintages without going to special auctions and buying them from collectors.

Read the list below slowly - and picture a table covered in white linens and adorned with sparkling glasses. And picture angles with halos floating around the room - I'm telling you it was a special night.

1 - Chateau Mouton-Rothschild 1971
2 - Chateau Haut Brion 1983
3 - Chateau Margaux 1988
4 - Chateau Lataour 1979
5 - Chateau Lafite-Rothschild 1981

And with a desert of Bittersweet Chocolate Mousse
Fonseca's Finest 1977 Vintage Port
I believe that I would choose the '77 port over a "morphine drip" - yes it is that good.

It was a special night - thanks again to everyone on Jon's staff and to those of you that attended.


Now onto the visit by Beltane Farm on Saturday.
We have their wonderful new cheese at Brie & Bleu -"Dance de la Luna" if you like goat cheese this stuff will make you swoon.
Not only did they bring their latest cheeses but they actually brought a few of the goats responsible for providing the raw ingredients.
In addition there was a raffle to "Name The Goat" sponsored by Harbor School PTO.
Thanks to all of the families that turned out on Saturday - it was lots of fun.
THE WINNER: Lily Santore of New London.
THE NAME: "Lily The Kid"
Thank you Lily!

REMEMBER - We begin our "Thirsty Thursday" beer tasting series this week - June 9 from 5-8 p.m. NO CHARGE
For the next three weeks - each Thursday starting at 5 p.m. George Whitehouse will be pouring some of the finest beers in the land.
This week: It's a PILSNER Steel Cage Death Match. Featuring :

1 - Prima Pils from the Victory Brewing Company - www.victorybeer.com
Winner of Grand Champion Pilsner: United States Beer Tasting Championships 2002, 2003, 2004.

2 - Brooklyn Brewing - Pilsner - www.brooklynbrewery.com
Brooklyn Pilsner is a refreshing golden lager beer, brewed in the style favored by New York’s pre-prohibition brewers.
Brooklyn Pilsner is a very versatile beer that will pair well with a wide variety of foods. It is particularly good with chicken, seafood, pizzas, spicy foods and salads, but has the fullness of flavor to stand up to a steak as well.

3 - Pilsner Urquell - from the Czeck Republic this is a "grand daddy" of Pilsners - www.pilsner-urquell.com
The Czech Republic is renowned among connoisseurs for producing some of the finest beers in the world and a Czech pilsner like Pilsner Urquell is a shining exemplification of the quality and refinement attainable in lager beer.

THIS FRIDAY 6/10/05 - 6-9 P.M. NO CHARGE

Perhaps no name is more associated with the U.S. Wine industry than that of Mondavi.
The history of American wine making is full of high drama, big money, politics and layers of intrigue.
The Mondavi saga continues after the recent takeover of the company in a billion dollar stock deal that left the most of the original family on the outside looking in.

Michael Mondavi took his knowledge, his connections and keen ability to produce boutique wines and started OBERON.
we are featuring those wines this Friday and we have them in stock.

1 - Oberon, Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley - $20. - 2001

Oberon was a magical King in Shakespeare’s “A midsummer Night’s Dream”—the wine is made from the King of grapes, Cabernet Sauvignon, and is woven with the magic of Napa Valley’s world-famous winegrowing region. The 2001 growing season was one of the longest in recent history. The long hang-time on the vine resulted in rich flavors, exceptional balance and mature, ripe tannins.
The Cabernet Sauvignon grapes come from vineyards with both alluvial and volcanic soils and are blended with a touch of Merlot, Syrah, Cabernet Franc and Malbec, which all lend complexity to the wine. This is a wine with both power and elegance that exhibits lush, velvety blackberry fruit flavors accented by mocha, spicy oak flavors and muscular tannins. Oberon creates even more magic with a grilled steak or Australian lamb-chops—a meal fit for a King

2 - Oberon, Merlot Napa Valley - $20

3 - Oberon, IM Rose - $13
Created from the Cabernet grape this is a must have summer wine - it is perfect with food.

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

Thanks for all of the emails and calls - we appreciate the feedback and remember that items of interest, news and event updates and general information can be found on our website: www.thamesriver.com

TRW&S