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Greetings from all of us in New London. A great line up for Friday night awaits you, including a big name from France. You will find our list and interesting details from our "Rush Chairman" Jim Morrison, just below a few items of news & information.
NEWS & UPCOMING EVENTS |
 O V E R W O R K E D ? 1 - Are you among the unsung heroes that toil endlessly to make the boss look good? Or maybe you are lucky enough to have the support of these hard working elf's. Get out your calendars and mark down Wednesday April 23. That my friends is Administrative Professionals Day. We have a lot of ways to say "Thank You." In every combination you might imagine. Order early for timely deliveries. 2 - Passover is just around the corner. We have listened specifically to your requests regarding Kosher Wine. The two wines featured here are the big favorites. We have a nice selection that is universally considered to be the best available in Connecticut. In stock, and ready for pickup or delivery.  Baron Herzog Barkan Cellars 1 - Baron Herzog Special Reserve Chardonnay - $30 2 - Baron Herzog Sparkling - $12 3 - Barkan Cellars Cabernet - $12 4 - Barkan Cellars Merlot - $12 If you have additional questions about Passover selections just give us a call - 8 6 0 - 4 4 3 - 9 4 6 3 3 - "Cult" Pinot Noir Dinner - Wednesday April 30 - 6 p.m. Open Seating Plan - $75 plus tax & service. The magic of Pinot Noir & weather permitting the deck will be open. We will host a night that will feature some of the most elusive and sought after names in the wine business. The details of the seasonal menu and the wine list will be posted here and of the Calendar of events page - H E R E 4 - If you missed it in Sunday's Day newspaper - we uncovered a relic from the 1920's - and there was a nice picture of it in the Region Section PICTURE HERE Thanks to The Day for noticing our discovery. |
Dave's FaveSpecial Monday Tasting
Click on the photo to order it now
Clos La Coutale Cahors 2005 $16
This is another "don't forget about me" wine which has been roosting in the cellar for about six months... Cahors is situated East of Bordeaux in Southwestern France, only one red wine comes out of this small village, primarily made from Auxerois, the Malbec grape which is used sparingly in Bordeaux. Cahors wines tend toward dark plumminess with spice and tobacco. French Malbec with 20% Merlot - dark and complex with only 12.5% alcohol (definitely a different animal than Argentinian Malbec). A Kermit Lynch selection, right up my alley and under twenty bucks!
Quick beer note: We now stock seven styles in bombers fresh from Berkshire Brewing: Steel Rail Pale Ale, Lost Sailor India Pale Ale, Coffeehouse Porter, Gold Spike Ale, Maibock Lager, Shabadoo Black & Tan, and limited edition Raspberry Barleywine-Ale!!
Can't Make It To The Tasting? - Click Photos & Get It Now!
1 - Vincent Dureuil-Janthial Rully 1er Cru " Montpalais" 2006 - $40
Last year I drank all of this myself. Every time I asked myself what I wanted to drink, the answer always came back Dureuil-Janthial Rully 1er Cru. The wine was like Grand Cru Champagne without the bubbles, concentrated fruit with searing acidity wrapped in chalky Burgundian minerality. And then it was gone. I've been hounding our sales rep for a year now and the new vintage is finally here. But how will it taste? 2006 was a tough year in Burgundy, with many producers losing 80% of their crop to hail. Only the best wine makers, with steady hands, and strict sorting, made wine worth discussing. The following are excerpts from an e-mail in response to my inquiry from Clake Boehling the French Portfolio Manager from Michael Skurnik Wine Importers ;
"I cannot express to you how UTTERLY PHENOMENAL Vincent Dureuil's 2006s are. We tasted the full lineup in France , and I have to say that it was the most convincing case for Vincent's greatness I have ever encountered. As much as you may have heard me crow about it already, you need to understand that these wines really do SHAME so many wines from the Cote d'Or.
The 06 Rully Blanc "Montpalais" comes on like a great upper-slope Meursault, with sweet herbal butter notes on the nose and a really precise and absurdly mineral palate. I'm serious when I say it tastes like a Roulot, and if you know me, that is incredibly high praise indeed. And I think that Dureuil makes the best Aligote on earth, no question.
Also, you're almost never (save for perhaps Dominique Lafon!) find a winemaker as adept at making both colors of Burgundy as Vincent. I can say with peace of mind that your real Burg lovers will be very, very sorry to miss out on these wines, even more so given their pricing in the unstable economy."
2 - Crios Rose of Malbec $12
A very big Rosé, done in the tradition of big Argentine wines. The wine maker Susana Balbo bleeds the Rosé off as she makes her old vine Malbec. And as you might imagine, the Rosé mirrors the Malbec, bone dry with lots of fruit and exotic spices. The wine is so big and dry, that it's closer to a light bodied red than any other Rosé I know. Remember, only mad dogs and Englishmen drink red wine in the noonday sun, and summer will come, and you will need a good, dry Rosé to serve at your backyard barbeque.
3 - Thierry Puzelat PN $22
This wine comes to us from our friend Joe Dressner, and like all Dressner wines, it is not only organic, but biodynamic. It is also, like all Dressner wines, very poorly labeled.
There is no appellation, grape variety, or year of production. There is a picture of something on the label but I'm not sure what it is. The bottle merely says P N . As you might imagine all of this obfuscation only whets my appetite, especially since I'm well acquainted with the palate of Mr. Joe Dressner. The wine maker here has clearly abandoned all reason in making this wine, it is unusual and strange, in fact it frightens me a little bit. As you drink, a wave of high toned floral notes, lilies, violets, lilac, envelope your entire head. Concentrated raspberry, and a touch of spice, penetrate your tongue, all the while hard rock minerality dances against your cheeks. And then there it is, like a gentle breeze at your back, the smell of a monkey, down by the river, cleaning himself on a hot wet rock. 4 - Chateau de Pez Bordeaux 2005 $52
As much as I rail against Bordeaux prices (Cheval Blanc $1250 a bottle this year in Ct.), I have to admit to really being impressed with the wine recently. Maybe it was that 1982 Ch Marbuzet last month (thanks Hank!) or that 1981 Leoville Las Cases last week (thanks Hans!). Bottles of wine like that are filled with so much romanticism it is easy to get carried away. Despite what the wine press may say, there are few places on earth that produce wine with a demonstrated ability to not simply withstand time, but to improve and evolve with age. Bordeaux is also the only region on earth that can produce such great wine in such vast quantities. Napa can't get the quality, (or not that quality, ageability ) and Burgundy or Barolo could never get the volume. What we are left with then is the Cult of Bordeaux, and that's fine by me. I drank the kool aide, now I'm ready to drink more wine. The 2005 vintage is all it's cracked up to be. A combination of classicism and approachability, structure and generous fruit. Such a good year in fact that even a humble "Cru Bourgeois" like the de Pez is a dramatic wine that will take your breath away while it fills your mouth with fruit and gravel and hints at what is to come ten, twenty years from now. Thanks very much for your support we appreciate it.
We value all of your comments and suggestions - we are listening.
We value all of your comments and suggestions - we are listening.
In the coming weeks you can look forward to more special guests, new menu items, and one of a kind events all based on your input.
We hope to see you this week. Please join us. It's fun, informal, and a great way to start your weekend.
AAA.
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