Party Like The Pope, Les Deux Tours, Za Za Garnacha, Michel Rolland, Clos de Los Siete, Cuvelier Los Andes

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Greetings from all of us in New London,
There is a lot of information in this weeks update. If you would like to skip to our list of wines for Friday night, they are just below the news & items of interest.

Many of our regular customers and friends know that over the past couple of years we have been fortunate to spend some time with Lidia Bastianich, Joe Bastianich, and Mario Batali. So we were excited to learn that they had been choosen to prepare the two dinners in New York for The Pope during his visit. Because of our afilliation with the Bastianich family of wines we made The Call. We are able to offer you the same selection. Available by the bottle or in a Divine Collection. Some choices are very limited - first come, first served. Read more about it here Wall Street Journal Party Like The Pope Here are the wines that will be served, all from Italy, with some comments from Joseph Bastianich. To Order Now - Click On The Picture. Bastianich Tocai Friulano 2006 (Colli Orientali del Friuli), $15 Made from the most prolific indigenous white grape in Friuli. If you think of Tocai Friulano as a fun, simple quaffer, this would change your mind. This has serious earthiness that gives it significant weight in a nicely rustic sense. In fact, this is a white wine that we would decant because we found that its core of fruit showed better with air and warmth. It would be good with grilled fish, but, because of its weight, might be better with veal. Bastianich Vespa Bianco 2006 (Venezia Giulia), $30 The winery's flagship white, a blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Picolit. It's pleasant and floral, easy to drink, with a bit of Sauvignon Blanc crispness and Chardonnay mouthfeel and a hint of honey. Good with sardines. La Mozza Aragone 2005 (Maremma Toscana), $35 La Mozza Vineyard's premier wine. It's made from a fascinating blend of Mediterranean and Rhône varietals including Sangiovese, Alicante, Syrah and Carignan. Mr. Bastianich said the region is "very hot and arid" and these grapes make a "very powerful wine, kissed by the Tuscan heat without being jammy and too extracted. The Rhône varietals give it a liveliness." We found that this had blackberries, cherries and warming alcohol on the nose and were prepared for a wine of some heft -- but were pleased and surprised when we sipped it to find a soft, velvety wine that was lovely. There are hints of lilacs and some roasted earth, but mostly it tastes like fresh, ripe-from-the-sun grapes, made more by God than man -- perfect for the pope. Bastianich Calabrone 2003 (Venezia Giulia), $75 The Bastianich estate's reserve red. It is only made in great vintages, Mr. Bastianich told us. It is a blend of Merlot, Refosco, Pignolo and Cabernet Franc. Some of the grapes undergo appassimento, or drying, which increases the intensity of their flavors. "It's kind of a real extreme expression of what a cold-weather wine can be like when it's great," he said. Sometimes the red wines in this region can be "vegetal and stemmy," he added, "but these wines are more like tar resin, fresh tobacco and cedar and have woodsy flavors that are super-appealing." In the glass, the wine looks brand new, with lively purple highlights, and smells raisiny. It reminded us of Amarone -- intense and raisiny -- but the trick of this wine is that it has plenty of flavor without an excess of power. Bastianich Perlidia Plus Passito 2003 (Venezia Giulia), $75 (half-bottle) A dessert wine made from super-ripe Tocai Friulano grapes that were partially dried to enhance their sweetness. Mr. Bastianich said only one barrel of this was made and was served in magnums to celebrate his mother's 60th birthday. "We put some in small bottles so that she can have one every year. It is not something we are going to make ever again." This is quite a remarkable wine. It tastes like rich, sweet earth, without too much sweetness and with abundant acidity. First come, First Served.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Pinot Envy? Let Us Help Stop reading and wondering about the Pinot Noir that celebrities and Hedge Fund managers drink at every meal. "Cult" Pinot Noir Dinner - Wednesday April 30 - 6 p.m. Open Seating Plan - $75 plus tax & service. Join us and enjoy the magic of Pinot Noir. The greatest names in Pinot Noir from France, Oregon, & California: Names that include: Belle Ponte, Calera, and Drouhin. A night that will feature some of the most elusive and sought after names in the wine business. The seasonal menu will feature salmon - Details about the menu and the wine list will be posted here and of the Calendar of events page - H E R E ··· Buy popular request we are listing the Dinner Specials at Brie & Bleu to help you plan your weekend. Brie & Bleu Special for Saturday April 26th: In celebration of Spring, Pasta Primavera $15 paired with Inama Soave Classico $6 a glass. The deck will be open - reservations accepted - 860- 437 - 2474

Dave's Fave Special Monday Tasting Click on the photo to order it now Domaines Barons de Rothschild Aussieres Blanc 2006 $14 Hope you had a great weekend in the sunshine! A couple months ago I poured the Rouge from this particular winery - now that the sun has finally come out, I am pleased to present the lovely Chardonnay from the same estate! This ancient vineyard in the Languedoc was revitalized by Rothschild (as in, Chateau Lafite Rothschild) a decade ago, and now produces this crisp Chardonnay from just a few acres of vines. Light, yet substantial - "aromas of melon and lemon," with very delicate use of oak. Please, come have a chilled sip of wine and celebrate the end of Monday! We'll raise a glass even if the wind stirs up and it's hailing sideways...

Wine Tasting Please Join Us Friday April 25 - 6-9 p.m. - No Charge Can't Make It To The Tasting? - Click Photos & Get It Now! 1 - Les Deux Tours Sauvignon Blanc. 2005 $17 The Loire Valley did not invent Sauvignon Blanc, but men like Baron de Ladoucette have come to define it with wines from Sancerre and Pouilly Fume. This is a humble little number with a Touraine appellation that nonetheless shares the same soil and meticulous wine making of the standard bearers of the La Doucette family. Stainless steel fermentation on fine lees creates a wine of body and richness, while preserving the racy acidity and floral notes that define Loire Sauvignon Blanc. This wine is a natural pair for goat cheese (the Loire's other great contribution to human society), or our Fondue at Brie and Bleu. 2 - Za Za Garnacha Rose 2007 $10 Campo de Borja in Spain has produced some of our best selling wines, such as Tres Picos and Don Ramon. Za Za Rose comes from this same arid, sunny region in central Spain. Roses such as this dot the tables of Madrid and Logorno during the long mid-day meal. Served with cured ham, sausage, mushrooms and other tappas, rose is perfect for big food on a hot day. Full of intense strawberry, spice and floral aroma's this wine bears little resemblance to either the roses of France, or the stuff you drank on prom night. More red than pink, it is cold wine for the red wine drinker. Michel Rolland is the most controversial figure in all of the wine world. Many people want him horse whipped and jailed, while others see him as an answer to all their problems and pay him very well for his advice. What can you make of a winemaker from Bordeaux who says things like " wine is dead" or "I can make great wine anywhere" or most importantly "Micro oxygenate!" ? The tenents of his winemaking philosophy fly in the face of conventional wisdom. To Rolland, terroir is irrelevant and the approach to wine making, weather it be Pomerol or Mendoza is always the same, ripeness,extraction and micro-oxygenation. In Rolland's defense, he is making some of the most lush, approachable wines in the world. And what others might refer to as a hegemony of aesthetics, others see as a democraticization of wine. The only problem is that his very successful approach, with the high Parker scores, and hundreds of millions of dollars that follow, supplant the indigenous, historical winemaking wherever he goes. When you are taking about Bordeaux, you are either discussing one of the pillars of world culture, or simply another product to bring to market. Where you fall in that debate makes Rolland's ubiquitousness, consulting for over 100 wineries, either a panacea or a plague. I think that probably Rolland should be horsewhipped, but not jailed. Instead he should merely be exiled to Argentina where he can make wine in peace without interference from things like tradition and historical typicity and character. In Argentina he is a man free from the shackles of his ancestry and he can swim like an otter in a sea possibility. In Argentina the arid climate and constant sun allow the Bordeaux varietals to flourish, reaching proportions formerly unknown. In Argentina vineyards can achieve levels of ripeness impossible in Bordeaux. Rolland's approach of maximum extraction expresses the fruit as Bordeaux never could. His method of mirco-oxygenation, whereby oxygen is injected into the wine during fermentation, creates a wine of opulence and roundness of texture well suited to the Bordeaux varietals planted in Argentina. We are going to look at two such wines. 3 - Clos de Los Siete 2006 $18 92 pts Parker. A blend of Malbec, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah. Rolland takes the finished wine from seven vineyards and creates this cuvee. From the back label " A new star is born: with seven points and symbolising ambition and conviction" 4 - Cuvelier Los Andes 2005 $24 One of the seven wineries contributing wine to Clos de Los Siete. The Cuvelier family are the proprietors of both Chateau Leoville-Poyferre and Chateau Le Crock. Many French wine families such as the Rothschilds and the Marnier-Lapostolles have established wineries in Argentina and Chile over the past few decades. The wine is largely Malbec, that Bordeaux varietal uniquely well suited to Argentina, with Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Merlot, Petit Verdot in supporting roles. Love him or hate him, if you are in the wine business, you have to deal with him. Jim Morrison Please Call Us Anytime With Questions - 8 6 0 - 4 4 3 - 9 4 6 3

Thanks very much for your support we appreciate it.

We continue to use our "secret weapon" - We are listening.
Based on your requests we are adding menu ideas, event and guest ideas, and shop on line ideas. It's going to be a fantastic season.

We hope to see you this week. Please join us. It's fun, informal, and a great way to start your weekend.

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