Your Brain on Wine, Root 1, Attitude Sauvignon Blanc, Arcadian, Venta La Ossa,Domaine Du Tunnel Cornas

Greetings From All Of Us
In New London

Good news! The weekly shipment has arrived, and it's mellow.

We try to breathe new life into the familiar, our unique approach and offerings are the perfect mix of contemporary and classic, and destined to leave a lasting impression. Why shop at a warehouse or local "packy" when you can be groovy?

Our Master of Ceremonies Jim Morrison, and our team at the wine store have a beautiful evening planned for you this Friday. I hope you can join us. The list of wine for the weekly tasting is just below the news & information.

1 - Thanks to Rick Koster of the Day Newspaper - for mentioning that we bring in as much Restoration Ale from New Orleans' Albita Brewing Company, as we can. Restoration Ale was conceptualized just after Hurricane Katrina as part charity brew/part offering to the Powers-That-Be that the Abita Brewery was spared by the storm. As such, the company donates $1 for every six-pack sold to the Louisiana Disaster Recovery Foundation. Full Story Here

2 - The Garde Arts Center and The Connecticut Lyric Opera have teamed up to bring us: Die Fledermaus. This is a full staging of Johann Strauss' uproarious comic operetta, Die Fledermaus, on Friday, April 18th at 8 pm, an event sponsored by The New London County Medical Association. Start your evening at our tasting, grab a bite at Brie & Bleu and then take a stroll up to The Garde to round out your evening. Folks, this is a Big City evening out, right here in New London. More Information Here

3 - 2008 Hygienic Art - Annual Juried Exhibition
Opening Reception Saturday, April 26, 7-10 pm
This year's guest juror is Jeffery Andersen, executive director of the Florence Griswold Museum and a noted expert in American Impressionism and the Lyme Art Colony. Alternatively, the Hygienic Art Gallery is known as a Contemporary Art Gallery. The resulting fusion of the two artistic genres in a juried exhibition is likely to produce an outstanding and unique exhibition. More Information Here:

4 - Wednesday April 9 - 6 p.m. Take Her To Paris

Vintage French Wine Dinner

The biggest names in Burgundy & Bordeaux Featuring flights of 2005 White Burgundy and Bordeaux. "Open Seating" format.

The wines of Christian Moreau, Oliver Leflaive, Chateau De Pez, and Tourelles de Longueville will make this a night of indulgence not to be missed. The value of the wine alone, if you could find them, makes this a show-stopper.

MENU:
Crab and Asparagus Salad Served with
Oliver Leflaive Puligny Montrachet 2005 - $50

Duck Confit Served with
Domaine Bouchard Monthelie 1er cru 2005 - $42

Grass Fed Beef Medallions with roasted wild mushrooms and Truffle potato puree Served with Chateau de Pez 2005 - $52 and Les Tourelles de Longueville 2005 - $54

Cheese Plate Served with
Domaine D'Ambinos Coteaux du Layon Beaulieu 1976 - $68

5 - Wednesday April 16 - 6 p.m. Cult Wine Dinner Series

Those of you that have attended our "Cult Wine Dinner Series" in the past know that they are, with out a doubt, over the top. Seating is very limited because the availability of the wine is painfully scarce. We are one of the very few shops in the United States that receives an allocation of these wines. Join us for a dinner that will give you bragging rights, truly a night to remember.

MENU:
Lump Crab Appitizer.
Grilled Filet Mignon with herb roasted mushrooms.
Mashed Potatoes with fresh grated horse radish.
Black Chocolate tart with fresh fruit puré.
Illy Espresso.

WINE:
Pares Balta Sauvignon Blanc - $11
Juan Gill - Tempranillo - $16
Clio - rated 95 points - Robert Parker - $50
El Nido - rated 98 points Robert Parker - $130

Each year the names "Clio" and "El Nido" sit at the top of the "Best Of" lists. They are very difficult to find and always scored by the big reviewers and magazine's high in the 90's. The 2005 vintage is no exception.

Robert Parker: "Clio 95 points, El Nido 98 points."

The winemaker himself said "these are the best grapes I've tasted in ten years."

$125 plus tax and service.
Please reserve early - 8 6 0 - 4 4 3 - 9 4 6 3

We are available for private dining events, wine classes, private wine tasting parties, full blown wine dinners, cooking demonstration dinners, you name it.
Jim Morrison, Chef Daryl Goldstein, and our entire staff are ready to service the perfect special event for your friends, family, or office.

For more information just give us a call: 8 6 0 - 4 4 3 - 9 4 6 3

Dave's Fave
Special Monday Tasting

Root:1 Sauvignon Blanc 2007 $12
Click on the photo to order it now

This is a brilliant little Sauvignon Blanc, from Root:1, sister wine of the very popular Cabernet. 2007 (remember they're six months ahead of the curve down in Chile, so yes, '07) had a very cool, long ripening season -- the wine is made with slow fermentation, then sits on the lees for two more months. The result is a balanced, structured Sauvignon Blanc with cool citrus and tropical fruit essences... But forget all that, this is simply a brazen attempt by me to defy the gray and wet gloom of Southeastern Connecticut in April: I am going to start drinking white wine early this season, I'm going to sit right down on the deck with a chilled bottle of this, an arugula salad and a big hunk of seared sea bass - even if it's SLEETING!

Click Photos For Ordering Information

Attitude Sauvignon Blanc by Pascal Jolivet 2006 $19.
Pascal is an extremely soft spoken man who takes a seriously "non-interventionalist" approach to winemaking. When I asked him how he made is wine, he was somewhat taken aback. "I do not make the the wine, the wine makes itself". In fact the French do not have a word for winemaker, and this I had forgotten. They instead use the term proprietaire recoltant, which simply means grower, as in grape grower. No one has ever made good wine from bad grapes, and every winemaker will tell you that most winemaking occurs in the vineyard. Interestingly, there is no equivalent in English for terroir, that confluence of factors whereby the source of the wine is imprinted upon it. And I suppose that was his point, instead of making wine, he farms fruit as naturally as possible an allows the land of the Loire Valley to speak for itself through the wine. His winery is even gravity fed, so that the wine never passes through pumps, but has a gentle journey from press to barrel to bottle to glass. The result is Sauvignon Blanc that more closely resembles Sancerre than New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc or God forbid Fume Blanc. Crisp and focused with classic citrus and chalky minerality. Perfect for seafood or our Fondue at Brie and Bleu. Perhaps the Sauvignon Blanc of the season.

Arcadian Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir 2005 $34
Joe Davis is one of the two great Pinot Noir winemakers of California. His 2001 Sleepy Hollow Pinot Noir occupies a place in the Pantheon of my heart right next to Josh Jensen's 1997 Mills Pinot Noir. Both men were deeply influenced by Burgundy and it shows in their winemaking as they take ripe California fruit and create Grand Cru. Joe traces his interest in winemaking to a bottle of 1978 Dujac that inspired him to make the greatest Pinot Noir possible. Growing in the cool Santa Lucia Highlands, Arcadian's fruit slow ripens in the sun to achieve a ripeness of sugars and tannins in the skins and even seeds. The fruit is repeatedly foot tread for a cool, slow fermentation that maintains the complexity and delicacy of true Pinot Noir. The wines receive all new French oak, but the barrels are pre-seasoned for up to three years before they are filled. The barrel imparts no oakiness that would interfere with the fruit, instead the barrel allows the wine to coalesce into one of the finest, expressive, intricate Pinot Noirs I have ever had.





Venta La Ossa 2004 $16
100% Tempranillo from La Mancha in central Spain, this wine however is nothing like Rioja. The old vines and very hot climate of La Mancha have created a very big, rich version of Tempranillo. The wine more closely resembles the wines of Toro and Zamora like Numanthia and Cenit than even the most modern Riojas. As with all the wines imported by Jorge Ordonez, the combination of ancient vineyards, extended maceration and prolonged aging in new American Oak barrels, has created a powerhouse of Spanish fruit and exotic spices. As recently as six months ago this wine was being sold in the state of Connecticut for $25, to make room for the new vintage the distributor has discounted the wine allowing us to sell it for $16 a bottle, $9 a bottle below list. It will run out, enjoy it while you can.



Domaine Du Tunnel Cornas 2005 $50
Cornas gets very little respect, always in the shadow of the much more famous Cote-Rotie and Hermitage. Yet I've had Cornas that stood up to and even exceeded Cote-Rotie and even Hermitage La Chapelle. How is it that nobody notices Cornas? Part of it has to do with the cult of personality that surrounds Cote-Rotie and Hermitage wine makers, names like Guigal and Jaboulet. And the Famous vineyards, La Mouline, La Turque, La Landonne and the aforementioned La Chapelle. Little Cornas with only 235 acres produces less than 20,000 cases total, and despite the stunning quality, has never developed the reputation of other Northern Rhone appellations. So what is it? Syrah, Syrah for the ages. From 100 year old vines, aged 14 months in Barrique, the wine is described as crisp and lively, vibrant and chewy, concentrated with a very persistent finish and a great tannic structure. The wine is very young, and drinking it now is akin to what my friend Armando refers to as "infanticide", yet I can't resist previewing this monster. People are forever asking me about wines that can age twenty or thirty years, this is it folks, we'll be trying one Friday. It will be somewhat unapproachable and tight, but let's see if we can't coax it out of it's bottle and get it to express itself to us. A few hours in a decanter with low light and soft music should do it.



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 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.


P.S.
People have been asking for "collections." Pre-selected groups of wine - a better way to try new things. "We want to experiment." - OK.

Our Wine Collections are here. And we add select spirits to the mix too.
Click on the picture below and then scroll down to see what we have for you.

But we don't stop there. We will work with you for a customized touch, creating a learning experience that will leave you giddy.