The Paris Tasting, Stags Leap Cask 23, Summer Film Festival,Cloudy Bay, Chateau de Pizay Morgon, Domaine de Fenouillet, Silver Oak 2004 Alexander

Greetings from all of us in New London,
The list of wines for the Friday tasting is just below these words of interest.

Hi-Ho everybody - the summer is cruising along nicely and this week we have TWO big names to drop for our weekly tasting extravaganza.

First, you won't believe what Dave Anderson is pouring on Monday - check out Dave's Fave to learn more. AND Jim Morrison is pulling the cork on one of the biggest names in California on Friday night - you won't want to miss this.

People say all the time - "I've never heard of a wine store doing such a thing." "Why do you do this?" - "How can you do this?"

Basically - this is how we roll.

From day one, we decided that it would be our job to go against the grain of traditional wine shops and "packy's." We want everyone to have a little fun before they die - not just the fat-cats and lotto winners. Your enthusiasm and support has made it possible. Thank you

One of the hardest working women in New London show business has got to be Alva Greenberg. She set the bar rather high when she first opened her gallery here on State Street and has not stopped since. The recent unveiling of her new gallery is ready for your viewing pleasure.





ALVA Gallery, located at 54 State Street, New London, is now open Tuesday through Saturday, 10am to 6pm. The gallery promotes "dressing with flair and living with style" through the sale of clothing, jewelry, accessories, gifts and art. ALVA GALLERY

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On The Big Screen - Garde Arts Center

Don't Forget: The New London Summer Film Festival Starts This Week.
Every year the Garde Arts Center brings us an amazing line up of entertainment that includes the always anticipated Film Festivals. Steve & Jeanne Sigel work tirelessly to bring a Big City experience right here to New London.
Start a great evening with us - have a glass of wine and a light dinner on our deck, and then stroll the beautiful flower lined streets of NL up to The Garde. It does not get any better. Festival runs: August 6-17. FILM SCHEDULE HERE

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Brie & Bleu News:
The new summer menu at Brie & Bleu has just what you need to get the old man off of the sofa and out for a date night.

We have added things like Short Ribs and Roasted Chicken to our regular bistro style menu.

Add to that our signature potato and cheese dishes and a great wine and beer list - and even the biggest appetite will be satisfied.

Please Join Us.

Dave's Fave
Special Edition - Starts At 6:00 p.m.
The Monday Tasting

Click on the photo to order it now

Stag's Leap Wine Cellars Cask 23 2000 $180

On May 24, 1976, a wine tasting took place in Paris that changed the world's view of California wines forever. The unthinkable happened. Warren Winiarski's 1973 Stag's Leap Wine Cellars S.L.V. Cabernet Sauvignon - his first vintage produced with grapes from vines a mere three years old - was judged the best.

The Cabernet had bested four top-ranked Bordeaux, including first-growths Château Mouton-Rothschild and Château Haut-Brion. The 1973 Chateau Montelena Chardonnay from California bested its French counterparts.

Dave: "If you're a regular around here, you may know we're a little nuts, but when we say we're going to do something, we do it.

Like, pour one of the most famous Californian red wines for free, so we can all taste it. I'll get back to bargains next week, but this week, I'm uncorking a bottle of Cask 23. On a Monday, at 84 Bank Street, in New London at 6:00 p.m.

Why I've been given the green light isn't totally clear to me, but we all agree it is hilarious.

In 1976, Stag's Leap's first commercial vintage of Cabernet made was, remarkably, judged in a blind tasting to be the finest red wine over first-growth Bordeaux by a panel of experts in Paris - blowing their fancy French minds and immediately putting Napa on the international wine map.

Stag's Leap's flagship wine, Cask 23, is made with only their most exceptional Cabernet grapes, including fruit from some of their original 1972 vine plantings. This is a 2000 vintage and has been resting in our cellar for years.

I hope to see you on Monday - the tasting will commence at 6PM, and it may not last long!"

There is a new movie opening this week that commemorates the The Paris Tasting - it's called:"Bottle Shock" starring Alan Rickman and Bill Pullman

"Bottle Shock" movie trailer: WATCH THE TRAILER HERE

For more info on the 1976 Paris tasting: Read More Here

Wine Tasting Please Join Us
Friday August 8 - 6-9 p.m. - No Charge

Can't Make It To The Tasting? - Order it now - click on the photos

If for some reason we did not get your attention with the Cask 23 - look what Jim Morrison has pulled out of our cool dark cellar for you to try. Don't wait until the last minute this Friday - wines like this will not last long.

1 - Cloudy Bay Chardonnay 2005 $30



This is NOT the more famous Sauvignon Blanc, but the oft overlooked Chardonnay. The Cloudy Bay vineyards are located in the Marlborough region, at the northern end of New Zealand's South Island.

Grown under ideals conditions, the vines produce intensely flavored fruit with distinctive varietal character. This is a complex, full bodied wine with ripe fruit, citrus and grassy notes.







2 - Chateau de Pizay Morgon 2007 $15

Since the Middle Ages the fine wines of the Château de Pizay have been appreciated by Beaujolais-lovers. Noble descendants of the aristocracy of selected Crus and vinified with every respect given to tradition, these wines are tasted all over the world.


Produced from Gamay du Beaujolais, the wine is bright grenadine in color, and distinguished by it's robust personality and charm.


3 - Domaine de Fenouillet Cotes du Ventoux 2006 $12


The Domaine de Fenouillet is situated in the village of Beaumes de Venise at the foot of the "Dentelles de Montmirail", the heart of the finest vineyard sites in the southern Cotes du Rhone. The Domaine has been in the hands of the Soard Family for many generations, until 1989 the grapes were harvested and immediately sold to the growers' cooperative.

Vincent and Patrick Soard took over direction of the domaine in 1989 and, at that point, began to vinify their harvest and bottle the wines now made at the estate. There are 16 hectares planted to grapes, 3 hectares within the Cotes du Ventoux appellation. Average production levels are 34 hectoliters per hectare yielding approximately 5,000 cases of wine per year for the entire estate.


4 - Silver Oak 2004 Alexander Valley Cabernet 2004 $75

The 2004 Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is a refined and complex wine that combines subtlety and depth.

It has a dark ruby color with a deep red edge and displays aromas of fresh blackberries, violets, cola, nutmeg and licorice. In the mouth, the wine has a juicy attack and offers great expression of fruit and spice on the mid-palate. Its fruit-driven finish is long and elegant.

The 2004 Alexander Valley, a blend of wine from several different vineyards, is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. The winemaker blended the vineyard lots in early 2005 and transferred the wine to 50% new and 50% once-used American oak barrels for aging. Blending prior to barreling allows the winemaker to achieve a balance of the wine's natural elements, such as fruit and tannin, before they are influenced by oak.

The wine was then aged in barrel for approximately 25 months and another 15 months in bottle to harmonize its components before release.











New London is the place to be. There is a cultural and restaurant scene that is building to a fever pitch. This past week alone saw cruise ships, live concerts, movies in the park, and visitors from all parts of the USA and beyond.

Thanks for making us part of it, and for supporting all of our events.

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

AAA.