You Asked For It - You Got It!

Card Available At City News

Greetings from New London,
As we mentioned last week, you are all asking for "Value - Value - Value." We are making it a top priority and will provide it in everything we offer to you.

With that in mind we are announcing our first Guest Chef Wine Dinner for 2009. STOP reading - pick up the phone and reserve your seats now. 860-443-9463.
You will kick yourself in the pants if you miss this one.

Thursday January 29 - 6 p.m. - Piedmonte Wine Dinner with James Wayman of River Tavern.


We got together with our friends at the River Tavern in Chester and over several glasses of dusty red wine have organized a salute to the food and wine of Italy. Presiding over the mighty Viking Range will be Mr. James Wayman - He has been an executive chef at the River Tavern in Chester for four years, before that, the Johnson & Wales Culinary Arts graduate was chef at Water Street Cafe in Stonington for six years.

THE MENU:
First: Ciccioli (Italian Pork Rillet) crostini with dried fruit mostarda & the mostarda is the northern Italian precursor to mustard that is similar to chutney.
Served with Contratto Arnelle Gavi di Gavi 2007

Second: Handmade Tagliatelle with wild black trumpet mushrooms (gathered by Chef Wayman),pancetta & sage cream.
Served with Fratelli Alessandria Barbera d' alba 2005

Third: Roasted leg of lamb with Juniper & honey, creamy polenta, caramelized onions & fennel.
Served with Fratelli alessandria Barolo 2004

For dessert: Whipped ricotta with orange, dates & espresso.
Served with Sergio Grimaldi Brachetto 2007

Now - here is where the value kicks in - the cost of the wine alone - if you could find it - would push this night into Platinum Card territory. Our first wine dinner of 2009 is priced at just $85, plus tax & service.

Put the disappointments of 2008 behind you and join us for a special night. Meet James Wayman and share a glass of wine while he describes each delicious course. Seating is limited, please reserve early.
8 6 0 - 4 4 3 - 9 4 6 3

The Monday Tasting 1.12.09

Chateau St. Nicholas Bordeaux 2005 $18

Snow terror grips New London!
As the village ground-zero public announcement system crackles with dire instructions, I realize this day shall see us crippled by yet more blizzard - wiping the sleep from my eyes, I am gripped with fear: have we store of yams to last the winter? What of the onions? Will the provision of salted cod hold out?!?

My worries are soon quelled: Four Mile River Farms beef in the deep freeze, onion, carrot, celery, shallot, potato - if I can hunt a clove of garlic and a trifle of mushroom, we shall concoct a potent stew! And wine! Provenance has seen me a bottle of 2005 Chateau St. Nicholas Bordeaux - perfect! A drop for the kettle and the rest for our merriment! Order Now

The Friday Tasting - Please Join Us
Friday January 16 - 6-9 p.m. - No Charge

1 - Lingenfelder Gewurztraminer 2006 $15

The Hare Label Gewürtztraminer from Lingenfelder is a lively, aromatic wine made from Gewürtztraminer, a traditional aromatic grape variety from the Pfalz region in Germany. The floral, aromatic qualities of this Gewürtztraminer are sure to provide a unique wine tasting experience, whether you enjoy it as an aperitif, with a meal, or just on its own. Perfect with Asian, Thai and Indian cuisine.

Order Now




2 - Errazuriz Merlot 2006 $12



Merlot with just a touch of Carmenere from the Curio valley in Chile. Bright cherry red in color, the nose boasts and interesting combination of black and red fruits with spice.

Cherries and blackberries blend with notes of black pepper, cloves, and a light touch of smoke. Medium bodied on the palate, with gripping tannins and good structure.

Toast and fruit combine with refreshing acidity for a delightful, soft-textured wine with a pleasing finish. Order Now











3 - Puzelat KO "In Cot We Trust" 2005 $21

From Thierry Puzelat, one of the two brothers at Clos du tue Boeuf, comes this odd little number. This wine is bio-dynamically farmed Malbec from of all places, the Loire valley.

As with many Loire wines it's all about character and terroir.

A solid core of fruit and tannins rests on wafting scents of wet stone,
Loire Garrigue and Monkey. For the Francophile and the adventurous.. Order Now





4 -Chateau La Rame Premieres Cotes de Bordeaux
2005 $26

Situated 40 kilometers southeast of the city of Bordeaux, Chateau La Rame is among the oldest and most renowned properties in the Sainte Croix du Mont appellation.

The estate was purchased by Claude Armand, the father of the current owner, Yves Armand. The 20 hectares of Chateau La Rame are set on a clay-limestone soil blessed with an exceptional substratum marked by a bed of fossilized oysters dating from the Tertiary era - really old.

The hillside vineyards overlook the Garonne River and face full south as they slope down towards the river.

The wine was slightly austere but intense with deep fruit and powerhouse tannins last we tasted it six months ago. Since then it's been sitting in our cellar "Mellowing Out", I wonder how it tastes now?

Order Now

We especially appreciate all of the comments and suggestions that you take the time to send in - it is very important to us. We do not take your support for granted - thank you for making us into the most talked about & copied wine store in Connecticut.

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


AAA.

Labor Day Edition, Cakebread Cellars, Edgard Carter, Vina Errazuriz, Arboleda,Ca Bianca Barolo,Fratelli Alessandria Barolo,

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

We have a lot of news to share with you on this beautiful holiday weekend.

We start with a Meet The Winemaker evening to signal the arrival of Autumn. AND a 2003 Barolo Smackdown - between Two Titans of Piedmonte for the tasting this week - details are just below these items of interest.

First, we want to offer congratulations to our team at Brie & Bleu - Chef Darryl Goldstein, Egle Noel, Katie LeBeau and Addy Burr. Their efforts have been recognized in the New Haven Advocate.If you have not seen it, the current issue of the New Haven Advocate has some very kind word's about Brie & Bleu and our menu. SEE THE ARTICLE HERE

Introducing
The Reserve List

The people have spoken - "We want special wines by the glass."
And we are listening. Our Reserve List will always have something special.

To compliment our new menu at Brie & Bleu - we are offering impossibly hard to find wine by the glass and the bottle. You will not find these wines anywhere else. Last week people were just about knocked off their chairs when we starting pouring Plumpjack by the glass.

This Week - On The Reserve List
Cake Bread Napa Chardonnay $15 glass $60 bottle
Cake Bread Napa Cabernet $20 glass $75 bottle

Thank You Betsy Yagla &
The New Haven Advocate for the kind words

Brie & Bleu Dining Review Here

Meet The WineMaker
Wine Dinner Series

Wine Dinner Wednesday September 17 - 6 p.m.
Meet Chilean Winemaker Edgard Carter of Vina Errazuriz.

Chile is a land of soaring Andes mountains, a mild Mediterranean climate, and fine wines. From the premium wine-producing regions of Chile come the best grapes, and it is here that Viña Errazuriz has been producing the highest quality Chilean wines for more than 128 years. See The Winery Here

It would be easy to fill a room with people, pour them a glass of wine and then watch as they shuffle flat-footed around the room trying to get a glimpse of the evenings guest winemaker. But that's not how we roll.

If you have attended before you know that we keep it small. Sit elbow to elbow with our guests, meet them and share an evening that will be remembered.

Each course will be paired with the perfect wine. We will taste through the wines of Arboleda AND taste through a Vertical of three vintages of Sena, one of Chile's iconic wines. Sena 2001 beat out Lafite 2000 at the tasting of Berlin 2004 and since has been catapulted into the international spotlight. We will find out just how good is good and how this Epic wine shows with a few years of bottle age.

Seating Is Limited - Reserve Early - 8 6 0 - 4 4 3 - 9 4 6 3
$50 plus tax and service

Wine Tasting Please Join Us
Friday September 5 - 6-9 p.m. - No Charge

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

1 - Arboleda Sauvignon Blanc 2005 $16


The fruit for this wine comes from the Leyda Valley, located just south of the prestigious Casablanca Valley. Leyda is quickly building a reputation for producing some of the best Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir fruit in Chile.

Unlike Casablanca, which is protected from the Pacific by a mountain range, Leyda enjoys a maritime influenced, cool climate throughout the growing season, with morning fog and afternoon breezes.

The low-yielding vines are picked early in the morning by hand to keep the fruit cool before pressing. The vineyard is farmed with sustainable practices, and the care taken in the fields is echoed in the meticulous winemaking in the cellar. The wine displays fresh gooseberry and citrus aromas, with distinctive notes of green Serrano pepper and freshly cut grass.




2 - Arboleda Carmenere 2006 $16

Carmenere, the lost grape of Bordeaux, not seen in France since the phylloxera blights of the 19th century, has been blissfully growing in Chile for decades.

Here are my notes from a three hour PowerPoint presentation that sales representative Mark Raymond did in his garage in Wethersfield Sunday afternoon. "The Carmenere vineyards are of clay and loam characteristic of the Colchagua Valley.

Drip irrigation and careful canopy management ensure low yields and more importantly proper phenolic ripeness. Manual harvesting, thorough triage, 25 day maceration for maximum extraction of anthcyanins and tannins from the skins. 45% new oak, French and American.

Deep violet color with clover and cinnamon on the nose, notes of black tea and tobacco, blackberries and cherries on vanilla. WOW PowerPoint is great! I should really get that for my computer!"

2003 Barolo Smackdown

We pit the Formidable house of Fratelli Alessandria against Gambero Rosso's 2007 Italian wine maker of the Year Casimiro Maule and the vineyards of Ca' Bianca. Two Titans of Piedmonte, head to head. Two wines enter, one wine leaves.

3- Ca Bianca Barolo 2003 $60

Ca'Bianca comprises some of the most prized vineyards in the Barolo appellation in La Morra commune.

In his book, The Wine Atlas of Italy, Burton Anderson has called Barolos from La Morra "among the most perfumed and graceful of nebbiolo wines."

"With strong blue highlights, the wine has intense vanilla, clove and woodsy undergrowth aromas and full, firm yet velvety dark cherry flavors on the palate, with licorice and ripe red fruit notes."




4 - Fratelli Alessandria Barolo Monvigliero 2003 $60


"This Barolo is made exclusively from the prestigious Monviglioero Vineyard.

Its bouquet presents hints of berry jam, cocoa, eucalyptus and clove, with a palate is as amply rich as the dense ruby-garnet color would suggest.

"The powerful entry and austere and solid mid-palate lead into a consistent, long and deeply satisfying finish where smooth tannins play the leading role." Only 7000 case production.

Please Call Us Anytime With Questions
8 6 0 - 4 4 3 - 9 4 6 3

We can't thank you enough for the great summer you have shared with us. Lots of new faces, new friends, and the best party in New London all season long.

We have a calendar full of special events planned for the fall, so stay tuned right here or visit the calendar of events page for the latest information. Calendar of Events

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

AAA