Summer Fun, Dashwood Pinot Noir,Domaine du Tariquet,Zeni Pinot Grigio,Bourgueil "Les Galichets",XY Zinfandel

Greetings from all of us in New London, We have a choice selection of wines for this Friday night - including something special from California. The list is just below our news and information. It was a great week here in The District - Boat shows, bike races, submarine launches - There are all kinds of things happening in New London. New London 2.0 - it's time to rediscover The Whaling City.

NEWS & UPCOMING EVENTS

Brie & Bleu Something Special Every Week Best Wine List in Connecticut Reservations: 8 6 0 - 4 3 7 - 2 4 7 4 ··· July 4: The Royal Caribbean Explorer of the Seas Cruise Ship Come see the largest cruise ship ever to visit New London! 'Meet and greet' tourists from around the world. ··· July 5: ART ATTACK! Seven Galleries, Ten Storefronts, and Hundreds of Artists team-up for ART ATTACK! with food, music, exhibitions, circus performers, the Mystic Paper Beasts, street art and more, 6:00 - 10:00 pm, Including Hygienic Art, MUSE, Golden Street Gallery, Studio 33, ALVA Gallery, Yah-Ta-Hey, 140 Below and the TSETSE Gallery with music by the Cosmic Jibaros at the Hygienic Art Park. FREE! Info: 860-437-6293 ··· July 6: Vintage Baseball The Thames Base Ball Club, New London's Vintage team, plays Waterbury Connors under the 1861 rules of the National Association of Base-Ball Players. Vintage Attire optional, 1:00 pm, Fort Trumbull State Park. More Info Here ··· July 12: Sailfest The biggest, baddest show of the year! 10,000 calories, fireworks, and much more at New London's 31st annual Sailfest with spectacular spectaculars and much, much more! LEARN MORE HERE July 12: Hygienic Art Gallery's Bizarre/Bizarre Annual outdoor Art Festival returns as part of New London's Sailfest, Hygienic Art Park, Bank Street, Info: 860-443-8001 - MORE INFORMATION

Dave's Fave Special Monday Tasting Click on the photo to order it now Dashwood Pinot Noir 2006 $15 We're always keeping an eye out for good Pinots under $20, which, it turns out, can be few and far between... We're picky about them, being big Burgundy snobs and whatnot, but when we find them you'll actually get wines which display Pinot Noir's elegant wildberry tones. At the moment we've got three - Mandolin from California, Latour's Valmoissine from France, and now this little number from the Marlborough growing region in New Zealand. Bright acidity and great brambly raspberry notes make it a little zingier than the other two at this price. I liked it, I picked it, now Jim says it's my job to sell it. I'll open a bottle Monday afternoon and let it sell itself, please stop in after work!

Wine Tasting Please Join Us Friday June 27 - 6-9 p.m. - No Charge Can't Make It To The Tasting? - Order it now - click on the photos A couple quick notes on stock. Summer is the time for light, crisp, inexpensive white wine. Whether it's a barbeque in the back yard or a Lobster roll at Captain Scott's, there's nothing better than a cold, refreshing glass of white wine on a hot summer day. Unfortunately, It seems that every year we sell out of our favorite whites long before the summer is over, and this year will be no exception. Two of our favorite white wines are running low and I thought it best to let you know before the staff drinks it all themselves. We received the last four cases of the Hofer Gruner Veltliner for this vintage. The Hofer is the White wine in the big 1 liter bottle with the crown or soda bottle cap. We also received the last three cases of the Clos du Tue-Boeuf Cheverny, also known as the Flying Cow Wine because the wine inexplicably has an image of a winged cow on it. If you have had these wines, you know how wonderful and affordable they are, $12 and $16 respectively. If you were hoping to be drinking them under an August sun, now is the time to stock up, they will not last long on our shelves. 1 - Domaine du Tariquet Vin de Pays des Cotes de Gascogne 2006 $9 Made from the same grapes used to produced Cognac, Ugni Balnc and Colombard. Superbly intense for a dry fruity white, its bouquet reveals floral and citrus aromas with nice touches of tropical fruit. Light and well-balanced, this wine is a thirst-quenching pleasure. Always have a bottle in the fridge door, just in case. 2 - Zeni Pinot Grigio Ramato 2005 $12 A Pinot Grigio Rose?! How is possible? Pinot Grigio may most often be white wine, but the grapes used to produce it are actually copper colored. The juice for this wine sees a brief period of skin contact, maceration, after the crush. That contact allows the juice to extract a small amount of color, tannins and phynols. The result is a Pinot Grigio with much more character than your average P.G.. The bouquet in particular is enriched with floral notes like orange flower blossom. Like great Pinot grigio, only more so. 3 - Catherine & Pierre Breton Bourgueil "Les Galichets" (The Gravel) 2004 $21 Cabernet Franc from the village of Bourgueil where the local term for Cab Franc is Breton, coincidence? I think not. The Breton's practice Biodynamic farming, and the vines from the Galichet vineyard are 50 years old and sit on native rootstock. Remarkably juicy, textured, versatile with food, and immensely age worthy, the Cabernet Franc wines of Bourgueil, Chinon, Saumur and St-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil are both a traditional staple and a rediscovered rage on the Paris bistro/wine bar scene. 4 - XY Zinfandel 2005 $32 Only 394 cases of this wine were produced for the 2005 vintage, from vines that are at least 50 years old in the Alexander valley in sunny California. The wine is elegant and plush, with ripe Raspberry, Boysenberry and Bing Cherry flavors. Aged in French oak barrels to create a creamy texture, with vanilla, creme-brulee notes. Not just another Fat Zinfandel, a Zinfandel of opulent and bright fruit, illustrating the best that California has to offer. Please Call Us Anytime With Questions - 8 6 0 - 4 4 3 - 9 4 6 3

As always we appreciate your support. It's been a great week - lots of parties, and laughs, familiar faces and lots of new visitors, thank you for making it so much fun. Please join us. It's fun, informal, and a great way to start your weekend. We hope to see you this week. AAA.

Dominus, Moonstruck, "Tre Venezie", Zeni Pinot Grigio, Cono Sur, Luigi Baudana, Celebrity Ratings

Greetings from all of us in New London,

Thames River Wine & Spirits - 860-443-9463
Thames River Greenery - 860-443-6817
Brie & Bleu - 860-437-2474
IMPORT - 860-443-6817
www.ThamesRiver.com




Our Friday night line up is listed just below these items of interest and information.
Included on the list is a legendary name - Dominus.
Robert Parker rates this one 95 points - This is the 20th vintage of this powerhouse from California.

We hope to see you this Friday night.

• If you missed The Party last Friday night- it was hopping. Mild weather, spring fever, and calm seas brought the people out.
The heater on the deck was on and the tables were full - it was a beautiful night. The tasting in our cellar focused on the wines of Spain and Portugal and we saw lots of new faces. Thanks for making our weekly fete so much fun - we appreciate it.

• Remember, lots of people have discovered the best kept secret in New London: Buy wine at the wine store - then take it next door for dinner at Brie & Bleu. Dinner and a great bottle of wine that leaves you with enough money to fill your tank in the morning - oh yeah.

• Moonstruck Chocolates - http://www.moonstruckchocolate.com/Oscars2006.aspx
This is the company that has been featured on TV and supplies chocolate to the stars -
Now available at Brie & Bleu - take a peek in our display cooler - we are offering some of their favorite items.

This Week At Brie & Bleu:

Here are the dinner specials at Brie & Bleu for this week - our staff will help you pick the perfect wine

Friday 3/30/07- Crab Cakes with radish & lemon aoli and corn salsa.
Saturday 3/31/07 - Lasagna Bolognase with a fresh arugala salad.

Featured cheese: of the week at Brie & Bleu is Tallegio at $9/lb. The cheese is produced in Lombardy, Italy. The cheese is a cow's milk with a high fat content (48%) giving it a very creamy, semi-soft texture that turns runny as it ages. The rind is washed with a reddish-orange color that has mold. The taste of the cheese is extremely pungent, stinky cheese has a very creamy and mellow taste. It's initial salty impact is followed by fruity, yeasty undertones. The cheese pairs well with a young full-bodied wine such as Merlot or with a dessert Riesling and serve with fruit on a cheese board, in salads, or mixed into hot pasta or polenta since it melts well.
Give it a try,
Colleen


Wine Tasting Please Join Us -
Friday March 30 - 6-9 p.m. - No Charge

1 - Zeni Pinot Grigio ramato $17
This is the first rosé tasting of the Spring - The northeastern Italian regions of Veneto, Trentino-Alto Adige, and Friuli-Venezia Giulia were historically referred to as the "Tre Venezie"(three Venices), and represent the vast chunk of territory once associated with the great city of Venice. Today, these regions are more politically distinct, but their wines converge on the tables of Venice, where the incomparable array of seafood - cuttlefish in their ink; scampi (shrimp) dressed in olive oil and lemon juice; flaky branzini (sea bass) baked in salt crust - is perfectly complemented by the Tre Venezie¹s minerally, crisp, fragrant white wines. - This wine is a classic of the Tre Venezie: A powerful pinot grigio with a slight pink tinge due to some skin contact during fermentation.
This is the kind of wine you'll see in Venice all the time but rarely does it make it Stateside. (the term "ramato" means "coppery," in reference to the coppery color of the wine due to the skin contact). Give this one a try - you might decide to keep a case around the house all season long.

2 - Cono Sur Pinot Noir - Rapel, Chile - $12
This is an interesting, if slightly odd Pinot Noir. The open nose is quite striking, with a slightly, herbal character, along with some sweet plummy fruit. The palate is rich, fruity and appealing. Pinot Noir is generally known as a sexy wine and this is a great choice for the latest food trends. In general terms this is a wine that will make any white meat look good. Also soups, stews, and flavorful fish dishes.


3 - Luigi Baudana Barbera D'Alba "Donatella" 2004 $26
This entire estate is only 4.5 hectares. And - just one half of a hectare is devoted to Barbera. The entire production less than 2100 cases.
Since 1975 Luigi and Fiorina Baudana have been growing grapes on their tiny estate. Their wines are remarkable for their power and their finesse, their depth of flavor and their sheer drinkability. This is a fantastic wiine for the price AND it drinks with the intensity of a 1963 Marchello Mastriani.

Most people don't realize it but we are the inventors of the "Celebrity Tasting Scale" -
We have used it for years here behind the scenes.
The world is full of 100 point scales, and descriptions of all manner - "gun flint, with a touch of raspberry, on a sunny day" (C&M-take note)
But I have always felt that a better way to describe wine is our system. For example "It's bold, raw, it reminds me of a 1951 Robert Mitchum.

4 - Dominus 2003 95 points $126 - The 20th vintage
Dominus is the proprietary red wine produced in the heart of Napa Valley by Christian Moueix and his team. Since 1983, their goal has been to express the unique terroir found at the historic Napanook Vineyard.

Robert Parker says: "The 2003 Dominus has turned out even better than I thought from barrel. There are 4,800 cases of this 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Petit Verdot blend. A big, sweet nose of roasted coffee, Provencal herbs, black currants, cherry jam, plums, allspice, and forest floor is followed by a spicy, rich, full-bodied, fragrant, intense wine. The tannins are sweet, but noticeable in this beautifully complex, strikingly aromatic 2003. It has much more similarity to a great Bordeaux than anything from Napa Valley. Anticipated maturity: 2007-2025."
We say:
This California Powerhouse drinks like a 1953 Ava Gardner - Think "Mogambo"

Thanks for all of your calls and emails this past week - we appreciate it.
It's all about sharing, having some fun and maybe discovering something or someone new - see you there.

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


AAA