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Big News: Gmail now does IMAP!
This is a big help for guys like me who write all their blogs and e-mails on cell phones.
New Louis/Dressner Web Site!
We've changed the look and hopefully will be updating content more frequently than in the past. Let me know what you think:
New Louis/Dressner Web Site
National Media Coverage of the October 17th Louis/Dressner Tasting!
Over 300 people showed up and tasted a lot of wine. There was a lot of excitement in the air and the national press and media had extensive coverage of our tasting. Here are just a few examples:
The Washington Post!
The New York Times!
The Wall Street Journal!
The tasting was a great success but we never expected to get so much coverage in the mainstream press!
October 17th Tasting a Big Hit!
All our thanks to the nearly 370 people who showed up yesterday!
In related news, Joey Bishop, the stone-faced comedian who found success in nightclubs, television and movies but became most famous as a member of Frank Sinatra's Rat Pack, has died at 89.
Bishop
Joey Bishop was the last surviving member of the Rat Pack.
He was the group's last surviving member. Peter Lawford died in 1984, Sammy Davis Jr. in 1990, Dean Martin in 1995, and Sinatra in 1998.
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Bishop died Wednesday night of multiple causes at his home in Newport Beach, publicist and longtime friend Warren Cowan said Thursday.
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The Rat Pack -- originally a social group surrounding Humphrey Bogart -- became a show business sensation in the early 1960s, appearing at the Sands Hotel in Las Vegas in shows that combined music and comedy in a seemingly chaotic manner.
Reviewers often claimed that Bishop played a minor role, but Sinatra knew otherwise. He termed the comedian "the Hub of the Big Wheel," with Bishop coming up with some of the best one-liners and beginning many jokes with his favorite phrase, "Son of a gun!"
The quintet lived it up whenever members were free of their own commitments. They appeared together in such films as "Ocean's Eleven" and "Sergeants 3" and proudly gave honorary membership to a certain fun-loving politician from Massachusetts, John F. Kennedy, at whose inauguration gala Bishop served as master of ceremonies.
The Big Tasting is Tomorrow!
Emily Loizeau to Make a Guest Appearance!
~French recording artist, Emily Loizeau, will be singing at tomorrow's big Louis/Dressner tasting.
Five Major Wine Journalists to Attend our October 17th Tasting!
In addition, Morley Safer might be there.
There's a lot of media buzz going on.
Don't miss this event!
There's Going to be a Lot of Great Wines on October 17th
I'm trying to write tasting notes....there's so many great wines I'm running out of superlatives!
And exclamation points!
Other Important Events that have Occurred on October 17th
Yes, our tasting is on October 17th. October 17th is an important day for the wine industry, for many different reasons, and this seemed the appropriate day to plan our big event.
Some of the other important October 17th events include:
- 539 BC - King Cyrus The Great of Persia marches into the city of Babylon, releasing the Jews from almost 70 years of exile and making the first Human Rights proclamation.
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1660 - Nine Regicides, the men who signed the death warrant of Charles I, are hanged, drawn and quartered, another is hanged.
- 1806 - Former leader of the Haitian Revolution, Emperor Jacques I of Haiti was assassinated after an oppressive rule.
- 1912 - Bulgaria, Greece and Serbia declare war on the Ottoman Empire, joining Montenegro in the First Balkan War.
- 1917 - First British bombing of Germany in World War I.
- 1931 - Al Capone convicted of income tax evasion.
- 1937 - Huey, Dewey and Louie, Donald Duck's three almost identical nephews, first appear in a newspaper comic strip.
- 1945 - A massive number of people, headed for CGT and Evita, gather in the Plaza de Mayo in Argentina to demand Juan Peron's release. This is known to the Peronists as the Día de la lealtad (day of loyalty) or San Perón (Saint Perón). It's considered the birthday of Peronism.
- 1961 - Scores of Algerian protesters (some claim up to 400) are massacred by the Paris police at the instigation of Nazi collaborator Maurice Papon, then chief of the Prefecture of Police.
- 1967 - The musical Hair opens at the Anspacher Theater on Broadway.
- 1970 - Montreal, Quebec: Quebec Vice-Premier and Minister of Labour Pierre Laporte murdered by members of the FLQ terrorist group.
- 1973 - OPEC starts an oil embargo against a number of western countries, considered to have helped Israel in its war against Syria.
- 1989 - Loma Prieta earthquake (7.1 on the Richter scale) hits the San Francisco Bay Area and causes 57 deaths directly (and 6 indirectly).
- 2003 - Eunuchs in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh float the political party Jiti Jitayi Politics.
Fake Ad Circulating for October 17th Tasting!
Several readers have sent me what is clearly a fake advertisement for our October 17th tasting.
I have no idea who is circulating this ad and why they are trying to sabotage our tasting.
To make the public record clear: we continue to be staunch anti-Stalinists.
Don't Miss Today's Chambers Street Tasting
We have a lot of new and great wines parading about today.
I will start insulting customers at 4:00 pm.
Excitement Mounting for October 17th Louis/Dressner Tasting!!
Remember, bloggers and freelance press people are not allowed to attend.
I'm on My Way to Detroit!
Detroit is one of my favorite cities in America and I can't wait to get there!
Cloverleaf Wines has organized two great dinners, one tonight and one tomorrow. Don't miss these fabulous events!
Several New York Area Stores We Are Not Sending Invitations for our Trade Tasting!
Someone has been kind enough to give us a comprehensive mailing list of New York area wine shops and restaurants. We are trying to eliminate some of the people on the list to save postage money.
Some of the eliminated entries include:
- Liquorama
- Lisa’s Liquor Barn
- Liquor Town
- Liquor Outlet
- Liquor Loft
- Liquor City
- Liquor Cabinet
Nine Mandatory Reasons for Attending the Louis/Dressner October 17th Tasting
It is only 24 days away! Or something like that.
- Meet Eric & Laurence Texier in person and drink Rhône wines under 16 degrees of alcohol!
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Discover benchmark producers from wine regions you never even knew existed!
- Experience nearly 27 wines with scores of 90 or higher in John Gilman’s View from the Cellar!
- Preview new releases from Dard & Ribo, Philippe Pacalet, Antoine Arena, Christian Chaussard, Laurent Barth and Pierre Dupont!
- Worship Muscadet at the altar of granite-based Melon de Bourgogne!
- Collect informative fact sheets!
- Ask João Roseira from Quinta do Infantado Ports for colourful details about daily life in the Douro Valley!
- Participate in the first trade tasting where the overused words artisan, boutique and handcrafted are nowhere to be seen!
- Eat delicious food until we run out at 2:47 pm
New Louis/Dressner Web Site to Launch at October 17th Tasting!
The Launch will be followed by an invitation-only party at a new club on the Bowery.
E-mail for more details.....
Louis/Dressner Praised in GQ Magazine!
Frankly, I find this alarming.
I buy all my clothing from Eddie Bauer or LL Bean, have size 15 feet and wear orthopedic shoes, am overweight, constantly have food stains all over my shirts and don't own a tie. Denyse buys from Bean and Lands End. Kevin has some stylish faults, but he's all alone. Shawn has good taste, but is probably not cutting edge. Eddie wears the same t-shirt and jeans every day. Why would GQ Magazine be promoting us!
One of my friends, who is stylish, just called me to let me know about the GQ mention. I forced Sheila, who is potentially stylish but who is on a stylishness hiatus, to buy the current GQ issue.
The lead article in this issue is Dress Like a Winner, followed by an article on Barack Obama (who is pictured on the cover and is awfully handsome and stylish). The magazine is horribly glossy, with some 412 pages. I have arthritic hands and it hurts me to lift up the magazine. The magazine is filled with advertising featuring stylish men wearing beautiful clothes alternating with stylish women wearing very little clothes.
On page 186 of the current issue, in between a full page ad for American Eagle and a full page ad for 501 Jeans, is an article on the importance of importers. The very stylish Eric Solomon is mentioned (he has great suits) along with Jorge Ordonez (cited as the King of Spain). Neal Rosental is there, as is Kermit Lynch (who was a stylistic pacesetter in Berkeley casual). Terry Theise is mentioned as is Louis/Dressner Selections. Frankly, I don't understand why Peter Weygandt didn't make the fashion list -- he has great wines and is an excellent dresser.
David Lynch (who I assume is the guy who did Twin Peaks), who wrote the article, writes:
From the same righteous school as Theise, Joe Dressner & Co. promotes all-natural, minimal-intervention wine styles. If you dig minerally, earthy whites, check out their unparalleled Loire Valley portfolio.
Is Vogue next?
Louis/Dressner Loire Valley Wines Get Critical Raves!
Finally, our wines are getting a lot of critical raves and the wine trade is talking about the latest reviews hot off the Adobe Acrobat press.
John Gilman's View from the Cellar has just been sent out and many of our wines did great. Inevitably, great press means big sales and these wines will soon disappear. John writes with great enthusiasm and his love for these wines is apparent in his descriptions. Some examples:
2006 Muscadet Clos des Briords "Vieilles Vignes"- Domaine de la Pépière
Marc Ollivier's old vine bottling....Clos des Briords is absolutely stellar in 2006. The bouquet is deep, refined and beguiling complex as it jumps from the glass in a blaze of lime, grapefruit, crystalline minerality, delicate leesy tones, ocean breezes and a gently floral topnote. On the palate the is full, snappy and rock solid at the the core, with a beautiful stoniness, bright acids, excellent focus and a long, complex and soil-driven finish....94
2006 Cabernet France "Le Pépiè"Marc Ollivier
I have tasted few reds from the Muscadet Region, but Marc Ollivier's La Pépiè is a delicious and almost sappy bottle of cabernet franc that offers stunning value The bourquet on the 2006 jumps from the glass in a blaze of red cherries, bell pepper, lovely, stony minerality, tobacco leaf, woodsmoke and a floral topnote.....It should make a glorious restaurant wine....89+
Cuvée Granit Rouge -- Domaine de la Pépière (Marc Ollivier)
....there is brilliance in the glass. The Cuvée granit is a blend of cabernet franc, malbec and merlot, and is planted on granite soils alongside the domaine's fine Muscadet holdings. The bouqet on the 2006 Cuvée Granit is deep and very serious, as it offers up a youthful mélange of pure black cherries, dark berries, tree bark, woodsmoke, espresso, and a great base of stony soil. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and laser-like in its focus, with rock solid core of fruit, brisk acides, a bit of ripe tannin, and a very long, nascently complex and palate staining finish....Can there be a better value for ageworthy red wine in France than this stunner? 92+
Anjou Blanc "La Lune"-- Mark Agnelli
Mark Angeli's "La Lune" 2005 is a big, ripe and beautiful chenin blanc that probably registers between a broad-shouldered demi-sec and a flat our moelleux. The nose is brilliant, as it soars from the glass in a mélange of pear, candied quince, a touch of guava, honeycomb, a touch of hay and a lovely base of chalky soil. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied, deep and very gently glazed by botrytis with great mid-palate depth, bright acids, and a very long, soil-driven finish that shows just a kiss of residual sugar on the backend. This is a beautiful wine from a most talented and inspired winemaker....93
Le Tue-Boeuf "Rouillon" - Le Clos de Tue-Boeuf
The nose of the Le Tue-Boeuf is deep and sophisticated as it offers up a mélange of black cherries, dark berries, a bit of blood orange, fresh-roasted coffee beans, smoke, pepper, a great base of soil and a delicate topnote of balsamic vinegar. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied, complex and very transparent to the soil, with excellent mid-palate depth, ripe tannins, sound acides and outstanding focus and grip on the long, complex and tangy finsih. There is just a touch of volatile acidity here that may put some tasters off, but I find it simply lifts the aromatics and adds to the overall complexity. 90
L'Arpent Rouge -- Clos Roche Blanche
This is a brilliant wine, as it soars from the glass in a blaze of red berries, cherries, nutskins, fresh herb tones, a bit of marinated orange rind, autumnal smoky tones, dried rose petals and a lovely base of chalky soil. On the palate the wine is fullish, deep and intensely flaovred, with a dancer's step on the attack, a fine core of fruit, stunning transparency and a great long, tangy and superbly complex finish that closes with a note of bitter chocolate. This is a wine that would really bring delight to a dyed-in-the-woold Burgundy drinker, as it shares the same sensibilities of time and space92
Mr. Gilman's publication is available only by subscription. See his website:
http://viewfromthecellar.com/
New Canaan Embraces Romorantin!
It's flying off the shelves here at Francos Wines.