IT'S GREAT TO BE ALIVE / I COUNT MY MANY BLESSINGS EACH & EVERY DAY, BIG AND SMALL : & ONE OF THE BIG ONES IS ALWAYS BEING CLOSE AT HAND TO HELP YOU ALL.

I LOVE IT : IT ALL IS VERY SPECIAL TO ME : sounds like a line, I know, but it isn't. It's why I stay and continue to do what I do. It occurred to me the other day that, in many ways, we come to really depend - to count on one another. It's hard when we lose someone important, and that person either does not call or come by anymore. It affects us in ways that we often cannot measure or put into words. The things we think but do not say could and often do make a big difference in that person's / in our lives. SO : say it, especially if it's a positive thing. Don't assume it will not make a difference or be appreciated : it will on both counts. That's my PEP-TALK for the moment.

I MARVEL THAT I have never lost either my enthusiasm or my love for wine and beverages that relax and make our lives a bit easier to absorb in their entirety. I know I talk a lot about wine but I have come to be more appreciative and focused on the categories of : 1) Ale & Beer, 2) Cider and both 3) Liqueur and Liquor, too.

JUST LAST NIGHT I went over to my Swedish neighbor's house with a bottle of the " Abel " PIERRE FERRAND French Cognac that we have rarely sold here because it is so expensive. It was given to me years as a " thank-you " from our PIERRE FERRAND French rep Stephane Defot a few years ago. We have always sold and recommended the PIERRE FERRAND Cognac going way back to when we had it presented to us by Alexandre that lives in Paris now with his American wife : both that have been here in our store.

IT WAS NICE for us on Monday, Memorial Day to celebrate this special holiday with some of the old and glorious " Abel " Pierre Ferrand. My neighbor's mother adores French cognac and I told them all that I saved it to share with those that really do appreciate it. What's the point otherwise. Go to our Facebook page at : Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits and look at the picture taken of her holding her glass filled with such a beautiful golden hued cognac and her gentle smile that covers her face entirely. What a grand celebration this was, and just after a fine grilled meal that I made for my family earlier : two very special moments indeed.

TODAY : We Have the PIERRE FERRAND " Ambre " and the Original 1840 Formula 1er Cru De Cognac, Grande Champagne cognac, $50.99, 45% alcohol by volume, www.cognacferrand.com ) on our shelves. Smooth as can be! Highly recommended for a Father's Day gift : buy it early and stash it away : be PROACTIVE about FATHER'S DAY because it will be here sooner than you know it.

STEPHANE DEFOT now has his own Import Company called Z WINE GALLERY IMPORTS and he sells us another FABulous " Father's Day " gift :

1) Chateauneuf-Du-Pape 2010 from the DOMAINE JULIETTE AVRIL ( On Special for $32.99, regularly $39.99, 14% alcohol by volume, with the TERRA VITIS gold sticker " Observer, respecter pour produire " ), from a great year and with an elegance, a polish and a finesse that is incredible, medium-to-light-bodied, toasty berry-spicy flavors that with a grilled meal or seasoned foods, slightly chill the bottle and enjoy this Father's Day weekend soon-approaching us! Cheers. Merci Stephane.

THREE MORE GREAT FATHER'S DAY REDS Gifts :

1) The Puzzle from NEWTON Spring Mountain District, 2007 - GREAT VINTAGE, Napa Valley, California : a dry FABulous red blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc grapes ( On Special for $79.99, regularly $104.99 a bottle, 14.5% alcohol by volume, www.newtonvineyard.com ) : made up of 112 distinctive vineyard blocks among 120 planted acres. This is about as special as it gets : ANYTHING that NEWTON chooses to put it's hands on is spectacular! THE BEST, Le TOP Niveau as they say in France, the very finest. Great gift.

2) " Clos Apalta " Estate-Bottled Limited Release 2008 dry red Bordeaux-Blend from Chile's LAPOSTOLLE ( On Special for $58.99 a bottle, regularly $79.99, 14.2% alcohol by volume, owned by the Marnier-Lapostolle French family , www.lapostolle.com ) : from the Colchagua Valley/ Rappel Valley - made with the help of Michel Rolland, not fined or filtered, all about the " terroir " and preserving the integrity of the specific region here in Chile : the creme-de-la-creme so to speak : the very best Chile can make. GREAT Father's Day Gift! Enjoy!

3) LOTA 2007 from COUSINO-MACUL, from Chile's Maipo Valley, $99.99 a bottle, a FABulous dry red blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Merlot : we had this open here recently with Jodi Jackman of Winebow Imports and this will make another GREAT Father's Day present. Be PROACTIVE, BUY and PAY for it tomorrow during our Weekly Wednesday Non-Sparkling / Still 3-Part WINE-SALE and SAVE 20% OFF each of these bottles, including the FABBIOLI Tannat 2009! SAVE BIG here for Father's Day and get the choices you want while they are in stock. You know, the early bird gets ...

Non-Sparkling Still-Wine Wednesday Weekly SALE - 3-Part :

1) BUY ANY Non-Sparkling Wines over $20 a bottle and SAVE 20% OFF on the marked sticker price.

2) BUY ANY SIX Non-Sparkling/ still wines and SAVE 15% OFF the marked sticker prices.

3) BUY ANY TWELVE or more bottles of Non-Sparkling Wine and SAVE 20% OFF the marked sticker prices, whether on sale or not, SAVE weekly here with us.

This includes : port. sherry, marsala, madeira, and sake as well as all still wines. MIX THE UP, get what you need to stock a portion of your bar and SAVE WEEKLY here with us @ Cleveland Park Wines! CALL : 202-363-4265 and ask for Michel or for Tony, we will be glad to assist you with whatever you might want to have. Thanks.

ALE / BEER / CIDER From Santos Rivera :

1) GOUDEN CAROLUS 4-Pack Sampler - includes : a) Ambrio, 8% alcohol by volume, b) Classic, 8.5% alcohol by volume; c) Tripel 9% alcohol by volume; and d) Hopsinjoor, 8% alcohol by volume : something for every taste, ( On Special for $8.99 a 4-pack of 11.2 Fl. Oz bottles, Go To : www.hetanker.be for more info, from Mechelen, Belgium. Cheers. Another great Father's Day gift. Great packaging. Just had some conversation about this here this past Saturday with our customers eager to find some and happy we had it!

2) White Hatter Belgian-Style WPA ( White Pale Ale ) from NEW HOLLAND Brewing , On Special for $10.99 a 6-pack of 12-ounce bottles, ale brewed with natural flavors,www.NewHollandBrew.com, ) : great with fish, grilled chicken and hard cheeses.

3) MILLSTONE Harvest Handcrafted Artisinal Cider with raw honey ( On Special for $17.99 a 750ml bottle, from Monkton, Maryland,www.millstonecellars.com , 8% alcohol by volume , residual sugar is 2.5%, Sweetness - is semi-sweet) : Combining the York Imperial and the Rome Beauty apples with some raw honey : a " toast to the changing of the leaves with a cask aged cider from last season's harvest. A crisp autumnal delight crafted from select vintage apples, infused with a blend of Appalachian wildflower and blueberry honeys. " WOW : sounds pretty amazing - another GREAT Father's Day present. Gluten-free, too.

LIQUOR/ LIQUEUR From Ravi :

1) ST. ELDER Natural Elderflower Liqueur from NATURAL PREMIUM ( On Special for $18.99 a 750ml bottle, 20% Alcohol by Volume, from Sommerville, MA. ) : " ST. ELDER is handcrafted in small batches from a natural extract of fresh elderflower blossoms. The result is a finely balanced liqueur that easily pairs with a variety of spirits and can liven up any classic cocktail ". For more recipes go to : www.St-Elder.com. Cheers.

2) Black Barrel Small Batch Handcrafted Rum from MOUNT GAY Est. 1703 , Barbados Rum ( $32.99 a 750ml bottle, pure coral-filtered spring water from St Lucy, Barbados, master distiller is Allen Smith, West Indies , www.mountgayrum.com ) : " Aromas : Complex notes of spice, roasted wood, followed by fruit ... Taste : Bold spice balanced with oak vanilla, Body : Warm, medium body with long finish ." ENJOY : GREAT Father's Day present as well : so many wonderful choices.

3) " Dual Cask " Handcrafted in two distinct Oak Barrels KENTUCKY STRAIGHT BOURBON WHISKEY, Finished in French Oak Barrels by FILIBUSTER ( $40.99 a 750ml bottle, Batch #1, Bottle # 210, 45% alcohol by volume, www.filibusterbourbon.com ) : distilled in Indiana, bottled in Bardstown, Kentucky ) : " only the finest charred American oak casks, age our small batch bourbon where the carefully selected oak yields a sweet and full flavor ... " WOW, impressive - world-class in my humble opinion.

4) Reposado Tequila from Jalisco, Mexico, made from 100% Agave Azul by SASAMIGOS ( On Special for $56.99 a 750ml bottle, 40% alcohol by volume, exclusivo to George Cloud and Rande ... beautiful deep golden color, too : smart, classic, FUN package, bottle and label : another GREAT Father's Day gift idea?!?

WINE From Michel & Tony :

1) Vinho Verde dry white slightly sparkling. low-alcohol Portuguese white from SANTOLA ( $8.99 a 750ml bottle, from Mealhada, Portugal, 9% alcohol by volume ) , a blend of two grapes from Portugal that provide a softer, mellower, brighter, easier-to-sip white that's perfect when the humidity strikes us all hard and we still want to be outside enjoying a glass of white wine and want to feel goof even after we drink it! Cheers.

2) Muscat and Viognier blended to make a flavorful dry French white wine, the " Le Canon Du Marechal " from CAZES that is Biodynamic ( On Special for $8.99 a bottle, from Rivesaltes, southwest France, certified organic by Ecocert, www.cazes-rivesaltes.com/ info@cazes.com ) is showing really well and great for grills and when you have some well-seasoned foods to serve along with it.

3) 2012 Dry Rose of Sangiovese from ALEXANDER VALLEY VINEYARDS in Alexander Valley, estate-grown & bottled ( $13.99 a bottle, 13.2% alcohol by volume , Sonoma County, CA. www.avvwine.com ) : since 1962 by the Wetzel Family estate, " We farm a small Sangiovese vineyard exclusively for this rose and prune heavily to promote even ripening while maintaining acidity and minerality in the grapes ... "

4) Malbec Reserve 2011 from BODEGA PIEDRA NEGRA, Mendoza, Argentina ( $13.99 a bottle, from Francois Lurton, 14% alcohol by volume ) : from the Cordillera Mountains at a high altitude, producing highly concentrated grapes, aged in barrels that produce dense wines with powerful aromas and are pretty hearty and round, too : best with meals like a good grill or barbecue. A favorite of many of our customers.

WEEKEND TASTINGS :

Friday, May 31st, 2013 ( 5-8PM ) : We have Scott Calvert of Monument Imports coming to pour some delicious dry and complex and mature Riesling from BORTHWICK VINEYARD, the Paddy Borthwick winemaker New Zealand white ( $20.99, from Dakins Road, Wairarapa , 12.5% alcohol by volume, www.borthwick.co.nz) that is very flavorful, very complex, intense, developed and best with a meal as it puts it all out there : no hiding, no place to take cover : extraverted, tasty and a very unique and dry white with character to share and identity to spare! Scott will also pour some of the 2008 " ACORN " Cabernet Franc from the Alegria Vineyards in the Russian River Valley. It sells for $35.99 a bottle, 13.5% alcohol by volume, made by winemakers Betsy and Bill Nachbaum, go to :www.acornwinery.com , Healdsburg, CA. Sonoma County for more info ); it's medium-bodied, still developing really nicely in the bottle, flavorful and will mellow gracefully and slowly : a bit hearty and angular now. Best with a tasty meal if enjoyed now : a nice Father's Day grill. Scott will also have a " Super " Southwest French wine grown at high altitudes and swept clean and relentlessly by forceful winds so the vines have to dig deeply to hold their place and not lose ground. It's almost half-off and a wonderful young and youthful dry red French blend - a real treat!

Saturday, June 1st, 2013 ( 2-6PM ) : We have Chuck of Robin Cellars Imports here pouring a selection of his wines: a mix of California, French, German and maybe more? We will decide tomorrow and I am leaning to doing more wines from Europe as we recently did an excellent tasting of California's finest with Chuck like the SHANNON RIDGE Petite Sirah Lake County 2010 High Elevation Collection, $13.99 a bottle, 13.9% alcohol by volume. Join us, never any charge.

IF YOU NEED ANY HELP with homes and apartments you can contact our good friend and customer Debbie Gerald a realtor with KW Capitol Properties in Bethesda, MD. at : 301-873-0422 or ( O ) 240-383-`350, Debbie@GoBrentTeam.com, also :www.GoBrentTeam.com. She was just here last week and I am including this info if it may be of any service to you all. Cheers.

UPDATE : Just tried some Premier Chablis dry white Burgundy from the LA CHABLISIENNE house in Burgundy, the 2011 Fourchaume Premier Cru that will sell for around $40 or less? It sure was tasty, full and rich, quite a nice mouth-feel, some real presence and flavor, rounded and pleasing and very adaptable to a variety of tastes and food flavors. Still a touch young, will be even better in another year or so with great elasticity and mineral components and a good, long clean finish that lingered and that I can still taste. Merci Cedric of BLASONS De BOURGOGNE that also sells us the fine sparkling Cremant wines of Burgundy in half bottles and full bottles that we LOVE to sell here : the BAILLY-LAPIERRE dry brut Pinot Noir, the dry white Chardonnay, and the dry white Reserve bottling, too. Tasty, classic and always well-received by our customers. More is coming in the first week of June. We are currently out of all of them now. The timing was perfect for you Dan et toi Cedric. Sante, cheers : enjoy!

I AM SURE I have forgotten many things but it is time to post this store email now and get it into your most capable of hands. Let us know how we may better assist you? Cheers and thanks to you all! TONY

WE DO DELIVER : call us at : 202-363-4265 and place your orders.

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