Rhone & Rhone Style Blends

I really think that Rhone and Rhone style blends go great with Turkish/Mediterrianian food, so join me for this 8 person dinner at Akdeniz, a favorite Turkish restaurant in Midtown West, we will have 1 white wine, and 4 reds, all Rhone type wines.

Here is a link to Akdeniz' menu

Just a reminder of our usual rules:

The cost of this event is $37 and is for the wines and corkage. You will also have to pay the cost of your food (plus 33% for tax and tip). Please order at least two courses (i.e. a main dish and appetizer ). There are very few restaurants that allow us to bring our own wine for a low corkage.

NOTE: Meetup has started charging a "Partner Fee" that is above and in addition to the listed price of the event. It is annoying and confusing, but there is nothing I can do about it. It comes to approximately $4 more for each RSVP. You will see this charge when you complete your rsvp and pay for the event. MEETUP+ members are exempt from this charge.

Please read and understand the group's cancellation policy. If you take spot, then cancel, and no one else takes the spot, you will not receive a refund or credit. No refunds or credits will be given for no-shows or late cancellations (unless someone else takes your spot). All cancellations are subject to a $6 service fee.

Lastly: NO DRINKING AND DRIVING

The Wines (notes will be distributed at the dinner):
2022 Cédric Parpette Côtes du Rhône Blanc Berthelon ($26) - From the importer, "100% Viognier, and is at once incredibly aromatic in the inimitable honeyed and white floral style of great Viognier, yet fresh and bright at the same time. Cédric made very very little of these, and they usually only went to French restaurants; Clusel Roch, Stéphane Ogier, and himself (Cedric Papeete) are the only three vignerons in Côte Rôtie to bottle a single lieu dit Côtes du Rhône from the Côte Rôtie hillside. The lieu dit Berthelon sits at the foot of the Verenay hillside, below les Grandes Places.......As an everyday Viognier, like everything Cédric ever made, impossible to beat for the money......get what you can, and thank me later....

2020 Force Majeure Parabellum Coulée Rhone Blend ($44) - CT 91.9, Everytime I pour this "entry level" Rhone blend for our group, we love it! JD 95 points, "The 2020 Parabellum Couleé checks in as 58% Syrah, 21% Grenache, and 21% Mourvèdre, and it's a hidden little gem in the vintage. Ripe red and black fruits, peppery herbs, violets, cedar pencil, and lavender all emerge on the nose, and it hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, a supple, layered, sexy mouthfeel, ripe tannins, and a great finish. It's a gorgeous, satisfying, layered beauty to enjoy over the coming decade. (Drink between 2023-2033)"

2005 Patrick Lesec Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Bargeton ($55) - Going vintage here! WA 94+ points, "Utterly profound, the 2005 Chateauneuf du Pape Bargeton (85% old vine Grenache from the sector of Chateauneuf du Pape called La Crau and the rest Mourvedre) is the only Chateauneuf to be completely aged in small barrels. This full-bodied wine has a deep ruby/purple color and a sweet nose of melted licorice, roasted Provencal herbs, blackberry, and deep, rich kirsch liqueur. It is quite full-bodied, unctuously textured, and juicy, with moderately high tannins. Give it 3-4 years of bottle age and drink it over the following two decades.

I can’t speak highly enough of the job that Patrick Lesec does as a negociant, putting together interesting and high quality blends of Cotes du Rhones and Chateauneuf du Papes. He seems to have a talent for finding top quality sources for old vine Grenache, and his philosophy of bringing wines up is one of minimal intervention in a reductive environment with little exposure to oxygen. That’s important, because his wines often take a few years after bottling to strut their stuff. I have been very impressed with how the wines do perform in bottle, having purchased 1998s, 2000s, and 2001s, all of which seem to come into their own at about age four or five. I also noticed that his 2005s generally showed better out of bottle than they did last year prior to bottling. (drink 2010-2030)"

2016 Le Vieux Donjon Châteauneuf-du-Pape ($50) - JD 98 points, "The 2016 CdP is unquestionably the greatest wine made from this estate to date and surpasses the 1998, 2007, and 2010. Checking in as a normal blend of 75% Grenache, 10% each of Syrah and Mourvèdre, and the balance Cinsault, it offers a heavenly bouquet of blackcurrants, ground pepper, new saddle leather, garrigue, and an assortment of exotic spices. Deep, full-bodied, incredibly concentrated, yet with the purity, elegance, and finesse that makes this vintage so special, it can be drunk any time over the coming two decades or more. Bravo! Domaine Vieux Donjon is another reference point estate for classic, traditionally made Châteauneuf-du-Pape. These rich, powerful wines are simply loaded with Provençal aromas and flavors of meaty black fruits, spice, and garrigue. Traditional Châteauneuf-du-Pape rarely gets better. (Drink by 2038)"

2021 Ridge Evangelho ($40) - JD 90 points, "From Contra Costa County in California, which is south of Napa and just east of San Francisco, the 2021 Evangelho is based on 58% Carignane, 22% Zinfandel, and 20% Mataro. Spicy red and black fruits, cigar, savory herbs, dried orange, and some leather nuances all emerge on the nose, and it hits the palate with medium-bodied richness, firm yet still ripe tannins, and a great finish. This spicy, complex, savory red will evolve for at least a decade. (Drink between 2024-2034)