Rhone and Rhone Style Wines

Join me for this 8 person dinner at Akdeniz, a favorite Turkish restaurant in Midtown West, we will be exploring wines from the Rhone and Rhone style wines from other locations.

Here is a link to Akdeniz' menu

Just a reminder of our usual rules:

The cost of this event is $45 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):

2021 Marc Sorrel Crozes-Hermitage Blanc ($45) - CT 93. No reviews that I could find, here are the importers notes, "full yellow robe; has a toasty, apricot aroma that surrounds well, swirls, shows ginger snap, is Marsanne-led. The palate bears stylish gras delivered immediately, extends surely, has a natural freshness, is springy, ace Crozes blanc, leads into a grainy, oaked close, old vine sève [sap] in the middle, right where it should be. Loss of 40% from the frost at Larnage, -7°C there. 90% Mars, 10% Rouss. This is 12°, no chaptalisation, 2° less than recent years. From spring 2024." Four and a half stars, John Livingstone Learmonth

2012 Mas Doix Priorat Costers de Vinyes Velles ($85) - From Spain's Proriat, I haven't poured this in a long time. CT 93.1, WA 95 points, "The 2010 Doix Costers de Vinyes Velles is a blend of 55% Cariñena and the rest Garnacha from very old vines planted on schist (llicorella) soils in the village of Poboleda, where the family originated and the winery and vineyards are located. The 2012 was fermented in stainless steel with neutral yeasts and matured in new 225-liter French oak barrels for 16 months. Only the best grapes tolerate such oak treatment, and although there are still some oak-related aromas the wine has swallowed down the barrique; such is the power and concentration of the juice here. The palate is XL, intense and powerful but with very good balance, freshness (2012 can be a great vintage for Priorat) and chewy tannins. It is a superb, powerful Priorat. 5,500 bottles were produced. (drink 2016-2027)"

2010 Domaine de Marcoux Châteauneuf-du-Pape ($60) - CT 91.4, JD 92 points, "The 2010 Domaine de Marcoux Châteauneuf-du-Pape, a rough blend of 80% Grenache, 10% Mourvedre, 7% Syrah, and 3% Cinsault that is aged mostly in concrete tank, is a classic 2010 that exhibits gorgeous aromas of black raspberry, saddle leather, sappy garrigue, and licorice qualities on the nose. Perfumed, rich, and sweetly fruited, this has a surprisingly structured, focused feel on the palate, with excellent concentration, plenty of tannin, and a lengthy finish. It will be a long-lived Châteauneuf-du-Pape that needs 3-4 years of bottle age, and will shine for 15+."

2016 Domaine Vincent Paris Cornas Granit 60 ($45) - CT 91.7, JD 95+ points, "he 2016 Cornas Granit 60 is more backward and reticent, with smoky dark fruits, earthy minerality, pepper, and bouquet garni aromas and flavors. Deep, pure, and concentrated, it’s a big, rich wine, yet it stays polished and elegant on the palate, with a straight, focused style that builds with time in the glass. Just a brilliant wine, it can be drunk today with incredible pleasure or cellared for 10-15 years. Bravo! It’s important to understand the three Cornas cuvées from the young Vincent Paris. The Granite 30 is a younger vine cuvée from less steep hillside parcels (roughly 30 degrees), and it’s mostly destemmed and brought up in a mix of mostly used barrels. There are about 1,000 cases produced. The Granite 60 comes from older vines in the Patou, Les Mazards and Sauman lieux-dits, and steep slopes (60 degrees, which is where the cuvée gets its name). This cuvée sees some stem inclusion and a similar time in mostly used barrels."

2017 B. Leighton Gratitude Olsen Brothers Vineyard ($37) - From WA State's Yakima Valley. CT 91.3, JD 96 points, "A cuvée made for winemaker Brennen Leighton's wife and a field blend of 70% Mourvèdre, 25% Grenache, and 5% Syrah, the 2017 Gratitude ranks with the finest Mourvèdres to come from the state. Awesome notes of black raspberry liqueur, incense, ground pepper, and forest floor give way to a medium to full-bodied, ripe, powerful yet weightless 2017 that does everything right. It’s already just about impossible to resist, yet my money is on it evolving for a solid decade. Brennon Leighton is one of the pillars behind the incredible quality coming from the K Vintners lineup, yet he also makes a tiny amount of wine under his own B. Leighton label. These are singular, incredibly impressive wine which are unfortunately made in just tiny quantities. Trust me, they’re well worth the effort to track down! (Drink between 2020-2030)"