Manhattan Fine Wine and Dine Group

Menus (ilmonellonyc.com)

** The cost of this event is $74 and is for the cost of the wines and corkage only. Please understand, that Il Monello charges us corkage, which is included in the price of the event.

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 $6 more for each RSVP. You will see this charge when you complete your rsvp and pay for the event. Sorry!

Just a reminder of our usual rules:

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 either appetizer or dessert) for your dinner.

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 $5 service fee.

Please use public transportation - NO DRINKING AND DRIVING!

The Wines (notes will be distributed at the dinner):

2018 Argyle Chardonnay Lone Star Vineyard ($50) - CT 92.5, I tried this Oregon Chardonnay on my visit to the Pacific Northwest last year and loved it. I only bought 2 bottles and this is my last one. One Cellartracker post said, "a lot of vivid citrus on this, lemon and lime zest more than orchard fruit. Some suggestions of powdery, chalky minerals and a subtle yeasty or bready accent. It's almost like a chablis in the flavor profile, but with a little bit more richness and less acidic verve than that style suggests."

2021 Argyle Pinot Noir Artisan Series Dundee Hills ($62) - Another wine from Argyle. Also from Oregon's Willamette Valley.

2014 Martinelli Pinot Noir Blue Slide Ridge ($100) - CT 92.5, WA 96 points, "Pale to medium ruby-purple in color, the 2014 Pinot Noir Blue Slide Ridge opens to quite an earthy nose with notions of damp soil, dried leaves and wet pebbles over a core of cherries and mulberries with a touch of blackberries. Concentrated, full-bodied and plushly textured, it has tons of gregarious fruit, with bags of baking spices coming through on the long finish. (drink 2018-2036)"

2021 Rivers-Marie Pinot Noir Silver Eagle Vineyard ($65) - CT 92.8, from California's Sonoma Coast. JD 96 points, "The deep ruby 2021 Pinot Noir Silver Eagle Vineyard is expressive in its perfume noted with a delicate touch of sweet cola spice, cinnamon candy, raspberry liqueur, and fresh pine. Full-bodied, it has great immediacy without being dumbed down, and delivers a flood of juicy berries, flowers, and fresh earth. Fine tannins and a silky texture make for an outstanding wine to drink over the next 10-12 years."

2020 Occidental Pinot Noir Cuvée Elizabeth Bodega Headlands ($150) - CT 94.7, WA 95 points, "The 2020 Pinot Noir Bodega Headlands Vineyard Cuvee Elizabeth pours a youthful ripe ruby hue and has very attractive floral aromas of wild raspberry, incense, wildflowers, and wet stone. Medium-bodied, with great balance of ripeness and purity, it offers cherry liqueur, violets, fine tannins, and a soft mineral texture and has seamless freshness of acidity without any harsh edges. Drink 2023-2033."

ABA Turkish MENU

Just a reminder of our usual rules:

** The cost of this event is $34 and is for the cost of the wines

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 either appetizer or dessert) for your dinner. There are very few restaurants that allow us to bring our own wine for a Zero corkage fee. We must be good guests to encourage the restaurant to continue to be generous to us.

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 $5 service fee.

Please use public transportation - NO DRINKING AND DRIVING!

The Wines (notes will be distributed at the dinner):

2020 Guillaume Clusel Côteaux du Lyonnais L'Hecto ($25) -This Chardonnay comes from the Northern Rhone. My notes from September, "Notes of brown butter, and clean floral notes. On the palate nice green apple, but not tart fruit."

2021 Clusel-Roch Côteaux du Lyonnais Le Vin du Spoutnick ($30) - A GAMAY from the Northern Rhone? YES! From the importer, "this is the third vintage of Guillaume's small trial with carbonic maceration, the whole berry (not crushed) vinification technique that is so popular in Beaujolais, but which is not at all common in the N Rhône. The wine is then aged for a year in demi muid, and the results so far have been lip smackingly good due to the juicy and appetizing primacy afforded by carbonic maceration. This one sounds like some juicy tasty fun......"

2007 Domaine Paul Autard Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Juline ($80) - CT 92.8, reviewed 3 times by the WA, here is the most recent from 3/1/2017, 94 Points, "The modern styled 2007 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Juline (mostly Grenache vinified and aged in new barrels) has elegant yet rich and decadent notes of cassis, currants, toasted spice and sweet oak. Full-bodied, perfectly balanced and layered, it has plenty of integrated oak but has a beautifully Provencal, lengthy style that will keep it drinking nicely for another 10-15 years."

2007 Domaine Durieu Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Lucile Avril ($60 ) - CT 92, both JD and WA gave this 95 points, here is JD's review, "Easily the best vintage of this cuvee I’ve tasted, the 2007 Domaine Durieu Châteauneuf-du-Pape Réserve Lucile Avril, a blend of 90% old vine Grenache and the rest a mix of Mourvèdre and Syrah, delivers a thrilling mix of lavender, roasted garrigue, melted licorice, noir, and kirsch liqueur like qualities that give way to a seamless, full-bodied Châteauneuf-du-Pape that has no hard edges, perfect balance, and a heady, decadent finish that pumps out loads of fruit and richness. A fantastic drink right now with an hour or two decant, this beauty should continue to shine for 12-15 years or more."

2019 Domaine Vincent Paris St. Joseph Les Cotes ($30) - CT 90.3. ""Vibrant blackberry and cherry liqueur aromas are complicated by suggestions of cracked pepper, pungent flowers and smoked meat. Juicy black/blue fruit and allspice flavors show very good energy and become weightier with air while maintaining focus. Fine-grained tannins add framework to the spice- and floral-driven finish, which leaves a building mineral note behind." 91-93 Josh Raynolds"

Here is a link to their menu:
OM Menu - Om Indian Restaurant (omindianfood.com)

Just a reminder of our usual rules:
* The cost of this event is $36 and is for the cost of the wines and corkage only. 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 either appetizer or dessert) for your dinner.

Please use public transportation - NO DRINKING AND DRIVING!

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. No refunds or credits will be given for no-shows or late cancellations (unless someone else takes your spot). There is also a $4 service charge for cancellations.

The Wines (notes will be distributed at the dinner):
2019 Loersch Trittenheimer Apotheke Jungheld Riesling Holzfass ($45) - CT 93, ""The 2019er Trittenheimer Apotheke Jungheld Holzfass, as it is referred to on the central part of the label, is a bone-dry wine (with 3 g/l of residual sugar) made from 80-120-year-old un-grafted vines in this prime south-west-facing sector of the Apotheke and which was fermented and aged in an acacia cask. This lightly yellow-colored wine offers a slightly ample and creamy nose made of pear, grapefruit, cardamom, earthy spices, and floral notes. The wine proves subtly creamy and ample on the palate (without however being overpowering) and leaves a slate-infused touch in the hugely creamy, spicy, and mineral finish. 2024-2034" 92 Mosel Fine Wines"

2011 Piers Saffran Red Mountain ($25) - This is one of Garagiste's own private label wines. This one is a Bordeaux blend from WA state's Red Mountain. All the Cellar Tracker reviews from 2022 on are over 92 points. Outside of that, I can't tell you anything about this wine because I don't know! I will say that Garagiste's Private label wines tend to over deliver for the price.

2008 Reynvaan Family Vineyards Syrah In the Rocks ($32) - From WA State and the Walla Walla Valley. The reviews, while all over 90 points from various reviewers range from 90 to 95, but all the comments are similar, here is Sean Sullivan's 4* review (where he bumped it up a star from 5 months earlier), "Outrageous aromatics of jerky, black olive juice, earth, and high-toned floral notes. An intense - extremely intense - flavor profile with a richly textured mouthfeel. Capped off by an extremely long finish. A huge leap forward from last year’s offering. 92% Syrah co-fermented with 6.5% Viognier and 1.5% Marsanne. 13.2% alcohol. "

2022 Domaine Parpette Côtes du Rhône Bertholon ($28) - An everyday Syrah from the Cotes du Rhone that over delivers for the price. No reviews and the only notes on Cellar Tracker are mine!

2017 Lewelling Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon St. Helena ($60)- CT 92.4, JD 95 points, " The 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon is a big winner in the vintage, offering a plushness and sexiness that’s hard to find. Loaded with notions of cassis, tobacco, and truffly earth, it’s medium to full-bodied, has a wonderfully pure, balanced, seamless texture, plenty of mid-palate depth, and a great finish. Winemaker Haley Wight continues to fashion a balanced yet opulent style of Cabernet that I absolutely love. Drink this beauty any time over the coming 15-20 years. (Drink between 2020-2035)"

83 1/2 Ristorante Menu

Just a reminder of our usual rules:

** The cost of this event is $32 and is for the wines only.

NOTE: Meetup has started charging a "Partner Fee" that comes to approximately $3 more for each RSVP. Sorry!

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 either appetizer or dessert) for your dinner.

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 $10 service fee.

Please use public transportation - NO DRINKING AND DRIVING!

White

2022 Vigneti Massa Derthona (Timorasso)

Not your typical light and simply refreshing Italian aperitivo white wine. It’s got substance and structure and deserves substantial food, such as richer fish, poultry, and pork dishes.

From the Colli Tortonesi in south-eastern Piemonte, 'Derthona' is the ancient name for Tortona and is home to where winemaker Walter Massa rediscovered the Timorasso grape.

Known for its honeyed minerality and acidity, structure and depth, this is a great alternative to Austrian or Alsace dry Riesling

Reds

2018 Enrico Druetto Vino Rosso Rovej (Slarina)

Rovej 2018 is a full-bodied red with excellent structure for aging. Druetto's passion for the recovery of native vines emerges once again with Slarina, a difficult grape, very tannic and "bitter". It was considered an "improving" grape, to be cut and combined with Barbera.

The result is a very particular wine, with great personality, a wine that is very intriguing and above all long-lived.

2022 Rovellotti "Ronco al Maso" Colline Novaresi (Vespolina)

Vespolina usually plays the primary supporting role to the great Nebbiolo-based wines of the Alto Piemonte, however, here you have a 100% expression of the varietal.

Hailing from a 1 acre southern exposed plot in Ghemme, this wine is vinified in stainless steel to preserve its zesty, fresh, wild berry fruits. Added complexity comes from three months in large 'botti' (massive barrels) and is then bottled the spring following harvest. Chill it slightly and enjoy!

2023 Ferraris Vigna del Parroco Ruché di Castagnole Monferrato (Ruché)

The grapes used for this wine come from the first vineyard ever planted entirely with Ruchè. This wine captivates for its brightness, with shades of ruby and hints of purple on the rim.

Deep purple in color, this pretty wine has aromas of sour cherry, raspberry, and intense floral notes. The palate is vibrant and fresh with notes of game and strawberry fruit leather finishing with soft tannins and a persistent intensity of both savory and fruit-driven flavors.