Hello Friends and Wine Lovers!

Welcome, again, to the Carpe Vinum Friday Flights Announcement and Weekly Newsletter! And it’s a fine time for it! This week we’re serving up flights of the French Rhone! Last year we (as in the whole world version of “we”) had a slight deficiency in decent Rhone wines. But this year, it’s a good time to be alive. . .and drinking wine! So here we go!

Rhone Wines! These are some of my favorite in the world. I know you hear me say that about a lot of wines, and that’s probably due to the fact that I don’t really talk about the wines I don’t like. Nobody likes a naysayer, yea? Seriously, though, the French Rhone is one of the best places to get decent value for amazing flavor. It’s a region of France that is still a bit underrated and if it stays that way, it’s fine by me. It keeps the prices down.

The region is in the Southeastern section of France, bordering on the Northern side of Provence and Languedoc (the regions bordering the Mediterranean Sea) and stretching North along the Rhone River to the Southern border of Burgundy. The Rhone is divided into Northern Rhone and Southern Rhone by, as far as I can tell, an imaginary line. The North grows predominantly Syrah grapes, is notable for regions like Cornas, Hermitage, Cote Rotie, and fairly enormous price tags to wines with these names. The Southern Rhone has more focus on wines made with Grenache, Carignane, Mourvedre, as well as Syrah (and some 30-or-so other varietals), with the more prestigious regions of Chateauneuf du Pape and Gigondas, and have a great deal more affordable wines. (Although the more premiere Chateauneufs could cost an arm-and-a-leg. . .and-possibly-half-the-other-leg-and-maybe-a-finger.)

Now what I was referring to earlier with the Rhone deficiency in the world was due to massive storms that ravaged the vineyards and the grape crops in 2002. Many producers didn’t even bother producing a wine because it was so bad, and the ones that did made wines that were sketchy at best. Vines were destroyed or drowned, and the grapes that “survived” the storms were battered and swollen from the massive rains. Now, however, it’s a whole new vintage being released, and the 2003 Rhones are amazing! So to get just a general idea of the overall vintage of the region, the First Five this time around are all Cotes du Rhone from 2003.

The Additional Two are some wonderful wines I found from more premium regions within the Rhone. It wouldn’t be a Rhone tasting without a Chateauneuf du Pape. And by the grace that is the chaotic Portland wine wholesale industry, I got quite a deal on it. The same goes for the next one which is a Northern Rhone wine from the Saint-Joseph region. And that’s always the perfect opportunity to get to try things otherwise falling into the luxury category. Or the losing-an-appendage category.

So Friday, October 21st, between 4:30 and 9:00 PM it’s:

Rhone. . .Cotes du Rhone!
Edmond Burle 2003 Cotes du Rhone
Domaine Lafond 2003 Cotes du Rhone “Roc Epine”
La Font du Vent 2003 Cotes du Rhone Villages “Notre Passion”
Andre Brunel 2003 Cotes du Rhone “Cuvee Sabrine”
Chateau les Amoureuses 2003 Cotes du Rhone “La Barbare”

Some of the Best of the North and the South!!
Roger Sabon 2000 Chateauneuf du Pape “Cuvee Reserve”
Louis Cheze 2000 Saint-Joseph “Cuvee Prestige de Caroline”

A stellar deal at $10 for the First 5, and $6 for the Extra 2 Premium Pours
Hope to see you here!
Seize the Wine!

Next Friday tasting is A Spooky Halloween Selection!

M