Month: April 2022

Raw Wine Festival New York 2022

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The Raw Wine Festival is an international Natural Wine fair that stops in London, Berlin, Los Angeles, Miami, Montreal and New York City. It’s all about low intervention organic, biodynamic, natural wines, “the most important event for artisanal and natural wines in the international wine calendar”.

The Spring edition was held in New York City on March 27-28 at an event space at 99 Scott Street in Bushwick, Brooklyn.

These wines are still a niche market, but the market has grown tremendously the past decade. I attended on the first day on Sunday and the event space packed with trade and consumers ready and eager to try the wines. All of the major wine producing countries and several of the smaller ones were represented this afternoon with all styles of wine poured including still, sparkling, pet-nats and orange wines.

Many of the wine makers themselves were on hand to discuss their wines and not surprisingly were a colorful cast of characters.

These wines have come a long way in the past few years with the “funk” factor toned down.

Vintus Imports Portfolio Tasting

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Many of the distributors that supply the wine and bar industry here in New York carry a wide range of wines and spirits. Not surprisingly every bar and restaurant have its particular needs. They might be looking for a good wine by the glass or something out of the ordinary or maybe they’re looking for a trophy wine.

On March 21st I attended the Spring portfolio tasting of Vintus Imports which was held at their offices at 48 West 38th Street in Manhattan.

I was not familiar with this company and was curious to check out their portfolio. They did carry a good selection of wines as well as some interesting spirits including several aquavits.

Some highlights:

2007 Chateau Montelena Estate Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley): Opaque medium brick with a sweet perfume of graphite and black licorice, silky red fruit with dark chocolate notes finishing with green herbs. Lovely wine.

2018 Darioush Signature Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley): Opaque dark red, sweet nose of tar and wet earth, dense and chewy black fruit. Some heat at the end.

2019 Far Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon “Fission” (Sonoma): Opaque dark red to black, nose of ripe fruit, chewy and chunky black fruit with a dusty and chewy finish and a nice balance.

2017 Lucien Le Moine Chambolle Musigny 1er Cru “Les Baudes”: Clear light brick with graphite and leather on the nose, juicy red fruit with earthy notes, tight acids and a long finish.

2017 Lucien Le Moine Volnay 1er Cru “Clos des Chenas”: Clear light red, toasty red fruit on the nose, silky red fruit with some earth notes, nice balance.

2018 E. Guigal Saint-Joseph “Vignes de l’Hospice”: Clear dark red with a beautiful nose fo wet earth, mint and crushed black fruit, silky red fruit with wet rock notes on the fruit, balanced and long.

2016 Chateau de Nalys Chateauneuf du Pape: Clear dark brick, closed nose of bacon fat, dusty, silky dark fruit with slate notes, balanced and long.

2008 Tommasi “De Buris” (Veneto): Clear medium brick with damp earth and prunes on the nose, pruney green herbs on the tight finish.

2017 Tommasi Amarone Classico (Veneto): Clear light brick, closed nose of dark chocolate, juicy with raison and herbs of the long finish. Great balance.

2015 Casisano Brunello di Montalcino (Tuscany): Clear light red, tar and graphite on the nose, silky with earthy fruit and nicely balance.

Passport To Eataly

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Eataly is the “world’s largest artisanal Italian food and beverage marketplace”. It’s like an Italian food theme park with Italian themed groceries, restaurants and bars.

They also host cooking classes, wine and beverage classes and about once a month they throw an in-store party.

The standard formula for these parties is to offer 40+ Italian wines with several Italian inspired appetizers, a jazz band and plenty of people having a good time. Usually there is a theme either with the wine or the time of year. On March 25th at the downtown location (101 Liberty Street) that theme was Passport to Italy.

At this “Fiesta” the wines were mainly from the South of Italy with selections from Calabria, Sicily, Basilicata, Puglia, Molise, Lazio, Campania and Abruzzo.

A couple of the standout appetizers were the Vesuvio Con Salsiccia E Cime di Rape; house made pasta with sausage and broccoli rabe. Another was Spado alla Siciliano; Swordfish in a sauce of tomatoes, raisons, olives and pignoli nuts.

As usual it was filled with people enjoying the wine, food and music.

La Paulée de NY: Verticals Tasting 2022

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La Paulée de New York is Daniel Johnson’s homage to La Paulée de Meursault, a three-day long end of grape harvest festival held in Meursault, Burgundy in France. The festival itself was a revival of the end of harvest banquet that the medieval monks threw for their growers and workers.

Mr. Johnson brought that festival to New York in 2000 and after a one-year hiatus it’s back in New York City. It’s several days of tastings and wine dinners featuring the red and white wines of the Cote d’Or of Burgundy.

They threw two tastings, the Grand Tasting in which they poured 100+ wines from the current vintage release, and the Verticals Tasting in which each producer poured at least three different vintages of their wine.

I attended the Grand Tasting in March 2020 which was held just a few days before the lockdown, it was the last major tasting for me for almost two years. This year they were showcasing the 2018 and 2019 vintages to make up for the lost year. This year I didn’t attend that tasting but was able to make it to the Verticals Tasting. It was a little smaller in size than the Grand Tasting but was a great opportunity to drink Burgundy with some age to them. It was well worth the 10am start time.

The tasting took place at the event space Second in the Eventi Hotel at 849 6th Avenue in Manhattan.

Some highlights:

White

2011 Domaine du Duc de Magenta Chassagne Montrachet 1er Cru “Clos de la Chapelle”: Light yellow, toasty nose, roasted nuts and lime on the finish.

2012 Domaine Christian Moreau Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos “Clos des Hospices” en magnum: Dark gold in color, ripe tropical fruit on the nose, dusty, nutty on the finish.

2014 Bouchard Pere & Fils Corton Charlemagne Grand Cru: Light yellow with honey and cinnamon on the nose, mouthful of fruit with a nice balance

2015 Domaine Eleni & Edouard Vocoret Chablis 1er Cru “Les Butteaux”: Light yellow with a floral nose, nice balanced fruit ending with a firm finish

Red

2006 Domaine de la Vougeraie Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru: Clear light red, tar and cigar box on the nose with earthy, tobacco fruit and a long finish.

2007 Benjamin Leroux Volnay “Clos de la Cave du Ducs” Monopole: Clear light brick, beautiful nose of earth and barnyard with tobacco and cigar box notes on the long finish.

2009 Chandon de Briailles Corton Grand Cru “Les Bressandes” en magnum: Clear light red, plummy tobacco on the nose with silky bright red fruit and green herbs on the finish.

2009 Domaine Faiveley Echezeaux Grand Cru: Light brick, crushed raspberry and earth on the nose, silky red fruit ending with silky tannins and a long finish.

2010 Domaine Simon Bize Savigny les Beaune 1er Cru “Aux Vergelesses”: Clear light brick, cigar box on the nose, bright red fruit ending with mouth coating tannins.

2010 Joseph Drouhin Chambertin Clos de Beze Grand Cru: Clear light brick, tar and tobacco on the nose, silky, earthy fruit with firm acids and tannins at the end.

2010 Domaine du Comte Liger-Belair Vosne-Romanee 1er Cru “Aux Brulees” en magnum: Clear light brick, crushed blueberry on the nose, red toasty fruit with a silky finish.

2011 Domaine Faiveley Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru “Les Saint Georges“: Light brick in color, cigar box on the nose, nice balanced fruit with a long finish.

2011 Derey Freres Fixin 1er Cru “Les Hervedets”: Light brick, cinnamon, smoky tobacco and ripe fruit on the nose, chewy and nicely balanced with a long finish.

2011 Pierre Morey Pommard 1er Cru “Grand Epenots”: Clear light red, closed nose of crushed black fruit and dried herbs, silky red fruit with a nice balance.

2012 Antoine Donnedieu Clos de Tart Grand Cru monople: Clear light red, barnyard and green herbs on the nose, tight and tart.

2013 Domaine d’Eugenie Vosne-Romanee 1er Cru “Brulees”: Clear light red, perfume of crushed red fruit and cinnamon, bright red fruit with some earth notes on the finish.

2014 Domaine Jean Marie Fourrier Vougeot 1er Cru “Les Petits Vougeot”: Clear light brick, pumpkin spice on the nose, silky red fruit ending with silky tannins.

2014 Jerome Galeyrand Gevrey-Chambertin “En Croisette”: Clear light brick, toasty, earth nose, chewy black licorice fruit ending balanced and long.

2015 Yvon Clerget Pommard 1er Cru “Rugiens”: Clear medium red, crushed black fruit on the nose, ripe and chewy black fruit ending with silky tannins.

2015 Nicolas Rossignol Volnay 1er Cru “Chevrerz”: Clear light red, red smoke on the nose, silky red fruit with a nice balance.