Month: February 2023

Wine & Spirits Top 100 2023

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On February 15th, I attended the 3rd annual Wine & Spirits magazine’s Top 100 wine event.

Wine & Spirits magazine was founded in 1982 and focuses on, not surprisingly, the personalities, geography and news of the wine and spirits industry. They also evaluate and rate wines and spirits.

This was a tasting of what they considered the top 100 wines of the world for this year. It was also a benefit for the NY/NJ Baykeeper, an organization which bills itself as an advocate for the NY/NJ harbor estuary.

The event was held at the perennial event venue, the Metropolitan Pavillion located at 123 West 18 Street in Manhattan and was open to both Trade and Consumer.

They had a good sampling of sparkling, rosé, white, red and dessert wines of the world and I particularly enjoyed the California Cabernets. Whoever was responsible for the food at the event did a good job this time around, there was some very tasty nibbles to go with all that good wine.

Some of my highlights:

White

2020 Fess Parker Chardonnay Sanford & Benedict Vineyard: Light gold with toasty notes, nice balance.

2021 Tablas Creek Cotes de Tablas Blanc: Medium gold, ripe flowers and lime on the nose with pineapple and lime notes on the crisp finish.

2019 Zind-Humbrecht St. Urbain Pinot Gris: Medium gold with a closed nose of green herbs, nice floral finish with a good balance.

Red

2019 Corison St Helena Cabernet Sauvignon “Sunbasket Vineyard”: Clear medium purple, closed nose, juicy, silky fruit ending with firm, silky tannins.

2016 Duckhorn Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mt: Clear medium brick, dried leaf on the nose, juicy black fruit with mint notes, firm black cherry finish.

2018 Diamond Creek Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon “Red Rock Terrace”: Opaque dark red, black licorice and forest floor on the nose, silky red fruit with dark chocolate notes, great balance.

2018 Diamond Creek Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon “Gravelly Meadow”: Opaque dark red, perfume of black licorice and forest floor, concentrated with dark chocolate, slate and cherry notes ending with a silky grip.

2015 Jordan Vineyards Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon: Nice to try a Cab with some bottle aging, clear medium red, violets on the nose, silky and balanced.

2018 Ridge Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon “Monte Bello”: Clear medium red, black licorice on the nose with silky and dusty fruit ending with a balanced finish.

2019 Sullivan Estate Cabernet Sauvignon “Founders Reserve”: Opaque dark red, roasted nuts on the nose, thick with dark chocolate and black fruit notes, moderate tannins and acidity, drinking nicely.

2019 Delas Freres Cote Rotie “La Landonne”: Opaque dark red, roast meat on the nose, concentrated dark fruit with ripe, silky tannins.

2018 Fratelli Alessandria Barolo “Gramolere”: Clear light brick, closed nose of tar, dusty and tight.

2019 Ornellaia Bolgheri Superiore: Clear medium brick, leather and mint notes on the nose, dusty fruit with silky tannins, nice balance.

2019 Petrolo Barolo Val d’Arno di Sopra Boggina Riserva: Clear light brick, tree bark on the nose, silky, earthy fruit with firm, silky tannins.

2017 Produttori del Barberesco “Rabaja”: Clear light brick, closed nose of anise, silky and tight

2016 Sandrone Barolo “Vite Talin”: Clear light brick, dark chocolate and dirt on the nose, tight rasperry fruit ending with big tannins.

2017 Vega Sicilia Tinto Valbuena 5: Clear medium red, leather notes on the nose, silky red fruit with a nice balance.

Chianti Classico Book Seminar

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On February 6, I attended a talk given by Alessandro Masnaghetti who wrote a newly published book on Chianti Classico.

The lecture was held at the offices of Baneville Wine Merchants located at 126 East 38th Street in midtown Manhattan.

It’s a big book with a lot of detail for that district of Chianti. I did learn what a UGA (Unita Geografiche Aggiuntive) is which are officially delimited subzones within a Chianti subzone.

As part of the lecture, we tasted five Chianti from five of those UGA subzones. They were from the 2020 vintage and were drinking nicely.

2020 Cigliano Di Sopra (San Casciano): Clear medium purple, dusty tar. graphite and earth on the nose, concentrated dusty bright red fruit with crushed rock notes on the finish.

2020 I Fabbri “La Mole” (Lamole): Clear medium brick, dusty nose of green stems and rocks, juicy red fruit and black licorice ending with a mouthful of tannins.

2020 Fattoria Le Masse (San Donato in Poggio): Clear medium red, big perfume of sweet crushed red fruit and some earth, concentrated silky black fruit with dusty leather notes on the long and balanced finish. My favorite of the flight.

2020 Tolaini “Mello” (Gaiole): Clear red with a perfume of violets and roast meat, tight red fruit with firm tannins and a long finish.

2020 Tolaini “Vallenuova” (Castelnuova Beradenga): Opaque dark red, perfume of tar, red leather and sweet fruit with dusty, silky red fruit with a good grip and a nice balance. Another favorite of the tasting.

Union des Grand Crus de Bordeaux NYC 2023

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On Monday, January 23, I attended the annual world tour of the Union des Grand Crus de Bordeaux.

The Union is a trade organization that represents the Grand Crus of 130 chateaux in Bordeaux. The tour brings them to Europe, Asia and North America and showcases the current released vintage of the wines, in this case the 2020 vintage.

The event was held at Cipriani restaurant at 110 East 42nd Street in Manhattan with a trade tasting in the afternoon and the consumer tasting in the evening.

This was an excellent tasting with an opportunity to sample many grand cru Bordeaux while getting an idea on how the vintage turned out.

The 2020 vintage generally got good reviews, from my point of view I had the impression that many of the wines exhibited characteristics of a cool weather vintage. I was getting a lot of tart red cherry fruit and bitter cherry notes on the finish. Some were a mouthful of tannins while others were more approachable but even the approachable ones will need a few more years in the bottle to round things out. Alcohol levels were manageable since I wasn’t getting a lot of heat on the finish for the most part.

2020 Vintage

Saint-Emillion

Chateau Canon: Opaque medium red with a purple rim, petroleum on the nose, silky fruit with firm tannins and bitter cherry on the finish.

Chateau Canon La Gaffieliere: Opaque dark red, tar and tobacco on the nose, concentrated red cherry fruit with firm tannins and bitter cherry on the finish.

Chateau Fourtet: Opaque dark red, tar and violets on the nose with dusty sweet black and black licorice ending with firm tannins.

Chateau La Gaffieliere: Clear medium red, toasty leather on the nose, dusty and silky red fruit with silky tannins, good balance.

Chateau Pavie Macquin: Clear medium red, perfume of tar, leather and cigar box, silky red fruit with balanced tannins and acid at the end.

Pomerol

Chateau Le Bon Pasteur: Opaque dark red, crushed black fruit and toast on the nose, dusty black fruit with mint notes, firm, silky tannins.

Chateau Clinet: Opaque dark red, brambly, black fruit and green stem on the nose, silky black fruit with firm tannins.

Chateau La Pointe: Clear medium red, candy apple nose, black fruit with firm but balanced finish.

Chateau Le Gay: Clear medium red with a brick rim, dusty nose, red cherry fruit with bitter cherry notes on the tart finish.

Listrac-Medoc

Chateau Fourcas Dupre: Clear medium red, toasted barnyard on the nose, silky red fruit with a firm, nice balance.

Haut-Medoc

Chateau Citran: Clear medium red with a brick rim, toasty red cherry on the nose, dusty black fruit with toast notes on the finish, moderate tannins.

Margaux

Chateau Angludet: Opaque medium red, stinky, tar and damp earth on the nose, juicy fruit with a tarry balance. Accessible.

Chateau Brane-Cantenac: Opaque dark red, sweet perfume and green herbs on the nose, tight red cherry fruit, firm tannins.

Chateau Cantenac Brown: Opaque medium red, dust crushed black fruit on the nose, tart, bright red fruit ending with moderate to low tannins.

Chateau Kirwan: Opaque medium red, crushed red fruit on the nose, juicy red fruit with firm, silky tannins.

Saint-Julien

Chateau Beychevelle: Clear dark red, pretty perfume of earth, tar and violets with silky black fruit, bitter cherry on the finish, silky tannins.

Chateau Branaire Ducru: Clear medium red, perfume of crushed black fruit and damp earth with earthy black fruit and a dusty finish. Moderate tannins.

Chateau Leoville Poyfere: Opaque red fruit with a purple rim, smoky gravel on the nose, black fruit with dusty, firm tannins.

Chateau Talbot: Clear medium red, big perfume of toasty black fruit, toasty red fruit with big tannins at the end.

Pauillac

Chateau Clerc Milon: Clear medium red, red cherry on the nose, red cherry fruit with leather notes on the finish, moderate tannins and firm acidity.

Chateau Duhart Milon: Clear medium red, wet earth and tar on the nose, silky red fruit with firm tannins.

Chateau Lynch Bages: Clear medium red, toasted tobacco on the nose, tart red cherry fruit with moderate tannins.

Saint-Estephe

Chateau Ormes de Pez: Clear medium red, damp earth and barnyard on the nose, tight and tannic.