On June 7th, I attended the fourth annual Decanter’s Fine Wine Encounter. Decanter is a British based wine magazine with news focusing on wine regions, wine makers and wine with the requisite wine reviews and buyers guide.

It was a consumer tasting event with several sit-down master classes, a walk around Grand Tasting and a separate room dedicated to wines from this years featured region of Rioja, Spain where over 30 wines from that region were available to sample. The Grand Tasting brought together more than 55 world wine producers to showcase their wines.

This event was a very nice consumer tasting. The event didn’t have the quantity of wines that the mega tastings of the Suckling, Icons or Spectator tastings had but they did have a tight, well curated list of global wines on hand.

I liked the fact that the Bordeaux and California wineries that were there all brought a bottle or two of an older vintage wine to sample along with the current release wine.

There was enough good wine with an amazing view from the 60th floor for an enjoyable afternoon.

Some of what I sampled:

New World

2022 La Jota W.S. Keyes Vineyard Chardonnay Howell Mtn. (Napa Valley): Medium gold with greenish tints, sweet white flowers on the nose, juicy peach and melon fruit, good structure.

2022 Cobb Doc’s Ranch JoAnn’s Block Chardonnay (Sonoma Coast): Medium gold, toasty white flowers on the nose, tight with good acidity.

1999 Clos du Val Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley): Opaque dark red, brick rim, pretty perfume of black olives, mint and dark chocolate, chewy fruit with chocolate and stone notes.

2013 Ponzi Vineyards Reserve Pinot Noir Chehalem Mts. (Oregon): Clear light brick, tree bark on the nose, dusty and minty fruit with firm structure.

2014 Quintessa Rutherford (Napa Valley): Magnum. Opaque black, brick rim, green olives and milk chocolate on the nose, chunky and chewy with black olive and dark chocolate notes, great structure.

2015 Cornerstone Oakville Station Merlot (Napa Valley): Opaque medium purple, warm crushed red fruit on the nose, chewy with licorice notes, good grip, long finish.

2015 La Jota Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mtn. (Napa Valley): Opaque black, dark purple rim, mint, tobacco and roast meat on the nose, chewy and concentrated with black licorice notes, firm structure, long finish.

2015 Delille Cellars Harrison Hills (Columbia Valley): Opaque dark red, crushed black fruit on the nose, tight with earth and tree bark notes, firm finish.

2015 Black Stallion Estate Transcendent (Napa Valley): 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. Opaque dark red, purple rim, toasty barnyard on the nose, tight, silky red fruit with mint notes, firm, long finish.

2016 Outpost Wines True Vineyard Immigrant Howell Mtn. (Napa Valley): Opaque black, purple rim, crushed red fruit, bacon and dark chocolate on the nose, tight with slate notes, crisp acids.

2021 Clos du Val Yettalil Stags Leap District (Napa Valley): Opaque dark red to black, roast meat and crushed black fruit on the nose, concentrated and firm with slate notes and a long finish.

2021 Outpost Wines Howell Mtn. Grenache (Napa Valley): Clear medium red, crushed strawberry and tree bark on the nose, tight with ripe and chewy fruit, firm finish.

2022 Quintessa Rutherford (Napa Valley): Opaque dark red, crushed stone and red berries on the nose, chewy with bitter cherry and smoke notes, nice structure.

Old World

2010 Chateau Lascombes (Margaux): Opaque medium brick, mint and black olives on the nose, smoky and chewy with tobacco and slate notes, great balance.

2012 Chateau Clerc Milon (Pauillac): Magnum. Opaque medium red, mint, tar and black olives on the nose, chewy and smoky with slate notes, great balance, long finish.

2015 Domaine de Chevalier (Pessac Leognan): Opaque dark brick, closed nose of forest floor and dark plums, smoky and chewy with mint notes on the firm tannins.

2018 Jean Claude Boisset Chambolle Musigny (Burgundy): Clear medium brick, barnyard on the nose, silky red fruit with bitter cherry notes on the finish, good balance.

2019 Pasqua Amarone Famiglia Pasqua (Veneto): Clear light red, bacon fat on the nose, chewy red fruit with leather and crushed berry notes, balanced with a good grip.