Vinous is an online, subscription based wine magazine hosted by wine writer and wine critic Antonio Galloni. On February 27-March 1, they held their 3rd annual Vinous Icons wine event in New York City.

It was three days of winemaker dinners, collector lunches, seminars with two days of walk around tastings showcasing the iconic wines of the world as determined by Mr. Galloni and the wine critics of Vinous magazine.

The walk around tastings were held on February 27 & 28 and were open to both Trade and Consumers and featured wines from over 120 international estates.

This is, in my opinion, was one of the top three wine tasting events of the year with the opportunity to sample copious amount of some of the top wines of the world.

The event was held at the Pier 60 event space at 60 Chelsia Piers on the west side of Manhattan, overlooking the Hudson River.

As per usual with these mega tastings with so many wines available to sample, I focused my time and energy on the red wines of Bordeaux and Napa Valley. I appreciated the fact that some of the Bordeaux vendors brought older vintages of their wines to sample while the Napa Valley vendors for the most part poured their current releases although there were a handful that poured something older.

Some of what I sampled:

Napa Valley

2001 Heitz Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley): Opaque black, purple rim, slate, tar and graphite on the nose, silky, dusty dark fruit with a great grip and balance.

2013 Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon S.L.V. (Napa Valley): Opaque dark red, purple rim, sweet tar and crushed stone on the nose, chewy dark fruit with dark chocolate notes, silky tannin and a great balance.

2018 Vine Hill Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley): Opaque dark red, purple rim, slate, mint and black fruit on the nose, chewy dark fruit, silky tannin, good grip.

2021 Grace Family Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon “Cornelius Grove” (Napa Valley): Opaque black, purple rim, crushed black fruit, saline, tar and roast nuts on the nose, thick and chewy ending with crisp acidity and tongue coating tannin.

2021 O’Shaughnessy Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mtn. (Napa Valley): Opaque black, purple rim, crushed red fruit, dark chocolate and roast nuts on the nose, chewy and dense black fruit ending with a firm finish and acidity.

2022 Pride Mountain Vineyards Cabernet Franc (Napa Valley): Opaque black, purple rim, strawberry and green herbs on the nose, juicy red fruit with lip smacking tannin and crisp acidity.

2022 Joseph Phelps Insignia (Napa Valley): Opaque black, purple rim, toasty dark chocolate on the nose, tight black fruit with slate notes, very firm tannin and crisp acidity.

2022 Diamond Creek Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon “Red Rock Terrace” (Napa Valley): Opaque dark red, purple rim, sweet red cherry on the nose, juicy red fruit with a tarry finish, good grip.

2022 Diamond Creek Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon “Three Vineyard Blend” (Napa Valley): Dark red, purple rim, crushed black fruit, black pepper and some pickle juice on the nose, juicy black fruit with firm, silky tannin.

2022 Ovid Red Blend (Napa Valley): Opaque black, purple rim, toasty roast meat on the nose, very chewy black fruit, firm with slate notes and chewy tannin.

2023 Futo Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville (Napa Valley): Opaque black, purple rim, stone and sweet forest floor on the nose, chewy and dense with silky tannin and a long finish.

2023 Pahlmeyer Proprietary Red (Napa Valley): Opaque black, purple rim, saline and sweet red fruit on the nose, chewy and dense black fruit with a dusty grip.

2023 Hall Wines Cabernet Sauvignon “Exzellenz” (Napa Valley): Opaque black, purple rim, fresh herbs and dark chocolate on the nose, chewy dark fruit with firm tannin on the long finish.

Bordeaux

2009 Chateau Montrose (St Estephe): Opaque black, brick rim, dirty tar and dark chocolate on the nose, chewy dark fruit with notes of pencil shavings.

2009 Chateau La Gaffeliere (St Emilion): Clear medium brick, cook fruit, tar, mint and forest floor on the nose, chewy fruit with chewy tannin and a firm grip.

2015 Chateau Giscours La Sirene de Giscours (Margaux): Opaque medium red, closed nose of minty plum, green herbs and white pepper, chewy black fruit with dusty tannin and a nice grip.

2016 Chateau Smith Haut Lafite (Pessac Leognan): Clear medium red, sweet tar and black leather on the nose, chewy black fruit with graphite and stone notes, good grip.

2016 Chateau Lascombes (Margeaux): Opaque dark red, red leather and sweet cinnamon on the nose, tight dark fruit with firm, dusty tannin and a nice mouthfeel.

2017 Chateau Troplong Mondat (St Emilion): Opaque medium brick, cooked fruit on the nose, chewy dark chocolate fruit, firm tannin, long finish.

2018 Chateau Beychevelle (St Julien): Opaque dark red, purple rim, stone and sweet crushed black fruit on the nose, chewy black fruit with graphite notes, great balance.

2018 Chateau Les Carmes Haut Brion (Pessac Leognan): Opaque dark brick, tar and ripe leather on the nose, dense and tight and ending with firm tannin.