Author: Bruno Donaggio

Zachys is one of the oldest fine wine and spirits retailer in the country and a spirits auction house. It’s a family-owned operation that was founded in 1944.

Their shop was located in Scarsdale village for many years but then they moved their operations to Port Chester, a town in northeast Westchester about an hour’s ride by Metro North rail.

Not surprisingly for a wine and spirits shop, they often host tastings in the store. On May 20 & 21 they hosted a “Welcome Port Chester” mega tasting at the store to benefit Meals on Main Street. For those two days they had advertised that would have 40 producers pouring over 70 wines.

I attended the event on Sunday afternoon. If you were a fan of Champagne, the selections that were poured were worth the price of the ticket just for that. Piper Heidsieck Rare, Taittinger Comtes de Champagne, and Veuve Clicquot La Grande Dame were just a few of the top notch Champagne that were offered for tasting.

The rest of the wines were a good mix of Italian, U.S. and French and made for a nice afternoon of wine tasting. I did try something for the first time that I never had before, a pretzel croissant. Very delicious.

Some of what I sampled:

2020 Louis Jadot Meursault: Light gold, tropical fruit notes on the nose and on the fruit, good acidity.

2020 Louis Jadot Chassagne Montrachet: Medium gold, ripe, floral nose with tropical fruit notes and lime, nice balance.

2003 Chateau Clarke Listrac-Medoc (In Magnum): Opaque brick with a light brick rim, ripe bell pepper and peppermint on the nose, tight silky fruit, ripe vegetable notes on the nice and firm finish.

2012 Chateau Clarke Listrac-Medoc: Clear medium brick, closed nose of leather, tight with slate and pencil shavings on the finish, firm tannins.

2014 Joseph Swan Pinot Noir “Catie’s Corner” Russian River: Clear light brick, big nose of crushed cherry and forest floor, juicy red licorice fruit ending with silky, firm tannins.

2015 Col d’Orca Brunello di Montalcino: Clear light brick, perfume of crushed red fruit with silky red fruit and silky tannins. Some heat.

2015 Muga Prado Enea Gran Reserva: Opaque medium red with a brick rim, dusty roast meat and bacon and the nose and fruit, firm finish.

2017 San Lorenzo Brunello di Montalcino: Clear medium red, tobacco on the nose, tight red fruit ending with dusty tannins.

2018 Raen Pinot Noir Royal St. Robert Cuvee: Clear light brick, forest floor and camphor on the nose, juicy red fruit with tar and tobacco notes, nice balance.

2018 Paul Hobbs Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To Kalon: Opaque dark red with a brick rim, leather and tobacco on the nose, tight and dense with slate notes on the silky finish. Nice wine with a price tag to match.

2018 Vallepicciola Chianti Classico Riserva: Clear medium red, tar and leather on the nose, nice red fruit with good balance.

2019 Rombauer Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley: Opaque medium red, purple rim, bell pepper on the nose, chewy with crushed rock notes on the fruit, firm and balanced.

2019 Forman Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley: Clear medium red, woody crushed red fruit on the nose, chewy with black licorice and dark chocolate on the fruit ending with firm and silky tannins.

2019 Ulysses Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley: Clear medium red, crushed black fruit and tree bark on the nose, dusty fruit with slate notes on the fruit and finish, balanced.

2019 Paul Hobbs Pinot Noir Russian River Valley: Clear medium purple, forest floor on the nose, juicy red fruit with cola and crushed rocks on the balance finish.

2019 Greppicaia Bolgheri “Greppi”: Clear medium red, brick rim, dusty crushed rock on the nose, tight and juicy with brick dust notes, firm finish.

2021 Bethel Heights Pinot Noir “Estate”: Clear light brick, toasty earth on the nose, juicy cola on the fruit with tar and rocks on the balanced finish.

2021 Bethel Heights Pinot Noir “Aeolian”: Light brick with toasty earth on the nose, juicy cola on the fruit with tar and crushed rocks on the finish, nice balance.