Category: Bruno Donaggio

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On my way to Piedmont. A grueling nine-hour flight from New York to Moscow to change planes to Milan. Then a bus to the train which took me to my destination, a small town called Pettenasco on Lake Orta. The resort is a long uphill climb from the town. Everything involves climbing. Climb a big hill to work, climb a big hill to get back from the local village. At the resort we are fed all vegetarian meals and all delicious of course since it is Italy. Working on my planning my wine trips but having a hard time since I’m finding out that many of the wine towns don’t have direct rail connections and the Italian bus schedules are a mess. Did have my first glass of wine a couple of days ago at the local bicycle club which has a typical Italian bar. The local house wine is a Barbera and at 1 Euro a pop, I can’t complain about the price. Will make it to Gattinara tomorrow.

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On Saturday night Snooth, an online wine magazine, held their people’s voice awards grand tasting. The event was held at the Altman Building where I’ve attended wine events before.

This tasting was strictly a consumer event so it was more of a party than a business event; not that that’s a bad thing. The event had a good crowd with a good vibe and I managed to find enough interesting juice to keep me occupied.

I started the evening with some Pinot Noir. I had visited Cambria’s tasting room up in the hills when I did my Santa Barbara wine tour so I sampled the 2011 Pinot Noir “Julia’s Vineyard”. It was young and purple, juicy with bright cola fruit and nice balance.  From Matanzas Creek, the 2011 Sauvignon Blanc  was a mouthful of grapefruit. I stopped at Willamette Valley Vineyards and had the 2009 “Bernau Block” Pinot Noir which was light red with a nose of smokey black cherry, velvety with citrus notes on the finish. From Ferrari-Carano I had the 2010 “Siena” which was medium dark with a nose of dried herbs and red leather fruit on the balanced finish. I continued with Cali and had the Twomey Cellars 2008 Merlot. Dark red with black licorice on the chewy fruit. Silver Oak poured a couple of vintages on their Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. The 2006 was black, tight with dark plum on the nose with some camphor on the tight finish.  I  thought the 2008 was hard and unbalanced. Chappellet Winery poured some interesting juice. The 2010 Signature Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon was black with a nose of dried herbs, it was big and chewy with a dusty finish. Their 2009 “Pritchard Hill” Cabernet Sauvignon was inky black with a closed nose, very concentrated  with firm, dusty fruit on the finish.  Jordan Vineyard’s 2010 Russian River Valley Chardonnay was the toasty and buttery style. They poured a library wine from a magnum, the 2003 Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon was medium dark, concentrated with a nose of camphor, finished firm with crisp acids.

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March madness is winding down with a flurry of tastings. On Tuesday I stopped by at a couple of them.

The first event of the afternoon I attended was the spring portfolio tasting of David Bowler Wines. The event was held at the Metropolitan Pavilion, the venu of choice for many tastings in town. I decided to concentrate on California and New World wines at this tasting.  My first stop was at Cold Heaven Cellars. Last year during my Santa Barbara wine tour, I along with my travelling buddy had stopped by the unassuming tasting room in Buelton. He was a club member and we were given the “A” tour and I remember enjoying the wine. Today I enjoyed the 2010 “Nevertell” Pinot Noir, it was dark purple with a nose of blueberry with chewy, bright dark fruit and nice balance. The 2010 “Queenscup” Pinot Noir was dark red to black with a asian spices on the nose with dusty red cherry fruit with a touch of acid on the finish. I next stopped at Porter Creek Vineyards. The 2010 Russian River Valley “Timbervine Ranch” Syrah was dark red to black with a nose of herbs and red cherry with bright fruit and notes of oregano on the finish. They poured a couple of library wines that weren’t listed in the tasting book, the 2005 Russian River Valley Pinot Noir poured from a magnum was tasty, medium red with brambly, dried herbs on the nose with light velvety fruit and good balance. The 1997 Russian River Valley Pinot Noir was amber to brown in color with a pretty nose of leather and red licorice with tight fruit and brown leaf notes on the long finish.

I decided to get to one more tasting that day and I headed to the BNP Spring portfolio tasting which was held at Rouge Tomate restaurant at 10 East 60th Street. I wasn’t familiar with this distributor but I was told they had a nice Bordeaux portfolio. They weren’t kidding. They had a large portfolio of Premier and Grand Cru wines. Not only were they pouring some of the top wines  in the world, but they were showcasing older vintages as well. Usually, at a distributor event they will pour the new releases, in this case that would be the 2010 and 2009 vintages. That’s understandable since the point of the tasting is to show the current releases to the industry people who would buy the wines. But they wines haven’t come together at that stage and you know the wines are a shell of what they can be. To drink a Bordeaux with some maturity or at it’s peak is an experience you won’t forget and there was some really good juice here.

The wines were grouped according to the appellation. Some of the wines I enjoyed:

I started at Saint-Emillion and had several nice wines from there. The 2006 Chateau Angelus was dark red to black with a nose of black fruits, tar, and leather, velvety with great balance on the long finish. The 2000 Chateau Canon was dark red with an amber robe with a nose of cherry leather, medium dark fruits with great balance on the long finish. The 2000 Chateau Faugeres was black with a nose of stewed black cherry, tight velvet with silky tannin on the long finish. The 2006 Chateau Bea-Sejour Becot was black with a big perfume of dark red roses with some toasty notes and dark cherry fruit on the tight balanced finish. I had a trio of vintages from Chateau Simard. The 200o was dark red with a brown robe with a nose of cooked fruit and medium fruit with velvety tight tannins. The 2001 was medium red with a dusty, green pepper nose and camphor nose, it was tight with black licorice fruit and firm. The 2004 was dark red with toasty, green pepper on the nose with good dusty fruit.

At Pessac-Leognon, I was too late to try the Chateau Haut-Brion but the 1999 Chateau Haut-Bailly was tasty with dark red color and a nose of camphor, tar and leather with silky fruit and a long finish.

At Margaux. the 2004 Chateau Rauzan-Segla was black in color with a closed nose and black fruit. The 2008 Chateau Palmer “Alter Ego de Palmer” was black in the glass with a slightly closed nose of black fruits and was chewy with firm dry tannins at the end. The 2004 Chateau Giscours was black with a big perfume of black plum and camphor with deep, silky fruit and a dusty and long finish, I thought it was drinking beautifully now.

At Saint-Julien, the 2004 Chateau Leoville Barton was black with a brambly, black licorice nose, velvety fruit and great balance on the long finish. A another nice wine.

At Pauillac, the 2006 Pauillac de Latour by Chateau Latour was black with a nose of toasted nuts, silk with toastiness on the firm, tannic finish.

At Saint-Estephe, the 2000 Chateau Calon-Segur was dark red to black with a nose of dried herbs with dusty velvety fruit with a balance, long finish. The 2006 Chateau Montrose was dark red to black with a toasty nose with very tight fruit and firm tannin on the finish.

At Pomeral, the 1999 Chateau Gazin was black with a pretty nose of leather, smoke and camphor with nice chewy fruit and firm tannin on the finish.

Sometimes the best wine tastings aren’t necessarily the biggest ones with the most wines. On Monday I attended a small tasting that had some outstanding juice with some pretty tasty appetizers.  Maison Louis Latour had a tasting of their red and white 2011 Burgundy. The event was held at A Voce restaurant in Columbus Circle and I was able to enjoy the wines with a nice view of Christopher Columbus.

I started with the whites which included the hierarchy of Burgundy wines that included village wines, Premier Cru and Grand Cru wines. It was a great opportunity to drink a horizontal of wines from the same producer. The highlight of the tasting was the opportunity to sample a four vintage vertical of Corton-Charlemagne. All of wines with the exception of the  Corton-Charlemage, were barrel samples from the 2011 vintage.

I started with the village wines which include the entry level Beaune then on to the Meursault, the Puligny-Montrachet, and the Chassagnes-Montrachet.  The 1er Cru I sampled include the Meusault “Blagnay”, the Meursault “Genevrieres” which was gold in color with a nose of honey and pineapple with steely and mineral notes on the finish. I continued with the Pugliny-Montrachet “La Garenne”, the Pugliny-Montrachet “Les Folatieres”, the Chassagnes-Montrachet ‘Cailleret” and the Chassagnes-Montrachet ‘Morgeot” which was gold in color with great mouth-feel, balanced fruit and a tight miniral finish.

Next up were the Grand Cru. I sampled the Batard-Montrachet and then the vertical of Corton-Charlemagne. The non barrel samples included the 2010 which was light gold, toasty and tight, I didn’t think it was the most balanced of the vertical. The 2009 was beautiful, light gold with a nose of nutmeg with medium fruit with some oak notes on the nice finish. The 2007 was gold in color with a nose of honey and toasty peaches with great balance and a long finish, a really nice glass of wine that I think is at its peak.

After the whites the red were a little anticlimactic and I think the 2011’s really needed some more time for the flavors to round out. The wines I samples were the Santenay, the Beaune, the Pommard, the Aloxe-Corton, the Gevrey-Chambertin, the 1er Crus of Aloxe-Corton “Les Chaillots”, the Volnay “En Chevret”, and the Beaune “Vignes Franches”. The Grand Cru wines were the Corton Close du Roi, the Corton Grancey, and the Chambertin.

It was a tasty afternoon of some excellent Burgundy.

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La Paulee is a series of Burgundy-centric seminars, tastings and wine-paired dinners held in New York at the end of February and early March. The original La Paullee was a lunch celebrating the end of the grape harvest in Burgundy. This Friday I was lucky enough to attend the La Paullee vertical tasting event which was held at Colicchio & Sons restaurant at 85 10th Avenue in the Meatpacking District. I couldn’t think of anything better to do on a snowy afternoon than to drink verticals of some really good juice.

Started the tasting with some whites:

Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey Chassagne-Montrachet “Les Caillerets” 1er Cru. 2010, 2009 and the 2008 which was light gold with a nose of tropical fruit and earth and nicely balanced.

Maison Champy Corton Charlemange Grand Cru. 2009, 2008, and the 2002 which was poured from a magnum and was gold in color with a nose of meat and bacon with rich, earthy fruit.

Domaine Larouche Chablis Les Blanchots “Reserve de l’Obedience” Grand Cru. 2009, 2008, and the 2007 which was gold in color with a ripe nose of wildflowers, rich mouthfeel with some toastiness on the finish.

Domaine R&V Dauvissant Chablis “La Forest” 1er Cru. 1999, 1995, and the 1990 which was very ripe with a floral nose and ripe fruit.

Then on to the reds:

Domaine Clos de la Chapelle Volnay Clos de la Chapelle 1er Cru Monopole. 2005, 2006, and the 2009 which was light in color with silky fruit but hard acid on the finish.

Domaine Jean-Marc Bouley Volnay “Clos des Chenes” 1er Cru. 2002, 2005, and the 2009 which was medium red with a nose of red cherry with smoky, meaty fruit.

Domaine Michel Lafarge Volnay “Clos du Chateau des Ducs” 1er Cru. 1999, 2002, and the 2006 which had an amber color with a closed nose of dried herbs with tight fruit and high acid at the end.

Domaine Chandonde Briailles Pernand-Vergelesses “Ile des Vergelesses” 1er Cru. 1999, 2005, and the 2001 which had an amber color with a nose of cooked fruit and licorice with a good mouthfeel of silky fruit and nice balance.

Domaine Faiveley Corton “Clos des Cortons Faiveley” Grand Cru. 2007, 2009, and the 2010 which was medium red with a nose of black cherry with velvety tannin and great balance.

Maison Louis Jadot Corton-Pougets Grand Cru. 2006, 2007, and the 2009 which was medium red with a closed nose, bright fruit and crisp acids.

Domaine Robert Chevillon Nuits-Saint Georges “Les Chaignots” 1er Cru. 2009, 2008, and the 2007 which was dark red with a nose of wild mushrooms and earth with a silky long finish.

Domaine d’Eugenie Clos-Vougeot Grand Cru. 2009, 2008, and the 2010 which was dark red with a nose of black cherry with velvety black cherry fruit with nice balance and a dusty, meaty finish.

Maison Remoissent Clos-Vougeot Grand Cru. 2010, 2008 and the 2009 which was medium red with a nose of dusty black cherry, velvet fruit and a nice, firm finish.

Domaine Fourrier “Les Petits Vougeot” 1er Cru. 2010, 2007, and the 2009 which was medium red with barnyard and roasted meat on the nose with bright fruit and a crisp finish.

Hospice de Beaune Corton “Cuvee Charlotte Dumay” Grand Cru. 2003, 2005, and the 2009 which was dark red with asparagus and rubber on the nose with a long mouthfeel of velvety, dusty fruit.

Domaine Hudelot-Noellat Romanee-Saint Vivant Grand Cru. 2005, 2009, and the 2008 which was medium red in the glass with a classic nose of barnyard and black fruit with velvet leather on the balanced finish. I think this was the tastiess red I had of the night.

Domaine Dujac Vosne-Romanee “Aux Malconsorts” 1er Cru. 2009, 2008, and the 2006 which was medium dark with toasty flavors on the nose with sweet, velvet fruit and silky tannin.

Domaine Georges Mugneret Ruchottes-Chambertin Grand Cru. 2005, 2006, and the 2007 which was medium ren with a close nose of mushrooms and stewed fruit with silky, bright fruit on the finish.

Maison Joseph Drouhin Griotte-Chambertin Grand Cru. 1999, 2002, and the 2009 which was medium red with roasted nuts on the nose with balanced, silky fruit and meaty flavors.

Domaine Georges Roumier Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru. 2005, 2007, and the 2006 which was light red and a floral, delicate nose with mouth-filling silky fruit and a long finish.

It was a nice tasting.

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When it comes to wine, one of the advantages of living in one of the largest wine markets for fine wines in the world such as New York City is that there is always some importer or distributor or government trade association holding a trade wine tasting. A couple of times a year the city is teeming with tastings. This is that time of year and it’s pretty much non stop tastings for a few weeks. On Monday I attended a few of those tastings.

I began the day with the UbiFrance tasting which was held at Hearth restaurant in the East Village.  Unfortunately, the wines that were to be poured hadn’t made it to the restaurant yet so I decided to make my way to the Sherbrooke Cellars portfolio tasting. There was some nice juice to be had.

I started the tasting sampling several red Burgundy from Rene Bouvier. I liked the 2010 Fixin which was medium red and had an aromatic nose. The 2009 Marsannay Rouge “En Ouzeloy” was medium red with a nose of dried mushroom with silky fruit. The 2010 Gevrey-Chambertin “Racines du Temps” was medium red with a nose of black cherry and forest floor with very silky fruit and nicely balanced.

Going over to Italy, I had some nice juice from Aldo Conterno. The 2009 Lange Rosso was dark in color with a nose of bright cherry cough drops, silky with bitter almonds on the nicely tannic finish. The 2009 Langhe Nebbiolo “Il Favot” had an amber to dark  color with cigar-box on the nose and chewy dark leather notes on the balanced finish. The 2008 Barolo was dark amber in color with a nose of cigar-box and leather with nice chewy fruit and balance. The 2008 Barolo “Colonnello” was dark red with a nose of cigar-box and black cherry. The 2005 Barolo “Granbussia” was amber in color with a classic nose of pencil shavings and cigar-box with dusty fruit and very firm tannin.

Another Italian I enjoyed was the 2008 Barolo from Mauro Molino. Amber in color with a nose of pencil shavings with velvety dusty fruit on the long finish.

A couple of Cali wines that I enjoyed were the Hoopes 2009 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon “Oakville”. Dark purple in the glass with a nose of red roses, red licorice and dried herbs with tight fruit and silky tannin on the finish. Liparita 2009 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon “Oakville” was medium dark with a nice nose of roses and dried herbs.

I left the tasting and headed downtown for the Empson Importers tasting of the Barolo, Barbaresco, and Brunello portion of their portfolio. It was a small event in the basement of a restaurant. I decided to concentrate on Piedmont and some well-know producers such as Macarini, Einaudi, Ca’ Rome, Bongiovanni and Conterno Fantino were offered. These producers poured wines from the newly released 2009 vintage which has been rated as an excellent one. After trying several of the ’09’s all I can say is “hard as nails”. None of the wines came close to being aproacable and are going to need a long time in the cellar to come around. I’m going to make it a point to try the ’09’s at the upcoming tastings to see if that is how the vintage is turning out. A non Piedmontese wine that I tried was the 2008 Cignale from Tuscany. A Super Tuscan comprised of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Merlot, the bottles come with six different label designs of the namesake wild boar created by the owner of the winery. It was medium dark with tight fruit with some smoke and barnyard notes and firm acidity on the finish.

From the Empson tasting I made my way downtown to Il Buca Alimentari restaurant for a small tasting event featuring the wines of Sagratino from Umbria.

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Last Tuesday I attended the West of West wine festival held at City Winery. It was the first West of West wine festival to be held in New York City and was sponsored by the West Sonoma Coast Vitners. They featured wines from the far west of Sonoma which is west of the more familiar Dry Creek and Russian River Valleys. These subdistricts of Sonoma included Annaplolis, Freestone, Occidental, Sebastopol Hills, Fort Ross-Seaview and Green Valley. I attended the trade event in the afternoon and they had a consumer event later that evening as well with the usual cheese, bread, and salami.

Most of the reds poured were Pinot Noir with a few Syrah thrown in and a some whites, mostly Chardonnay and one Rose.

I started with some whites, I enjoyed the 2010 Ramey Wine Cellars Chardonnay, light gold with honey and mango on the nose, nicely balanced with honey and pineapple on the finsih. From Sonoma Coast Vineyards an unusual but tasty wine was their 2010 “Laguna Vista Vineyard” Sauvignon Blanc.  Aged sur lees it was light gold with a big nose of papaya and mango, very creamy with some grassiness on the finish. From Freeman Vineyard & Winery their 2011 Rose of Pinot Noir was medium red and easy drinking.

Some of the reds I enjoyed: from 32 Winds Wine Co., their 2010 “Maestro” Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast was medium to dark red with a classic Burgundy nose  of barnyard with delicious fruit with approciable acids on the long finish.

From Zepaltas Wines, the 2009 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir was medium red with a big nose of forest floor and black cherry, chewy fruit and balanced tannin and acid on the finish.

From Cobb Wines the 2008 “Rice-Spivak Vineyard” Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast was light to medium red with a big nose of dark leather with medium fruit and some toastiness on the finish.

A couple of wines from Sojourn Cellars that I enjoyed, the 2011 “Silver Eagle Vineyard” Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast had a nose of warm black fruit with a velvet long balanced finish. Their 2010 “Rodgers Creek” Pinot Noir was velvety with great balance on the long finish.

From Macphail Family Wines, their 2010 “Dutton Ranch” Pinot Noir Green Valley had some nice silky and dark fruit with a sea-air tang on the balanced finish.

From Flowers Vineyard & Winery the 2010 “Sea View Ridge” Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast was dark red with a nose of cola and forest floor, chewy for a Pinot and nicely balanced.

From Freeman Vineyard & Winery the 2011 Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast was medium red with a nose of dried herbs with luscious fruit and a balanced, toasty finish.

On Monday afternoon I attend the Drink Ribera tasting featuring, not surprisingly, the wines from the Ribera Del Duero region of Spain. The region is north of Madrid, and from speaking with some the wine makers at the event, a region with plenty of lousy weather. I’m not familiar with many of the producers with the exception of Vega Sicilia. The event took place at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel on the Upper West Side, we had a killer view of the park.

The high-light of the afternoon was the seminar where they poured six wines from Vega Sicilia. Two of their second label “Valbuena”, three of their “Unico”, and the “Especial” which is a non-vintage wine blended with wines from three vintages.

2008 Valbuena. Dark red with a red robe and a nose of dried herbs and red cherry with cherry and dark chocolate fruit and a bright finish.

1998 Valbuena. Dark red to black in the glass with a nose of sea-air and dark leather, tight fruit with very firm tannin on the finish.

2004 Unico. Dark red to black with a nose of fresh mushrooms and dusty fruit, velvety with stewed fruit flavors and very firm acids on the finish.

1994 Unico. Black with a purple robe with a nose of barnyard and blueberry, tasted young with bright fruit and mouth-watering acids on the finish.

1981 Unico. From a magnum. Dark red with an amber robe and a gorgeous nose of cooked dark fruit and mint with velvet fruit, bright cherry with palate cleansing acids on the finish. Still drinking young.

Unico Reserva Especial. Black in the glass with a nose of a forest after a rain, very concentrated but I thought the finish was a little unbalanced.

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On Friday afternoon I attended the BurdiGala Grand Tasting held at St. Bartholomew’s church in Manhattan. Thirteen Bordeaux producers each poured wine from the 2010 vintage as well as a couple of wines from older vintages. I think the marketing department should have come up with a different name for the event but it promised to be an excellent tasting.

At the church, the event was held in the restaurant, Inside Park. Tables were scattered all around the place and they had a cheese table and a pate table for nibbles.

I started the tasting at Chateau Pichon Longueville Comtese de Lalande.  Their 2010 had a big perfume of dusty plums with silky fruit and tannins but young and needs time to come together.  The 2009 was medium red with a nose of strawberry, tight and a little grapey. The 2008 was drinking nicely, medium red with violets on the nose, tight, dry and dusty with a long finish.

Chateaux Ducru Beaucaillou. The 2010 had a beautiful nose of earth and violets with tight but velvety fruit with nice acidity on the finish. Very approachable. The 2009 was dark red with a nose of stewed prunes. The 2000 was dark red with a nose of stewed fruit silky fruit but a bit harsh on the finish.

Chateau Pontet-Canet.  The 2010 was dark red to black with graphite and red roses on the nose, good fruit with nice mouth coating tannin at the end. The 2006 was dark red with bright cherry and smoke on the nose, firm, velvety with approachable tannins on the finish. The 2000 was dark red with a nose of tar and cigar box, I thought the finish dropped off.

Chateau Clos d’Estournel. The 2010 was black in the glass with a nose of black cherry. The 2008 was a nice glass of wine, dark red to black with a gorgeous nose of camphor and black berries with silky graphite fruit and a balance long finish. The 2006 was black in color with a tight nose of violets, chunky and velvety, tight with a moderate to long finish.

Chateau Gruaud-Larose.  The 2010 was black with a slightly closed nose of mint, tar and graphite with chunky, tight fruit. The 2007 was dark red with nose of green pepper with peppery, tight fruit. The 2004 had a beautiful nose of tar and camphor, very concentrated with velvet balanced fruit. I thought it was drinking perfectly now.

Chateau Ormes de Pez. The 2010 was dark black with a nose of black cherry. The 2005 was medium dark with a nose of stewed fruit. The 2003 was medium red with a nose of earthy berries with very tight fruit with the finish dropping.

Chateau Lynch-Bages. The 2010  was black and chunky and needed some more bottle time to come together. The 2006 was dark red to black with a closed nose and tight tannin. The 2003 was medium dark with a big perfumed nose of red roses and graphite with moderate fruit but with a very long finish. Tasty.

Chateau Palmer. The 2010 was black in color, deep and concentrated with firm tannins and acids on the balanced finish. The 1998 was dark red with an amber robe with a beautiful perfume of tar, cherry and smoke with a velvet smoke on the balanced finish. The 1990 was medium red with an amber robe with a nose of dried leaf, camphor and slate with silky and smokey fruit and a very long finish. Some nice wines all around.

Chateau d’ Issan. The 2010 was dark purple to black with black cherry on the nose with closed fruit at this time. The 2008 was dark purple with toasted oak and smoke on the nose with tight but concentrated rustic and earthy fruit with a balanced finish. Tasty. The 2006 was dark red to black with dusty violets on the nose with good concentration but I thought the fruit dropped a bit at the end.

Clos Fourtet.  The 2010 was black with toasted black berries on the nose, inky, concentrated but young and needs time to come together. The 2008 was dark with a nose of toasted oak and petroleum with hard acids on the finish. The 2005 was dark purple with nose of camphor and stewed fruit with velvety fruit, firm and balanced with a long finish. Tasty.

Chateau d’Yquem. The 2009 and the 2007 were both light gold in color with saffron and wild mushroom and earth on the nose. I thought that the ’09 had higher sugar levels and a bit unbalanced than the 2007 . The 1996 was very dark gold in the glass with dusty saffron and forest floor on the nose with rich, mouth coating fruit and a very long finish. Could drink it all night.

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Last month I celebrated the one year anniversary of my blog. It was the first blog I wrote and I went through the usual learning curve to get it right. If you look through the archives you can see that my first bog posting was of the Boston Wine Expo that I had attended last January. This year the event was held in February and I decided to attend the event. An early start to catch the Chinatown bus to Boston and, much to my colleagues surprise I rolled into South Station without any near-death experiences on the way up. The event was held at the same venue it was held last year which was the Seaport World Trade Center not too far from the bus station. The expo was open to the public but trade were let in a couple of hours beforehand. They held a separate “Grand Cru” tasting across the street at the Seaport Hotel. These huge mass tastings are pretty much a drinkfest with happy consumers rushing from table to table. Usually there are boatloads of mediocre wines but some drinkable juice can be had. The Grand Cru room poured some more upscale juice. After checking in I decided to start the day with the good juice and made my way to the Grand Cru room. I have to say that I was a little disappointed, I felt that the quality of the wines last year were better. But, it was an intimate room with good wines, tasty food, live jazz and a nice view of Boston harbor so it wasn’t all that bad.

Started at one of the Cali tables with the flagship wine from Beaulieu Vineyards, the 2009 “Georges De LaTour”.  It was dark purple with a nose of dusty slate, nice tannin and acids on the finish with some heat from the 15.7% alchohol peeking through at the end. The 2008 Hewett Vineyards Napa Cabernet Sauvignon was dark in the glass with a nose of dusty black cherry and camphor, tightly concentrated with crisp acidity at the end and some heat peeking through as well. I haven’t been a big fan of the wines of Sterling Vineyard but I like the 2009 “Platinum” Napa Cabernet. A new bottling from them of selected lots of their best juice, it was dark purple with a nose of sweet mint with silky, chewy fruit and nice balance. Walked over to the other Cali table where they poured a few good glasses. The 2010 Mount Veeder Winery Napa Cabernet Sauvignon was black with a nose of wildflowers, dried herbs and mint, it was very concentrated and tight with notes of coffee and slate on the long finish. Tasty. A couple of wines from Caymus Vineyards, the 2010 Napa Cabernet Sauvignon was black in the glass with nose of roasted coffee with dusty black cherry fruit. Their flagship 2010 “Special Selection” was also black in the glass with a nose of tar, camphor and coffee with velvet fruit, I though it was perfectlybalanced at this stage. The 2009 Robert Mondavi “Reserve” Cabernet Sauvignon was inky with tar and coffee notes on the fruit.

Merry Edwards poured a nice Pinot, the 2009 Russian River “Meredith Estate” it was very dark for a Pinot Noir, with a classic nose of barnyard with bright silky fruit with moderate tannins and firm acids on the long finish. A small Russian River Valley producer, Donelan Family Vineyards poured a couple of wines. I liked the 2009 “Walker Vines Hill” Syrah, inky black and very chewy with dusty mint fruit nicely balanced and chunky. Cedar Knoll Vineyards 2008 Napa Cabernet Sauvignon was dark black with a nose of plums and stewed fruit with velvety and chewy fruit.

A couple of interesting Cali wines were from Nyarady Family Vineyards in Napa. Very small production, about 50 cases, they owners basically hand sell the wines at events like this. The 2009 “Howell Mountain” Cabernet Sauvignon was dark in the glass with a nose of cherry with black fruit on the palate and firm tannin and acid on the finish. The selection of foreign wines wasn’t too extensive but I did like a couple. The 2009 Louis Latour Corton-Charlemagne was medium yellow with a big nose of pineapple and honey and a touch of oak, tight fruit with balanced finesse with some mineral notes on the finish. From Italy the 2005 Franco Todini “Nero dell Cervara” was dark red with a rustic, stinky nose with cherry fruit, nicely balanced with some mint tones on the finish. I decided I had my fill of the Grand Cru and was about to leave when I noticed at this one table behind the pourer was wine in a carafe and an empty bottle of Bordeaux. Of course I asked for a glass. It turned out to be a 1985 Chateau Pichon Longueville Comtesse De Lalande. It’s always nice to try a mature Bordeaux. The wine had an amber robe with a big perfume of red roses, tar and leather with smokey roasted coffee notes on the fruit with dried leaf on the finish. Nice example of a mature Bordeaux.

I headed downstairs to the main room and the consumers were in high spirits with packs of them going from table to table drinking wine and having a good old time. Some of my favorite in the room were the wines from Gallo. The black label signature series are their high-end wines made by Gina Gallo. The 2010 Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir was nice and 2009 Napa Cabernet Sauvignon was excellent. The Cabernet was black in the glass with black cherry and mint on the nose with dusty crushed rocks on the balanced finish.