Category: Wine Tasting

RNDC Spring Trade Show 2025

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Twice every year, in the Autumn and in the Spring, the distributors of wine and spirits in the three-tier system that we have in New York State have their trade shows. This is where they showcase their products to the members of the hospitality industry.

Depending on the company, this may mean a small, intimate tasting or a tasting in a huge event space to accommodate the dozens, if no hundreds of wines and spirits they have in their portfolio.

On March 25th I attended the Spring trade show for Republic National Distributing Company.

The event was held at The Pool, a restaurant in the Seagram’s Building at 99 East 52th Street in Midtown Manhattan. It’s the site of the former Four Seasons restaurant and yes, there is a small pool in one of the dining rooms.

The distributor represents many wine and spirit companies that were on display this day. They particularly have a nice spirits portfolio with the highlight, in my opinion, was the vertical of vintage Armagnac from Bhakta Spirits that are for sale. They have single vintage Armagnac bottled from 1990 to 1946. It was an amazing experience to sample them.

Some of what I sampled:

2017 Forman Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley): Clear medium red, sweet tar on the nose, silky dark fruit with dark chocolate notes, great structure, long finish.

2018 St. Supery Vineyards Estate Elu Red Blend (Napa Valley): Opaque dark red, purple rim, sweet tar and roast meat on the nose, chewy, silky dark fruit with stone notes, great balance.

2018 Merryvale Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley): Opaque dark red, purple rim, sweet smoke and black cherry on the nose, concentrated fruit with black olive and white pepper notes, nice structure.

2018 Marquis de Caceres Gran Reserva (Rioja): Opaque black, brick rim, crushed red cherry on the nose, chewy black fruit ending with firm, silky tannins.

2019 Forman Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley): Clear dark red, sweet tar and red cherry on the nose, silky red fruit with green herb notes, great balance.

2021 Duckhorn Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley): Opaque black, purple rim, closed nose of sweet black olives, chewy milk chocolate fruit with crushed stone notes, nice balance.

2021 Clos du Val Yettalil Red Stags Leap District (Napa Valley): Opaque black, purple rim, sweet tar on the nose, chewy black fruit with graphite notes, good balance, long finish.

2021 Black Stallion Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Sam Jasper (Napa Valley): Opaque dark purple, purple rim, nose of sweet crushed red fruit, concentrated black cherry fruit with slate notes, dusty finish, great balance.

2021 Hobbs Family Winery Pinot Noir Eola Amity (Willamette Valley): Clear medium purple, red tar on the nose, tight red fruit with green herb notes, firm tannins.

2022 Chateau Beaucastel Chateauneuf du Pape (Rhone): Opaque dark red, brick rim, closed nose of roasted nuts, chunky, tight dark fruit ending with dusty, crisp tannins.

2022 Clos du Val Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley): Opaque dark red, purple rim, tar and green olives on the nose, juicy red fruit with green herb notes, crisp finish.

Chateau D’Yquem Vertical Tasting NYC

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On March 18th, I attended the first annual Platinum brand portfolio tasting of importer and distributor Misa NY & NJ. As part of the tasting, they held a seminar for the wines of Chateau D’Yquem which I was fortunate enough to attend. The event was held at an event space at 33 West 19th Street in Manhattan.

Sauterne is an iconic sweet dessert wine and along with another sweet white wine, Barsac, is produced in southeast Bordeaux.

The wines are made using the Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc and Muscadelle grape varietals. A distinguishable characteristic of these wine is that they are produced after the grapes are infected with a fungus, Botrytis Cenerea also called Noble Rot. The fungus shrivels the grapes and concentrates the sugars and flavors. The best wines have a balance of sweetness and acidity.

At the top of the pyramid when it comes to Sauterne are the wines from the 400 year-old Chateau D’Yquem which many consider make the greatest sweet wine in the world. They pick the grapes by hand with multiple passes through the vineyard.

At the seminar these are the wines served:

2016 “Y” D’Yquem: 75% Sauvignon Blanc 25% Semillon. A rare dry white wine from D’Yquem, Clear light gold with green tints, sweet grass and lime notes on the nose, juicy chewy white fruit with green herbs, balance acids and tannins.

2022 Chateau D’Yquem: 80% Semillon 20% Sauvignon Blanc. This vintage is the current bottling released on the week of this tasting. Clear dark gold, sweet peaches on the nose, nice balance of fruit an acidity.

2015 Chateau D’Yquem: 75% Semillon 25% Sauvignon Blanc: Clear dark gold, ripe vegetal nose, chewy canned peaches on the fruit, getting cardboard flavors.

2010 Chateau D’Yquem: 87% Semillon 13% Sauvignon Blanc: Clear dark gold, green herbs and peaches on the nose, thick with good acidity.

2005 Chateau D’Yquem 80% Semillon, 20% Sauvignon Blanc: My favorite of the vertical, clear dark gold, tree bark notes on the nose, chewy and silky with good acidity.

La Paulée Burgundy Verticals Tasting NYC 2025

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La Paulée began as communal banquet for growers and their workers in Burgundy around the region of Meursault, France.

In 2000, Daniel Johnnes brought the concept to New York City and this event was the 25th anniversary of La Paulée New York City. This year the event was also held in San Francisco and Tennessee.

It’s the premier Burgundy event in the city with several days of lunches, (expensive) dinners, seminars and tastings. The three walk around tastings consisted of the Grand Tasting which is their signature event where they poured the most current vintage of Premier Cru and Grand Cru wines, the “Off Grid” tasting which featured more accessible (and not crazy expensive) Burgundian wines, and the third event was the Verticals tasting which showcased older vintages of Premier and Grand Cru Burgundy wines.

I was lucky enough to attend the Verticals tasting on Friday morning. This was a great opportunity to experience some of the most famous wines of the world with some age to them. Only with this caliber of wines will you bring out dedicated wine drinkers to an event with an 10am start time.

The pinot noirs of Burgundy are the template of what every wine maker in the world that grows pinot noir strive to emulate.

They are some of the finest wines of the world but, in my opinion, also some of the most challenging wines to appreciate. A wine region like Bordeaux is pretty consistent but when it comes to Burgundy, even with the great Domaines, the wines can be hit or miss many times. Many of the wines I sampled this afternoon were difficult to drink with the high acids and high tannins that many of them showed, even in the older vintages. In any case, it still was a great experience.

The tasting was held at Second in the Eventi Hotel at 851 6th Avenue in Manhattan.

Some of what I sampled;

White

2018 Joseph Drouhin Montrachet Grand Cru “Marquis de Laguiche”: Clear light gold, tropical fruit notes on the nose with juicy peach notes, great balance with a long finish.

2018 Pierre Girardin Batard-Montrachet Grand Cru: Clear light gold, light toast notes on the nose with crisp toast note on the fruit.

2022 Pierre Girardin Batard-Montrachet Grand Cru: Clear light gold, big, toasty nose, chewy, toasty fruit, nice acidity.

Red

1999 Domaine Faiveley Corton Grand Cru “Clos des Cortons Faiveley”: Clear medium brick, warm ripe fruit on the nose, dusty leather notes and green graphite on the finish, crunchy tannins.

2006 Domaine Dujac Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru “Aux Combottes”: Clear light brick, cigarette smoke, dusty tar and green herbs on the nose, cherry red leather fruit ending with mouth coating tannins.

2009 Domaine Simon Bize Savigny les Beaune 1er Cru “Aux Vergelesses Rouge”: Clear light brick, barnyard red fruit on the nose, chewy black licorice fruit with silky big tannins.

2009 Domaine Simone Bize Savigny les Beaune 1er Cru “Aux Vergelesses Rouge”: Clear light brick, barnyard and red fruit on the nose, chewy black licorice fruit with silky, big tannins.

2012 Domaine David Duband Latricieres-Chambertin Grand Cru en magnum: Opaque brown, tar, mint and graphite on the nose, chewy milk chocolate fruit, firm, silky tannins.

2012 Domaine de Montille Beaune 1er Cru “Les Greves”: Clear light brick, barnyard on the nose, tight red fruit with leather notes, tight and tart.

2016 Domaine Didier Fornerol Cote de Nuits Villages “La Rue des Foins”: Clear light purple, slight toast and barnyard on the nose, chewy red licorice fruit, very firm tannins.

2016 Domaine Georges Mugneret Gibourg Clos Vougeot Grand Cru: Clear light brick, smoke and sweet red leather on the nose, tight, chewy fruit with some earth notes, big tannins.

2017 Domaine Hudelot Noellat Vosne Romanee 1er Cru “Les Suchots”: Clear light brick, dirty ripe fruit on the nose, chewy black licorice fruit, silky tannins, long finish.

2017 Domaine Denis Mortet Gevrey Chambertin 1er Cru “Lavaux Saint Jacques”: Clear light brick, sweet earth and tar on the nose, chewy sweet fruit, silky tannins and graphite notes on the finish.

2018 Domaine Derey Freres Fixin “Les Clos”: Clear light brick, closed nose of sweet candy, cooked vegetable notes on the fruit, silky tannins.

2019 Domaine Simon Bize Savigny les Beaune 1er Cru Aux Vergelesses Rouge: Clear light brick, barnyard nose, juicy red fruit with earth notes, balanced finish.

2019 Domaine Faiveley Corton Grand Cru “Clos des Cortons Faively”: Clear light purple, dirty violets on the nose, juicy, chewy leather red fruit, nice balance.

2019 Domaine Didier Fornerol Cote de Nuits Villages “La Rue des Foins”: Clear medium purple, barnyard and dark chocolate on the nose, chewy fruit with roast nuts and smoke on the finish ending with good acidity.

2019 Domaine Yvon Clerget Clos Vougeot Grand Cru: Clear light brick, barnyard and graphite on the nose, chewy raspberry fruit ending with graphite notes and silky tannins.

A Couple Of Italian Tastings In New York City 2025

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The month of March is when many of the wine and spirits distributors have their biannual portfolio tastings for members of the trade. To coincide with that many of the government sponsored trade associations have their world tour showcasing the wines they are promoting.

This year two of the biggest Italian trade events were held on back to back days. On March 3rd, Slow Wine USA held their tasting in New York City and on the next day March 4th, Gambero Rossso held their Tre Biccheri tasting.

The Slow Wine event was held in the afternoon for members of the trade at Eataly Downtown at 101 Liberty Street in Manhattan across from the World Trade Center. It was the New York City stop on their USA tour that took them to Boston, Denver, Los Angelas and D.C.

Slow Wine is an organization that in its manifesto advocates for “good, clean and fair wine”. They also run the first university “dedicated solely to Gastronomic Science”.

The event was walk around tasting of mostly Italian wines though they did have a handful of non-Italian wines represented. It seemed like they did have fewer California producers present this year than they did last year, I’m not sure if that’s because this tasting was held on the heels of the Vinous Icons tasting the previous week.

Most regions of Italy were represented by small, off the radar producers who many were looking for importers. As usual, Eataly provided some very tasty food to go with the wines.

On the next day, Gambero Rosso, who publish an annual guide to Italian wines (Vini d’Italia) held their walk around tasting for members of the trade showcasing Italian wines awarded one to three glasses in the Tre Biccheri (3 glasses) designation. The USA tour included stops in Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Miami and D.C.

This was a larger event than the Slow Wine tasting the previous day with many small producers pouring their award-winning wines. This event was held at the Metropolitan Pavillion at 125 West 18th Street in Manhattan.

Some of what I sampled:

2015 Bertani Amarone (Veneto): Clear medium brick, earthy red leather on the nose, dusty fruit ending with crisp acids.

2018 Zenato Amarone Riserva (Veneto): Opaque dark red, brick rim, crushed nuts on the nose, juicy black fruit with leather notes, prunny finish, good balance.

2020 Fontodi Chianti Classico Gran Selezione “Pastrolo” (Tuscany): Clear medium purple, tar and leather on the nose, tight light fruit with crisp acids.

2020 Collezione di Campaccio (Tuscany): A red blend, clear medium brick, tar and leather on the nose, chewy and firm.

2020 Boscarelli Vino Nobile di Montalcino “Sotto Casa” (Tuscany): Clear medium brick, sweet tar and graphite on the nose, dusty fruit with graphite notes, silky tannins.

2020 Campo San Giorgio Conero Riserva Umani Rochi (Marche): Opaque dark red, barnyard, slate and dark red fruit on the nose, dense with silky tannins, nice balance.

2021 San Felice Chianti Classico Gran Selezione “La Pieve” (Tuscany): Opaque dark brick, smoke, almonds and dark chocolate on the nose, chewy black fruit, good grip, long finish.

2021 Monte del Fra Valpolicella Ripasso (Veneto): Opaque medium red, closed nose of smoke notes, chewy red leather with silky tannins, great balance.

2021 Due Mani Cabernet Franc (Tuscany): Opaque black, smoke, white pepper and crushed stone on the nose, chewy black fruit with graphite notes, silky tannins, great balance and a long finish.

2022 Sono Montenidoli Chianti Colli Senesi (Tuscany): Clear light brick, dirty chocolate on the nose, juicy red fruit with dried herb notes, crisp acids.

2022 Borgogno “No Name” (Piedmont): Nebbiolo, clear light brick, toasty tar on the nose, moderate light fruit, silky, firm tannins, light finish.

Benvenuto Brunello NYC 2025

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On February 4th, I attended this year’s New York City edition of Benvenuto Brunello tasting tour which was hosted by the Consorzio del Vino Brunello di Montalcino. The tasting was held at the event space GH On the Park, located at 54 West 40 Street in midtown Manhattan.

The event had 34 producers showing their 2020 Brunello’s, their 2019 Riserva’s and their 2023 Rosso di Montalcino.

According to the DOCG laws, the regular Brunello has to be aged a minimum of 4 years before release the next January and 5 years for the Riserva’s so these wines are the current vintages to be put on the market. So this tasting was a good opportunity to see how the current vintages turned out.

The Brunello wine region is in Tuscany, Italy with the town of Montalcino anchoring the territory. It’s a cousin to its famous neighbor, Chianti though different rules apply. Other than the aging requirements, Brunello has to be made with 100% Sangiovese Grosso (the local Sangiovese clone) while Chianti is primarily made with Sangiovese, but with a certain percentage of other grapes permitted. Brunello also tends to be more expensive than Chianti.

2020 in Brunello was one of those rollercoaster vintages, I felt the 2019’s had an edge over the 2020’s in which most of the wines I sampled had crisp acidity. The wines are still young.

Some of what I sampled:

2020 Argiano Brunello di Montalcino “Vigna del Suolo”: Clear medium brick, prunes, tar and cigarette smoke on the nose, chewy dusty fruit ending with firm, chewy tannins.

2019 Belpoggio Brunello di Montalcino: Clear medium brick, tar and leather on the nose, chewy red fruit, firm, long finish.

2019 Caprilli Brunello di Montalcino Riserva “AdAlberto”: Clear medium brick, stinky, smoky nose, tight with crisp acids and roast meat notes on the finish.

2020 Col D’orcia Brunello di Montalcino: Opaque dark red, brick rim, crushed black fruit and mint on the nose, juicy red fruit ending with firm tannins and crisp acids.

2019 Il Poggione Brunello di Montalcino Riserva “Vigna Paganelli”: Clear light brick, closed nose of warm fruit, tight with firm tannins.

2020 La Magia Brunello di Montalcino “Ciliegio”: Opaque medium brick, crushed black fruit and green stems on the nose, tight red fruit with silky, mouth coating tannins with bitter almond notes on the finish.

2020 San Polo Brunello di Montalcino: Clear medium brick, smoke, sweet tar and dirt notes on the nose, juicy red cherry fruit, nice acidity and tannins.

2020 Tenute Silvio Nardi Brunello di Montalcino “Vigneto Poggio Doria”: Clear medium brick, crushed black fruit and smoke on the nose, tight with mouth coating tannins.

Union Grands Crus Bordeaux New York City 2025

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The Union Grand Crus Bordeaux was founded in 1973 and currently has 132 Chateaux members covering 14 appellations. The Union promotes the Grand Cru wines of its members with over 80 worldwide events.

In the beginning of each year, the Union tours the United States to introduce the newly released vintage. On January 20th the tour stopped New York City with both a tasting for the trade in the afternoon and another tasting for consumers in the evening. As in years past, the event was held at the Cipriani event space located at 120 East 42nd Street in midtown Manhattan across from Grand Central Terminal.

Bordeaux is a huge wine producing region with over 6 times the vine area planted than Napa Valley. Everyone focuses on the top tier wines, but you can grab a nice bottle for everyday drinking especially in good vintages, without having to pay the sky-high prices that the top tier wines charge.

Bordeaux had a string of some excellent vintages in the late ’90’s and early 2000’s but the last few vintages have been challenging for them, and I didn’t know what to expect at the tasting. From what I understood, 2022 was a “weird” year. The weather for the year had all the hallmarks of turning into a lousy vintage, but the wines turned out much better than anyone anticipated.

Reading the reviews from wine writers, the word “fresh” popped up very often. I meant that to mean the juicy, bright red fruit and moderate tannins and acidity that I was getting from many of the wines that I sampled. I didn’t get the teeth chatting tannins from most of the wines that I’ve gotten in other years. Of course, there were wines with firm tannins and brisk acids and knowing that these wines are still very young and need some more time in the bottle to flesh out.

I thought the vintage came out somewhere in the middle in style, I was pleasantly surprised and think that many of the wines will be for early drinking,

Vintage 2022

Saint-Julien

Chateau Beychevelle: Opaque dark red, purple rim, dark chocolate and sweet fruit on the nose, juicy and chewy ending with moderate tannins and acidity.

Chateau Branaire-Ducru: Opaque medium red, brick rim, sweet tar and cigarette smoke on the nose, juicy, earthy fruit ending with moderate tannins and acidity.

Chateau Gloria: Opaque dark red, perfume of violets and white pepper, juicy dark fruit, moderate tannins with tart notes at the end.

Chateau Gruaud Larose: Clear medium red, purple rim, dusty black fruit on the nose, juicy, tight red fruit, tight finish.

Chateau Leoville Poyferre: Opaque dark red, purple rim, tar and crushed dark fruit on the nose, tight fruit with crushed rock notes, very firm finish.

Chateau Talbot: Clear medium red, crushed red fruit, green herbs and milk chocolate on the nose, juicy and dusty red fruit ending with moderate tannins.

Chateau Lagrange: Clear medium red, graphite on the nose, dusty fruit ending with crisp tannins.

Saint-Estephe

Chateau de Pez: Clear medium red, brick rim, tar and leather on the nose, juicy with leather notes, silky tannins and finish.

Chateau Phelan Segur: Clear medium red, black licorice and earth on the nose, chewy black fruit with dusty, silky moderate tannins.

Chateau Cos Labory: Clear medium red, tarry roast meat and pencil shavings on the nose, juicy red fruit ending with lip smacking tannins.

Pauillac

Chateau d’Armailac: Clear medium red, dirty tar on the nose, chewy black fruit ending with very firm tannins.

Chateau Pichon Baron: Opaque medium red, brick rim, spicy dark chocolate on the nose, juicy dark fruit with chocolate notes, moderate tannins and acidity.

Chateau Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande: Clear medium red, dusty red fruit on the nose, juicy black licorice fruit, silky tannins, long finish.

Pomerol

Chateau Clinet: Clear medium brick, dusty stone and white pepper on the nose, juicy red fruit with silky tannins and moderate acids.

Chateau Gazin: Opaque dark red, purple rim, crushed red fruit and green herbs on the nose, very tight.

Chateau Rouget: Opaque dark purple, closed nose of dark fruit, sweet tar and cigarette smoke, juicy black licorice ending fruit with firm but silky tannins.

Saint-Emilion

Chateau Canon: Opaque dark purple, closed nose of sweet red fruit, juicy red fruit with moderate, crisp tannins.

Chateau Canon-La-Gaffeliere: Clear medium red, dusty, dirty nose, juicy red fruit with dark chocolate notes ending with moderate tannins and acid.

Clos Fourtet: Opaque medium purple, purple rim, crushed black fruit on the nose, juicy red fruit with silky tannins.

Chateau Franc Mayne: Clear medium red, dirty, stinky nose, chewy red fruit, silky, juicy tannins with some bitter almond notes on the finish, well balanced.

Haut-Medoc

Chateau de Camensac: Opaque dark red, purple rim, sweet tar and dirt on the nose, chewy, tarry fruit with silky tannins and moderate to low acidity.

Chateau Beaumont: Opaque dark red, purple rim, closed nose of sweet spice, chewy black fruit with barnyard notes, firm tannins.

Chateau Coufran: Clear medium to dark red, closed nose, chewy with bitter almond notes, tannic.

Pessac-Leognan

Domaine de Chevalier: Opaque dark red, roast nuts and violet on the nose, very tight and tannic at this point.

Chateau Haut-Bailly: Clear medium red, barnyard notes on the nose, juicy with lip smacking tannins.

Chateau Pape Clement: Opaque medium red, purple rim, spicy toast on the nose, juicy red fruit ending with crisp acids.

Margaux

Chateau Kirwan: Clear medium red, crushed red fruit on the nose, juicy with bitter cherry notes on the firm tannins.

Chateau Prieure-Lichine: Clear medium brick, tarry dirt on the nose, chewy red leather fruit with dark chocolate notes ending with moderate tannins and acids.

Sauternes & Barsac

From what I sampled, 2022 seems like a good year for the botrytis wines, most were nicely balanced.

Chateau Bastor-LamontagneChateau Doisy Daene
Chateau Doisy-VedrinesChateau Guiraud
Chateau Suduiraut

VinNatur Natural Wine Tasting NYC 2025

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On January 12-13, I attended the VinNatur wine tasting which was curated by the Natural Winemakers Association and was open to both the public and to members of the trade.

The Association, which was founded in 2006, has 300 members from 12 countries. Their mission statement is “respect the soil, the environment and the natural cycle of life” by elimination the use of invasive and toxic agents in the grape growing and wine making process.

This was the first time I was aware of this organization and have never attended a tasting from them. Their mission statement says that they represent 12 countries, but this tasting was an all-Italian event (they did manage to squeeze in one table from Spain).

The tasting was held at an event space at 29 Norman Avenue in Greenpoint, Brooklyn.

Natural/Biodynamic wines are a niche category that has been increasingly growing the past few years with all the major worldwide wine growing regions having their share of winemakers and growers adhering to the natural winemaking philosophy.

The tasting had a good representation in attendance from the various wine regions of Italy. I like to start a tasting with the sparkling wines and there were many Lambrusco to sample which is an underrated favorite of mine. There were also many Pet-Nat (petillant natural) wines on hand, and it looked like that every table had at least one version of it. It seems like that the ancient way of making fizzy, sparkling wine fits right in with the natural wine making ethos.

It was an interesting tasting with many of the winemakers on hand to passionately explain their wines. I was getting a lot of the barnyardy and cooked fruit notes that you often get on these low intervention wines.

Some of what I sample:

NV Casa Belfi (Veneto): Went through carbonic maceration, fizzy clear light purple, earthy red cherry nose, crisp light fruit with grippy tannins.

2018 Incontri Toscana Rosso (Tuscany): Opaque dark red, stinky, cooked fruit on the nose, chewy and smoky red fruit ending with firm, silky tannins.

2019 Gratavinum “Rocaforts” (Priorat): One of the few non Italian wines at the tasting, 100% Grenache, clear light brick, stone and red fruit on the nose, silky, moderate fruit with crushed stone notes on the finish.

2019 VNA Wine Pinot Nero Nº 6 (Lombardy): Clear medium brick, roasted nuts on the nose, chewy red licorice fruit with cooked fruit notes, nice balance on the finish.

2019 Terramante “Foglia Tonda” (Umbria): Clear light purple, grapey, stone notes on the nose, dusty red fruit ending with toasty tannis.

2020 Giovanni Sallemi “Russo”(Sicily): Clear medium purple, smoky tar on the nose, chewy black pepper fruit, tart finish.

2021 Timpe D’Arancio “Incocciato” (Sicily): Clear medium purple, sweet tar on the nose, tight and stinky with an earthy finish.

2021 Andrea Pilar Syrah (Umbria): Clear medium purple, tar on the nose with chewy, dusty fruit ending with earth notes on the silky tannins.

2021 Cantina de Malandrino “Malandrino” Rosso Volcano (Sicily): Clear light brick, tar and leather on the nose, cherry red tar fruit, silky tannins.

2021 Terramante “Pitch 15” (Umbria): Clear medium purple, tar and crushed red fruit on the nose, dusty red fruit ending with a mouthful of tannins.

2022 Torre alle Tolfe Cilegiolo (Tuscany): Made from the Cilegiolo grape variety, opaque dark red, closed nose of red leather and roast nuts, dusty fruit ending with firm tannins.

2022 Madonna dei Monti Barbera D’Asti (Piedmont): Opaque dark red, purple rim, roast meat and cigarette smoke on the nose, chewy, cooked fruit notes, firm tannins.

2023 Cantina del Frignano Rosato (Emilia Romagna): Fizzy clear light red, earthy red cherry nose with some earth notes on the fruit.

2023 Camillo Donati Lambrusco (Emilia Romagna): Fizzy light purple, crushed rocks on the nose, rosemary notes on the moderate finish, crisp and drinkable.

Wine Spectator N.Y. Wine Experience 2024 Day 2

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The 43rd annual Wine Spectator’s New York Wine Experience was held on last October 17-19. It was three days of wine seminars and a Critics Choice grand tasting. The proceeds were for benefit of The Wine Spectator Scholarship Foundation.

The Grand Tasting was held on two days and had over 250 international winemakers pouring their wines in a walk around tasting.

This event is probably, if not the best consumer wine tasting of the year with two floors of over 200 international wines rated 90+ points on the Wine Spectator ratings scale.

This year I was lucky enough to attend the event on both days. As is usual for me at these mega tastings, I focused my energies on one floor each night prioritizing Bordeaux and Napa Valley wines.

The event was held at the Marriott Marquis hotel at 1535 Broadway in the heart of Times Square, Manhattan.

Some of what I sampled:

New World

2004 Ridge Monte Bello (Santa Cruz Mtns.): Opaque black, tar, graphite and black leather on the nose, silky fruit with graphite notes ending with silky tannins.

2008 Pahlmeyer Merlot (Napa Valley): Opaque black fruit, brick rim, crushed raspberry and mint on the nose, juicy, smokey fruit and nicely balanced.

2014 Hall Cabernet Sauvignon Kathryn Hall (Napa Valley): Opaque black, purple rim, roast nuts and bacon on the nose, juicy black fruit with mint notes, firm tannins.

2015 Opus One (Napa Valley): Opaque black, brick rim, earthy crushed dark fruit with mint notes on the nose, concentrated, stoney black fruit ending with a great grip and balance with a long finish.

2016 Louis M. Martini Cabernet Sauvignon Lot No. 1 (Napa Valley): Opaque black, purple rim, crushed blueberry, wet stone and graphite on the nose, chunky, juicy dark chocolate fruit, great grip, long finish.

2019 To Kalon Vineyard Co. Cabernet Sauvignon H.W.C. (Oakville): Opaque black, purple rim, closed nose of crushed blueberries, juicy crushed fruit with firm acids.

2019 Bond St. Eden (Napa Valley): Clear medium red, purple rim, tarry nose, bright black fruit, firm tannins.

2021 Dominus Estate (Napa Valley): Opaque black, purple rim, graphite and black fruit on the nose, juicy and silky with silky tannins and a firm grip.

2021 Kamen Cabernet Sauvignon Moon Mt. District (Sonoma): Opaque black, purple rim, gritty dark chocolate on the nose, very concentrated black fruit with herb and mint note ending with firm crisp tannins.

2021 Robert Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon To Kalon Vineyard The Reserve (Napa Valley): Opaque black, purple rim, crushed red fruit and stone on the nose, juicy black fruit ending with big tannins.

Old World

2012 Chateau Cos d’Estournel (St. Estephe): Opaque black, brick rim, nose of dirt and stinky dark chocolate, tight concentrated fruit ending with big tannins.

2015 Chateau Canon (St. Emilion): Opaque black, brick rim, big nose of barnyard, chunky dark chocolate fruit ending with lip smacking tannins.

2015 Chateau Giscours (Margaux): Opaque black, brick rim, tar and dried leaf on the nose, concentrated black fruit with mint notes ending with firm but balanced tannins.

2016 Chateau Talbot (St. Julien): Opaque black, brick rim, toasted roast nuts on the nose, concentrated fruit with raspberry notes, silky and firm tannin.

2017 Chateau Pavie (St. Emilion): Opaque black, purple rim, crushed black stone on the nose, silky black fruit with graphite notes, great balance, long finish.

2018 Chateau Phelan Segur (St. Estephe): Opaque black, brick rim, crushed blueberries on the nose, concentrated, silky red fruit ending with a great grip.

2018 Chateau Pichon Longueville Lalande (Pauillac): Opaque black, purple rim, crushed stone on the nose, concentrated and silky black fruit with mint notes, silky tannins, great balance.

2019 Chateau Leoville Barton (St. Julien): Clear dark red, purple rim, crushed black fruit and dark chocolate on the nose, silky red fruit with tar notes, firm grip.

2019 Chateau Montrose (St. Estephe): Opaque black, purple rim, stone and crushed black fruit on the nose, juicy red fruit, firm tannins.

Saint Emilion Tasting NYC 2024

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On October 28th, the Association de Grands Crus Classes de Saint Emilion held their USA trade & press tasting tour of Saint Emilion wines from the 2020 vintage. Most of the 25 Grand Cru Chateaux of the region were on hand at the tasting to pour their wines.

Bordeaux has 57 appellations on the right and left bank of the Gironde Estuary with the Entre Deux Mers in between. St. Emilion is on the right bank and the wines are dominated by Merlot with many of the Chateaux at this tasting bottling wines made with 100% Merlot.

Newly released Bordeaux tend to be a bit hard edged and need some time in the bottle to round out, the wines at this tasting for the most part were no exception with many having firm tannins. Each producer did bring a wine from an older vintage, and I always welcome the opportunity to sample Bordeaux with some bottle age to it.

The tasting was held at the Metropolitan Pavilion located at 123 West 18th Street in Manhattan.

Some of what I sampled:

2012 Chateau Bellevue: Opaque medium brick, graphite, tar, chocolate and dirt on the nose, chewy, dried leaf fruit, long finish.

2015 Chateau Chauvin: Opaque black with a brick rim, black tar on the nose, chewy and chunky fruit with mint and graphite notes, firm tannins.

2015 Clos Des Jacobins: Opaque dark red with a brick rim, violets, mint and dark chocolate on the nose, chewy with slate notes, silky tannins ending with firm but manageable tannins.

2016 Chateau Badette: Opaque black with a purple rim, crushed red fruit and mint notes on the nose, chewy, minty red fruit, very firm tannins.

2016 Chateau Grand Corbin-Despagne: Opaque dark red with a brick rim, perfume of mint, graphite and barnyard, chewy red fruit, silky tannins, good grip with a long finish.

2016 Chateau Fombrauge: Opaque dark red with a brick rim, perfume of tar and barnyard, concentrated black fruit ending with firm, silky tannins.

2016 Chateau De L’Oratoire: Opaque black with a brick rim, black earth on the nose, chewy black fruit with graphite and mint notes, good grip.

2016 Chateau Badette: Opaque black with a purple rim, crushed red fruit and mint on the nose, chewy minty red fruit ending with very firm tannins.

2016 Chateau Grand Corbin: Opaque black with a purple rim, crushed red fruit, graphite and milk chocolate on the nose, chewy, black fruit ending with silky but firm tannins.

2019 Chateau Franc Mayne: Opaque dark red with a brick rim, crushed red fruit and white pepper on the nose, silky, chewy red fruit ending with silky firm tannins.

2020 Chateau La Croizille: Opaque black with a purple rim, violets and tar on the nose, tight and concentrated with crushed rock notes, moderate tannins.

2020 Chateau Fonplegade: Opaque dark purple with a purple rim, nose of crushed red fruit and barnyard, juicy red fruit with leather notes, moderate tannins.

2020 Chateau Badette: Opaque black with a purple rim, sweet tar on the nose, chewy black fruit, silky tannins, good fruit and balance.

2020 Chateau La Tour Figeac: Opaque dark red with a purple rim, white pepper and tar on the nose, juicy fruit with steel notes, moderate tannins.

2020 Chateau Bellevue: Opaque purple, purple rim, closed nose of roast meat and nuts, tight, silky fruit, firm tannins.

2020 Chateau De L’Oratoire: Opaque dark red, purple rim, minty dark chocolate on the nose, chewy red fruit, moderate silky tannins with some bitter almond notes.

2020 Chateau Croix De Labrie: Opaque black, purple rim, violets, roast meat and slate on the nose, silky red fruit, very firm tannins.

2020 Chateau Fonplegade: Opaque purple, purple rim, crushed red fruit and barnyard on the nose, juicy red fruit with leather notes, moderate tannins.

Wines from Romagna Master Class

Published on by Bruno DonaggioLeave a comment

On October 24th, I attended a Wine Enthusiast Master Class; An Exploration of Wines from Romagna, presented and curated by Jeff Porter.

Emilia-Romagna is one of the 20 regions in Italy located in the north central part of the country with the eastern half bordering the Adriatic Sea.

The largest city in the region is Bologna where the oldest university in Europe, the University of Bologna is located. This region is also home of some of the most famous food products in the world. Those would include Parmesan cheese, Prosciutto di Parma ham, Mortadella, Balsamic vinegar, Tortellini and the pasta dish, Ragu Bolognese to name few.

This tasting focused on the eastern half of the region, specifically Romagna. Even though the food products are world famous, the wines from this region are not with the exception of Lambrusco, a fizzy red wine in both sweet and dry styles that pair well with the various cold cuts of the area. The still wines definitely don’t have the recognition of the wines from the regions directly to the north such as Piedmont, Tuscany and the Veneto.

The master class poured 10 red wines from some of the 16 subareas of Romagna. The majority of the wines were produced using organic methods and fermented in stainless steel or concrete.

The tasting for members of the trade was held at the Arlo Soho Hotel located at 231 Hudson Street in Manhattan.

Master Class

2019 Monografia/4 Riserva (Marenzo): Clear medium red with a brick rim, sweet tar on the nose, tight with some roasted nut notes, bitter almonds on the finish with firm tannins.

2021 Cadisopra (Marzeno): Opaque medium brick with a brick rim, sweet tar on the nose, tight red fruit with slate notes, firm tannins.

2021 Condé (Predappio): Opaque dark red with a purple rim, tar and graphite on the nose, juicy red fruit ending with firm tannins with slate and graphite notes on the finish

2021 Notturno (Predappio): Opaque black with a purple rim, dusty crushed black fruit on the nose, juicy black fruit with spice and slate notes on the finish, some heat.

2021 Ombroso Riserva (Bertinoro): Clear dark red with a purple rim, dirty tar and graphite on the nose, tight black fruit with slate notes, big tannins.

2021 Vigna Baruccia (Mercato Saraceno): Opaque black with a purple rim, violets, tar and dark chocolate on the nose, chewy and dusty black fruit ending with firm, silky tannins.

2022 Godenza (Predappio): Opaque dark red with a purple rim, sweet dirt and dark chocolate on the nose, tight with graphite notes and firm tannins.

2022 Classe 33 (Serra): Opaque dark purple with a purple rim, dusty slate and graphite n the nose, juicy red fruit with graphite notes, silky tannins, nice balance.

2022 Il Colombarone (Bertinoro): Opaque dark red with a purple rim, closed nose of plummy violets and slate, juicy and silky bright red fruit ending with firm tannins.

2023 Papasse (Modigliana): Clear medium purple, dusty crushed raspberry and slate on the nose, juicy red fruit with firm, dusty tannins.