James Suckling is a well-known wine critic with a wine blog that covers all things wine as including rating them on a 100-point scale. He hosts an annual Grand Tasting at someplace in the world and on June 2 & 3 the Grand Tasting was held in New York City for the first time.

Over 150 wines from around the world were poured, all curated by Mr. Suckling for wines that received 92+ points on his rating scale.

The tastings were held at the Altman Building event space at 135 West 18th Street in Manhattan.

The tasting was open to both the consumer and to members of the trade with a portion of the ticket price going to Sea Shepard, an organization involved with marine conservation.

The event did not disappoint, there were copious amounts of excellent wine from around the word, I focused on wines from the U.S. but was able to sample many nice wines from other countries as well.

Some of what I sampled:

2019 Bergstom Chardonnay “Bergstrom Vineyard” (Dundee Hills): Light gold, toasty nose with toasty fruit with green herbs on the finish.

2015 Heitz Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon “Trailside” (Napa Valley): Dark brick in color, perfume of smoke and tree bark, silky red cherry fruit ending with bright tannins.

2016 Heitz Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon “Lot C-91” (Napa Valley): Clear medium red, earth and mint on the nose with tight, bright red fruit.

2016 Newton Cabernet Sauvignon “Mt Veeder” (Napa Valley): Opaque dark red to black, dried herbs on the nose, juicy and thick ending with silky red tannins.

2016 Silverado Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon “SOLO” (Stags Leap District): Opaque medium red, black olives on the nose, tight, silky red fruit with a good grip.

2018 Beaulieu Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon “Reserve” (Rutherford): Opaque dark red, sage, mint and crushed dark fruit on the nose, tight and dense with a nice grip at the end.

2018 Beaulieu Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon “Georges De Latour” (Napa Valley): Opaque dark red to black in color, closed nose of spice and green herbs, dusty, silky red fruit ending with firm tannins.

2018 Pahlmeyer Proprietary Red (Napa Valley): Opaque black, dark chocolate on the nose, chewy with silky, firm tannins.

2018 Amici Cabernet Sauvignon “Oakville Ranch” (Napa Valley): Opaque black, dark chocolate and black olives on the nose, chewy, juicy with silky tannins, nice grip and balance.

2018 Futo “OV” Red Blend (Oakville): Opaque dark red, roasted notes on the nose, chewy fruit with a nice balance.

2019 DAOU Vineyards Red Blend “Soul of a Lion” (Paso Robles): Opaque black, stinky red fruit and tree bark on the nose, chewy dark chocolate fruit with a nice grip and balance.

2019 DAOU Vineyards Red Blend “Mayote” (Paso Robles): Black in color with a purple rim, closed nose with some toast notes, chewy fruit followed with a mouthful of tannin.

2019 Martin Ray Cabernet Sauvignon (Oakville): Clear medium red, roast coffee on the nose, tight with coffee notes on the firm finish.

2019 Amici Cabernet Sauvignon “Reserve” (Napa Valley): Opaque dark black, big nose of roast meat, tight, dense, lip-smacking fruit, long finish.

2019 L’Aventure “Estate Cuvee” (Paso Robles): Opaque dark red to black, red fruit and roast meat on the nose, dusty, chewy fruit ending with tight tannins.

2019 Louis Latour Corton Charlamagne Grand Cru: Light gold, tropical fruit on the nose, subtle, peachy notes on the fruit and nicely balance.

2011 Bertani Amarone (Veneto): Light brick in color, caramel dark chocolate on the nose, medium dark chocolate on the fruit with a nice balance.

2014 Don Melchor Cabernet Sauvignon (Chile): Opaque dark red with a brick rim, chalk, bacon fat on the nose, chewy, milk chocolate on the fruit, nice balance, long finish.

2014 Muga Prado Enea Gran Reserva (Rioja): Opaque dark red to black, spicy bacon fat on the nose, chewy and silky with good balance and a long finish.

2016 Phelan-Segur (St Estephe): Clear medium red, crushed black fruit and camphor on the nose, tight, dusty red fruit with a firm finish.

2019 Chateau Beychevelle (St Julien): Opaque dark red to black, black olives, tree bark on the nose, dense, silky fruit with a nice balance, still young at this stage.