Tag: Wine Tasting

Vinous Icons Italy New York City 2025

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Vinous is an internet wine magazine founded by wine critic Antonio Galloni that hosts numerous wine events throughout the year. They held their first annual Vinous Icons wine tasting event in New York City last year which featured iconic wines of the world.

On May 16 & 17 of this year, they hosted the first annual Vinous Icons Italy in which consumers and members of the trade had the opportunity to sample iconic wines of Italy.

Most of the twenty wine regions of Italy were represented with many wineries pouring different vintages on each day. I attended on Friday, May 17th.

The event was held at Hall des Lumieres located at 49 Chambers Street in Manhattan. The venue is down the block from the old City Hall building and the Manhattan entrance to the Brooklyn Bridge.

Some of what I sampled:

2016 Masi Amarone della Valpolicella Mazzano Cantina Privata Boscaini: Cloudy medium red, Asian spices on the nose, juicy with silky tannins.

2016 Rocca di Castagnoli Chianti Classico Riserva: Clear medium brick, tar, dirt and dark chocolate on the nose, concentrated black fruit ending with mouthwatering acidity.

2016 Livio Sassetti Brunello di Montalcino Riserva: Clear light brick, toasty tar on the nose, juicy, dusty red fruit with a balanced finish.

2018 Brigaldara Amarone della Valpolicella Casa Vecie: Opaque medium brick, tar and dirt on the nose, silky dusty fruit with silky tannin and a crisp grip.

2018 Tenuta Sant’Antonio Amarone della Valpolicella Campo dei Gigli: Clear medium brick, red cherry chocolate on the nose, tight with dark chocolate notes ending with crisp acids.

2018 Michele Satta Bolgheri Superiore Marianova: Clear medium brick, dirty tar on the nose, juicy fruit with tar and bitter cherry notes ending with nice acidity.

2018 Dei Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Riserva Bossona: Clear medium brick, cherry tar on the nose, juicy and toasty with firm tannin.

2019 Speri Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Sant ‘Urbano: Opaque medium red, brick rim, dark chocolate and green herbs on the nose, juicy red leather fruit, silky tannin and good acidity.

2019 L’Orcio a Ca di Pesa Chianti Classico Gran Selezione: Clear medium red, classic nose of tar and leather juicy with stone and bitter almond notes, firm and balanced

2019 Fuligni Brunello di Montalcino Riserva: Clear medium red, tobacco on the nose, juicy ending with silky tannins.

2020 Argentiera Ventaglio: Cabernet Franc. Clear medium brick, tree bark and white pepper on the nose, tight with bitter bark notes, crisp acids.

2020 Argiolas Turriga: Opaque dark red, slate and dark chocolate on the nose, chewy dark fruit, silky tannin and a crisp finish.

2021 La Spinetta Barbaresco Vigneto Valeirano: Clear light brick, crushed strawberries on the nose, juicy berry fruit with good structure.

2021 Avignonesi Desiderio: Opaque dark red, smoky dark chocolate on the nose, tight, crunchy fruit with crisp acids.

2021 Fattoria Le Pupille Syrah Le Pupille: Clear medium red, purple rim, dirty tar on the nose, chunky dark fruit with thyme notes, nice balance.

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.

Wine Spectator N.Y. Wine Experience 2024 Day 1

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The 43rd anniversary of Wine Spectator’s New York Wine Experience was held on October 17-19 and was sponsored by the wine spectator’s scholarship foundation.

The yearly event began in San Fransico 43 years ago and for a while alternated between San Franciso and New York City until it was decided to make New York City the permanent home for the event.

The event consisted of several vertical wine tastings and seminars in addition to two days of Critic’s Choice Grand Tastings.

The grand tastings were an opportunity to sample over 260 international wines that scored 90+ points from Wine Spectator in addition to be able to speak with many of the owners and winemakers that were pouring their wines.

I would say that this is the best wine tasting event of the year for the consumer. It was a huge event with two floors of wine.

I was lucky enough to attend both days which gave me the opportunity to sample a good amount of really good wine.

Since I couldn’t possibly sample every wine that was on hand, I narrowed down on what I would try. I decided each day would be devoted to the wines of one particular floor and on each floor, I focused on what I normally do in these massive tastings, I concentrated on Bordeaux and Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon with an occasional outlier.

New World

2008 Lokoya Cabernet Sauvignon Mt. Veeder (Napa Valley): Opaque dark brick, mint, graphite and cooked fruit on the nose, chewy black fruit with mint notes, silky, firm tannins.

2014 Joseph Phelps Insignia (Napa Valley): Opaque dark red with a purple rim, toast, tar and red fruit on the nose, thick with firm tannins and acids.

2014 Staglin Cabernet Sauvignon Rutherford (Napa Valley): Clear medium red with a brick rim, cooked red fruit on the nose, silky black fruit, silky tannins, great balance.

2016 Diamond Creek Cabernet Sauvignon Volcanic Hill (Napa Valley): Opaque black with a purple rim, nose of violets, tar and pickle juice, juicy, chewy red leather fruit with moderate tannins and acids.

2016 Mt. Brave Cabernet Sauvignon Mt. Veeder (Napa Valley): Opaque black with a purple rim, smokey tar on the nose, chunky chocolate on the fruit with nice structure and a long finish.

2017 Shafer Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select (Napa Valley): Opaque black with a purple rim, roast nuts on the nose, chunky and chewy dark fruit with dark chocolate notes, good grip.

2018 Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon S.L.V. (Napa Valley): Opaque black with a purple rim, plummy, chewy, chunky with silky acids on the good grip, long finish.

2018 Heitz Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Trailside Vineyard (Napa Valley): Clear medium red with a purple rim, sweet tar on the nose, juicy dark fruit, firm tannins.

2018 Schrader Cabernet Sauvignon Heritage Clone (Napa Valley): Opaque black with a purple rim, toasty dark chocolate on the nose, chunky and chewy with dark chocolate notes, firm grip.

2019 Outpost Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mt. (Napa Valley): Opaque black with a purple rim, crushed blueberry on the nose, chewy dark fruit with lip smacking tannins, long finish.

2021 Memento Mori Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley): Opaque black with a purple rim, chewy dark fruit with graphite notes, firm tannins.

2021 Chimney Rock Cabernet Sauvignon Stags Leap District (Napa Valley): Opaque black with a purple rim, roasted nuts on the nose, chewy dark fruit, firm tannins.

2021 Far Niente Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley): Opaque black with a purple rim, closed nose of ripe fruit, tight and concentrated, big tannins.

2021 Favia Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville (Napa Valley): Opaque black with a purple rim, pickle juice on the nose, tight and concentrated with mint notes, big tannins.

Old World

2010 Chateau Haut-Brion (Pessac Leognan): Clear dark red with a brick rim, tar and smokey black leather on the nose, silky, peppery fruit with bitter almond on the long finish, great balance.

2010 Chateau La Mission Haut-Brion (Pessac Leognan): Opaque black with a purple rim, toasty and tarry on the nose, thick dark chocolate fruit with silky tannins and a long finish.

2014 Domaine Faiveley Latricieres Chambertin Grand Cru (Burgundy): Clear medium brick, nose of tar, earth and cooked fruit, silky red fruit with earth notes and red leather on the finish, great balance.

2015 Chateau Chevel Blanc (St. Emilion): Clear medium brick, closed nose of dark chocolate, silky fruit with tight and firm tannins.

2017 Chateau Leoville Poyferre (St. Julien): Opaque black with a purple rim, nose of sweet tar and smoke, bright red fruit ending with big tannins.

2018 Chateau Leoville Las Cases (St. Julien): Opaque dark red with a purple rim, perfume of tarry black fruit, silky dark fruit with cigarette smoke notes, good grip.

2019 Chateau Lynch Bages (Pauillac): Opaque black with a purple rim, dusty tar on the nose, tight, concentrated and silky with black pepper notes, firm finish.

2019 Chateau Haut-Batailley (Pauillac): Opaque black with a purple rim, roasted nuts on the nose, chewy with firm tannins.

2020 Chateau Pichon Baron (Pauillac): Opaque black with a purple rim, smokey stone on the nose, chewy, bright dark fruit ending with crisp acids.

2020 Chateau Smith-Haut-Lafite (Pessac Leognan): Opaque black with a purple rim, closed nose of crushed strawberry, chewy red fruit with firm tannins.

Union des Grand Crus de Bordeaux NYC 2023

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On Monday, January 23, I attended the annual world tour of the Union des Grand Crus de Bordeaux.

The Union is a trade organization that represents the Grand Crus of 130 chateaux in Bordeaux. The tour brings them to Europe, Asia and North America and showcases the current released vintage of the wines, in this case the 2020 vintage.

The event was held at Cipriani restaurant at 110 East 42nd Street in Manhattan with a trade tasting in the afternoon and the consumer tasting in the evening.

This was an excellent tasting with an opportunity to sample many grand cru Bordeaux while getting an idea on how the vintage turned out.

The 2020 vintage generally got good reviews, from my point of view I had the impression that many of the wines exhibited characteristics of a cool weather vintage. I was getting a lot of tart red cherry fruit and bitter cherry notes on the finish. Some were a mouthful of tannins while others were more approachable but even the approachable ones will need a few more years in the bottle to round things out. Alcohol levels were manageable since I wasn’t getting a lot of heat on the finish for the most part.

2020 Vintage

Saint-Emillion

Chateau Canon: Opaque medium red with a purple rim, petroleum on the nose, silky fruit with firm tannins and bitter cherry on the finish.

Chateau Canon La Gaffieliere: Opaque dark red, tar and tobacco on the nose, concentrated red cherry fruit with firm tannins and bitter cherry on the finish.

Chateau Fourtet: Opaque dark red, tar and violets on the nose with dusty sweet black and black licorice ending with firm tannins.

Chateau La Gaffieliere: Clear medium red, toasty leather on the nose, dusty and silky red fruit with silky tannins, good balance.

Chateau Pavie Macquin: Clear medium red, perfume of tar, leather and cigar box, silky red fruit with balanced tannins and acid at the end.

Pomerol

Chateau Le Bon Pasteur: Opaque dark red, crushed black fruit and toast on the nose, dusty black fruit with mint notes, firm, silky tannins.

Chateau Clinet: Opaque dark red, brambly, black fruit and green stem on the nose, silky black fruit with firm tannins.

Chateau La Pointe: Clear medium red, candy apple nose, black fruit with firm but balanced finish.

Chateau Le Gay: Clear medium red with a brick rim, dusty nose, red cherry fruit with bitter cherry notes on the tart finish.

Listrac-Medoc

Chateau Fourcas Dupre: Clear medium red, toasted barnyard on the nose, silky red fruit with a firm, nice balance.

Haut-Medoc

Chateau Citran: Clear medium red with a brick rim, toasty red cherry on the nose, dusty black fruit with toast notes on the finish, moderate tannins.

Margaux

Chateau Angludet: Opaque medium red, stinky, tar and damp earth on the nose, juicy fruit with a tarry balance. Accessible.

Chateau Brane-Cantenac: Opaque dark red, sweet perfume and green herbs on the nose, tight red cherry fruit, firm tannins.

Chateau Cantenac Brown: Opaque medium red, dust crushed black fruit on the nose, tart, bright red fruit ending with moderate to low tannins.

Chateau Kirwan: Opaque medium red, crushed red fruit on the nose, juicy red fruit with firm, silky tannins.

Saint-Julien

Chateau Beychevelle: Clear dark red, pretty perfume of earth, tar and violets with silky black fruit, bitter cherry on the finish, silky tannins.

Chateau Branaire Ducru: Clear medium red, perfume of crushed black fruit and damp earth with earthy black fruit and a dusty finish. Moderate tannins.

Chateau Leoville Poyfere: Opaque red fruit with a purple rim, smoky gravel on the nose, black fruit with dusty, firm tannins.

Chateau Talbot: Clear medium red, big perfume of toasty black fruit, toasty red fruit with big tannins at the end.

Pauillac

Chateau Clerc Milon: Clear medium red, red cherry on the nose, red cherry fruit with leather notes on the finish, moderate tannins and firm acidity.

Chateau Duhart Milon: Clear medium red, wet earth and tar on the nose, silky red fruit with firm tannins.

Chateau Lynch Bages: Clear medium red, toasted tobacco on the nose, tart red cherry fruit with moderate tannins.

Saint-Estephe

Chateau Ormes de Pez: Clear medium red, damp earth and barnyard on the nose, tight and tannic.

Decanter Wine Encounter NYC 2022

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Decanter is a British based magazine similar to the Wine Spectator magazine in that it reports on all things concerning wine including wine personalities, vineyards, wine regions and the influential wine reviews.

They hold a big tasting in London and in Asia and on June 18th they held their first tasting in the United States in New York City.

That tasting was held at Manhatta restaurant on 28 Liberty Street in the Financial District of lower Manhattan. The restaurant is located on the 60th floor of the building which gave for an amazing view of lower Manhattan.

The tasting was more Euro-centric with France and Italy well represented and a handful of wines from the rest of the world including California. Most of the tables had at least one older vintage that they poured which made for an interesting tasting.

Some of what I sampled:

1995 Col d’Orca Poggio al Vento Brunello di Montalcino Riserva (Tuscany) Clear medium brick, sweet tar and anise on the nose, toasty and tannic.

2005 Chateau Lagrange (St-Julien) Clear medium to dark red, pretty nose of olives and crushed red fruit, concentrated, silky and dusty fruit with silky tannins.

2005 Lungarotti Vigna Monticchio Rubesco Riserva (Umbria) Opaque dark brick, stinky smoke on the nose, silky red fruit ending tight and tannic.

2006 Chateau Lascombes (Margaux) Opaque dark red with a brick rim, toasty, earth notes, ripe vegetable and violets on the nose, chewy with big tannins.

2006 Chateau Beaucastel Chateauneuf du Pape (Rhone) Clear medium brick, dried leaf notes on the nose, chewy and tight, long finish.

2009 Jean-Claude Boisset Chambolle-Musigny (Burgundy) Light brick, roasted meat on the nose, silky red fruit with some earth notes, dusty finish.

2009 Chateau Beychevelle (St-Julien) Medium brick, violets and black olives on the nose, silky, tree bark and olives on the fruit, balanced and long.

2010 Chateau La Dominique (St-Emilion) Opaque black, closed nose of crushed dark chocolate, chunky and chewy with a good grip at the end.

2014 Chateau Lagrange (St-Julien) Opaque medium red, cinnamon and sweet bell pepper on the nose, medium red fruit with big tannins at the end.

2015 Mas de Daumas Gassac Cuvee Emile Peynaud (Languedoc-Roussillon) Opaque dark red to black, earthy nose, chunky and dense with meat notes on the finish, good balance.

2015 Col d’Orca Olmaia Cabernet Sauvignon (Tuscany) Medium clear red, sweet bacon fat on the nose, dusty bell pepper fruit with firm tannins.

2016 Domaine de Chevalier (Pessac-Leognan) Medium with a red purple rim, pretty nose of tar, red leather and sweet spices, chunky and silky with gritty tannins, balanced and long.

2002 Freemark Abbey Sycamore Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley) Opaque dark red, pretty nose of mint and cocoa, chewy dark chocolate fruit with a good grip and great balance.

2012 La Jota Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley) Opaque black, anise and black fruit on the nose with dense black fruit ending with lip smacking tannins.

2013 Trefethen HaLo Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley) Opaque black with a purple rim, mint, smoke and black pepper on the nose, chewy fruit with mint notes, good grip with a long finish.

2013 Domaine Anderson Dach Vineyard Pinot Noir (Anderson Valley) Clear medium red, sweet herbs on the nose, dense with roasted nuts and coffee on the finish, good balance.

2014 Staglin Estate Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley) Opaque black, cracked black pepper on the nose, chewy fruit with dark chocolate on the long finish, great balance.

2017 Beaux Freres The Belles Soeurs Pinot Noir (Ribbon Ridge) Clear medium red, sweet red fruit on the nose, silky red fruit with a nice balance.

2018 Freemark Abbey Sycamore Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley) Opaque dark red to black, crushed black fruit on the nose, dense red fruit ending with firm tannins.

2018 La Jota Howell Mountain Merlot (Napa Valley) Black with a purple rim, plum and bacon on the nose, dense, bright fruit with tight tannins at the end.

2018 Staglin Estate Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley) Opaque black with a purple rim, bacon fat and black pepper on the nose, dense and chewy with mint and dark chocolate on the finish, good grip.

2020 Freemark Abbey Chardonnay (Napa Valley) Light gold in color, lime and green herbs on the nose, juicy tropical fruit notes, good grip.

Great Wines Of The World : New York 2022

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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.

Vintus Imports Portfolio Tasting

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Many of the distributors that supply the wine and bar industry here in New York carry a wide range of wines and spirits. Not surprisingly every bar and restaurant have its particular needs. They might be looking for a good wine by the glass or something out of the ordinary or maybe they’re looking for a trophy wine.

On March 21st I attended the Spring portfolio tasting of Vintus Imports which was held at their offices at 48 West 38th Street in Manhattan.

I was not familiar with this company and was curious to check out their portfolio. They did carry a good selection of wines as well as some interesting spirits including several aquavits.

Some highlights:

2007 Chateau Montelena Estate Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley): Opaque medium brick with a sweet perfume of graphite and black licorice, silky red fruit with dark chocolate notes finishing with green herbs. Lovely wine.

2018 Darioush Signature Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley): Opaque dark red, sweet nose of tar and wet earth, dense and chewy black fruit. Some heat at the end.

2019 Far Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon “Fission” (Sonoma): Opaque dark red to black, nose of ripe fruit, chewy and chunky black fruit with a dusty and chewy finish and a nice balance.

2017 Lucien Le Moine Chambolle Musigny 1er Cru “Les Baudes”: Clear light brick with graphite and leather on the nose, juicy red fruit with earthy notes, tight acids and a long finish.

2017 Lucien Le Moine Volnay 1er Cru “Clos des Chenas”: Clear light red, toasty red fruit on the nose, silky red fruit with some earth notes, nice balance.

2018 E. Guigal Saint-Joseph “Vignes de l’Hospice”: Clear dark red with a beautiful nose fo wet earth, mint and crushed black fruit, silky red fruit with wet rock notes on the fruit, balanced and long.

2016 Chateau de Nalys Chateauneuf du Pape: Clear dark brick, closed nose of bacon fat, dusty, silky dark fruit with slate notes, balanced and long.

2008 Tommasi “De Buris” (Veneto): Clear medium brick with damp earth and prunes on the nose, pruney green herbs on the tight finish.

2017 Tommasi Amarone Classico (Veneto): Clear light brick, closed nose of dark chocolate, juicy with raison and herbs of the long finish. Great balance.

2015 Casisano Brunello di Montalcino (Tuscany): Clear light red, tar and graphite on the nose, silky with earthy fruit and nicely balance.

La Paulée de NY: Verticals Tasting 2022

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La Paulée de New York is Daniel Johnson’s homage to La Paulée de Meursault, a three-day long end of grape harvest festival held in Meursault, Burgundy in France. The festival itself was a revival of the end of harvest banquet that the medieval monks threw for their growers and workers.

Mr. Johnson brought that festival to New York in 2000 and after a one-year hiatus it’s back in New York City. It’s several days of tastings and wine dinners featuring the red and white wines of the Cote d’Or of Burgundy.

They threw two tastings, the Grand Tasting in which they poured 100+ wines from the current vintage release, and the Verticals Tasting in which each producer poured at least three different vintages of their wine.

I attended the Grand Tasting in March 2020 which was held just a few days before the lockdown, it was the last major tasting for me for almost two years. This year they were showcasing the 2018 and 2019 vintages to make up for the lost year. This year I didn’t attend that tasting but was able to make it to the Verticals Tasting. It was a little smaller in size than the Grand Tasting but was a great opportunity to drink Burgundy with some age to them. It was well worth the 10am start time.

The tasting took place at the event space Second in the Eventi Hotel at 849 6th Avenue in Manhattan.

Some highlights:

White

2011 Domaine du Duc de Magenta Chassagne Montrachet 1er Cru “Clos de la Chapelle”: Light yellow, toasty nose, roasted nuts and lime on the finish.

2012 Domaine Christian Moreau Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos “Clos des Hospices” en magnum: Dark gold in color, ripe tropical fruit on the nose, dusty, nutty on the finish.

2014 Bouchard Pere & Fils Corton Charlemagne Grand Cru: Light yellow with honey and cinnamon on the nose, mouthful of fruit with a nice balance

2015 Domaine Eleni & Edouard Vocoret Chablis 1er Cru “Les Butteaux”: Light yellow with a floral nose, nice balanced fruit ending with a firm finish

Red

2006 Domaine de la Vougeraie Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru: Clear light red, tar and cigar box on the nose with earthy, tobacco fruit and a long finish.

2007 Benjamin Leroux Volnay “Clos de la Cave du Ducs” Monopole: Clear light brick, beautiful nose of earth and barnyard with tobacco and cigar box notes on the long finish.

2009 Chandon de Briailles Corton Grand Cru “Les Bressandes” en magnum: Clear light red, plummy tobacco on the nose with silky bright red fruit and green herbs on the finish.

2009 Domaine Faiveley Echezeaux Grand Cru: Light brick, crushed raspberry and earth on the nose, silky red fruit ending with silky tannins and a long finish.

2010 Domaine Simon Bize Savigny les Beaune 1er Cru “Aux Vergelesses”: Clear light brick, cigar box on the nose, bright red fruit ending with mouth coating tannins.

2010 Joseph Drouhin Chambertin Clos de Beze Grand Cru: Clear light brick, tar and tobacco on the nose, silky, earthy fruit with firm acids and tannins at the end.

2010 Domaine du Comte Liger-Belair Vosne-Romanee 1er Cru “Aux Brulees” en magnum: Clear light brick, crushed blueberry on the nose, red toasty fruit with a silky finish.

2011 Domaine Faiveley Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru “Les Saint Georges“: Light brick in color, cigar box on the nose, nice balanced fruit with a long finish.

2011 Derey Freres Fixin 1er Cru “Les Hervedets”: Light brick, cinnamon, smoky tobacco and ripe fruit on the nose, chewy and nicely balanced with a long finish.

2011 Pierre Morey Pommard 1er Cru “Grand Epenots”: Clear light red, closed nose of crushed black fruit and dried herbs, silky red fruit with a nice balance.

2012 Antoine Donnedieu Clos de Tart Grand Cru monople: Clear light red, barnyard and green herbs on the nose, tight and tart.

2013 Domaine d’Eugenie Vosne-Romanee 1er Cru “Brulees”: Clear light red, perfume of crushed red fruit and cinnamon, bright red fruit with some earth notes on the finish.

2014 Domaine Jean Marie Fourrier Vougeot 1er Cru “Les Petits Vougeot”: Clear light brick, pumpkin spice on the nose, silky red fruit ending with silky tannins.

2014 Jerome Galeyrand Gevrey-Chambertin “En Croisette”: Clear light brick, toasty, earth nose, chewy black licorice fruit ending balanced and long.

2015 Yvon Clerget Pommard 1er Cru “Rugiens”: Clear medium red, crushed black fruit on the nose, ripe and chewy black fruit ending with silky tannins.

2015 Nicolas Rossignol Volnay 1er Cru “Chevrerz”: Clear light red, red smoke on the nose, silky red fruit with a nice balance.

Westchester Wine & Food Fest 2021

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Westchester Magazine’s 10th annual Wine & Food Festival was held on September 21-25. It was five days of a couple of wine dinners, a Burger & Beer Bash, Party on the Pier and lastly, their signature event, the Grand Tasting Village on Saturday, September 25th.

Last years event, which normally took place in June was, not surprisingly, cancelled so I was happy to see that they decided to bring the event back this year.

I was worried that they might have scaled back the scope of the event but when but when I arrived, I was happily surprised to see that they did not. In fact it seemed like they had double the amount of spirits represented this year than at the last event. As usual they had a roped off Connoisseurs tent that featured high end wines not available in General Admission area. I remember being disappointed in the wine selection in that Connoisseurs tent at the last event but they made up for it this year, there was some very nice juice to sample this time.

As in the past, the event was held outdoors under the tents at Kensico Damn Plaza which is a few minutes walk from the Valhalla Metro North train station. That’s a leisurely 50-60 minute train ride from Grand Central Terminal and it was a beautiful late Summer afternoon for a ride to the country.

I think that this is one of the better consumer wine events to attend. It’s at a great venue with tasty food to sample and copious international wines to drink for the General Admission ticket holders.

Wines I sampled in the Connoisseurs tent:

NV Moet & Chandon Grand Vintage Champagne2017 Vincent Giradin Chassagne-Montrachet
2018 Robert Mondavi Reserve Chardonnay2015 Robert Mondavi Reserve Fume Blanc
2017 Tablas Creek Esprit Blanc2018 Penner-Ash Estate Pinot Noir
2015 Freemark Abbey Cabernet Sauvignon Sycamore Vineyard2016 Louis Martini Cabernet Sauvignon Monte Rosso Vineyard
2018 Pahlmeyer Cabernet Sauvignon “Jayson”2018 Mt. Veeder Winery Cabernet Sauvignon
2015 Brewer-Clifton Pinot Noir “Machado”2017 Newton Unfiltered Cabernet Sauvignon
2018 Lucienne Pinot Noir2018 Orin Swift Papillon Red Blend
2017 Booker Oublie Grenache Blend2018 Caymus-Suisun Grand Durif
2018 Chateau La Gaffeliere2019 Caymus Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon
2017 Castello Banfi Summus Toscana2016 Castello Banfi Excelsus Toscana
2016 Castello Banfi Brunello di Montalcino2016 Mastroberadino Taurasi Radici
2016 Castello Banfi Poggio Alle Mura Brunello di Montalcino2018 Catena Zapata Malbec Argentino

International Wine Fest At The Golden Nugget 2019

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On August 24th I attended the 8th annual International WineFest held at the Golden Nugget hotel and casino.

The Golden Nugget casino along with Harrah’s and the Borgata are in the Marina district of Atlantic City in New Jersey. That’s about a couple of miles from the famous boardwalk where the bulk of the casinos are located.

Originally, seven years ago the festival began as the Cal-Ital wine festival. It had paired Italian along wines with California wineries of Italian heritage. Some of those included Sbragia, Mondavi, Sebastiani, Seghesio, Peroncelli and Louis Martini to name a few. Italian immigrants had brought over their wine culture and wine making skills to the early winemaking industry in California. It was an exciting concept and they poured some nice juice.

Unfortunately I believe the organizers of the event found that concept too limiting for a large wine event so they segued into an international festival theme which gave them more product to bring into the fest.

The Wine Fest was a two day event with the grand tasting on Saturday evening which I attended. Over 100 wines from the wine producing countries of the United States, Italy, France, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Austria, Chile, Argentina, New Zealand and Australia were poured.

While there were no trophy wines present, it was a good opportunity for a neophyte wine drinker to experience a broad range of international wines and styles. The room was never overcrowded and there was never a long wait for a pour of wine.

Along with live music, a buffet and their signature attractive wine ambassadors pouring, it made for a fun evening of drinking wine before you got back to the business of gambling.

 

I was in a Champagne drinking mood that evening so my go to drink for the night was Champagne.

Paul Goerg: Brut reserve, blanc de blanc , brut  .

Pol Couronne’s: Brut cuvee, blanc de blanc, brut rosé.

 

Some others I sampled:

Robert Mondavi: Bourbon barrel aged Cabernet Sauvignon, barrel aged Chardonnay, rum barrel aged Merlot.

Rodney Strong: Charlotte’s Home Sauvignon Blanc, Russian River Vallery estate Pinot Noir, Sonoma Merlot.

Francis Coppola: Sofia Rosé, Diamond Collection Oregon Pinot Noir.

Heavy Weight: Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Knockout Red.

Smoke Tree: Rosé, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir.

Dancing Crow: Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel.

19 Crimes: Hard Chardonnay, Shiraz, The Warden, Red Blend.

Oyster Bay: Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Barossa Valley GSM.

Perrin: Cote du Rhone Rosé, Cote du Rhone Villages Rouge, Vinsobre Les Cornuds.

Louis Jadot: Macon Villages Blanc, Rosé, Beaujolais Villages.

Cavaliere D’Oro: Chianti Classico, Chianti Classico Riserva.

Laurennz V: Friendly Gruner Veltlener, Charming Gruner.

Quinta Do Crasto: Douro White, Douro Red.

Montes: Chardonnay, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon.