Wine Spectator Grand Tasting Highlights

GRAPE JUICE:

~ Chateau Palmer (Bordeaux, Margaux, 1996)

silky first stop

~ Chateau Lafite Rothschild (Bordeaux, Pauillac, 1999)

refined and elegant second

~ Chateau Haut-Brion (Bordeaux, Pessac-Leognan, 2004)

decadent, polished

~ Poderi Aldo Conterno (Barolo, Monforte D'Alba, 2004)

roses, tar, dried raspberries, sour cherries - fantastic after it had an hour to breathe

~ Maison Albert Bichot (Meursault, Premier Cru - Les Charmes, 2006)

a refreshing, nutty, and creamy white burgundy after power-tasting reds

~ Biondi-Santi (Brunello di Montalcino, Il Greppo Riserva, 1999)

my first taste of this delicate and brillant wine - provoke exploration of different styles of wine made from sangiovese

~ Hugel et Fils (Riesling, Alsace, Jubilee, 2004)

buying a case for beach picnics

HUMANS:

~ Meeting Ian Cauble, Kelly Ford, and James Suckling

~ Pouring WITH Robin Shay

~ Pouring FOR my dear Molto Vegas friends Lori Lucena, Mel Mrachek, Destyn Stevenson, and Liz and Henry Davar. You guys are family and it was wonderful to see you enjoying the tasting...maybe Mario and Joe will come next year. I'd probably get all excited and spill the wine though ;)

~ Bumping into local friends in the wine world...Kevin Vogt, Ira Harmon, Ron Mumford, Jaime Smith, Mark Weidemann, Larry Olson, Gino Ferraro - great to see you guys

~ Dining with Fiorenzo Dogliani, Stefano Poggi, Kirk Offerle, Deby Beard and friends. Carnevino impressed as always and we enjoyed the 2004 Batasiolo Barolo with dinner. And Fiorenzo made our Italian meal official with a few songs as they brough out the espressos and grappas. Piacere! Salute!!

2004 Allegrini Amarone

I had the pleasure of pouring this Italian star of the Wine Spectator Grand Tasting in Las Vegas last night. It's a well-structured, elegant expression of Amarone with a driven mid-palate due to their refined drying technique. The control the humidity so there is no rot, which can cause impurities. The result of this meticulous harvesting and raisinating process results in a wine with lower alcohol (it's still 15%), lower residual sugar, and softer tannins - the focus and balance Franco Allegrini's (winemaker) Amarone Della Valpolicella Classico is so clear when tasting the competition. The only 2004 that's left to buy is what you can find on the shelves, so pick up a bottle while you can still find one! Thanks to all of the repeat visitors, I love to see people enjoying the wine I'm pouring, especially when you have five first growths in the aisle over.