Around the World in 80 Sips
It’s not often that one is given the chance to taste some of the best wines of the world all in one place. Last Friday at Bottlenotes Around the World in 80 Sips in San Francisco, the Sherry Suite provided one of those unique opportunities. Sherry Lehmann wine merchant of New York brought together some of the best producers from Italy, France & the United States in a special VIP reserve area. The least expensive wine was $39.95 and the most expensive was $219.95. This was truly a wine lovers delight with 35 high end wines available to try.
The most noteworthy wines in my opinion are listed below:
The sparkling wines on offer included Champagne selections from Louis Roederer, Henriot & Tattinger each with a long and celebrated history of Champagne production. Out of the 9 sparkling wines I tasted, the most noteworthy was the 2006 Cristal Champagne from Louis Roderer. Cristal is often ordered by celebrities and sung about by hip hop artists and now I understand why. The 2006 Cristal is 40% Chardonnayand 60% Pinot Noir, it is aged for six years and left for a further eight months after degorgement. it retails for $219.95 a bottle. Cristal has been made since 1876 when the Tsar asked the Roederer family to make him a special wine. They selected their best vineyards with the best exposures and best terroir, put it in a special bottle and called it Cristal. If you ever have the chance to taste Cristal you definitely should.
With regard to the Italian wines on offer, there was a delicious variety of Amarone, Barolo and Barbaresco from legendary producers Zenato, Pio Cesare, Angelo Gaja and Ceretto but the stand out Italian wine in my opinion was the 2010 “Tignanello” from Antinori. A blend of 85% San Giovese, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Cabernet Franc this “Super Tuscan” retails for $89.95 a bottle. The Antinori’s have been making wine for 25 generations since 1385 and they have been producing “Tignanello” since 1971. This wine is intense bold with great concentrated flavors and demonstrates why Super Tuscans when made right can be so amazing.
The French wines on offer were primarily whites, with one stand out red, the Pichon Lalande Pauillac 2003. A Bordeaux blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Merlot, and 4% Petit Verdot, this wine is full bodied well balanced and intense with dense fleshy fruit. It retails for $199.95 a bottle. Pichon Lalande is a 2nd growth Pauillac on gravel soil with clay from the Gunz glaciation period and the terroir really contributes to the flavor and balance of this wine showcasing why Bordeaux wines are so sought after.
The American wines on offer were all Cabernet Sauvignons from Napa Valley and included Cade, Chateau Montelena, Dominus Estate and Stag’s Leap. It was nice to have an opportunity to taste these next to highly acclaimed Italian Barolos and French Bordeaux and see that they each held their own. The stand out here though was the Cade Winery 2010 Howell Mountain Cabernet. A blend 87% Cabernet Sauvignon and 13% Merlot. This wine has nice fruit flavor and smoothness. It retails for $82.95 a bottle and is a great representation of the unique flavor of Howell Mountain fruit.
I highly recommend each of these wines. I also highly reocmmend that you consider attending Around the World in 80 Sips if and when it comes to a city near you and if given the opportunity, splurge for a ticket to the suite with the reserve wines, trust me, you’ll be glad you did! http://www.bottlenotes.com/events/around-the-world-in-80-sips
Tags: Amarone, Angelo Gaja, Barbaresco, Barolo, Bottlenotes, Cade, Ceretto, champagne, Chateau Montelena, Cristal, Dominus Estate, Henriot, Howell Mountain, Loius Roederer, Pauillac, Pichon Lalande, Pio Cesare, Sherry Lehmann, Stag's Leap, Tattinger, Tignanello, Zenato
