This is the stuff of wine lovers’ dreams: Two entire ballrooms filled with more than 200 of the world’s best wines just waiting to be tasted. The doors swing open. You rush in excitedly with a glass to find prestige Champagnes, classified-growth Bordeaux, Napa Cabernet, Super Tuscans, Vintage Port and so many other star regions and grape varieties. There’s just one complication: You only have two nights to try them. Where to start?
Wine Spectator’s annual New York Wine Experience is coming up this weekend, and at the two evening Grand Tastings scheduled for Oct. 19 and 20, all the wines being poured have scored 90 points or higher. Even if you’re just aiming for your favorites, or maybe for those you’ve never tried before, it’s easy to be lured away by the gleaming bottles, famous names and new discoveries down every aisle.
To help you plan the night (or two), some of our senior editors shared the wines they’ll be seeking out first. Whether you follow one taster’s recommendations, try to get through them all or let happenstance be your guide, you’re sure to drink well!
Don’t have Grand Tasting tickets yet? Get them here!
Tim Fish, Senior Editor, Napa Office
This will be my 20th New York Wine Experience, yet every Grand Tasting is a new adventure, with new wines to taste and new winemakers, friends and readers to meet. Sometimes, I get so busy talking that I fall behind on tasting wines. Good thing the tasting lasts four hours.
Veterans of Grand Tastings have a plan of attack. I’ve tried focusing first on white wines, but I lack the discipline required to turn a blind eye to great reds as I walk by. Champagne and sparkling wine producers are always jammed when the tasting begins, because many tasters prefer starting there. I bide my time and allow the crowds to thin out. Besides, I find bubbly to be an excellent palate refresher as the evening unwinds.
Most of the wines at the tasting are current vintages, since everyone wants a crack at the newest releases. It can be easy to overlook that a few wineries are pouring older vintages. Those are always high on my list to taste.
Burgundy star Domaine Faiveley is a regular at the Grand Tastings, and this year Faiveley is pouring the Corton Clos des Cortons Faiveley 2012, which we rated 92 points on Wine Spectator’s 100-point scale in 2015.
From a Bordeaux second-growth estate comes even more of a treat: the Château Léoville Las Cases St.-Julien 2010, a red that scored a near-perfect 99 points in 2013.
Port houses frequently open old vintages to show how wonderfully these fortified wines evolve in the cellar. This year, Taylor Fladgate offers a taste of the 2003 Vintage Port, which we rated 94 points back in 2006.
Aaron Romano, Senior Editor, Napa Office
My California colleague and I must be on the same wavelength, because my early game plan this year is to taste Spanish wines with age. I’ve become increasingly fascinated with Spanish wines in recent years, and I become even more captivated when I try a delicious, well-aged bottle. But typically, when I’m out to eat, I generally only find current vintage or young Spanish wines.
So, I’m making a concerted effort to explore the best of Spain’s aged gems, and there’s perhaps no better place to start, Spanish or not, than with the Marqués de Cáceres Rioja Gran Reserva 1991, which we last rated 93 points in a vertical tasting in 2015. I was only eight years old when this wine was made. Now, 40, my knees and back are showing their age, and I’m curious how this Rioja is holding up after 32 years.
Sticking with Rioja, but moving forward a few decades, the CVNE (pronounced Coo-nay) Rioja Imperial Gran Reserva 2014 isn’t that old, considering that it ages for two years in barrel and then two-and-a-half years in bottle before release. Though it was only released in 2020, when we gave it 93 points, it’s on my must-try list for being one of Spain’s classic Riojas that’s only produced in excellent years.
Moving to the Ribera del Duero region, the Bodegas Vega Sicilia Ribera del Duero Unico goes through a lengthy aging process, often up to 10 years between barrel and bottle before release. Technically, the 2013 vintage (96 points) is a new release, but its balanced frame and firm tannins mean we could easily enjoy this at the 2033 Wine Experience!
Only 10 cases of Emilio Moro’s Ribera del Duero Clon de la Familia 2016 (96 points) were imported, so this is a rare opportunity to try this special wine.
Lastly, I’ll finish in Priorat with the Scala Dei Garnatxa Negra Priorat St.-Antoni 2018 (93 points). It’s the youngest of the group, but it gets a pass for being from among the oldest cultivated Grenache vineyards in the region, dating back 350 years
Kristen Bieler, Senior Editor, New York Office
Every year, we have many outstanding returning wineries, but it’s always a thrill to have a newcomer. This year, we have Julien Brechet of Domaine des Bosquets at the Grand Tasting for the first time. One of the dynamic rising stars of Gigondas in the Southern Rhône, Brechet is generously sharing his top cuvée, Le Regard Loin 2020 (95 points), a tiny-production blend of his best plots—and only the second vintage for this wine.
For comparison, just a few tables away, you’ll find returning Gigondas star, Louis Barruol of Château St.-Cosme, who is pouring his outstanding 2017 Gigondas (93 points).
Is there such a thing as too much Rhône? Of course not. We have four stunning Châteauneuf-du-Papes on offer, and I highly recommend hitting them all. White wines are the standout from Southern Rhône’s challenging 2021 vintage, and the beautiful Château La Nerthe 2021 (93 points) shows why. Château de Nalys has been getting better every year since the Guigal family of the Northern Rhône purchased the estate in 2017; they are pouring their 2019 (95 points), from one of the best recent vintages in the Southern Rhône. And one of Châteauneuf’s most iconic estates is pouring it stunning Château de Beaucastel 2017 (95 points).
Few stars have risen as fast as Châteauneuf’s Domaine Saint-Préfert since Isabel Ferrando purchased the estate two decades ago. Fans should take note that, with the 2020 vintage, she has changed her domaine’s name to Famille Isabel Ferrando—and, under that label, she will be pouring the stand-out St.-Préfert bottling (94 points) from that year.
From the Northern Rhône, we have Jean-Luc Colombo returning after several years, and he’s pouring one of my favorites: his Cornas Vallon de L’Aigle 2017 (96 points), a Syrah of rare power and poise. And two of the biggest names in the north have raided their cellars for heavy-hitting reds from some of the most coveted hillside vineyards in all of France: E. Guigal’s Côte-Rôtie Château d’Ampuis 2018 (94 points) and M. Chapoutier’s Ermitage Le Pavillon 2007 94 points).
Next stop? Champagne, of course.
Bruce Sanderson, senior editor, New York office
And with that, head on over to sample the Alfred Gratien Brut Champagne Cuvée Paradis 2008 (93 points). Sure, the bubbly section will be well-stocked with Champagnes from renowned houses such as Bollinger, Lanson, Louis Roederer, Charles Heidsieck, Laurent-Perrier, Perrier-Jouët, Pol Roger, RARE from Piper-Heidsieck and Taittinger. But if you don’t already know the Gratien Champagnes, they are distinctive for their precision and finesse, a result of preventing the malolactic conversion. Yet the Cuvée Paradis develops a creamy texture, especially with some aging in the bottle. Originally reviewed by Wine Spectator in 2016, and now at 15 years from the harvest, this bubbly should be hitting its stride.
I have to give a nod to my native country, with the CheckMate Artisanal Winery Fool’s Mate Okanagan Valley 2018 (93 points) from one of Canada’s prime wine regions. Both Ontario and British Columbia have been making top-quality wines for a decade or more, and this Chardonnay is a perfect example. Part of Anthony von Mandl’s group of Okanagan estates, CheckMate offers several site-specific Chardonnays, along with Merlots. In a style that lies between California, Oregon and Burgundy, these are whites of character and complexity. Check it out.
As the lead taster of the wines of Tuscany and Piedmont, I get to sample the best of Italy. The Grand Tastings has lots of options on offer, but I’ll highlight just three of them here:
• Argiano Brunello di Montalcino Vigna del Suolo 2018 (97 points)
Under new ownership since 2013, Argiano shifted gears, reverting back to a traditional style of Brunello, with long aging in large oak casks. In-depth analysis of the estate’s vineyards resulted in the decision to bottle this parcel separately. From 60-year old vines on limestone soils, the third release of Vigna del Suolo was my top-scoring Brunello from the 2018 vintage.
• Castello di Ama Chianti Classico Vigneto La Casuccia 2007 (95 points)
Ama’s Vigneto La Casuccia is one of the most expensive Chianti Classicos, but that’s not the reason to taste it. Since 2007, it has earned classic ratings of 95 points or higher, with one exception. Marco Pallanti interprets this high-elevation vineyard with sensitivity, allowing the power and expression of black fruit, mineral, tobacco and wild herb flavors to emerge. The addition of up to 20 percent Merlot tames its robustness, yet this has excellent potential for aging. Vigneto La Casuccia has been one of Ama’s Gran Selezione bottlings since the 2011 vintage. Here’s an opportunity to taste a mature example.
• Aldo Conterno Barolo Granbussia Riserva 2012 (95 points)
The Conterno family is a class act and always pours its top wine at the New York Wine Experience. Granbussia Riserva is a blend of the estate’s three single vineyards: Cicala, Colonello and Romirasco. It ages for 30 months in Slavonian oak casks and 6 years before release. The 2012 Barolos are showing beautifully now, 11 years after the harvest, and should continue evolving positively over the next decade or so.
Finally, I can’t pass up the chance to try some of the best of Bordeaux, including Château Léoville Barton St.-Julien 2005 (96 points). I have been a big fan of Léoville Barton since the 1985 vintage. I was fortunate to meet the late Anthony Barton at a dinner during Vinexpo in 1995 and have purchased several vintages over the years. To my taste, it has the richness, yet restraint and long, slow evolution that I look for in Bordeaux. I always look forward to tasting one of my favorite Left Bank reds with a little bottle age!
