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Wine Advocate: Grand Walkabout Tasting
NYC
Tasted November 10, 2018 by jgreco with 561 views
Introduction
Matter of Taste returns to New York for a special 40th Anniversary Celebration with "Icons of the Wine World" as the theme for this installment this globe-trotting walkabout tasting. All members of our expert review team will be onsite mingling with wineries and hosting Master Classes throughout the day. Additionally, Robert Parker himself will be onsite for special book signing and meet and greet.
The Grand Walkabout Tasting is your chance to taste over 250 wines all rated 95+ by The Wine Advocate.
Flight 1 - California Cabernet (25 notes)
Red
1996 Ridge Monte Bello
91 points
Red brownish color. Very old world in character. Oaky. Tannins are mostly resolved. Overall just a bit muted in character and I was expecting it to show better.
Red
2008 Ridge Monte Bello
96 points
Still a baby at 10 years of age. The 2008 was bright and fresh on the palate with a lot of primary red fruit characteristics. Great acidity that lingers into a long finish. This felt very "new world" in character next to the more austere 1996.
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Red
2014 Schrader Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon RBS Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard
98 points
Pepper, cassis, dark red fruits. Tannins that really pop. Long finish. Very, very lovely. It showed even better next to the 2012 Old Sparky.
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Red
2012 Schrader Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon "Old Sparky" Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard
96 points
What a wine. The nose has layers and layers. Tremendous mouthfeel with a tingling sensation that lingers. Long finish!! Put this away for another decade as it is going to be something special.
Red
2014 Sloan
98 points
Majority Cab with 10-15% Merlot. The 2014 is still holding a lot of its cards close to its vest, but what a wine it will become. Black fruits. Elegant long finish. Give this a decade to come around.
Red
2012 Sloan
100 points
Majority Cab with 10-15% Merlot. The 2014 is so elegant even at this early stage. Utterly captivating. Chocolate flavors on the palate extend into a long finish. One of the three wines of the tasting for me along with Spottswoode and Dana Estates Lotus. Great company to have. This should drink well with only a few more years of cellaring.
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Comments (3)
Red
2010 Shafer Cabernet Sauvignon One Point Five
94 points
Lavender, dark fruits, grainy tannins. This really is lovely. Total bargain.
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Red
2002 Shafer Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select
98 points
Poured from a Magnum. This is still a baby! Lots of primary fruit character remaining. Tannins are still in the process of resolving. This is going to be incredible for decades more.
Red
2014 Spottswoode Cabernet Sauvignon Estate
100 points
Wow! One of my three wines of the tasting along with Sloan and Data Estates Lotus. Chocolatey, savory finish that goes on forever. Keep this in the cellar for another decade, as it is going to develop into something really special.
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Red
2015 Spottswoode Cabernet Sauvignon Estate
97 points
The 2015 is a world of difference from the 2014. While the 2014 is savory, the 2015 is dominated by red fruit. A long warm finish. You can drink this now, but it should develop nicely over the next decade.
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Red
2015 Realm Cellars Moonracer
97 points
This single vineyard offering from Realm is fantastic. There is an underlying sweetness. Round tannins that need time in the bottle to resolve. What a wine this will become.
Red
2015 Realm Cellars The Absurd
92 points
The Absurd is marketed as the best of the Realm blends. So smooth and easy drinking, but I am not sure I agree that it is any better than the other Realm cab blends that are a third of the price.
Red
2014 Paul Hobbs Cabernet Sauvignon Nathan Coombs Estate Coombsville
88 points
Very perfumed nose. Solid, but unintegrated components. A little hollow mid-palate. I'm not sure if this will come around.
Red
2013 Promontory
95 points
One of my favorite styles of cabs. Dark and brooding. Very different then the next door Harlan Estate. This will be released in the Spring. Lots of upside potential here.
Red
2014 Alpha Omega Proprietary Red
98 points
This wine showed really well in a room of a 100 California cabs. So well balanced. Great acidity. Long fruity finish.
Red
2015 Alpha Omega Cabernet Sauvignon Thomas Vineyard
96 points
Lovely. Green peppers, black pepper spice, cassis. Fine-grain tannins. A finish that goes on and on and on. This is going to be something special.
Red
2016 Chappellet Cabernet Sauvignon Pritchard Hill Estate Vineyard
94 points
This wine gets me really excited about the 2016 vintage in Napa. Rustic and barnyard nose. Long, savory finish.
Red
2007 Dana Estates Cabernet Sauvignon Helms Vineyard
97 points
What a wine this has become. So elegant and smooth. There is such precision here. Drink now or over the next couple decades.
Red
2007 Dana Estates Cabernet Sauvignon Lotus Vineyard
100 points
This was one of the top three wines of the tasting along with Sloan and Spottswoode. So very elegant and refined. Tannins are mostly resolved, but this should continue to drink well for another decade or more.
Red
2015 Eisele Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon
96 points
Dark. You can really taste the cab franc and Petit Verdot in the blend. This is going to be a very special wine.
Red
2013 Futo OV/SL
93 points
Nose of black currants and black pepper spice. Lovely, but still needs a lot of time for the tannins to soften.
Red
2015 Futo Oakville
98 points
This wine was a favorite among the wineries in the room. Everything is in such balance. This is going to be a very special wine.
Red
2015 Hall Cabernet Sauvignon Kathryn Hall Napa Valley
93 points
Strong perfumed nose that continues onto the palate. Lots of red fruits.
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Red
Flight 2 - New World Pinots, Chardonnays, and Syrahs (11 notes)
Red
2014 Occidental Pinot Noir Cuvée Catherine Occidental Station
88 points
Very layered and exotic nose. Barnyard animal, red cherries. Juicy red fruits on the palate. Very Sonoma Coast.
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White
2014 Mount Eden Vineyards Chardonnay Santa Cruz Mountains
89 points
A strong nose: lemon, barnyard animal. Light and easy to drink.
Red
2016 Penfolds Shiraz RWT Bin 798
98 points
Lovely. Light perfumed nose that continues onto the palate. This was one of the best showing wines of the tasting. Still needs another 5 to 10 years to fully resolve.
White
2012 Rhys Chardonnay Horseshoe Vineyard
88 points
So very precise on the palate. High acidity and an underlying sweetness from tropical fruits (especially, melon). Give it a lot of air! Excellent underlying material, but I do worry the components will never fully integrate.
Red
2013 Rhys Pinot Noir Horseshoe Vineyard
90 points
Very lovely. Restrained. It is missing the 'pop' that you get from a lot of Rhys vintages.
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Red
2015 J. Rochioli Pinot Noir West Block
92 points
Very young and fresh, especially when compared side by side with the 2013. More balanced. Tingles on the mouth. Very long and savory finish.
Red
2013 J. Rochioli Pinot Noir West Block
91 points
Classic California Pinot. Nose of green peppers. Juicy red fruits on the palate.
Red
2015 Paul Hobbs Pinot Noir Katherine Lindsay Estate Vineyard
93 points
Green nose with some black pepper spice. Very juicy red fruits. This is a lot of fun to drink.
Red
2013 Cayuse Syrah Armada Vineyard
92 points
Wow just wow. Animalistic. Powerful. Tannic. This is a beast of a wine.
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Red
2011 Horsepower Vineyards Syrah The Tribe Vineyard
93 points
I do not think I have ever tasted a wine like this before. It is so unique. Blood and iron. Very meaty. Super savory. This is going to need at least 5 years in the bottle to come around.
Flight 3 - Bordeaux (7 notes)
Red
2015 Château Pontet-Canet
97 points
Classic 2015 vintage. This is drinking very well so early on.
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Red
2000 Château Léoville Barton
91 points
This is still a baby. Still a lot of primary fruit and a ton of tannins to resolve.
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Red
2015 Château Léoville Barton
93 points
Super smooth. Is this really a 2015? It is amazing how well young Bordeaux drinks nowadays.
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Red
2005 Château Mouton Rothschild
98 points
Layers and layers of flavors. Very austere. This is going to need another decade to come around.
White - Sparkling
2009 Louis Roederer Champagne Vintage Brut
93 points
Great mouthfeel. Tingles the tongue. This is the kind of Champagne that makes me want to drink a lot more bubbly.
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