Wine Spectator's 2010 Grand Tour
More than 200 wineries pour their best for three nights in Las Vegas, New York and Washington, D.C.
It wasn't a warm-up for the Kentucky Derby. But when the doors to the ballroom at the Venetian in Las Vegas opened at 7pm on April 24, people were observed sprinting into the room. Their finish line? A small table on the other side, where winemaker Charles Chevallier was pouring samples of Château Lafite Rothschild 2004.
It was the first night of Wine Spectator's 2010 Grand Tour, the first of three chances for wine lovers to taste what more than 200 of the world's best wineries were pouring. Everyone had their favorites. In New York on May 4, many targeted Lafite's first-growth rival, Château Haut-Brion, which was pouring its 1999. In Washington, D.C., the buzz was about Château Margaux 2001. And no one was complaining that yet another first-growth, Mouton-Rothschild 2003, offered yet another vintage for comparison.
Other guests made their night at the Grand Tour an evening of exploration. At New York's Mariott Marquis, some compiled an impromptu flight of Champagne, sampling Louis Roederer, Pommery and Henriot. Four computer engineers from Manhattan were browsing through Sonoma producers. After one pronounced himself a fan of Kosta Browne’s and Siduri's wines, his buddy replied, "Good. So now we know you like Pinot Noir. Let's go try a Burgundy." Bob Caruana Sr. and his son had a more focused mission—taste Concha y Toro's Puente Alto Don Melchor 2006. They have collected the Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon since the 1999 vintage, and wanted to take the latest release for a test drive.
Halfway between the White House and Capitol Hill, politicians, lobbyists and other wine fans gathered at the Ronald Reagan Building on April 30 for the Grand Tour's first visit to Washington D.C. Bill Paxon and Susan Molinari, married former members of Congress, stopped to chat with Kathryn Hall, who once served as U.S. ambassador to Austria and owns Hall Wines in Napa Valley. They were also hoping to try several of the many Italian reds represented, including Aldo Conterno, Damilano and Pio Cesare from Barolo, Barone Ricasoli and La Massa from Chianti, Masi and Allegrini from Valpolicella, Ornellaia from Bolgheri and Punica Barrua from Sardinia. "I can taste nearly all the great wines of Italy here without going back to Italy," said William W. McIlhenny, who was U.S. consul in Florence from 2001 to 2005 and is now a director at the State Department.
One wine seemed on everyone's must-try list in all three cities, however: Dow's 2007 Vintage Port 2007, which earned a perfect 100-point score from Wine Spectator. For many of the thousands who enjoyed one of the tastings, it was a perfect wine to end a perfect evening of good wine and new friends.