Haven’t tried it, but doubt anything can top some Hundred Acre or Bond, that lineup is redonkulous! ![[worship.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/9/99a8907a1d5b3c023582052741dc72dc9823c044.gif "worship"){kind=small}
There were dozens of amazing wines, but a few I can remember (while fighting off a nasty little hangover)…
Accendo
Hundred Acre 2014 Wraith
Arrow and Branch Dr Crane
Futo Oakville
Fairchild Stones (Tench)
Pulido Walker Melanson and Panek
It was an awesome event, and I will be back!
Immortal was one of our favorites of the night. It is the rebranded/renamed Hidden Ridge Estate. The owner passed away in 2016 and the last wine to be rated recieved 100 points. In the review they referenced this being immortal for his legacy. They took that word and used it to represent the wine going forward. It was fantastic. They also had a second label which was far more approachable young. $97 a bottle and I think it recieved 97 points. I was super impressed with the wine that I immediately went home and ordered some as the quality far outdid the price point.
That along with Melka and Nine Suns were our 3 favorites of the night. Of course, Bond, HA and others shined. Hard to pick a WOTN when at a tasting like this as there was so much incredible juice.
They raised around $350K during the live auction and paired with the ticket price I think they exceeded a million dollars supporting Duchenne MD.
How did Garguilo and Spottswoode taste against the tough competition?
Can’t speak to Garguilo as I don’t recall even tasting it. I probably skipped 1/3 of the wineries as there was simply too many to hit. Spottswood was solid, They were in the hallway leading to the main room so it was one of the first tables I hit, but way too young and they just opened the bottle minutes prior to tasting so it was hard to give proper feedback as the wine needed a lot more time to come around.
I enjoyed Wraith quite a bit. Fortunate to have been invited by my buddy from HA so I sat at their table and tasted through some other great HA bottles not represented at the tasting. So many great wines to choose from all in all. The food at dinner on the other was a bit of a miss. It was really the only big let down of the evening. Average at best.
Good decision. The old name sounds like a new tan stucco housing subdivision in Moreno Valley or something.
Agreed on the food, the short rib was decent but the bisque and desert were quick passes.
I also only hit about 1/4th of the options. Didn’t even get to Futo, Spottswoode and a couple others that bummed me out the next day when I realized that they were there as I looked at the program. It was a free for all for those two hours, and I was a kid in a candy shop.
I sat at the Memento Mori table and their 2016 blend was also drinking beautifully. If you haven’t had their blend of Las Piedras, Dr Crane, Weitz and Oakville Ranch, I’d suggest seeking it out- it’s their best showing to date.
Again, great event and I’m already looking forward to next year…
That’s fantastic. Sounds like a great - and very successful - event.
Were most of the wines decanted? With only a 2 hour tasting and so many wines to taste, if things were not decanted, I would think (or hope) most wines would be somewhat backwards, no?
And were most winemakers and/or principles there pouring or just wine sales folks?
Cheers.
Each booth was different, but I would say on a whole that the wines weren’t decanted for very long.
I saw some vintners pouring from a bottle, with several unopened bottles in front of them. A couple had their wines in a decanter, but the wines weren’t lasting too long in them.
Mix of Sales people, some vintners, and a couple winemakers were there.
Lawrence Fairchild was there so it was cool to meet him. The Araujo daughter (Jaime?) was pouring their Accendo.
Would’ve been cool to meet Philippe at the Melka booth but he wasn’t there.
As mentioned above i’d say a 3rd of the wineries put their flagship wines in decanters, but not nearly long enough. I very much enjoyed the second labels of many for this reason alone as they were far ore approachable as a P&P. Several of the owners and/or owners were pouring, but certainly not the majority. I had good conversation with Donna Walker at Pulido- Walker, Can’t recall first name, but the daughter from Araujo who owns Accendo, Jason from Nine Suns, Lawrence Fairchild, etc.