3 Michelin Star Master Sommelier Secrets - Cowboy Ventures Private Tasting
Aileen,
Please see your curated list. We served most of these wines for Andreessen Horowitz's event during the JP Morgan Healthcare Conference — they blew people away.
I've listed two Champagnes and two whites so you can pick one of each. You'll notice one of the whites is the Austrian producer you asked about — but the Riesling is dry and far better than the Grüner. The Champagnes are mind-blowing.
For reds, four selections from four parts of the world — Spain, Napa, Tuscany, and Pomerol. What connects them: all are extremely rare, aged, limited cult bottlings, the kind of wines you'd typically only find on a three-Michelin-star list, and each is absolutely delicious at this price point.
If you go with all four reds, that's a perfect six-bottle lineup: one Champagne, one white, and four reds — a deep-dive journey around the world's great wine regions in a single sitting.
Champagne
Agrapart & Fils “7 Crus” Extra-Brut NV
“A fresh and floral wine with forthright aromas of lime zest and chalk. Very silky on the palate, with zesty yet integrated acidity, a touch of licorice flavors and a minerally finish.”
Gaston Chiquet “Spécial Club” Grand Cru Brut Millésime 2016
“The 2016 Special Club is a delight. Lemon oil, chalk, mint, white flowers, slate and dried herbs are all beautifully lifted. This energetic, vibrant Champagne has so much to offer. I find its complex, dynamic personality utterly beguiling.”
White Wine
Schloss Gobelsburg Ried Heiligenstein Riesling 2020
“Opens with a clear, bright and savory bouquet of sandstone, salt, ripe stone fruits and tea. Lush and round on the palate, this is a textured, very elegant and balanced Heiligenstein Riesling with a lingering, fine salinity on the highly elegant and aromatic finish. This is again an excellent, quiet and perfectly balanced Riesling from one of the greatest Riesling sites along the Danube River. Can be aged for two or three decades.”
Peter Michael “L'Après-Midi” Sauvignon Blanc 2023
“The 2023 Sauvignon Blanc L'Apres-Midi includes 4% Semillon. The nose opens to refreshing aromas of lime blossoms, candied citrus, salted earth, and tarragon. The palate has more compact nervous energy, with a mouthwatering spine of acidity driving the charge. It should drink well over the coming 12 or so years. Bravo.”
Red Wine
Four cult selections from Spain, Napa, Tuscany, and Pomerol
Bodegas Volver “Triga” Monastrell 2017
“This broad, generous red offers inky layers of black cherry reduction, plum paste and Earl Grey tea flavors woven together with espresso, vanilla and rose petal details. Hints of tar, herb and hot stone come along on the finish, with thick tannins.”
VASO Cellars (DANA Estates) Cabernet Sauvignon 2021
“A juicy red with currant, earth, spice and walnut. Very juicy. Full-bodied with chewy tannins and an earthy, crushed stone and flavorful finish. Really excellent. Crunchy. Needs time. 10% new wood. Best after 2028.”
Tenuta Guado al Tasso “Cont'Ugo” Bolgheri DOC 2023
“The nose is peppery and earthy, and also has a tangy, invigorating element like tart blackberries squished over damp soil and graphite. On the palate, layers of sweet, dark berries and dark chocolate create a sleek, acrobatic wine.”
Château Latour à Pomerol 2017
“The 2017 Latour à Pomerol is a gorgeous wine that is at once deep and yet also super-expressive in its bouquet. Sweet tobacco, dried herbs, mint, pepper and spice give the 2017 striking aromatic presence to play off a core of ripe red cherry fruit. Medium in body yet wonderfully deep and fleshy, the 2017 has so much to offer.”