Napa in the City 2022: The BYOB Gala Dinner

<a target="_blank" href="https://thepoolnewyork.com/">The Pool</a>99 E. 52nd StreetNew York, NY 10022Tel.&nbsp;(212) 254-3000

BY ANTONIO GALLONI | FEBRUARY 24, 2023

The Food:

Endive Salad

Tuna Ravigoté

Ricotta Tortellini

Roasted Chicken; grilled asparagus, fingerling potatoes

Robiola; sea salt crackers &amp; gooseberry jam

The Wines:

<table>
 <tbody><tr>
 <td>2007
 Colgin IX Estate</td>
 <td>96</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>2001
 Colgin Cabernet Sauvignon Tychson Hill (magnum)</td>
 <td>98</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>1996
 Colgin Cabernet Sauvignon Herb Lamb Vineyard (3L)</td>
 <td>97</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>2010
 Abreu Madrona Ranch (magnum)</td>
 <td>98</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>2010
 Abreu Las Posadas (magnum)</td>
 <td>100</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>1988
 Mayacamas Cabernet Sauvignon</td>
 <td>94</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>1974
 Mayacamas Cabernet Sauvignon</td>
 <td>95</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>1994
 Mayacamas Cabernet Sauvignon&nbsp;</td>
 <td>96</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>1971
 Ridge California Cabernet Eisele</td>
 <td>93</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>1994
 Dunn Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain</td>
 <td>97</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>1992
 Araujo Estate Wines Cabernet Sauvignon Eisele Vineyard</td>
 <td>95</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>1974
 Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Cask 23</td>
 <td>96</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>1974
 Heitz Cabernet Sauvignon Martha’s Vineyard</td>
 <td>98</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>1997
 Harlan Estate (magnum)</td>
 <td>98</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>1997
 Bryant Family Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon</td>
 <td>98</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>1995
 Bryant Family Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon</td>
 <td>94</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>1993
 Bryant Family Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon</td>
 <td>97</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>1993
 Dalle Valle Maya</td>
 <td>93</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>2002
 Screaming Eagle Cabernet Sauvignon</td>
 <td>98</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>2001
 Screaming Eagle Cabernet Sauvignon</td>
 <td>100</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>2008
 Salon (magnum)</td>
 <td>100</td>
 </tr></tbody></table>

 

Napa in the City is an event we have wanted to do for many
years. The logistics of hosting such large events are pretty daunting, so the
moment never seemed right. But, in 2022, as we emerged from the COVID-19
lockdown, the time finally did seem right to bring together a number of reference-point
Napa Valley winemakers, our readers and the city’s top sommeliers for a weekend
of great wine, food and conviviality for the inaugural edition of Napa in the
City.<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1677261344533-ML+-+Napa+Gala-117_copy.jpg">The Pool's Tuna Ravigoté appetizer is one of the highlights on the menu.

The weekend started with a small Rare Wine Dinner featuring
a stunning array of Randy and Mike Dunn’s Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain, which
will be the subject of a forthcoming report. On Friday April 8, we gathered at
The Pool, one of New York City’s most iconic dining rooms, for our BYOB Gala
Dinner. This space has always been special to me. Of course, the square dining
room, with its huge ceilings, views of Manhattan’s mid-town business district
and striking pool, has long been an institution in New York City life. But The
Pool is also where I did many of my first tastings as a professional critic
when I worked a day job next door at 345 Park Avenue. My office on the 16th
floor literally looked down on the entrance.

The BYOB Gala Dinner saw each producer host a table and
serve 2-3 library vintages. Guests generously shared incredible, historic wines
from their cellars. I saw everything from the legendary Cabernets of the 1970s,
to the cults of the early 1990s, to more current releases and everything in
between for what turned out to be an epic dinner. The Pool did a fine job with
the food, but wine was the star, and what wines they were!

The 2007 Colgin IX
Estate, an early wine from Colgin’s estate vineyard on Pritchard Hill, is
dense, beautifully perfumed and very young. Readers lucky enough to own it can
look forward to another decade-plus of very fine drinking. The 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon Tychson Hill is
one of the all-time greats at Colgin. Now past the 20-year mark, it
remains dark, virile and quite imposing. Thankfully, the once-forbidding
tannins have softened, revealing the wine’s notable depth and vibrancy. The 1996
Colgin Cabernet Sauvignon Herb Lamb Vineyard 3L, a bottle generously
brought by one of our guests, is an early wine from the Helen Turley era and one
of the greatest Colgin wines I have ever tasted. Deep, inky and richly
textured, the 1996 impresses with its energy and expression of both vintage and
place. It is truly magnificent.<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1677261398901-ML+-+Napa+Gala-118_copy.jpg">A selection of bottles brought by guests to the BYOB Gala Dinner.Abreu’s 2010
Madrona Ranch (magnum) is so impressive. I don’t think I have ever tasted
an Abreu wine from magnum. This is certainly a great, great start. The 2010
impresses with its explosive energy and sheer intensity. Inky dark fruit,
chocolate, plum, leather, mocha and spice all saturate the palate. From bottle,
the 2010 has started to soften, but the magnum clearly needs time! The 2010 Abreu Las Posadas emerges from
David Abreu’s stunning Howell Mountain property. (For its first few years this
wine was called “Howell Mountain”.) It offers an exotic mélange of inky dark
fruit, blood orange, graphite, dried herbs, lavender and espresso. I admire the
breadth and utter density here; even if the 2010 from magnum is still at least
a few years from being fully approachable.

Now approaching maturity, the 1988 Mayacamas Cabernet Sauvignon is a very pretty wine. It still
has quite a bit of depth, although the edges are starting to fray. Dried herbs,
tobacco, smoke and iron add layers of nuance. I have had better bottles of this.
The 1974 Mayacamas Cabernet Sauvignon is
fabulous. Aromatically beguiling and wonderfully deep, the 1974 possesses
remarkable depth. Sweet pipe tobacco, sage, incense and crushed leaves lead
into a core of deep fruit. This is a terrific showing. The 1994 Mayacamas Cabernet Sauvignon is in a great spot where it has
acquired quite a deal of aromatic and flavor complexity yet has plenty of life
ahead. Dried herbs, iron, tobacco, gravel and leather give this deep, dark,
potent Mt. Veeder Cabernet Sauvignon tons of character. This is impressive and
young! The 1971 Ridge California
Cabernet Eisele, generously shared
by a guest at my table, is a Napa Valley unicorn and a wine I had never tasted before.
Now past its fiftieth anniversary, the 1971 Ridge Eisele shows its age and
captures plenty of the deep earthy, savory magic of this great Calistoga site.&nbsp; &nbsp;<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1677261579315-ML+-+Napa+Gala-51_copy.jpg">From left to right: Bart Araujo, Ann Colgin and Joe Wender were among the vintners present at the inaugural edition of Napa in the City.Dunn’s 1994 Cabernet
Sauvignon Howell Mountain is dense and explosive, with intense fruit allied
to mountain structure. It offers copious dark fruit intermingled with graphite,
dried herbs, spice and leather scents. Superb. The 1992 Cabernet Sauvignon Eisele Vineyard from Bart and Daphne Araujo
is a real treat to taste. Aromatic, soft and approaching full maturity, the
1992 is a sublime Cabernet Sauvignon to enjoy now and over the next few years.
Sweet pipe tobacco, mint, cedar and dried flowers linger on the effortless,
classy finish.

The 1974 Stag’s Leap Wine
Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Cask 23 is in great shape. What a wine! Rich and
savory, the 1974 delivers that classic mix of intensity, aromatic nuance and
structure that makes old-school Napa Cabernet so thrilling. At nearly 50 years
of age, it remains incredibly vibrant! The 1974
Heitz Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon Martha’s Vineyard has long been a Napa
Valley icon. For those who have not tasted it, this bottle shows why. Still
vibrant and poised, the 1974 offers up red cherry fruit, dried herbs, sage,
licorice and blood orange, all driven by bright acids that suggest ageability
from this point on will be determined by storage and corks, as the wine itself
is pretty near immortal.<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1677271204889-IMG_2238_copy+%281%29.jpg">Some of the wines I had a chance to taste...and drink.&nbsp;Two magnificent 1997s follow to start a stunning set of
wines from the early and mid-1990s. This period marked the explosion of the
so-called ‘cult’ Cabernets, small-production wines made by driven,
quality-obsessed proprietors and winemakers. Today, these wines are sometimes
criticized for their excesses and the winemaking school they helped launch. I
can’t share that view. The best wines from this era have aged beautifully.
Moreover, if I try to imagine what these wines must have tasted like in the context
of the late 1980s and early 1990s in Napa Valley, the excitement they generated
is very easy to understand. Even now, the best wines from this time are
undeniably thrilling.

The 1997 Harlan
Estate has long been a controversial wine because of some bottle variation.
There is no question about this 1997 magnum. The wine is unquestionably
extraordinary. Rich and opulent to the core, the 1997 possesses tremendous
intensity from start to finish. Blackberry jam, licorice, chocolate and sweet
spice lead into a crescendo of aromas and flavors on the finish. The 1997 Bryant Family Cabernet Sauvignon
is fascinating to taste next to the Harlan, as these are two wines that charted
the course for Napa Valley in the years that followed. Seamless, racy and
vibrant, the 1997 Bryant is magnificent. Moreover, it remains very young and
full of life. What a wine. The 1995
Bryant Family Cabernet Sauvignon is naturally more delicate than the 1997.
It shows lovely floral and savory character and a more forward expression of
fruit that suggests it should be enjoyed sooner rather than later. The 1993 Bryant Family Cabernet Sauvignon
is outrageously great, and just a step behind the 1997 tasted alongside it.
Still opulent, dense and voluptuous to the core, it is a great example of the
era in Napa Valley. Inky dark fruit, chocolate, leather, lavender and spice all
build into the deeply satisfying finish. What a wine. The 1993 Maya from Dalla Valle is another gorgeous wine from this
period. It has aged very well, but at nearly thirty years of age is also
starting to fray. I would prefer to drink any remaining bottles sooner rather
than later.

A pair of Screaming Eagles make a magnificent pairing. The 2002 Screaming Eagle Cabernet Sauvignon is
creamy, opulent and engaging right out of the gate. Plush, silky tannins wrap
around a core of red-toned fruit, hard candy, sweet spice and flowers. The 2002
is unquestionably an extrovert. As great as it is, I prefer the 2001 Screaming Eagle Cabernet Sauvignon,
which is one of the great wines from the Jean Phillips era and one of the all-time
greats here, period. Tasted next to the 2002, the 2001 presents a darker fruit
profile and greater overall depth. Blue/purplish fruit, lavender, graphite,
incense and chocolate build up as this rapturous wine gradually opens in the
glass. The 2001 Screaming Eagle is a wine I will never forget tasting and
drinking. I only hope to have a chance to drink it again!As always, at dinners like these, a few non-thematic wines
make an appearance. That’s never a problem at these events, but for the
purposes of this article I focus on the Napa Valley wines. I only have to make
an exception for the 2008 Salon, a magnum that appeared late in the evening and
put a smile on many faces, including mine. Given its tiny production of around
8,000 magnums, the 2008 Salon is not
a Champagne most of us will often taste, if at all. On this night, it was once
again glorious, with all the classic Salon signatures dialed up to the maximum.
It was the perfect palate cleanser.<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1677261619890-ML+-+Napa+Masterclass-78_copy.jpg">Cathy Corison shares her insights on the 2018 vintage and her flagship Kronos Cabernet during the Masterclass tasting. Bruce Phillips (far left, VHR - Vine Hill Ranch) and Brad Grimes (center, Abreu) were among the panelists in this star-studded lineup of vintners.&nbsp;

The following morning we gathered for a seated masterclass
tasting focusing on the 2018 and 2019 vintages. It was a very special moment.
The reality is that very few people, critics included, ever have an opportunity
to taste this many elite wines side by side, served in perfect conditions. The
presentations from proprietors and winemakers, which we captured on <a target="_blank" href="https://vinous.com/multimedia">video</a>, were full of historical
context. I can’t say any of the wines in the tasting surprised me, given that I
selected them, but tasting them in this manner certainly provided a fresh
perspective. Guests enjoyed the remaining wine over an intimate lunch with the winemakers. It was the perfect conclusion to the day.

Above all else, my greatest memories are of the incredible
energy over these three days as wine lovers came together to share the best of
the best. It was an incredible weekend. We will seek to do even better this
year, when <a target="_blank" href="https://vinous.com/events/napa-in-the-city-2023">Napa in
the City</a> takes place from March 9-11, once again in New York.<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1677261686218-ML+-+Napa+Masterclass-3_copy.jpg">Napa in the City Masterclass program and our book of accompanying vineyard maps, with the bustle of mid-town Manhattan as seen through Marie Nichols’ famous chain curtains.&nbsp;© 2023, Vinous. No portion of this article may be copied, shared or re-distributed without prior consent from Vinous. Doing so is not only a violation of our copyright, but also threatens the survival of independent wine criticism.

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