Tuesday, January 28, 2025

Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux (UGCB) 2025 Tour - Tasting the 2022 Vintage at Cipriani 42nd Street in New York












Founded in 1973, the Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux (UGCB) represents over 130 of Bordeaux’s most prestigious wine estates. With members hailing from iconic appellations such as Margaux, Pauillac, Saint-Émilion, Pomerol, and Graves, the UGCB embodies the rich history, terroir, and craftsmanship that define Bordeaux’s globally celebrated wines.

This January, the UGCB hosted a five-city U.S. tasting tour, offering beverage professionals a first look at the exceptional 2022 vintage. Éach event provides attendees the rare opportunity to connect directly with over 80 chateaux owners and winemakers, hear their stories, and taste their wines firsthand. These events were were for trade professionals only.

Tour Schedule:

  • Miami – Thursday, January 16th at The Hangar.
  • New York – Monday, January 20th at Cipriani 42nd Street.
  • Chicago – Tuesday, January 21st at The Drake Hotel.
  • San Francisco – Thursday, January 23rd at City View @ Metreon.
  • Los Angeles – Friday, January 24th at Vibiana.

About Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux (UGCB)

The primary mission… From Tokyo to Montreal, passing through New York, London, and Paris, the Union members pursue their main objective, in collaboration with distributors, brokers, and merchants: to meet nearly 40,000 professionals and enthusiasts worldwide each year to present their latest vintages. Thus, driven by the owners of Châteaux or their estate directors, approximately 80 events and gatherings are held annually in about fifteen countries: France, of course, Europe (Germany, Great Britain, Belgium, Switzerland, the Netherlands), the Americas (United States, Canada), and Asia (Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore). It appears that the Union has often been a pioneer in opening pathways to these markets, particularly in Asia.

Riesling and Bordeaux

In preparation of the forthcoming Bordeaux Tour by ombiasy, Annette and I were very happy to be able to participate in the New York event, which took place 2 says afters the 2025 Rieslingfeier. 
 
See: 
 
Rieslingfeier January 2025 in New York City, USA: Gränd Tasting (with 12 German and 3 Austrian #worldclass Winemakers)

2025 Rieslingfeier Gala Dinner in New York City, Sky Loft, 32nd Floor of 50 Hudson Yard, with 15 #worldclass Winemakers from Germany + Austria and Estimated 300 Wines, many 20, 30, 40 Years old, many Larger Format and almost all Ultra-premium

Vintage 2022/ Annette Schiller

I just came back from NYC where I caught the tasting of the Union des Grands Crus Bordeaux road show through Canada and the US showing the current release vintage. 

The current release is vintage 2022 and I was blown away: the BEST I have ever tasted across all appellations. Saint-Estèphe and Pessac-Leognan were still a tiny bit tannic but overall: unbelievably gorgeous wines which applies to the reds as well as to the whites. Count Neipperg, owner of Canon-La Gaffelliére in Saint-Émilion said: "a once in a lifetime vintage - the best after the sensational 1959 vintage - so glad I am alive to see this vintage.”

Luck has it that I planned a wine tour to Bordeaux in 2025. From experience I know that during my wine tours we will taste many older vintages but also always the current release vintage, hence this gorgeous 2022 wines!

See: Invitation: Come Along to Taste the "Once in a Century Bordeaux Vintage 2022"! Where? In Bordeaux During a Fabulous ombiasy Wine Tour from May 20 - May 29, 2025

Vintage 2022/ Forbes (Tom Mullen)

Growing conditions in 2022 were typical for Bordeaux with regards to unpredictability. A cool April was followed by dry days after July, conducive to local wildfires. Yields were average or diminished with relatively, small concentrated berries.

Vintage Bordeaux 2022 red wines are generally of a consistently elevated quality, with soft, elegant tannins (not as spectacularly creamy as some from the 2023 vintage), bright acidity (not as prominent as the majority of wines from the 2021 vintage), with shining fruit (although only a small percentage having the deep dark flavors of the 2018 vintage; and few with the brightness and energy from the sun drenched 2015 vintage). The tannin/acidity combination provides aging potential that may comparable to Bordeaux wines from vintages 2016, 2019 and 2020.

Many wines from this vintage can be enjoyed now and will also still shine with quality and bright acidity decades into the future.

NYC 20th  January – Cipriani 42nd Street






 UGCB Tasting




    
     
   
     

     


My Favorites

Château Coufran




 
Château Citran
 

 
Château de Camensac 
Corianne Labourdette
Château Chasse-Spleen
 
 
Château Poujeaux 
Christophe Labenne 
Director


 
Château Maucaillou
 
Lucas Leclercq
Winemaker and General Manager 
Formerly Lafon Rochet


 
Château Gazin 
Elise de Bailliencourt - Fournier
Co-owner, Manager
 

 
Château Le Gay
Henri Junior Parent, Owner
 
 
Château Clinet 
Ronan Laborde, Owner
UGCB President


 
Château Dassault 
Valerie Befve

 
Château Canon la Gaffelière
Count Stephan von Neipperg
 




 
Château Beau-Séjour Bécot 
Julien Barthe (General Manager)
 



Château Lagrange
Matthieu Bordes, General Manager and Winemaker
 

Château Branaire-Ducru

François-Xavier Maroteaux, Co-Owner

 

 
Château Brane-Cantenac
Vincent Lurton
Bodegas Henri Lurton, Mexico




 
Château Phélan Ségur
 

 
Château Lynch-Bages
Kinou Cazes-Hachemian
New York 
 

 
Château Léoville Poyferré
Sara Lecompte Cuvelier
 


 
Château Léoville Barton
 

 
Château Bouscaut 
Armand Cogombles




 
Château Carbonnieux
Marc Perrin, Owner
 
 
Domaine de Chevalier
Hugo Bernard 

 
Château La Louvière 
Mathilde de Caix Lurton

 
Château Guiraud 
Caroline Bernard
 


Meeting Wine Friends





Chatting while Leaving






Bye-bye




Invitation: Come Along on a Fabulous Wine Tour to Bordeaux, led be Annette Schiller, ombiasy WineTours, Tuesday, May 20 - Thursday, May 29, 2025 
 
Invitation: Come Along on a Fabulous Wine Tour to Bordeaux, led be Annette Schiller, ombiasy WineTours, Tuesday, May 20 - Thursday, May 29, 2025 
 














Pictures: Led by Annette Schiller, the Bordeaux Tour 2022 by ombiasy WineTours took place from September 20 - Thursday, September 29, 2022. The group comprised 12 wine lovers including Annette and Christian Schiller. See: Total Immersion in Bordeaux: World Class Wines and Exquisite French Gourmet Cuisine - Bordeaux Tour 2022 by ombiasy WineTours, France

Overview: Germany Rhein-Mosel-Nahe 2024 by Ombiasy Public Relations and Wine Tours led by Annette Schiller - Facebook Day-by-day Postings

Summary: Germany "From Berlin to Frankfurt" 2023 (Saale Unstrut, Sachsen, Franken, Württemberg) by ombiasy WineTours

Summary: From Lyon to Paris - Total Immersion in Burgundy and Champagne 2023 by ombiasy WineTours (July 02 - 13, 2023)

Summary: Austria 2023 by ombiasy WineTours - 12 Days: May 28 - June 08, 2023 

Guided Visit of Château Chenonceau, Residence of Diana de Poitier and of Katharina de Medici, Mistress (the Former) and Wife (the Latter) of King Henry II - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours

2022 Annual Riesling Party at the Schiller Residence in McLean, Virginia, USA 

Massive Tasting of Bordeaux 1982 - the Vintage that made Robert Parker a Star, USA/ France

Kékfrankos - Blaufränkisch - Lemberger: A Grape’s Immigration Story From Central Europe To The US West Coast - Seminar at the 2023 American Wine Society National Conference in St. Louis/ Missouri/ USA led by Annette Schiller

The New German Wine Law of 2021 - Tasting at the German Wine Society (Washington DC Chapter), presented by Annette Schiller  

Christian Schiller: Re-elected to the Board of the "Weinfeder", the Association of German Wine Journalists

schiller-wine Blog of Christian Schiller Top Washington DC Alcohol Blog (December, 2024)

2024 Annual Meeting of the Weinfreundeskreis Hochheim, a 45 Years Old Wine Brotherhood in the Famous Wine Village Hochheim, Rheingau, Germany, with Annette Schiller, Founding Member, and Christian Schiller

German Wine Society (Capital Chapter) Membership Meeting 2024: Carl Willner Re-elected President and Christian Schiller Re-elected Vice-president, USA/ Germany

Masterclass - The Wines of Germany: Presentation by Annette Schiller at the German Embassy in Washington DC/ Consular Conference March 2024 

The New German Wine Law of 2021 - Shifting from the Sugar Level at Harvest to the Wine's Geographic Origin

Dinner at JAN in Munich, Germany, with Jan Hartwig, one of the ten German 3-star Michelin Chefs (September 2024) 

 
2025 Rieslingfeier Gala Dinner in New York City, Sky Loft, 32nd Floor of 50 Hudson Yard, with 15 #worldclass Winemakers from Germany + Austria and Estimated 300 Wines, many 20, 30, 40 Years old, many Larger Format and almost all Ultra-premium

No comments:

Post a Comment