This year’s Holiday Gift List has evolved into a collector’s list for the wine connoisseur who wants to splurge on distinctive vintage Champagne and top-notch red wines. Expensive wines with pedigree generally have a good story, which makes wines at this level so compelling. For every bottle on this list, I sat down with the winemakers or wine estates directors when they came to New York and asked them to reveal what goes into creating their swoon-worthy bottles.
VINTAGE CHAMPAGNE
Champagne Laurent-Perrier Grand Siècle Iteration No. 26 ($300)
This stunning Prestige Cuvée should be on the tip of everyone’s tongue along with Louis Roederer Cristal, Dom Perignon, and Taittinger’s Comtes de Champagne. Grand Siècle Iteration No. 26 emerged with a 100-point score from esteemed wine critic James Suckling and was chosen his “Wine of the Year,” a first for a Champagne. With aromas of honeysuckle, lemon, peach and hazelnut, Grand Siècle exemplifies the art of assemblage, blending three exceptional vintage years—2012, 2008, and 2007—sourced from Grands Crus comprising 58% Chardonnay and 42% Pinot Noir. Aged 10 years on its lees, this energetic wine has a silky mouth filling palate, minerality and salinity on the finish, and delicate persistent bubbles.
Champagne Barons de Rothschild Triptyque 2018 ($110)
Each year Cellar Master Guillaume Lété crafts Triptyque by blending the same three prestigious Grands Crus—Avize, Ambonnay, and Aÿ—using a blend of 50% each Chardonnay and Pinot Noir to showcase the distinct climatic variations of that vintage year. Aged five years on its lees, this seductive wine opens with grapefruit, raspberry and cherry aromas, shows a peppery note on the palette and a hint of orange peel on its long finish. Founded in 2005, Champagne Barons de Rothschild is made by three branches of the Rothschild Family—Mouton, Lafite, and Groupe Edmond de Rothschild. I have a special affinity to this limited-edition brand. I visited Chateau Lafite Rothschild in Bordeaux when this cuvée was served to me as a friends and family Champagne before it was officially released to the public.
Champagne Bollinger PN AYC 18 ($170)
Bollinger has always been known for its Pinot Noir-dominant blend and in recently years added a new cuvée, Blanc de Noirs, using 100% Pinot Noir, which is aged in huge oak barrels. While this new category Blanc de Noirs is NV, each release showcases Pinot Noir from a different village to highlight its distinctive terroir and taste in that vintage year. More than half of the grapes for PN AYC18, the fourth release of this series, are sourced from the Grand Cru village of Aÿ, in the 2018 vintage, and about 20% reserve wines are added to the blend. PN AYC18 has beguiling aromas of marzipan and blood orange with sweet spices and a hint of menthol on its fresh citrusy finish. General Director of the Maison Charles-Armand de Belenet told me that planning is well underway for the Bollinger’s bicentennial birthday in 2029, and thousands of bottles, many in large formats, are aging on their lees in preparation.
Champagne Fleur de Miraval ER4 ($300)
This remarkable Champagne, made from Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from the Premier Cru of Vertus, vinified as an infusion rosé, is a collaboration between the three P’s—Brad Pitt, Famille Perrin and Rodolphe Péters. A blend of 75% Chardonnay and 25% Pinot Noir aged four years on its lees, the wine expresses complex aromatics—ripe melon, candied citrus, and hazelnuts—and tremendous energy and minerality with a long chalky finish. After Brad Pitt’s success with Chateau Miraval making Provence rosé with the Perrin winemaking family, he partnered with Rodolphe Péters of the Pierre Péters grower Champagne family to create a House in Le Mesnil sur Oger dedicated to only making rosé Champagne. In describing his process in crafting this Champagne, which has only six grams of dosage, Péters wanted the richness and maturity of the Chardonnay to play against the vibrant energy of the Pinot Noir.
Pol Roger Cuvee Sir Winston Churchill 2015 ($410)
Considered one of the greatest luxury Champagnes, made only in exceptional vintages and aged for an average of 10 years in family-owned Pol Roger’s deep cellars, this Grande Marque cuvee possesses aromas of quince, apricot, brioche and touch a lime leaf. The long aging gives the wine tiny delicate bubbles, a creamy texture, and great complexity with fruit, exotic spice and mineral notes. Though the exact blend remains a family secret, it is thought to be Pinot Noir-dominant and was blended to meet the late Winston Churchill’s approval. 1975 was the first vintage and released only in magnum in 1984.
Champagne Billecart-Salmon Louis Salmon 2012 ($205)
Made from 100% Côte des Blancs Grands Crus from the exceptional vintage year of 2012, this elegant Blancs de Blancs has aromas of white fruits, white pepper, almond biscuit and brioche. It’s creamy on the palette with citrusy mandarin notes and chalky minerality. With a low dosage of only 3.9 grams, Cuvée Louis Salmon is named for founder Elisabeth Salmon’s brother who was an oenologist and involved in creating the House’s signature style. Founded in 1818, Champagne Billecart-Salmon also honors its founder with her namesake Cuvée Elisabeth Salmon Brut Rosé, made since 1988.
RED WINES
San Leonardo 2019 ($115)
From an Italian wine estate that goes back 300 years in Trentino-Alto Adige, where the climate benefits from the breezes from Lake Garda, this red blend (60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Carmenère, 10% Merlot) has aromas of wild berries and aromatic herbs with hints of balsamic and tobacco. It’s concentrated yet fresh with refined tannins and a lingering finish. The 750-acre property has been growing Merlot and Carmenère since the late 1800’s, and Cabernet Sauvignon was planted by Carlo Guerrieri Gonzaga in 1978, which completed the San Leonardo blend that debuted with the 1982 vintage. I tasted the latest vintages with owner Marchese Anselmo Gurrieri Gonzaga. His family is known for making large format bottles—Imperiale, Salmanazar, Balthazar and Melchiot—which wine lovers seek out for landmark celebrations.
E. Guigal Côte-Rôtie La Mouline 2020 ($725)
With grapes grown in a steeply terraced walled vineyard, the oldest site in Côte-Rôtie, this co-ferment of mainly Syrah and Viognier from old vines averaging 90 years is known for its beguiling violet and blackberry aromas and characteristics of softness and roundness. The aging regime of 42 months in new oak barrels results in a voluptuous silky texture. La Mouline from the Côte-Blonde is the most feminine of the three “La-La wines,” as the E. Guigal single vineyards are known. The others are: La Landonne from the Côte Brune, the most masculine; and La Turque, which sits between the other two and possesses both the virility of the Côte Brune and the femininity of the Côte Blonde. Considered the most collectible of the Rhône Valley, the La-La wines will soon add a fourth “La,” Philippe Guigal, third generation owner and winemaker, told me when I tasted 2020 vintages with him. Planted in 2010 when Philippe Guigal’s twin sons were born, the new single vineyard wine will be called La Reynarde and will be first released in 2026.
Mayacamas Cabernet Sauvignon 2020 ($185)
This is mountain grown Cabernet Sauvignon at its best from Mount Veeder in Napa Valley. With grapes grown at elevations ranging from 1800-2200 ft. on Mayacamas’s 475-acre estate, this dark beauty shows intense black plum and black currant fruit with notes of dried herbs, leather and menthol. The mountain wine property goes back to 1889. Mayacamas was selected for the famed Judgment of Paris tasting in 1976, which established the legitimacy of California winemaking, and today since 2013 under new ownership of the Schottenstein family and with the talented winemaker Braiden Albrecht, the winery has introduced fully organic farming with elements of biodynamic viticulture and has been receiving high scores for its Cabernet.
Enrico Serafino Monclivio Barolo 2019 DOCG ($53)
Named for the Barolo region’s Monclivio hills with their steep vineyards, this full-bodied wine, aged 22 months in oak, has an intense bouquet of blackberry, licorice, tobacco and spices. Enrico Serafino, based in Roero in Piedmont, has been making artisanal Barolo and Barbaresco wines since 1878 and oversees 30 acres in the prime Barolo DOCG. This well priced Barolo is imported by Dalla Terra Winery Direct, which represents a select group of small, family-owned wineries from Italy. Enrico Serafino winery is also known for its Gavi, Barbera d’ Alba, and Alta Langa DOCG Metodo Classico sparkling wines.
M. Chapoutier Châteauneuf-du-Pape La Bernadine Rouge 2022 ($75)
From the Rhône Valley, this Grenache dominant blend with Syrah and Mourvèdre displays aromas of wild herbs, blackcurrant, and cinnamon with dark cherry and spicy licorice on the palette. The Grenache variety makes for soft silky tannins. Maison M. Chapoutier has been crafting top wines in the Rhône Valley for eight generations under family ownership and in 1990 began transforming all its vineyards to biodynamic viticulture. The winery’s Châteauneuf-du-Pape La Bernadine Blanc, made from Clairette and Grenache Blanc, is also highly prized.
Goosecross State Lane Cabernet Franc ($90)
An Old-World style of Cabernet Franc aged 19 months in French oak, this varietal wine has classic fragrances of raspberry, black plum and licorice and a complex spicy palate with hints of cardamon, sarsaparilla and all-spice. Winemaker Bill Nancarrow uses estate fruit from State Lane Vineyard in east Yountville, one of Napa’s coolest sub regions which gets afternoon breezes and overnight fog that cools the grapes and keeps freshness and bright flavors in the wine. Located in the heart of Napa Valley, Goosecross Cellars specializes in small production varietal wines.
Château Cos d’Estournel 2010 ($850, three bottles, limited edition 14th anniversary wood box)
This outstanding Saint-Estèphe Bordeaux from Cos d’Estournel, classified as a Second Growth in the 1855 Classification, expresses power, elegance, precision and concentration. A Cabernet Sauvignon dominant blend with Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, it has a bouquet of blueberries and cedar, silky tannins and a lingering finish. Traditionally, Bordeaux’s classified growths are sold as futures soon after the new vintage is released. Winemaker and technical director Dominique Arangoits tells me at the tasting that this three-bottle box of the 2010 vintage is the first time collectors can buy Cos d’Estournel this way, i.e. aged at the winery and released ready to drink. Founded in 1791 by Louis-Gaspard d’Estournel, the wine property was acquired in 2000 by entrepreneur Michel Reybier, who overhauled the chateau and rebuilt the winemaking facilities to state-of-the-art gravity flow. During the last two decades Reybier has acquired vineyard properties in Hungary, Champagne, and Provence and created Domaines Reybier.
Tenuta di Arceno “Arcanum” IGT 2018 ($100)
From one of the Chianti Classico region’s ancient Tuscan estates, this 100% Cabernet Franc has fragrances of violets, roses, raspberries and sweet mint and seductive flavors of cherries and black licorice The grapes are sourced from the estates finest micro-cru blocks of Cabernet Franc. Tenuta di Arceno has been making wine since the 16th century and in 1994 was acquired by the esteemed Jackson Family Wines, which owns top wine estates throughout the world.
A LOOK BACK AT TWO SPECTACULAR EVENTS TO CLOSE OUT 2024
Library Lions Gala
The New York Public Library’s annual black-tie benefit, Library Lions, is a not-to-be missed event in support of the library. The gala evening starts with a lively hourlong cocktail party held at the library’s ornate entrance with its soaring ceilings. The new Library Lions inductees, wearing the traditional medallions with red ribbons hung around their necks, circulate among the crowd, which numbered 450 guests with a sprinkling of celebrities and bold names from CNN and MSNBC. The attendees are then called to dinner and walk up the grand staircase to the Rose Main Reading Room, where a 13-piece orchestra serenades. At the start of the sit-down dinner Senator Chuck Schumer gave opening remarks, and towards dinner’s end the induction ceremony was held where one by one the honorees came up to the stage. This year’s Library Lions were filmmaker Spike Lee, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Elizabeth Kolbert, Presidential biographer and historian Jon Meacham, playwright Suzan-Lori Parks, and author Amy Tan, who were celebrated for their contributions to arts, literature, and history. The evening continues with the Young Lions afterparty, and a new group of younger philanthropists arrives for cocktails and desserts.
Concert for the Children and Youth of Ukraine at Carnegie Hall
Hosted by Liv Schreiber, Carnegie Hall presented the Concert for the Children and Youth of Ukraine featuring works by Ukraine’s most renowned living composer, Valentyn Silvestrov. Playing to a sold-out Carnegie Hall crowd, the benefit performance was presented in cooperation with the Permanent Mission of Ukraine to the United Nations. Beloved longtime conductor Christoph Eschenbach took the stage and conducted the Orchestra for Ukraine which included artists from more than a dozen countries. The concert culminated in a stirring performance of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony ending in the immortal “Ode to Joy” performed with chorus. The audience was brought to its feet for a 10-minute standing ovation.
