UGC USA 2013 San Francisco Los Angeles New York Chicago Washington DC

The next UGCB (Union des Grand Cru Bordeaux) North American Tour is almost here! Formed in 1973, the UGC offers consumers and the trade one of the best opportunities to taste as many Bordeaux wines as possible from a specific vintage in a single setting. Officially, the 2013 UGC tour kicks off January 18 in San Francisco. If you’ve heard all the positive reports about the 2010 Bordeaux vintage and you’re interested in an opportunity to taste more than 125 of the top 2010 Bordeaux wines of the vintage, with the chateaux owners and wine makers, this is your chance!

For a look at the best 2010 Bordeaux wines we tasted in barrel:  2010 Bordeaux Tasting Notes and Ratings for top 250 Wines

January is going to be a busy week for wine lovers in North America with events taking place January 18, 2013, San Francisco, January 19, 2013, Los Angeles, January 21, 2013 New York, January 23, 2013 Chicago, January 24, 2013, Washington DC, January 25, 2013, Toronto, Canada and January 26, 2013 Montreal, Canada.

The 2013 UGC is an important event because consumers are going to discover that many 2010 Bordeaux wines are quite stunning. The 2010 vintage is different from the sensuous, hedonistic styles of the 2009 vintage. At their best, the 2010 Bordeaux wines are more structured, fresher and tannic. Many will not be fun to drink young. Before the wines slip into their sleeping stage, this is the perfect time to catch them. When you consider the cost of the wines, 2010 Bordeaux holds the record for being the most expensive vintage in history, not much of these wines were bought by American merchants. That makes the UGCB Bordeaux tastings an important event.

If you have not attended a UGCB tasting before, the 2013 UGC tastings awards guests the opportunity to taste more than 125 different 2010 Bordeaux wines wines, as well as meet and talk with the owners of the chateaux that produce the wine.

We will be at the Los Angeles event and will publish a detailed article on the wines tasted with tasting notes and reviews. If anyone else catches the event in LA, or in any of the other cities, we’d like to hear from you and your notes and comments on the event and on all the wines you tasted as well.

The tastings are a combination of trade and consumer events.

Friday, January 18, 2013 is the date the tour kicks off. The opening tastings are being held in San Francisco with two tastings, one for the trade only, and another tasting that is open to the public. The public tasting is hosted by K & L, which is where you buy tickets. For tickets and information – K & L Wines

Saturday, January 19 – Los Angeles, Wallys Wine is hosting two tastings for the public. The main tasting is taking place from 3 – 6pm at the Hyatt Regency, Century Plaza Hotel in Century City, 2025 Avenue of the Stars Los Angeles CA 90067.

Tickets are available: Wallys

You can also call 310-475-0606

Before the tasting  of 2010 Bordeaux wine for the public with the UGC, Wallys is hosting a special charity event with some of the top Bordeaux makers in the UGC. The annual,  charity event benefits the worthy, Horatio Alger Association Scholarship Fund. 100% of  all monies collected are earmarked for the charity. The charity tasting starts at 2pm, ending at 3pm. This also takes place at the

Some of the wines being poured at the charity event are:

2009 La Mondotte
2000 Chateau Beau-Sejour Becot
2005 Chateau Haut Bailly
2005 Chateau Giscours
2005 Chateau du Tertre
2007 Vieux Chateau Certan
1998 Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte
2009 Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc

Monday, January 21, 2013, There are two events in New York, one for the trade and an event that is open to the public. The tastings are being hosted by Zachys. Tickets are available from Zachys.

Thursday, January 24, 2013, 2013 Washington DC has an event open to the public that is hosted by Pearsons. Tickets are available from Pearsons

Friday, 25, 2013, Toronto, Canada, LCBO is hosting a tasting open to the public. Tickets are available from LCBO

Saturday, January 26, 2013, Montreal, Canada, SAQ is hosting a tasting open to the public. Tickets are available from SAQ

Not all producers will attend every event. This is a list of the 2010 Bordeaux wines being poured by the various Chateaux for the UGC Bordeaux tastings:

Pauillac
Château Batailley
Château Clerc Milon
Château d’Armailhac
Château Grand Puy Ducasse

Château Haut Bages Liberal

Château Lynch Bages
Château Lynch-Moussas

Château Pichon Baron
Château Pichon Lalande

Margaux
Château Brane Cantenac
Château Cantenac Brown
Château du Tertre
Château Durfort Vivens
Château Giscours
Château Kirwan
Château Labegorce
Château Lascombes
Château Malescot St. Exupery
Château Siran
Château Rauzan-Segla

Château Bouscaut
Château Carbonnieux
Domaine de Chevalier
Château de Fieuzal
Château de France
Château Haut Bailly
Château La Louvière
Château La Tour Martillac
Château Les Carmes Haut Brion
Chateau Malartic Lagraviere
Château Olivier
Château Pape Clement
Château  Smith Haut Lafitte

Pomerol

Château Beauregard
Château Bon Pasteur
Château Clinet
Château La Cabanne
Château La Conseillante
Château Gazin
Château Petit Village

St. Emilion Grand Cru
Château Angelus

Château Beau-Sejour Becot
Château Canon
Château Canon La Gaffeliere
Château Clos Fourtet
Château Dassault
Château Figeac
Château Franc Mayne
Château Grand Mayne
Château La Couspaude
Château La Dominique
Château La Gaffeliere

Château Larcis Ducasse
Château Larmande
Château Pavie Macquin
Château Troplong Mondot

St. Estephe

Château Cos Labory
Château Lafon Rochet
Château Ormes De Pez
Château Phelan Segur

St. Julien
Château Beychevelle
Château Branaire Ducru
Château Gruaud Larose
Château Lagrange
Château Langoa Barton 

Château  Leoville Barton

Château Leoville Poyferre
Château Talbot

Sauternes et Barsac
Château Bastor Lamontagne
Château Climens
Château Coutet
Château de Fargues
Château Doisy Daene
Château Guiraud
Château La Tour Blanche
Château Lafaurie-Peyraguey

Château Sigalas Rabaud
Château Suduiraut

Haut Medoc & Lesser Appellations
Château Beaumont
Château Belgrave
Château Camensac
Château Cantemerle
Château Coufran
Château La Lagune

Moulis en Médoc
Château Chasse Spleen
Château Poujeaux
Listrac Médoc
Château Clarke

Médoc
Château Greysac
Château La Tour de By

Graves

Château de Chantegrive