UGC 2016 Tour in New York Chicago Los Angeles San Francisco Washington

The UGCB, Union des Grands Crus de, also known as simply the UGC, is about to begin their annual grueling schedule that takes the group to numerous countries all over the world. Fortunately for wine lovers living in North America, the UGC 2016 tour begins as always, visiting cities in the United States as well as in Canada.

The UGC presents the most recently bottled vintage. The UGC 2016 tour will showcase the 2013 vintage. Yes, 2013 Bordeaux was a more than difficult vintage. Having tasted the wines, the chateaux with the ability and dedication to making the best wine possible produced forward, easy to drink wines of pleasure, and that’s with the red wines. The dry white Bordeaux wines are quite good and it’s a stunning year for the sweet wines of Sauternes and Barsac.

Even though the best wines from the 2013 vintage are the aforementioned dry and sweet, white wine, there are some interesting wines to discover from the Right Bank as well as in the Left Bank. The great thing about the UGC 2016 tour is the ability to taste with the owners and wine makers from Pauillac, St. Estephe, St. Julien, Margaux, Pessac Leognan in the Left Bank as well as growers from St. Emilion and Pomerol, and of course Sauternes!

The UGC 2016 tour of North America begins in St. Johns Nova Scotia, January 21 before moving to Toronto, January 22, followed by stops in Montreal, January 23, New York, January 25, Chicago, January 27, Phoenix and Vancouver, January 28, Los Angeles, January 29, San Francisco, January 30 and finishing in Washington DC, January 31.

We tasted more than 400 different barrel samples from the 2013 Bordeaux vintage in April, 2014. For a look at our tasting notes on those wines: 2013 Bordeaux Barrel Tasting Notes For a summary on the 2013 Bordeaux vintage and growing season: 2013 Vintage and Harvest Report

The following cities and dates will help you find where and when you can the wines being poured during the UGC 2016 tour of America. Keep in mind that some of these events are only open to members of the trade. However, most of the UGC 2016 Bordeaux tastings are open to the general public.

January 21, St. Johns, Nova Scotia. Tickets are available from Newfoundland Labrador Liquor Corporation.

January 22, Toronto, Canada – Sponsored by LCBO, the tasting is open to the public. Tickets are available from : LCBO

January 23, Montreal, Canada – Sponsored by the SAQ, takes place from 3pm to 7pm at the Bonaventure. Tickets are available from the SAQ.

January 25, New York – Ciprani on 42nd Street. This is a trade only event taking place from 1pm to 5pm. There is also a tasting is being held for the first time at Sothebys that same day.

January 28 has two tastings taking place on the same day. One is in Phoenix and the other is in Vancouver. Of course each of these 2013 Bordeaux tastings will feature different chateaux. In Phoenix, the tasting will take place at the Hyatt Regency in Scottsdale.

January 29, Los Angeles at the Fairmont Hotel for the trade, which takes place from 2pm to 5pm.

January 29, Los Angeles – There is also a tasting for the public taking place at The Museum of Flying at Santa Monica Airport – Tickets for the 2016 UGC Bordeaux wine tasting in Los Angeles are available from Wallys You can also call 310-475-0606. Tickets are $69 per person in advance, $100 at the door. Something else you should know about the Wallys 201 UGC Bordeaux wine tasting, 100% of the net proceeds from the tasting will benefit Food on Foot, a nonprofit organization providing the poor and homeless of Los Angeles with meals, clothing and assistance in the transition to employment and life off the streets.

January 30, San Francisco – The tasting at the Bentley Reserve and is hosted by K & L. The tickets are $100 and can be purchased from K & L Wine Merchants

We will be at the Los Angeles tastings and will publish a detailed article with tasting notes and reviews from the event. 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.

Not all members of the UGC will attend every event. This is a list of the chateaux that will be pouring 2013 Bordeaux wines during the 2016 UGC Bordeaux tastings:

Pauillac

Château Batailley
Château Clerc Milon
Château d’Armailhac
ChâteauCroizet Bages
Château Grand Puy Ducasse
Château Grand Puy Lacoste
Château Haut Bages Liberal
Château Lynch Bages
Château Lynch-Moussas
Château Pichon Baron
Château Pichon Lalande

Margaux

Château d’Angludet
Château Brane Cantenac
Château Cantenac Brown
Château Desmirail
Château du Tertre
Château Durfort Vivens
Château Ferriere
Château Giscours
Château Kirwan
Château Labegorce
Château Lascombes
Château Malescot St. Exupery
Château Marquis de Terme
Château Monbrison
Château Prieure-Lichine
Château Rauzan-Gassies
Château Rauzan-Segla
Château Siran

Graves/Pessac Leognan

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

Pomerol

Château Beauregard
Château Bon Pasteur
Château Clinet
Château La Cabanne
Château La Conseillante
Château la Croix de Gay
Château Gazin
Château Petit Village
Château la Pointe

St. Emilion

Château Balestard la Tonnelle
Château Beau-Sejour Becot
Château Berliquet
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 la Tour Figeac
Château Larcis Ducasse
Château Larmande
Château Pavie Macquin
Château Soutard
Château Troplong Mondot
Château Trotte Vieille
Château Villemaurine

St. Estephe

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

St. Julien

Château Beychevelle
Château Branaire Ducru
Château Gloria
Château Gruaud Larose
Château Lagrange
Château Langoa Barton 
Château Leoville Barton
Château Leoville Poyferre
Château St. Pierre
Château Talbot

Sauternes / Barsac

Château Bastor Lamontagne
Château Broustet
Château Climens
Château Coutet
Château de Fargues
Château Doisy Daene
Château Doisy Vedrines
Château Guiraud
Château La Tour Blanche
Château Lafaurie-Peyraguey
Château de Malle
Château Nairac
Château de Rayne Vigneau
Château Sigalas Rabaud
Château Suduiraut

Haut Medoc Moulis Listrac

Château Beaumont
Château Belgrave
Château Camensac
Château Cantemerle
Château Citran
Château Chasse Spleen
Château Clarke
Château Coufran
Château Fonreaud
Château Fourcas Dupre
Château Fourcas Hosten
Château La Lagune
Château de Lamarque
Château Poujeaux
Château La Tour Carnet

Medoc

Château Greysac
Château La Tour de By

Graves
Château de Chantegrive
Château Ferrande
Château Rahoul

Related posts:

2015 UGC in America Los Angeles New York Chicago San Francisco Canada 2008 Bordeaux In Bottle Reviews Right Bank, Left Bank, Tasting Notes Bordeaux Chateaux Guide Wine Tasting Notes Profiles History Complete Napa Valley California Wine History from Early 1800s to Today