Tuesday, October 11, 2016

Kathryn Hall Release Party

Hall Napa Valley, a leading luxury Cabernet Sauvignon producer, took its popular Kathryn Hall Release Party on the road to DC. I was lucky enough to attend this party with my friend, Matt, a professional wine educator.


When I first arrived, there were four wines available. The Walt La Brisa (2014) was a lighter chardonnay than I prefer, so I quickly moved on to the reds. There was a Walt Blue Jay Pinot Noir (2014) and two 2013 Cabernet's. The Cabs were by far the richest, fullest wines, and they were good enough to garner some acclaim.


We spent some time walking through and observing the rest of the attendees. It was an older crowd who was clearly very familiar with Kathryn Hall. Many were members of the wine club or invited to this party based on past purchases. Some were quite the aficionados.


Towards the middle of the event, we got to meet Kathryn Hall herself. As she spoke and talked about her wines, I thought we had tasted them all. But, lo and behold, the best had yet to come. The flagship 2013 Kathryn Hall Cab that was rated 98-100 points, in barrel, by Robert Parker had yet to be opened. This was a wine to savor.  The notes included blackberries and spice and as a full-bodied, high quality wine, it was clearly my favorite. Retailing at $165, I could see how this wine had been rated so highly. And after a few glasses, I felt almost ready to sign up for the wine club myself!


If you are looking for a high quality wine club, I would definitely recommend Kathryn Hall. Going into this event, I had never even heard of this winery and I left there impressed. We were even given her latest book, A Perfect Score. I'm looking forward to reading it while I enjoy one of her delicious cabs. And next time I'm in Napa, I'll be sure to look them up.



Full Disclosure: Although I was provided a complimentary ticket to this event, that in no way influenced my veracious opinion.

No comments:

Post a Comment