Finally! Since the day I left Bordeaux I've been dying for a glass of French paradise. Yesterday, Mathieu, author of French Wine World, had us invited to Total Wine's Bordeaux Wine Tasting Event at Fontainebleau in Miami Beach. Now if there are two things I love it's a glass of Bordeaux and my toes in the sand.
Over 80 châteaux traveled from the Southwest of France to show their 2012 vintage. The event started at 2 p.m. and ended at 5 p.m., with a turnout of several hundred people. Appellations including Pauillac, Margaux, Graves/Pessac Leognan, Pomerol, St. Emilion, St. Estephe, St. Julien, Sauternes/ Barsac, Haut Medoc, and Medoc flooded the venue.
Liv Nightclub was beautifully set-up for the wine tasting, organizing the châteaux by region, and providing enough space for all of the guests and wine producers. I wish we had been able to spend more time at the end, tasting the white wines, but there was such a great atmosphere that much of the time was spent conversing. Importers, exporters, distributers, and wine-lovers traveled from all over the world to attend the Union de Grand Crus de Bordeaux event. For the first time in Miami, I was speaking more French than anything!
Although the first class grand crus such as Châteaux Margaux and Mouton Rothschild were not present, there were many second class grand crus present. Put more simply, the #1 wines of Bordeaux were not there. This does not degrade the second level what-so-ever as they are still delicious and prestigious wines. My favorite of the day was the 2012 Château Clos Fourtet.

The UCG event did not only take place in Miami this year, but also Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, San Francisco, and Denver. All cities that are heavy populated with wine-o's. It was $150/each to attend (thankfully we were invited!), but well worth the price. There was not enough time to taste all of the wines, however, it was bliss in itself to be surrounded by grand crus again! It also was pleasant to be able to take a walk on the beach before it started.
For those who wish to attend the event next year, make sure you do so ahead of time. This was a fully reserved wine-tasting at Fontainebleau. It is a fully english-speaking event, so don't be discouraged by the name! To find information on further wine events held by Total Wine or the UGC, be sure to click the links.