Last night the UVA family gathered for our annual staff tasting and holiday celebration where we have the arduous task of tasting a number of wines in order to help everyone make better informed wine decisions this holiday season. So in the spirit of the end of the year award shows here are few of the winners:

Best White Wine of the Night: Domaine Huet Clos de Bourg Sec 2007. Classic Chenin Blanc from the top Vouvray producer. We’ve had the pleasure of drinking older vintages of Huet (the wines can age extremely well) and forgot how delicious they can be when young (though decanting is recommended).

Most Classic: Domaine Monpertuis Chateauneuf du Pape 2006. Spot-on Chateauneuf with loads of herbs, spice and fennel balanced by deep, dark berry fruit and great structure.

Most Potential: Nicolas Potel Vosne-Romanee VV 2007. Potel is an amazing negociant and his wines always show exemplary terroir. This Vosne was already exploding out of the glass but certainly will evolve into something really special w/ a little more time.

Most Controversial: Bouchard In Flouresence Blanc de Noirs 2002 “La Parcelle”. Bouchard’s Champagnes are quickly becoming legendary in the wine-geek world. This all Pinot, vintage bottling has a lower amount of pressure (less bubbles) and is unlike 99.9% of the rest of Champagne. But there was no debating its exquisite uniqueness, so good and so fun.

Wine of the Night: Domaine Robert Arnoux Echezeaux 1998. Dense, powerful and intense but also extremely elegant and precise, this is why Grand Cru Burgundy can produce the world’s best wine. We all gushed over this wine and the only problem was that we didn’t open another bottle!