ARIA’s Sage. Credit: Sage
An integral part of the Las Vegas experience is sipping and savoring your way through the incredible wine and spirits found at the city’s luxury resorts.
From tequila to cognac, every ounce of these highly prized liquors is a treasure, whether served in a specially designed glass by Christophe Pillet or the finest Riedel cabernet sauvignon stemware. When given the opportunity, here are three exceptional pours you won’t want to miss.
Wines by Rudd
Ensconced in the beautiful Oakville region of Napa Valley, Rudd Oakville Estate is a rarity in California’s prime wine-producing region. The operation is 100 percent family owned and operated, and it employs a full-time winemaking staff that has pride of ownership in its vines, harvest after harvest.
Producing only four wines — Rudd Oakville Estate Red, Rudd Oakville Estate Samantha’s Cabernet Sauvignon, Rudd Mt. Veeder Estate Sauvignon Blanc and Rudd Mt. Veeder Estate Susan’s Blanc blend — at less than 2,000 cases per year total, every bottle of Rudd is an experience to commemorate an unforgettable moment or meal.
Three celebratory restaurants at Forbes Travel Guide Four-Star ARIA Resort & Casino serve this superb sip: new American Four-Star Sage, the sultry Forbes Travel Guide Recommended Jean-Georges Steakhouse and nostalgia-inducing Carbone.
This spring, look out for the relaunch of the Rudd Crossroads label spearheaded by vintner Samantha Rudd, daughter of the estate’s late founder, Leslie.
The Cosmopolitan’s Chandelier Bar. Credit: The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas
Tequila Casa Dragones Joven
Over the past decade, luxury tequila brands have proliferated, but Casa Dragones’ crystal-clear lucidity has earned it a reputation as a sipping sensation since 2009.
Making only two types of tequila — Blanco, for those who prefer cocktails, and Joven, for those who like their spirit straight up — Casa Dragones is a small-batch independent producer founded by MTV creator and iHeartMedia CEO Robert W. Pittman and tequila industry expert Bertha González Nieves, the first woman to be certified a maestra tequilera (the equivalent of a tequila sommelier).
The pristine liquid, made from 100 percent blue agave, is a blend of silver tequila and extra-aged tequila that has been held in American oak barrels for five years.
Take a delicate drink and be swept away into a wash of flavor that invigorates the palate and passes over the tongue smoothly. Casa Dragones Joven acts as the ideal complement to food as it opens the senses to a full spectrum of tastes, whether the pairing is Italian, Mexican or Japanese.
Savor the lovely libation at Forbes Travel Guide Recommended The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas’ array of international eateries, including classic Italian Scarpetta, eclectic Ghost Donkey, show-stopping lounge The Chandelier and modern Japanese Zuma.
Le Cirque Las Vegas. Credit: Le Cirque Las Vegas
Louis XIII Cognac
There are few tastes that are as unforgettable as Louis XIII cognac. Each decanter takes generations of cellar masters to craft as eaux-de-vie (“water of life”) from various decades is used to create the unique blends.
The cognac was originally created by Paul-Émile Rémy Martin in 1874. Today, cellar master Baptiste Loiseau sets aside eaux-de-vie as a legacy for the next century, to be considered decades from now by his successors for the blend of tomorrow. The reality is that no cellar master will ever taste the fruits of his labor.
Whenever this cognac crosses your lips, the memory of that moment will forever taste like the warmth of Louis XIII on the palate — nuts, plums and dried fruits, just to name a few of its essences.
Use this elixir to toast only the most special occasions of your life in an equally unforgettable setting, such as Bellagio’s Five-Star culinary stunners Le Cirque Las Vegas and Picasso.
