Coming off the grueling demands of an NBA championship run, media obligations, championship parades, and non-stop celebrations, New York Knicks starting shooting guard Josh Hart found the ultimate antidote to the high-pressure professional sports world: a 10-day European getaway with his wife, Shannon, and a close group of friends.
While the trip took the group through some of the continent’s most iconic destinations, including Capri, Rome, and Paris, the undisputed highlight for Hart was a four-day immersion in Bordeaux, France. It was a journey that deepened a passion for fine wine first sparked during his playing days with the Los Angeles Lakers, where he developed a taste for shared bottles on team flights alongside LeBron James and Rajon Rondo.
For Hart, exploring Bordeaux felt less like a standard vacation and more like traveling straight through the pages of a history book. The region offered an authentic, sensory-rich experience featuring wine cellars with rare vintages dating all the way back to the 1880s. For a dedicated wine lover, exploring the historic wine caves—complete with their characteristic mildew- and mold-covered walls—was nothing short of a dream come true. During their time in the region, Hart and his group visited approximately seven different wineries, soaking in the architecture, the deep-rooted heritage, and the meticulous craftsmanship behind some of the world’s most renowned labels.
Among the standout stops on the itinerary was Château Lynch-Bages, a renowned estate where the visit extended well beyond a standard walk-through. Following a leisurely lunch, co-owner Kinou Cazes-Hachemian arranged a special experience for the basketball star: a semi-blind tasting. In a traditional blind tasting, participants know neither the identity of the wines nor the order in which they are served. In a semi-blind tasting, however, the participants are given a list of the wines being poured, but they must figure out which specific glass corresponds to which bottle as the tasting unfolds. Cazes-Hachemian noted that hosting these interactive, challenging tastings is something she genuinely loves to share with appreciative visitors.
The staff brought out six distinct bottles for the exercise, a lineup that included a 2018 Château Haut-Bataille and a 2010 Lynch-Bages. The estate’s staff meticulously labeled each glass from 1 to 6 and handed Hart and his group a paper score sheet. After taking time to evaluate each pour, the participants were tasked with writing down their best guess for the identity of every wine.
The lineup included just a single white wine—the Blanc de Lynch-Bages 2025—giving everyone in the group an easy win on at least one glass. But the rest of the challenge required a discerning palate and a solid grasp of Bordeaux characteristics.
The exercise carried a bit of personal history for Hart. Five or six years earlier, during the nascent stages of his wine appreciation journey, his wife Shannon had tested him with a much smaller semi-blind tasting consisting of just two wines: a 2016 Château Pontet-Canet and a bottle from Nine Suns in Napa Valley. Hart had guessed incorrectly on that occasion, a playful misstep that Shannon had never let him live down.
This time around, however, the professional athlete turned wine enthusiast redeemed himself completely. Hart successfully identified every single pour, achieving a perfect 100 percent score and outperforming even the estate’s co-owner, Kinou Cazes-Hachemian. Impressed by his accuracy and enthusiasm, the staff presented him with a commemorative pin bearing the phrase "Keep Calm and Drink Lynch-Bages"—a lighthearted acknowledgment that Hart’s deep dive into the nuances of the region meant he would likely be talking about the experience for a very long time.
The memorable Bordeaux excursion has already sparked plans for future travel. Hart and his wife have begun discussing the possibility of exploring the vineyards of Burgundy and Champagne during their next European offseason trip. Even so, Hart admits that the charm, history, and hospitality of Bordeaux left such a profound impression that he would gladly pack his bags and head back tomorrow. Between the rich conversations, the exceptional lunches and dinners, and the deep historical roots embedded in every cellar, the post-championship escape provided the perfect reset before returning to the court.
Josh Hart enters the upcoming NBA schedule following a historic season with the New York Knicks, with whom he secured the 2025–2026 NBA championship. As the league prepares for the tip-off of the 2026–2027 regular season on October 20, Hart carries with him not only another championship pedigree, but a newfound bragging right as a certified Bordeaux expert.
