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F I N E W I N E M A G A Z I N E C O N T E N T S PAGE 14 A New Perspective on Napa Terroir PAGE 26 The Midas Touch of Cattier PAGE 38 How To Get Rid Of Cork Taint PAGE 44 Lanson Extra Age PAGE 46 Château Lafite PAGE 54 The ABC's of Champagne PAGE 64 Bollinger PAGE 70 The Midas Touch of Cattier 8 F I N E

F I N E W I N E M A G A Z I N E C O N T E N T S PAGE 78 Thrills, Spills and Bubbles PAGE 138 Breguet 13 FINEEDITORIAL 14 FINEALPHABET 25 FINENUIKKI 26 FINECHAMPAGNE PAGE 102 Not For Everyone A New Perspective on Napa Terroir A Well-Known Secret The Midas Touch of Cattier How To Get Rid Of Cork Taint 38 FINEPERSONALITY Serena Sutcliffe's organised Chaos 44 FINECHAMPAGNE 46 FINEHISTORY 54 FINEALPHABET 64 FINECHAMPAGNE 70 FINECHAMPAGNE 78 FINECHAMPAGNE 85 FINETASTINGS Lanson extra age Château Lafite The ABC's of Champagne Bollinger The Midas touch of Cattier Thrills, Spills and Bubbles Recent FINE Tastings Fire and Ice PAGE 116 An Oasis In NewDelhi 96 FINEAUCTION REPORT 102 FINECHAMPAGNE 108 FINECOLLECTING 116 FINEPERFECTION 128 FINECHAMPAGNE 138 FINETIMEPIECE How to get Rid of Cork Taint No Wine before its Time An Oasis In New Delhi Perrier-Joët Breguet PAGE 128 Perrier-Joët 9 C O N T E N T S FINE CoNtENts

A Daimler Brand A cockpit. An engine. Two wings. Is it still a car? Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG. www.mercedes-benz.com/sls-amg 12 Fuel consumption urban/extra-urban/combined: 19.9/9.3/13.2/100 km: combined CO2 emissions 308 g/km. F I N E

F I N E ­ T H E I N D I A N W I N E M A G A Z I N E FINEMAGAZINES W r i t e r s WWW.FINE-MAGAZINES.COM Pekka Nuikki Editor-in-Chief Pekka Nuikki, founder and editor-in-chief of FINE Magazines, is an author and one of the leading experts on fine wines in Europe. He has published over twenty international wine and art books, among them In Vino Veritas, a book on investing in wines, Drinking History on fine wines and their vintages between 1870­1970, a book about the Château Mouton Rothschild ­ Wine and Art 1924­2003 and most recently a book about the best German white wines. Mr Nuikki is also an award-winning photographer, who has exhibited his artwork all over the world and he has worked as creative director of advertising agency group. He is also the luckiest man in the world, having hit seven hole-in-ones. Juha Lihtonen Managing Editor Juha Lihtonen is the managing editor of European, American and Scandinavian FINE Wine Magazine and manyfold Finnish sommelier champion. He was selected as the best sommelier in the Nordic countries in 2003. Mr Lihtonen has worked as a wine educator, a wine host on a radio programme, as well as the wine buyer of a major cruise line. He has written books on combining wine and food. Besides his day job, Mr Lihtonen studies for the Master of Wine qualification. Essi Avellan MW Contributor Essi Avellan is the editor of FINE Champagne magazine and first Master of Wine from Finland second ever from the Nordic countries. She was awarded the Lily Bollinger Medal as the best taster and the Tim Derouet Memorial Award as the best overall student in the Master of Wine examination. Ms Avellan contributes to several newspapers and wine magazines internationally. She judges at several wine competitions, such as the Decanter World Wine Awards and the Wines of Argentina Awards. Ms Avellan has been awarded the title of Dame Chevalier of the Ordre des Coteaux de Champagne. Jan-Erik Paulson Contributor Jan-Erik Paulson is one of Europe's leading authorities on mature wines, specialising in Bordeaux and Austria. Mr Paulson has been internationally renowned for his top tastings for over thirty years and for his Rare-Wine.com online shop. He is a passionate golfer and lives in Germany with his family. Andreas Larsson Contributor Andreas Larsson is the editor of FINE Exclusive and a regular FINE columnist. The 2007 Best Sommelier of the World, the best sommelier in Europe in 2004 and the best sommelier in the Nordic countries in 2002, Mr Larsson has worked as a sommelier in the best restaurants in Stockholm and won the Wine International Sommelier Challenge in 2005. He is a member of the Grand Jury Européen and has occupied many wine juror positions around the world. Mr Larsson is also a wine writer and educator. Meri Kukkavaara Publishing Editor Meri Kukkavaara is an interior designer by trade, who has a wide range of interests in the field of art, as well as education. Since completing her art studies in Florence, Italy she has worked extensively with art exhibitions and antiques, while occasionally contributing to art exhibitions as a free artist. She is also an art therapist, with more than ten years experience. Ms Kukkavaara is a keen student of life and in her free time enjoys taking up courses such as drumming, Indian cooking and tango. Stuart George Contributor Stuart George is an awarded English freelance wine writer, who is known for his writing for The World of Fine Wine. Mr George studied English and European Literature at The University of Warwick. He has worked as a wine merchant, travelling widely in different wine regions, before turning to wine writing. In his free time Mr George listens to music, plays guitar and follows cricket. Cover photograph: Pekka Nuikki A correction considering the previous FINE Magazine page 106: The 1827 Quinta do Noval Nacional was mistakenly spelled. The tasted wine was 1827 Quinta do Noval Rebello Valente Allen. FINE Magazines does not keep nor return illustrations or other materials that have been sent to us without request. The opinions of contributors or interviewees presented in this magazine do not necessarily correspond to the opinions of the publisher or editorial staff. We withhold the right to make any modifications in texts and pictures published in FINE Magazines. We reserve the right to refuse or suspend advertisements. 12 F I N E

F I N E ­ T H E I N D I A N W I N E M A G A Z I N E 5 July 2010 Not for everyone lobalisation has been a buzzword in the wine world for the last couple of decades, mostly in relation to new winegrowing areas at the corners of the earth. The debate is still hot, but the topic has turned upside down, as now there is talk of the new wine-consuming countries, especially China and India. The effect of this new turn of events on the world of wines has been radical ­ in particular, it has revolutionised the concepts of the sales prices and buyers of wine. The most influential market for wines is currently China. Amid the deepest global recession, collectors in Asia and especially China are paying astronomical prices for top wines. A great example are the en primeur prices of the recently launched Bordeaux 2009 first growths, which are 50 per cent higher than the previous record prices of the 2005 first growths. Still, Chinese wine collectors do not seem to feel that they are overpriced. Traditional collectors, on the other hand, who over the decades have become used to buying first growths by the caseload, have reached a point where they no longer have the resources to buy more than a few bottles. First growth wines have become clear investment targets, which only the wealthiest Asian investors buy to drink. Many collectors and connoisseurs who usually buy wines in order to open and enjoy them have long been concerned over price trends ­ and they have good reason to worry. The en primeur prices of top Bordeaux wines have risen nearly tenfold in the last decade. On the other hand, it could be said that in this, the wine industry is only correcting a great misstep it had made in comparison with other luxury items. One can but wonder at how the market value of a product that G represents the best quality in its field, with a history going back more than two centuries, can be only a few hundred euros. It is a downright injustice. What is not an injustice is that the majority of wine-lovers no longer have the opportunity of enjoying the world's best wines; after all, is the very definition of luxury not that it should only be available to a privileged few? Not all car enthusiasts get to drive a Bugatti, just as all watch collectors do not wear a Breguet Tourbillon or all handbag fans own a Birkin by Hermès. In this sense, those of us who love wines have been both spoiled in being able to enjoy the best wines in the world at an "affordable" price. And we still are. Although the best products from Bordeaux have shot out of reach for most, there are still plenty of top wines in the world that are as yet not affected by the overheated Asian market. These include the Guigal singlevineyard wines from Rhône, Giacomo Conterno's Barolo Monfortino and Gaja's single-vineyard Barbescos from Piemonte, Ornellaia's Masseto from Tuscany, the Vega Sicilia Unico from Ribera del Duero, Alvaro Palacios L'Ermita from Priorat, the Australian Grange, and the prestige champagnes. In relation to their quality, all of these are much more competitively priced than the 2009 first growths from Bordeaux. The same applies to the top Californian cult wines sold via mailing lists, such as Harlan and Screaming Eagle, which are real finds considering their relatively low direct sale prices and small production volumes. It is only a matter of time as to when the producers will wake up to this fact and start pricing their wines at the level to which they already belong. One sign of such an awakening was the unveiling of Krug's new Clos d'Ambonnay 1995 single-vineyard champagne at the unheard-of price of 3000 dollars. Wines are one of the best investments in the world, and it is evident that the finest Bordeaux wines are still desirable objects among new investors. That means that many consumers who previously enjoyed them, as well as experienced investors, are now setting their sights on alternative wines and regions. This is an opportunity for many top producers outside Bordeaux to build their brands and reposition their wines. Thus we can expect a rise in prices and in demand for fine wines from outside Bordeaux. How radical will it be? That largely depends on the producers' willingness to work on their quality and brands, and on their courage to price and market their products in the way that they deserve. Before that, wine enthusiasts should fill their cellars with the abovementioned quality wines, in order to ensure that they can be affordably enjoyed. Wishing you the best of luck! TASTE OF FINE Juha Lihtonen Managing Editor NOT FOR EVERYONE FINE EdItorIal 13

t e xt: M e r i Ku k k ava ra Ph oto g ra p h s : Pe k k a Nu i k k i 18 F I N E

P hotographer Pekka Nuikki has been behind the images of all the FINE Magazines from the beginning. He has worked as a professional photographer and also as an advertisement film director. His photographs have been displayed in hundreds of magazines and publications. Nuikki has had numerous solo exhibitions around the world since 1990 and a number of museums, wine estates and private collectors have his works in their collections. Most recently his wine-related work was exhibited at the Bordeaux festival Fête de la Fleur and in Vienna at the Coburg Palace. Several books have also been published on his art photography, the latest concerning the subject of wine, Wine Views (2009). The `Napa Terroir' exhibition was organised to raise funds for St. Helena Hospital Foundation and Auction Napa Valley, with Meadowood and The Napa Valley Reserve offering beautiful settings for this charity event. Meadowood Napa Valley is a heavenly resort, a real centre of social and viticultural life in the area. It offers guest rooms and suites to the discerning traveller, as well as two restaurants, one of them boasting two Michelin stars. This marvellous wine country destination, with its diverse amenities, was the perfect venue for a wine photography exhibition. The exhibition was displayed in the Vintner's Room. Nuikki's large works filled this classically designed room with a powerful sense of awe, as guests were unable to direct their gaze away from these dominant images. The photographs were all hand printed on watercolour paper, hand painted and unique, with the mere size of the works drawing the viewer into the landscapes. The photographs of this exhibition portrayed Napa Valley's own vineyards, and reflected the photographer's relationship with the wine scenery ­ that of depth, absence of time, nature confronting man. As the guests of the opening night started to arrive and wander amongst the works, it was the new and unfamiliar way of seeing their own neighbourhood that evoked the most interest. During the night, the wine growers in particular were keen to acquire a different take on their home terrain. After the success at Meadowood, the exhibition moved to The Napa Valley Reserve, where it arrived just in time for the big annual harvest celebration. Opening night at The Napa Valley Reserve The Napa Valley Reserve is an estate and private club offering its members the opportunity to experience and enjoy the way of life that surrounds the production of wine. The exhibition, held on a mellow September night, complemented beautifully the splendid harvest celebration. Here the images had a different dialogue with the setting, as the exhibition was arranged in East Ag Barn, one of the Reserve's buildings that follows a more contemporary architectural style. Just outside the barns, vine fields with ripe grapes spread out in the fading evening light, and as the night grew darker a moment occurred when there were no boundaries between nature and art. Instead, on both sides of the threshold there was beauty, tranquillity and balance. The curator of the exhibitions: Nina Wemyss, The Napa Valley Reserve www.meadowood.com www.thenapavalleyresreve.com N A P A T E R R O I R FINE GallEry 19

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Reference table for the 100-point system vs. the british 20-point system 50 60 07 8 70 9 10 80 11 12 13 14 85 15 16 90 17 18 96 19 100 20 Th e F I N E way t o e va l u at e w i n e Tasting wine is a personal experience and therefore always subjective. Experience, palate, personal taste preference, and the personality of the taster play major roles in assessment of wine. In reality, tasting wine is an interaction with it. Therefore, it is significant to know who the tasters are, and what are their preferences and experience of tasting the wines concerned. The magazine's experts evaluate the wines based on their personal views and experiences. That is why the initials of the taster are given in connection with each tasting note. The year markings in each evaluation refer to the most recent tasting time / the future lasting potential. Key to our points 100p · Sheer perfection to all senses by every parameter of wine quality ­ True nature's gift. 97­99p · A near perfect experience. The wine and its history are of a unique genre. As a tasting experience the wine is extraordinary and unforgettable: Impeccable harmony, complexity and one-ofa-kind personality. 93­96p · An outstanding wine, which is produced with the highest standards of quality, and which gives a balanced and unique experience when enjoyed. 91­93p · An excellent wine that has a refined style, balanced structure and nuanced finesse. 88­90p · A good wine, close to excellent. Harmonious but lacks the complexity and personality of an excellent wine. 80­87p · An average wine with less character, intensity, structure, and elegance. 70­79p · A modest and straightforward wine lacking life and harmony. 50­69p · An almost un-drinkable, empty wine. Pekka Nuikki (PN) Essi Avellan MW (EA) Juha Lihtonen (JL) Wi n e p o i n t s All wines evaluated by FINE are awarded points. The rating of the wines is done using the American 100 points scale. The objective is to give the reader an understanding of the quality of the wines evaluated by FINE as well as rate the drinkability of the wine. It needs bearing in mind that our rating differs a great deal, for example, from the rating system used by Robert Parker or the Wine Spectator. The number of points is based on the wine's enjoyability on the day of tasting. We do not give additional points for the wine's future potential, and base our assessment only on its present quality and ability to give pleasure now, both physically and mentally. As the potential of the wine is not taken into account in the points, we will give estimates about future potential in the tasting notes. We taste wine blind, semi-blind or openly. The used method is mentioned in the tasting report. We also mention the date of tasting. In the case of mature wines we mention when the bottle was opened/decanted and how long the wine kept in the glass before starting to lose its character. R e a d i n g o u r ta s t i n g n o t e s Style and focus of wine assessment varies by the individual. Our group of experts has agreed on the most important parameters of the evaluations. We focus on describing the personality and essence of the wine: its acidity, fruit, tannin, structure, depth, and length, all of the factors that affect the wine's balance ­ and balance in our shared opinion is the most important factor in the quality of a wine. Auctions: Wh e r e t o b u y w i n e Online stores: www.champersdirect.co.uk Luxury champagne online sales www.bordeauxindex.com Fine Bordeaux wine online sales www.chateauonline.co.uk Wine shop with great range of young and mature wines from various regions www.2020wines.com Top wines from major wine regions from 1808 to 2000, including futures www.bensonfinewines.co.uk Special stores for fine and rare wines mainly from private cellars dating back to the 1800s www.nickollsandperks.co.uk Nickolls and Perks have been fine wine dealers since 1797 www.oddbins.com Wide selection of top wines www.nicolas.com France's largest wine store chain www.bbr.co.uk Berry Brothers and Rudd, legendary online store www.bibendum.co.uk Great selection of French wines www.weinco.at High-quality Austrian wine store www.spanishwinesonline.co.uk Good selection of Spanish wines also from old vintages www.wyliefinewines.co.uk Peter Wylie's fine wine online provides great collections of mature, fine and rare wines from 1800s www.frw.co.uk Online brokers of fine and rare wines www.tcwc.com The Chicago Wine Company www.ackerwines.com/liveauction.cfm Acker Merrall & Condit New York auction www.brentwoodwine.com Brentwood Wine Co. online rare wine auction house from US Oregon featuring unusual and interesting wines www.hdhwine.com/content.cfm/auctions Hart Davis Hart Wine Company is offering wines of impeccable provenance from private cellars around the world www.magnumwines.com Rare and highly sought after auction wines including magnums www.christies.com/departments/win/overview.asp Christie's auction house with links to different locations www.sothebys.com/app/live/dept/DeptGlobal.jsp?dept_id=142 Sotheby's London auction house wine department www.winebid.com The largest Internet auction for fine and rare wines www.winecommune.com/auctionindex1.cfm WineCommune.com - the place to buy and sell fine wine online www.butterfields.com Bonhams & Butterfield's auction in US and Bonhams wine department in England www.morrellwine.com Wine store and auction www.winecommune.com Wine auction online www.rare-wine.com Excellent online store with flexible service providing broad range of mature wines from the previous century. Buys and sells wines from private people. www.classic-wines.net Online store for mature wines Others: www.dunbarfinewine.co.uk Full investment service including sourcing and cellaring 14 F I N E

F I N E How do you get wine costing 50 euros to taste like wine that costs 200? sometimes wonder about the fine words of praise that the wine I have just tasted and had great expectations for, but now find dull and lifeless, has received from friends or wine professionals I hold in high regard. Occasionally, the reason is that the wine reviews I read date back decades, but it is often simply because of me: my inexperience and ignorance ­ I have either opened the bottle too late or too early. Longevity is an excellent quality in wine, sometimes even a magical one when an old vintage is drunk whilst at its very best, but even the best wine is easily spoilt if you drink it at the wrong time, and I am not now talking about decades, or even years, but hours. I believe that all mature wines benefit from decanting, as many people know. But it is much less common knowledge I Pekka Nuikki Editor-in-chief that young wines benefit enormously if they are decanted. Most of the wine on the market is very young and still immature. But never mind. Today a virtually undrinkable, unripe wine more often than not improves and becomes drinkable if decanted, sometimes so much so that a young wine costing 50 euros tastes and seems like one priced at 200 euros after being decanted for 12 hours. Most young wines, and now I am talking about vintages from the present decade, should be decanted for six hours at the very least. The better quality the wine, the longer the decanting time. For example, the Solaia 2001 was a completely different wine after being decanted for seven hours ­ the hardness, sharpness and imbalance that were apparent when the bottle was opened had given way to softness, tranquillity and balance. Romanée Conti Montrachet 2004 (six hours' decanting time), Vega Sicilia Unico 1996 (eight hours) and Mouton-Rothschild 2000 (14 hours) all also clearly benefited from being decanted over a fairly long period. As the air literally breathes life into the wine but also kills it off, it is very important to know how long to let the wine remain in contact with the air in the decanter and the glass. That is why every wine review in the FINE magazine will always mention the time (and is the only wine magazine in the world to do so) that we think the wine in question needs to breathe and reach its full potential. The time we give is based on our own experience of the wine concerned, and should be seen just as well-intentioned advice and not scientific truth. My own rule for young vintages is that two hours in a decanter is the equivalent of one bottle maturation year. This obviously varies, depending on the quality of the wine, the grape variety and the vintage. Try applying this yourself. With a little practice each of us can affect the taste of the wine we drink. When you are opening a bottle of young wine next time, decant it for six to eight hours before serving. It is very possible that the wine's taste will improve many times over during the day, at least to make its enjoyment worth the price you paid. the unbearable lightness of sharing N u i k k i 15 FINE Nu i k k i

Text: Armin Diel & Pekka Nuikki Photos: Johannes Grau & Pekka Nuikki he spring sunshine is beginning to break through the dark clouds covering Bordeaux, as we travel towards the Château Lafite estate. The traffic is quiet and there is little congestion in the car parks of the vineyards we pass. The same is true of Lafite. The apparent peace and quiet are only on the surface, however, for under it hustle and bustle is rife. This is due to the upcoming market release of the 2009 vintage. The year is turning out to be perfect; according to the producers, it is the best so far in the twenty-first century. Two more weeks, and we can ascertain if that is the case, with the beginning of Bordeaux's most keenly awaited annual event, en primeur. We are visiting some of the top estates to survey the situation a few weeks before the en primeur period begins. The atmosphere at the wineries is impatient. The representatives' faces reveal their great expectations of the vintage. They appear to have on their hands what is every wine producer's dream. The boldest comments come from Mouton Rothschild's director Philippe Dhalluin, who compares the vintage to 2005: "This kind of vintage will sell out in two hours," he reckons. Bordeaux ­ mid-March 42 FINE

­ wine whispers, money talks CHÂTEAU MARGAUX BORDEAUX 43 FINE Bordeaux

Vineyard director George Chevallier of neighbouring Lafite is a bit more cautious with his words, but still full of praise: "It is a super vintage. The grapes reached the top maturity, and the picking occurred under ideal circumstances. We are now at the end of the blending process and in a few weeks there are people coming from around the world to taste the wines en primeur. It is not a secret to say that it is a really great vintage. Very well balanced, good fruit ­ everything is just at the right level. However, I don't want to compare it to any other vintage because it is difficult. I prefer to do that after 10 years." At Château Margaux, expectations are also running high. The quality of grapes picked from various vineyards clearly exceeded any quality achieved previously. Pierre Lurton, director of Cheval Blanc in Saint-Emilion, admits that the year's quality was a surprise even there. In tasting the wine, they found that its crisp fruity nature and exceptionally fine silky tannins, combined with a multilayered and strong character, make it a superb vintage. At the polestar of Sauternes, Yquem, it is also agreed that this was an exceptional crop year. The crop was harvested in a month and a half instead of the usual three. There were still temperatures of up to 30C (86F) in October. The harvest was two and a half times the average size and the grapes achieved a degree of ripeness that is being compared to the exceptional years of 1989 and 1947. In two weeks' time, the producers' forecasts will be put to the test when more than two thousand critics arrive at the en primeur event to taste the 2009 wines. Among them will be FINE's Bordeaux expert, Armin Diel. Dijon on the Saturday morning en route to Bordeaux. Awaiting me there were the wines of the 2009 vintage ­ already garlanded with advance praise. Amid the fatigue that accompanies such tastings, I sense something like happy anticipation and expectant interest ­ will these wines really be better than the legendary vintages of 1982, 2000 and 2005? Full of expectation, this journey ­ diagonally across France ­ lasts seven hours; sufficient time to mull over the impressions of the past days and slowly reset one's taste buds from Chardonnay and Pinot Noir to Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. And time is of the "This kind of vintage will sell out in two hours," Philippe Dhalluin essence; I have to arrive in Saint-Emilion by six o'clock to pick up the key for La Mondotte where I will be staying for the first three nights. With a pullover casually knotted round his shoulders, Stephan Von Neipperg opens the door for me. The count, from Schwaigern in Swabia, is someone I got to know twenty-five years ago, when he first awoke the Château Canon-La-Gaffelière estate ­ acquired by his father ­ from its slumber. We greet one another cordially, drink a glass of champagne and chat about this and that. As the conversation turns to the effects of the worldwide economic crisis, he is clear about one thing: "Anyone who claims that it has not had an impact is simply lying!" In the UK and the USA in particular business has fallen away, he asserts. "Thank goodness that Asia has compensated for some of this downturn." His wife Sigweis discreetly looks at the clock, it is high time we set off. Bordeaux ­ end of March Drawn by the news that the wine barons of the Gironde undoubtedly had the best vintage of all time in their casks, some six thousand expert visitors from the retail and gastronomy sectors, not to mention around two thousand journalists from all over the world, were making their way towards southwestern France. Of this number, no less than half had succeeded in being accredited with the Union des Grands Crus, the Association of Bordeaux Winegrowers, for the `Semaine de Presse'. This guarantees the privilege of separate tastings and accommodation in the chateaux themselves. After three days of extensive tastings in the `Grands Jours de Bourgogne', I set off from 44 FINE

For supper my path leads to the door of `L' Envers du Décor' in Saint-Emilion, a first class wine bistro with hearty regional dishes and a superb wine list. At the neighbouring table a cheerful wine-imbibing group is in full flow, in whose midst I recognise François Mauss. Some fifteen years ago this go-getting Luxembourger, now settled in Bordeaux, established an international tasting company with the imposing name of `Grand Jury Européen'. Since we know one another from many joint wine tastings, François Mauss asks with an understanding wink, "What are you doing tomorrow? Would you like to come along with us to Ausone, Pavie, Angélus and to Michel Rolland and Stéphane Derenoncourt?" The enticing prospect of a glass of some of the best wines before the actual tasting week causes my vague plans for a relaxing Sunday to be rapidly cast into oblivion. I accept. Sunday morning begins by exercising the palate at Château Haut-Carles in Saillans above Fronsac. It is here that the `Cercle de Rive Droite' has set up quarters for the presentation of some eighty red wines from the right bank of the Garonne river, i.e. from Saint-Emilion, Pomerol and other localities in the area. The cold function suite is divided into two halves by curtains. On the left-hand side sit those who ­ for whatever reason ­ wish to carry out a blind tasting, on the right everyone else. Although, to all intents and purposes, only the second division of the respective appellation is represented here, it is soon evident that the 2009 vintage certainly includes wines of exceptional quality. Never before have I tasted anything matching the concentrated red wine of Château BardeHaut from Saint-Emilion. Excellent too are the wines of the host Château Haut-Carles and of Moulin-Pey-Labrie from the neighbouring appellation Canon-Fronsac; not to mention Silvio Denz of Switzerland, whose wonderful, sandalwood fragrant Péby-Faugères would be one of my greatest discoveries of the week. After modest refreshment from a cold buffet it is on to the appointment with the Grand Jury at Château Ausone. It is indeed astonishing that François Mauss has managed to induce proprietor Alain Vauthier to welcome his assorted tasting troop on the Sabbath, moreover to an enormous building site where hardly a stone has been left standing. The 2009 wine is pretty damned good. It is true that black cherry and cranberries still predominate in the bouquet, but on the palate the wine does indeed reveal structure and great finesse. The next port of call is Château Pavie, where proprietor Gérard Perse greets the guests. In the first years following its acquisition by this Parisian businessman the wines, which tend to have an opulent character, aroused a lively controversy in international wine circles. Alain Vauthier On the one hand, for the American Robert Parker, whose opinion is keenly echoed, he has prompted a change of style amongst a whole generation of winemakers with his fondness for the all too sumptuous droplets ­ out with elegance and restraint, in with opulence! This stylistic preference does not meet with requited love everywhere however, particularly amongst his British counterparts who for many years have favoured the more elegant Bordeaux type. Respected English wine writer Jancis Robinson countered the tide boldly when she gave the 2003 vintage of Château Pavie, one of Parker's favourite wines, a real dressing down, conceding only 12 of 20 possible points. Two years later, she raised the heat even further. The 2005 Château Pavie she character- BORDEAUX 45 FINE Bordeaux Grand Jury Sunday

ised as "over-concentrated beefcake", sardonically askinwho would want to drink a second glass of it. The 2009 Pavie is once again a very impressive wine whose full-bodied taste and silky tannins will quite possibly be united one day in a superb symbiosis. Parker is taken by it, and ends up giving it 96­100 points. "It can ripen happily for fifty years and more", says Gérard Perse. What will Jancis Robinson make of this? "I was impressed by Pavie 2009," she wrote after the en primeur week. Château Angélus is only a few kilometres away. Today, co-owner Hubert de Boüard awaits an expanded group of thirty members of the Grand Jury. As is customary, the tasting begins in the sampling room on the principal floor of the property with the constantly high quality of Lafleur de Boüard, a fiftyacre estate at Lalande de Pomerol. From the 2009 vintage the more powerful Prestige Cuvée Le Plus de Boüard stands out. Practically all the tasters are agreed that this 2009 wine from Château Angélus has a splendid career ahead of it. Admittedly, this very dark wine loaded with black cherry and abundant, new wood will demand a few years of patience before it has attained its optimal maturity. 46 FINE

CHÂTEAU AUSONE BORDEAUX 47 FINE Bordeaux

Gérard Perse Michel Rolland ­ all smiles The visit to Michel Rolland, incidentally a long-term friend of Robert Parker, can only be regarded as a noteworthy event. Not far from his spacious laboratory operation in Maillet, the most influential oenologist in the world grants us a private audience at his vineyard of Château Le Bon Pasteur in Pomerol. Flanked by his wife Dan, the jovial Rolland is in excellent form and introduces his dapper sonin-law as the Dirécteur-Général of the Rolland Collection. The 2009 wines are from reliable vineyards indeed! But why does the master not take steps to elicit any more interesting drops from his own vines? Soon afterwards we meet Stéphane Derenoncourt, who embodies the new school of oenological wine consulting in Bordeaux. Unlike Rolland, he constantly strives to carve out a more elegant style of wine; certain estates of which he is in charge work their vineyards in accordance with ecological principles. On the occasion of the en primeur week he gathers his customers for a joint presentation at Château La Gaffelière in Saint-Emilion. Three wines stand out this afternoon: Château Larcis-Ducasse has a highly concentrated fragrance, yet seems very invigorating and reveals an almost dance-like elegance. While the bouquet of the Pavie-Macquin highlights a fine sandalwood sweetness and the fruit forms a perfect equilibrium with the tannins, the Clos-Fourtet wine is a true bundle of joy when it comes to Cabernet Bouquet and black cherry. Could this indeed be the wine of the year? Where is Pétrus? Monday morning begins in radiant sunshine with one of the most important tastings of the en primeur week, and is held at the home of Jean-Pierre Moueix who controls a large part of the trade on the right bank, which, since 1964 has included the distribution of Château Pétrus. Escorted by his son Edouard, the elegantly attired Christian Moueix welcomes the guests in a highly personal style. Although not every inquiry was covered in the appointed period, the wine tasters now crowd into the woodpanelled room. But where is the Château Pétrus? Hitherto it always stood at the end of the Moueix wine collection, this year for the first time one had to arrange a separate appointment in the winery, something by no means all of the wine noses had realised. Oh dear! At Pétrus the visitors are expertly enlightened on the merits of the 2009 produce by Jean-Claude Berrouet, the long-haired cellar master of the estate, and Olivier, his son and successor. "Yes, it is really a great vintage", says Papa Berrouet, who after fortyfive years is now enjoying his well-deserved retirement and has taken on a more advisory role to his son. The wine itself is really superb ­ how indeed could it be anything else? The smooth sweetness forms a pleasurable counterpoint to the fine aromatic tannins. A wine for the treasure chamber! Just a couple of hundred metres from Pétrus I run into Jacques Thienpont and we partake of a sample of Le Pin 2009. Twenty years ago the Belgian owner was only seldom to be seen during the en primeur week. Even afterwards one had the feeling that he was ready to welcome only a handful of selected tasters. This time, however, everything is different. Right at the start of the narrow track a small signs points us in an unfamiliar direction to `Degustation Le Pin' and not to the former simple farmhouse that for three decades was home to the most famous old wines or vieilles vignes, and which has now been pulled down to be replaced by a spectacular new building. Instead, the tasting occurs in an improvised little building housing the wine press that Jacques Thienpont, two years earlier, had prepared as alternative accommodation for the vinification of his extremely expensive red wines. The 2009 Le Pin is the prime example of a perfect Merlot, wherein the invigorating freshness is married with the exotic fruit components in a most exquisite way. Monday evening sees the Dîner d'Acceuil at Château La Dominique, the first event for carefully selected guests. This function is a true Vanity Fair and almost always follows the same pattern. The wine growers attempt to direct the supposedly most important guests to their own tables, where they then Michel Rolland 48 FINE

Stéphane Derenoncourt surprisingly proffer their own wine from the multitude of available bottles. The dinner is of the finest quality: Scallop Carpaccio, Millefeuille of Veal with Mushroom Tapenade and, alongside the obligatory cheeses, a lavish dessert. As if on command, the company rises just after ten in the evening as the tasting is to continue early the following day. Sauvignon-Traube is predominant. And 2009 is set to be a very great Cabernet year, as Denis Dubourdieu confirms at the press conference of the University of Bordeaux at Château La Lagune. Five preconditions are necessary, the Professor proclaims, in order to produce really great red wines in the Bordeaux region: an early and swift flowering, dry weather up to the end of the fruit, sunny days to accelerate the change of colour of the grapes, warm and dry weeks in August and ­ last but not least ­ fine autumn weather during the gathering of the harvest. While all these parameters were supplied in an almost ideal way in 2009, this is no quality guarantee however, according to Dubourdieu. "The risk in years of good weather is indeed somewhat greater, as one is tempted to prolong the harvest far too long, particularly if your neighbour still has not harvested", he states roguishly. The fruit characteristics are dependent on the time of the harvest, and in 2009 it was also possible to harvest cooked fruits throughout. Spontaneously, these words recall to my mind certain excessively rich Merlots from the right bank, whose alcohol content should not be much above fifteen per cent by volume. Furthermore, the character of the tannins is very much influenced by the making of the wines, says Dubourdieu, who himself owns two vineyards and, at the same time, advises numerous Châteaux. Yquem at the Opera For the white grapes and in particular Sauvignon Blanc, by contrast, it has been almost a little too hot to retain the aromas and above all the freshness. The perfect quality of many Sémillon grapes in the Sauternes region has, however, enabled the production of exceptionally good sweet wines. In the setting of the Opéra of Bordeaux, Château d'Yquem had extended an invitation for the presentation of the new vintage, to be attended in Tenue de Ville, befitting the occasion. On the parquet circle of the Grand Théatre guests are welcomed by attractive young ladies, whose black suits are entwined by a golden ribbon. They accompany the guests into the Salle Boireau on the first floor of this imposing building. The anticipation grows! In the midst of the large ceremonial room illuminated by four giant chandeliers, on whose ceiling great composers such as Beethoven, Gluck and Mozart are immortalised, sommeliers with white gloves serve the new vintage: "what a silky richness, coupled with noble rot (Botrytis), almost as elegant as your Rieslings in Germany", rhapsodises Michel Bettane, the most famous wine critic in France. And what a difference to the similarly served 1989 Yquem, a wine dominated by the wood and alcohol that lies rather mournfully in the glass. In almost endless waves small delicacies are served up from the repertoire of the Parisian three-star chef Yannick Aléno (Le Meurice), who acknowledges the honour in person: gelée de boeuf au caviar, mascarpone à la Truffe, lobster ravioli with seafood sauce, crab roulettes and much more. All Bordeaux luxuriates in sheer enjoyment! The extolled white horse Tuesday morning is overcast with scudding rain clouds. The group of journalists has the opportunity to taste Château Cheval-Blanc 2009 ­ the Union des Grands Crus presents the wines of their one hundred and thirty-two members in regional tastings. Since, however, the most famous estates are missing, it is also necessary to take the trouble to arrange individual tasting appointments at the chateaux outside the official programme. Three renowned estates ­ Mouton Rothschild, Yquem and Cheval-Blanc ­ nevertheless assume a special status in the Union as honorary members and consequently offer the journalists a co-ordinated form of tasting. For me, the Cheval Blanc is unquestionably one of the best wines of the 2009 vintage. This gem of a red wine reveals silky tannins and an extract sweetness that one recognises only from the very best years. The legendary 1947 Cheval-Blanc automatically comes to mind! Golf carts and velvet gloves On Thursday the sun is shining again at last. Besides the tastings of the Union, the spotlight 2009 ­ the year of the Cabernet Enveloped in light rain, Wednesday morning finds us in the Médoc, where the CabernetBORDEAUX 49 FINE Bordeaux

is today on the Premiers Crus of Médoc as well as certain Super Seconds of Médoc. And after Dubourdieu's lecture, expectations are now running particularly high. In the case of Château Mouton Rothschild it is an established tradition that the journalists are conveyed the four hundred metres from the vinothèque to the tasting room by golf carts, and this somewhat impromptu performance was readily enacted. For the first time in twenty years both the Cinquèmes Crus of Château d'Armailhac appeal to me far more than the Clerc Milon, which is a hint too alcoholic. Nothing of the sort can be alleged against the Mouton Rothschild. With its broad aroma palate ranging from black cherry to Cabernet bouquet together with a well-structured body, this wine demonstrates considerable development potential. Owing to building work under way in the Château, on this occasion the en primeur tasting of the Lafite-Rothschild takes place at the neighbouring Duhart Milon Rothschild estate in the heart of Pauillac. The 2009 Lafite immediately discloses a very robust tannic structure, which then dissolves on the palate in radiant fruit. Nowhere else in the Bordelais is a greater fuss made of admittance to the Holy of Holies as at Château Latour. At the approach to the estate terrain there is a small attendant's hut in which a poor fellow bides his time. He may only open the barrier when he has checked the number of occupants of the car against those of the original registration. Next time I would not be at all surprised if we had to present our ID papers! Thank goodness all this jumping through hoops has absolutely nothing to do with the quality of the wine. As far as the 2009 Château Latour is concerned, the ripe tannins and almost exuberant fruit results in a symbiosis that in Bordeaux is readily characterised as "an iron fist in a velvet glove". This is the just the wine that Professor Dubourdieu may have been thinking about when he spoke of a gorgeous vintage for Cabernet Sauvignon. From Pauillac it is a mere stone's throw to Château Cos d'Estournel, which lies on a small hill above Lafite. After a two-year conversion phase, for the first time Cos now presents its new tasting room from which there is a spectacular view of the cubic tanks of the new fermentation cellar. Seldom before have I tasted a better wine here than that of 2009. Apart from bursting with strength it imparts, above all, great finesse. 50 FINE

BORDEAUX 51 FINE Bordeaux

Like many other wine estates in the Bordeaux, at Château Montrose too the silhouette of a construction crane dominates the landscape, in this case marking the emergence of a new barrique cellar. This is urgently needed; only a few days previously the acquisition of 52 acres (21 hectares) from Château Phélan-Ségur for almost twenty million euros was signed and sealed. As a result, the total vineyard area now extends to 223 acres (90 hectares)! The 2009 Montrose remains absolutely faithful to its style as a robust red wine of the Médoc: a longlasting classic through and through. As in 2000, Château Margaux must once more be Primus inter Pares of the Premiers Crus in the Médoc. Courtesy of the otherwise so level-headed estate manager, Paul Pontallier, we entice a hymn of praise for the 2009 vintage: "Since 1982 I have been responsible for Château Margaux, however I have never, ever had such a perfect wine in the cask!" Could this indeed be the wine of the year? That remains to be seen. On Friday the party finally reaches the Graves, the only Bordeaux region where both white and red Grands Crus Classés are to be found. In both categories three vineyards stand out at the Union tasting: Domaine de Chevalier, Pape Clément and Smith-HautLafitte, and I have a weakness for the latter in both disciplines. Whereas the red scores with its great full-bodied character and perfectly integrated tannins and extract sweetness, the white, together with its note of opulence, also displays an astonishing elegance. an ideal wine for power drinkers, the white wine from La Mission is considerably more elegant. Both red counterparts are incredibly dense and complex. Owing to their tremendous tannic structure they certainly require quite a few years before they can be drunk with pleasure. My inquisitive question as to how the quality of this exceptional wine will affect the anticipated en primeur price remains unanswered here, as in all the wine estates around the Gironde. Prices were a subject on which nobody wished to comment at all during the week. Let it be said that any forecast is laden with risk. Many more obscure chateaux, that in 2009 have produced their best wines for a long while, will have to settle for price markups of between ten and twenty per cent on the previous year. Thereby they confer their wines with an exceptionally attractive priceenjoyment ratio. At the forthcoming Vinexpo in Hong Kong, the more famous estates will attempt to raise their prices to at least the level of 2005. And despite the persistent economic crisis nobody should cherish the slightest illusion that in the case of cult wines such as Lafite, Latour or indeed Pétrus, it is possible to pick up any kind of bargain. Bordeaux ­ end of June The temperature surpasses 30C (86F). Bordeaux has recovered quickly from the previous day's thunderstorm, and from a record en primeur period. The event proved to be a success in terms of sales and quality alike: record scores and prices will be seen and everyone agrees on the vintage. The biggest factor affecting prices, namely Mr Parker, has published his scores, and we are left to await the final selling prices of the wines. Parker's verdict was a relief: "It may turn out to be the finest vintage I have tasted in 32 years of covering Bordeaux," he said. Eighteen wines received scores of 98 to 100, which is remarkable even in a great vintage. Out of the first growths, Parker rates Haut-Brion, LafiteRothschild, Latour and Margaux from 98 to 100. Mouton Rothschild received lower scores of 96­98, although this is naturally still very good. And Robert Parker is not the only one to praise the vintage. Jancis Robinson was also highly positive: "In all my years of immersion in tasting Bordeaux en primeur, I have never written the word `Napa' so often in my tasting notes. Come to think of it, I had never written the word `Napa' at all when trying to describe the latest vintage shown off to wine media and Conclusions at Haut-Brion A visit to Château Haut-Brion is essential to draw matters to a satisfactory conclusion. Since building work is in progress there too, this year's tasting takes place in the neighbouring estate of La Mission Haut-Brion. While the wine merchants and sommeliers sample the wines in a large dégustoir on the ground floor, managing director Jean-Philippe Delmas, who has managed both estates since taking over from his father in 2004, receives the guests in a somewhat discreet setting on the first floor. Major changes have occurred for La Mission Haut-Brion and the associated labels. The red wine that until 2005 was sold under the independent label of Château La Tour HautBrion is now a fully integrated component of La Mission and its second wine La Chapelle de La Mission. Since 2009, the white Laville Haut-Brion has traded as La Mission HautBrion Blanc, a label that incidentally was used between 1925 and 1930. The third novelty is a white second wine under the name of La Clarté, in which selected quantities of Haut-Brion and La Mission Haut-Brion are married. Whereas the ripe fruit driven 2009 Haut-Brion Blanc is 52 FINE trade in Bordeaux every spring. Nor have I ever had so much fun tasting young Bordeaux as I did the week before last. Perhaps these two phenomena are related." It appears that after a few highly eventful years, the most influential critics of Europe and the U.S. agree on the quality of the '09 vintage. There is also accord as to prices. Despite the highest prices on record, the world is glamouring for 2009 futures. In the last week, all five first growths have released their first tranche, or allocation, at prices that many experts call crazy. Traditionally, chateaux release their en primeur wine in tranches. The first tranche is a toe in the water, as they want to see how the market behaves before pricing the following tranches accordingly. Château HautBrion released its first tranche at 500 euros per bottle from the cellar, before négociants and retailers added their mark-up. That matched the price of Latour's first tranche. Château Lafite Rothschild, Château Margaux and Château Mouton Rothschild released their wines at 450 euros a bottle. In Sauternes, Château d'Yquem came out at 440 euros. Négociants ­ the middlemen to whom the chateaux sell the wine ­ announced they would sell Château Lafite to merchants at 550 euros. It should reach the market at around 8000 euros per case. In fact, as négociants did not receive a lot of wines in the first tranche of their 2009 en primeur, they will have to wait for the second and perhaps the third tranche, by which time the idea of buying a Lafite at 550 euros per bottle will be history. This represents a jump of over 300 per cent from the price of the 2008 vintage, and over 50 per cent from the release price of the previous legendary vintage, 2005. Comparing the prices of the 2009 vintage to the record price tags of 2005, most other classified estates have also raised their prices by a staggering 20­50 per cent, and Château La Mission by a huge 146 per cent; Montrose by 69 per cent, Pontet-Canet by 61 per cent, Canon by 55 per cent and Lynch-Bages by 42 per cent. When we visited Bordeaux before the en primeur sale, several top estate directors openly admitted to us that they "now have a lot of money", and many are undertaking expansion projects requiring major investments. They can now complete the work without worry, as the 2009 vintage will provide enough funds to cover the cost. By now, if not before, the wines produced by these very wealthy wineries have become luxury products that the whole world thirsts after, regardless of the price. We will go into that in more detail in our next issue, where we look in depth at wines as luxury items.> It appears that after a few highly eventful years, the most influential critics of Europe and the U.S. agree on the quality of the '09 vintage.

FINE's favourites After tasting about four hundred cask wines of the 2009 vintage, FINE's Bordeaux expert Armin Diel awarded the following red wines an optimum potential of 95 to 100 points. FINE´s special recommendations The following listed wines, whose quality potential lies between 91 and 95 points, made a particularly favourable impression on our writer. The respective wine estate produced the best wine of the last few decades in 2009. Pomerol Château Clos l'Eglise Hosanna Château La Conseillante Château La Fleur-Pétrus Château Rouget Saint-Emilion Château Angélus Château Ausone Château Cheval-Blanc La Mondotte Château Pavie Château Pavie-Macquin Saint-EstEphe Château Calon-Ségur Château Lafon-Rochet Château Meyney Graves Domaine de Chevalier Château Haut-Bailly Château Malartic-Lagravière Château Pape-Clément Pomerol Château l'Église-Clinet Château Pétrus Château Lafleur Le Pin Château Trotanoy Vieux Château Certan Margaux Château Dufort-Viens Château Discours Château Lascombes Château Malescot-Saint-Exupéry Château Marquis de Terme Château Prieuré-Lichine Graves Château Haut-Brion Château La Mission Haut-Brion Château Smith Haut-Lafitte Saint-Julien Château Beychevelle Château Branaire-Ducru Château Gruaud-Larose Château Léoville-Poyferré Château Talbot Margaux Château Margaux Château Palmer Château Rauzan-Ségla Pauillac Château Batailley Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste Château Lynch-Badges Château Pontet-Canet Saint-Julien Château Ducru-Beaucaillou Château Léoville-Las-Cases Pauillac Château Lafite Rothschild Château Latour Château Mouton Rothschild Château Pichon-Longueville Comtesse-de-Lalande Saint-Emilion Château Beauséjour-Bécot Château Canon La-Gaffelière Château Clos Fourtet Château Figeac Château Larcis-Ducasse BORDEAUX 53 FINE Bordeaux

Serena Sutcliffe's Organised haos 14 F I N E

text: Stuart George photo: Pekka Nuikki S erena Sutcliffe is a busy lady. When I arranged to meet her at Sotheby's London offices in New Bond Street, she warned me that she was `off to Asia on 20 January, so it would have to be before I would think, as I get back on 5 February. Next week is better than this one, but we have a sale on 17 January so that is not good... Wine experT · Serena Sutcliffe MW · S E R E N A S U T C L I F F E 15 FINE Personality

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SutcliffE S E R E N A I have to get my chapter in The Wine Report off without fail next week, too.' As if being head of an international auctioneer's wine department wasn't already enough work, she regularly lectures and broadcasts in Europe, the USA and the Far East, in addition to leading tastings for banks, law firms, international hotels and clubs, and writing regularly for publications in Europe, the USA and Asia. She is the recipient of many accolades. Along with her husband David Peppercorn MW, she was made a Chevalier dans l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French government in 1988, and in 2006 was named a Chevalier dans l'Ordre National de la Légion d'Honneur in recognition of her work in promoting and selling French wines. She is the first member of the British wine trade to receive France's highest honour, which was instituted by Napoleon Bonaparte to acknowledge high achievers. She has been a member of the Académie Internationale du Vin since 1993. In what spare time is left, Serena's passions include music, art, and distant travel. She likes drinking wine, too. Secrets of Women Serena Sutcliffe was born on 21 May 1945. `Borderline Taurus and Gemini', she says; `Taurus is the determined part and Gemini is the love of luxury.' She was educated in England and Switzerland before becoming a translator with UNESCO in Paris, where she first became interested in wine. The interest soon turned into a passion and she began to visit the wine regions of France. Thirty-five years ago, the wine trade ­ and particularly the British wine trade ­ was no place for a woman, and she says that she started her wine career `with great difficulty. I wondered how I would get into it. I could have got a job in Bordeaux or Burgundy, but I wanted to know about all wine, not just French wine, so reluctantly I moved to London, which was a vile place in the 1970s. I went back to Paris once or twice a month, because otherwise I would have gone mad.' She wrote 12 letters of application to potential employers but their delivery was delayed by a postal strike during February 1971. She received two answers, one of them asking her to visit for an interview. She subsequently `got a job as general dogsbody. The salary was a fraction of what I'd been earning. I had to sell my car. It was madness, really, but I've never regretted it.' In order to improve her credibility Serena decided to attempt the MW exams. She believes strongly that there was little respect for women in the wine trade at this time: `Some Englishmen at the time had a slight problem with me being a reasonably intelligent woman, which I'd never encountered in France. It's like the difference between how the French and the English attack an argument. You can have a big argument about politics and religion at a Paris dinner party and go home as the best of friends but in England it's a bit loaded ­ and I won't even mention America!' Given special dispensation by the Institute of Masters of Wine to complete its course in less than the mandatory five years, Serena passed the MW exams at her first attempt, and was only the second woman to gain this qualification. She still thinks highly of the MW, but admits that she was `very raw in those days...As time goes by, you realise that, although having passed an exam, you knew nothing and that experience is what really counts in this game, as in any profession'. Her Chairmanship of the IMW in 1994-95 was an interesting diversion: `Oh, the discussions that used to go on! I used to think to myself, "I should be back at the office talking about a £1 million deal instead of splitting hairs here!' She believes that the IMW has improved tremendously in recent years, being better run and making better use of modern communications. Some people claim that today's MW exams are harder, but Sutcliffe disagrees: `It's different, but I've never got into the harder/ easier discussion. Some people might find it difficult to separate three vintages of Latour, but other people find it more difficult to separate a South African Shiraz from an Australian Shiraz. The exam is fundamentally different now. However, I would say that you get much more help now than you did in my day, and even more than in David's day. It's so much better organised and there's so much more information. Anybody who lives in London should be able to pass, but it's a lot more difficult for people living far away. I have enormous admiration for people like that, who live a long way from London but pass the exam.' S E R E N A S U T C L I F F E 17 FINE Personality

Scenes from a Marriage In 2007 Serena and David Peppercorn celebrated being married for 30 years. They first met when Serena was studying for her MW: `We had heard of each other...He lectured to me on my MW course but we had no social contact then. When I passed my MW he asked me out to dinner and that was it.' She and David began working together as soon as they were married to prevent them being in competition with each other. They did consultancy and broking work, specialising in selling French wines to major importers. `It was terrific fun', she says, `some couples are devoted but can't work together, but we get on terribly well. David has no sense of gender. For him, you can either do a job or you can't do a job.' In 1990 Sotheby's approached David about becoming head of their International Wine Department. He declared that he wasn't interested, so the then Sotheby's Chairman Lord Gowrie wrote to Serena, who also declined the job: `I had no intention of leaving my fantastic life, we loved it because we were so independent.' However, Sotheby's persisted and it took a year for Serena ­ with a little encouragement from David ­ finally to accept their offer. When she joined Sotheby's in 1991, Serena promised them only five years. But sixteen years later, she is as challenged and stimulated by her work as ever: `I like the ethos of the company, the fact that it is gender blind, that it's international. I like being surrounded by lots of different nationalities. And of course I'm fascinated by art, so I have the opportunity to be in contact with experts in that field and learn from them.' Boozembly Because of her constant tasting and drinking, Serena's list of favourite wines is always changing. On the wet and windy day in London when we met, Champagne emerged as a great passion, and she describes Dom Pérignon 1961 as `Out of this world. They sent out some in 1981 for the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana, and I got some then, too. The finesse is just wonderful. The 1973 and 1976 Oenothèque, though very different, are amazing, too. The '76 has a high Chardonnay content and reflects the hot vintage, all raisins and cherries. The '73 has such delicacy.' Other favourite wines include three great 1921s ­ Cheval Blanc, Romanée-Conti and d'Yquem. Her birth vintage is 1945, which is why she says that she has never attempted to hide her age, and she believes that Mouton Rothschild 1945 is `the most complete claret ever.' Does this mean that she has cases of 1945s hidden under the stairs? `No, I've drunk them all! I've got a bit of '45 Port left, but I've drunk most of the Bordeaux. Haut-Brion 1945 is absolutely stunning, but it sells at roughly the same price as 1989 Haut-Brion. The market is loopy. People will pay a fortune for Mouton 1945, but not HautBrion.' She adds, `Burgundy doesn't get much better than Rousseau's '90 Ruchottes', and then asks `How much more dimension can you get in a bottle than Graham's 1945?' Champagne, Bordeaux, Burgundy, Port... She loves all wine, and her broad tastes reflect her surprisingly adventurous character ­ part Gemini, part Taurus, remember. She enjoys `tramping around central India with a rucksack, but afterwards it's very nice coming back to a shower and a good bottle of Lafite!' Serena likes camping, but David `is not a happy camper. He likes tables and chairs.' Sutcliffe and sisu Tall, intelligent, opinionated, a gifted linguist, and possessing striking looks, Serena Sutcliffe is an imposing figure. On one camping trip, Bulgarian gypsies surrounded her but she emerged from her tent with a Finnish knife and scared them away: `I think they felt that I wasn't worth the try!' After our chat, I asked if I could take some pictures of her. By coincidence, there was an exhibition at Sotheby's of new works by the Norwegian artist Kenneth Blom, so Serena posed in front of Blom's large, minimalist canvases. She is close to Scandinavia, having spent 15 months, or two winters, living in Finland some years ago because she wanted to do cross-country skiing. She worked for United Paper Mills in Valkeakoski. Her Finnish these days is `rusty! It's the most difficult language I know, it's a nightmare!' Even if her Finnish is rusty, Serena Sutcliffe's reputation as an auctioneer, taster and writer is unassailable. She epitomises sisu. 18 F I N E

SutcliffE S E R E N A Serena Sutcliffe MW, born 1945 Serena Sutcluffe has received many recognitions. The French state awarded her and her husband, David Peppercorn MW a Chevalier dans l´Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 1988 and in 2006 Serena was bestowed with Chevalier dans l´Ordre National de la Légion d´Honneur for her promotion of French wines in terms of awareness and sales. She is the first member of the Bitish Wine Trade to receive the heighest possible recognition from the state of France, a recognition that Napoleon Bonaparte first established for the acknowledgement of high achievers. Serena Sutcliffe has been a member of Académie Internationale du Vin since 1993. 1976 Passed Master of Wine examination at first attempt, only the second woman to obtain this qualification. 1991 ­present ­ Senior Director of Sotheby's, a member of Sotheby's European Board and Head of Sotheby's International Wine Department. Founded Sotheby's Wine Courses. 2006 Awarded Chevalier dans l'Ordre National de la Légion d'Honneur for her work in promoting and selling French wines. She is the first member of the British Wine Trade to receive this honour. Some of her favourite wines: Dom Pérignon 1961 · Mouton-Rothschild 1945 · Cheval Blanc 1921 · Romanée-Conti 1921 · d´Yquem 1921 S E R E N A S U T C L I F F E 19 FINE Personality

Text: Essi Avellan MW Photos: Michael Boudot I magine, if you will, the scene that is unfolding. Whilst browsing for a bottle of bubbly, one encounters a deliciously mature wine made from premium quality grapes. You are immediately drawn to the sumptuous bottle, that is both sophisticated and enticing. Add the fact the price tag is more than a little inviting and this, surely, is every champagne lover's nirvana! This mouthwatering paradox is what Champagne Lanson pursues with its recent launch of Extra Age. The house's long-term cellar master Jean-Paul Gandon masters the impossible by combining the best features of the different champagne categories: the vintage or prestige cuvée fruit quality and ageing with the non-vintage style's consistency and approachability. He explains that: "We limit the cuvée to Grand Cru and Premier Cru wines only. True to the house style the majority, sixty per cent, is of Pinot Noir and the remaining part Chardonnay. As it is a blend of older vintages, we do not include any Pinot Meunier that has lesser ageing capacity." The Grand Cru villages of Verzenay and Bouzy provide the red grape backbone, while the main villages for white grapes are Chouilly, Avize, Oger and Vertus. A maximum of twelve crus are used in each blend. 14 F I N E

Quality-wise, Extra Age is a vintage level product that is constructed by blending together three vintages for complexity and consistency. Gandon specifies: "Sixty per cent of the blend for this first cuvée comes from 1999, thirty per cent from 2002 and the final ten per cent from 2003; all successful vintages." The minimum ageing time in the Lanson cellars is five years, however, the oldest wines are ten years old. The best thing is that the wine is ready to drink at launch and is evolved, round and gastronomic. Priced at the level of Lanson's vintage champagne, this new launch is in line with the house's consistently rising quality. > 90p Lanson Extra Age NV Deep lemon yellow colour. Gentle toasty nose with apple jam, spice and honey. On the palate it is both firm and round at the same time. Mature fruit with wax and apricot. Bright acidity and a long, dry finish. A fresh and vibrant wine that is open and enjoyable now but possesses further maturation potential of 5 to 10 years. 15 Jean -Pa L a n s o n ul G and on FINE Novelty

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the secret of eternal youth text and photos: Pekka Nuikki t the end of 1756, Duc de Richelieu, the nephew of Cardinal Richelieu, founder of the French Academy, returned home to Paris victorious from a long military campaign. He had, among other exploits, taken Minorca from the British. King Louis XV rewarded his achievements by appointing him Governor of Bordeaux in perpetuity. Duc de Richelieu, a life long lover of the wines of Burgundy, did not rate Bordeaux wines very highly. So he took to Bordeaux the best Chambertin and Clos de Vougeot wines from Burgundy for himself and his entourage. This did not please the high-ranking vintners of Bordeaux, and they sneakily got Richelieu to drink their wines with Burgundy labels on the bottles. When Richelieu's own personal physician introduced him to the Château Lafite wines, saying they were an elixir that gave a man vigour, his taste in wine began to gradually lean in the direction of Bordeaux. After he had been Governor for 25 years Duc de Richelieu received an invitation from the King to go to Paris. When at the palace reception the King kindly remarked that he looked 25 years younger than when he was appointed governor, Richelieu solemnly declared: ­Your Majesty, I must tell you that I have discovered the secret of eternal youth ­ Château Lafite. C h â t e a u L a f i t e 15 FINE Estate

Château Lafite ­ the secret of eternal youth Number one for the king's mistress Richelieu's legendary reply quickly changed the drinking habits of the French Court, and the wine of Burgundy disappeared from the tables of the King or the nobility in general. The King's mistress, Madame Pompadour, someone with immense powers of persuasion at the Court, also developed a love for the Lafite wines, and it was with her influence that the wines of Bordeaux, and Lafite in particular, became the preferred beverage at Court­along with sweet champagne­for decades afterwards. This had special significance in 1855 when Bordeaux's Association of Traders faced a difficult task. The French Emperor Napoleon III had asked them to classify Bordeaux's best wines and rate them in order of excellence for the Paris World Fair. After lengthy debates and much quarrelling it was decided to rely on a wine's reputation and the price paid for it on the market in the previous 150 years to serve as the main selection criteria. So the more acclaimed and expensive the wine, the higher it would rank in the classification. The final classification divided into five quality grades, for which a total of 61 wines were selected. The wines in each quality grade were then placed in order. Although the entire classification process took weeks, it was not hard to choose a winner. Château Lafite was unanimously selected for the number one position, which it officially still holds today. yards in Bordeaux, that the reputations of Latour and Lafite as first-rate wines started to spread outside the region. The Ségur family already owned numerous vineyards, such as Château Calon- Ségur, but they only managed to acquire the very best through marriage. First it was Château Lafite in 1670, when Jacques de Ségur married its owner, the widow Jeanne de Gasgin, and then in 1697 Château Latour, when Jacques' son, Alexandre de Ségur, married the heiress to the Latour estate, MarieThéresa de Glauzelin. Château Lafite remained in the possession of the Ségurs almost up to the time of the French Revolution. de Pichard, losing his head under the blade of the guillotine. After several changes of ownership the Rothschild family acquired the estate at auction in 1868. The purchaser was Baron James de Rothschild, France's wealthiest man, who had made his fortune constructing a railway network for the country and founding banks. Because he was not especially interested in red wines or tending the Lafite vineyard, his more cynical critics thought he had acquired the estate for other reasons­the family lived in Paris where it was very fashionable to own a Premier Cru vineyard, particularly if it had the same name as one's home address in the city. The Rothschilds happened to live on Rue Lafitte. The Baron, however, only bought the vineyard as an investment. Its price of 4.8 million francs was equal to the yield from just eight vintages. Marrying into top wines Wines had been successfully grown in the best vineyards of Pauillac, Château Lafite and Château Latour, since the Middle Ages. But it was only towards the end of the 17th century, when through marriage the Ségur family began to take over the vine- An investment The owners of Château Lafite have almost always been some of France's most eminent families. But during the Revolution, in 1794, the vineyard became the property of the Republic, its owner at the time, Nicolas-Pierre 16 F I N E

C h â t e a u L a f i t e 17 FINE Estate

Château Lafite ­ the secret of eternal youth He always pointed out to his sons that they were bankers, not farmers. The Baron did not even visit Lafite once, as he died soon after he made the purchase. His three sons inherited the estate and since then the Rothschild family has successfully managed it. Cabernet Sauvignon. Vintages­good and bad Over the years Château Lafite has had to struggle to retain its status as the foremost Premier Cru wine. Because it is more 'subtle' and less massive than other Premier Crus, it also seems to be most susceptible to fluctuations in quality, and there are less desirable years. In the period between 1961 and 1976 in particular, the quality of the wine reached a very noticeable low. In the best years­1961, 1964, 1970, and 1975 ­the vineyard produced wines which did not nearly come up to best Premier Cru quality. This is also conspicuous today in the low prices these wines fetch at auction. It is only since 1976 that the quality of the wines on the estate has steadily improved. A very clear indication of that is the 1976 vintage itself. Lafite is regarded as one of the best wines that year. Actually, even before 1961 the quality Delicate flavour The Château Lafite estate run by the Rothschilds is, with its 100 hectares of cultivated land, the largest of the main Pauillac vineyards. It is located in the highest part of the area and the view from its château, with its conical towers that appear on the label, takes in the banks of the River Gironde, which flows nearby. The wines are a blend of four different varieties of grape ­ Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petite Verdot, and Cabernet Franc. Lafite matures slightly earlier than other Premier Cru wines in the region on account of the generous amounts of Merlot used, and it is this that also makes the wine more delicate and subtle than those wines which are completely dominated by of the Lafite wines was noticeably uneven. From the start of the century up until the 1960s the habit was always to bottle Lafite straight from the barrel, barrel by barrel, whenever the other jobs on the estate allowed. This sometimes prolonged the bottling process by up to a year and caused the wine quality and structure to vary considerably. The best years prior to the 60s were 1953 and 1959. In the top year of 1945 Lafite is very variable in quality and often disappointing, and the same goes for 1961. Now in the 21st century these major troughs in the wine quality are part of history. The future also looks sunny for the whole of the Bordeaux region. Global warming and big financial investments in wine cultivation and cellars have resulted in very high quality wines, even in poorer years, and in the best ­ 2000, 2003 and 2005 ­ in quite unique, true wines of the future. When today I think of the difficult choice the merchants of Bordeaux had to make in 1855, it is almost impossible and even wrong to try and rank Premier Cru wines in order of quality. At this level it is more a matter of the style the wine represents. By claiming that a Lafite is better than a Latour or that a Mouton is better than a Margaux one is guilty of comparing two things which are not the same and simply not comparable. In fact, the only possible point of comparison is how well the vineyards have succeeded in living up to expectations over their long histories and how well they have done in different years. Of the five Premier Cru wines in the region, Château Lafite to my mind has managed to produce the year's best wine in many of the top years. The times I have spent in the company of a 1934, 1953, 1959, 1982 and 1986 have been unforgettable. And it was then that I always remembered how many wine critics fondly describe Lafite as 'the perfection of elegance'. Total elegance 18 F I N E

C h â t e au L a f i t e v i n tag e s 1812 Château Lafite (Pauillac) 96p 2006/now x1 D 15 min / G 30 min A château-bottled bottle of 375 ml in good condition. The colour of the wine and the level were both excellent. Decanted for 15 minutes. Held well in glass for approximately 45 minutes.The colour was surprisingly deep dark red. Sound and open nose with intense fruit flavours. Nose shows roasted coffee, blackcurrant leaves, herbs, and chocolate. Very seductive. Moderately high acidity together with ripe, refined and elegant tannins forms a firm structure to the wine. Acidity and tannins form a balanced chewy taste that lasts for long in the supple lingering aftertaste. What an old aristocrat! 1832 1848 1858 1864 1868 Château Lafite (Pauillac) Château Lafite (Pauillac) Château Lafite (Pauillac) Château Lafite (Pauillac) Château Lafite-Rothschild (Pauillac) 92p 89p 92p 97p 74p 2007/now x1 2005/now x2 2005/now x1 2004/now x2 2001/2010 x2 1914 1916 1922 1928 1929 1931 1934 1937 1943 1945 1947 1949 1950 1952 ( Pe k k a Nu i k k i ) Château Lafite-Rothschild (Pauillac) Château Lafite-Rothschild (Pauillac) Château Lafite-Rothschild (Pauillac) Château Lafite-Rothschild (Pauillac) Château Lafite-Rothschild (Pauillac) Château Lafite-Rothschild (Pauillac) Château Lafite-Rothschild (Pauillac) Château Lafite-Rothschild (Pauillac) Château Lafite-Rothschild (Pauillac) Château Lafite-Rothschild (Pauillac) Château Lafite-Rothschild (Pauillac) Château Lafite-Rothschild (Pauillac) Château Lafite-Rothschild (Pauillac) Château Lafite-Rothschild (Pauillac) 82p 80p 85p 90p 78p 88p 91p 89p 88p 92p 95p 95p 81p 90p 2002/now x1 2007/now x2 2007/now x1 2007/now x5 2007/2015 x3 2001/now x1 2001/now x5 2005/2010 x4 2002/now x2 2007/2015 x3 2007/2010 x1 2005/2025 x6 2004/2015 x2 2001/now x4 100p 2001/2010 x3 1870 Château Lafite-Rothschild (Pauillac) D15min / G2 h My friend had acquired this 1870 Lafite in 1979 at an auction for about £900. It was one of the 41 famous magnums that had laid untouched in the cellars of Glamis Castle for nearly a decade. The wine had in its time been bottled in Scotland by Coningham and had come to public sale for the first time at the Christie's auction of June 24th 1971. The selling price was then £83. Good top-shoulder level. Decanted only 15 minutes. My notes were: this Lafite must have been nearly black when it was born, since it still was deep, dark red. Nose was most intoxicating­spicy, pure and strongly seductive. A grand tannin was still present, well balanced with sensations of berries and fruits. A very pleasant, majestic and deeply multi-dimensional wine. The aftertaste lasted until the next morning­and it still lingers in our memories. Though it sometimes takes more than 50 years for a wine to become drinkable, it was worth the wait at least on this occasion. We are no longer amazed at all those harsh statements that this wine and vintage received in the early 20th century. But we wonder what a truly magnificent wine Lafite must have been in the middle of the last century, for it is still one of the very best wines I have encountered ­ even at the age of 130! 1874 1887 1892 1898 1899 1900 1904 Château Lafite-Rothschild (Pauillac) Château Lafite-Rothschild (Pauillac) Château Lafite-Rothschild (Pauillac) Château Lafite-Rothschild (Pauillac) Château Lafite-Rothschild (Pauillac) Château Lafite-Rothschild (Pauillac) Château Lafite-Rothschild (Pauillac) 96p 66p 93p 88p 93p 94p 87p 2005/now x4 1999/now x1 2005/now x2 2003/now x1 2005/now x2 2007/now x2 2001/now x1 1953 2007/2020x11 Château Lafite-Rothschild (Pauillac) 99p D2h/G1h Since Lafite is highly elegant and less massive than most other premiercru wines, it is also most open to variations in quality, especially in weak years. Particularly from the 1960s until 1975 its quality was often not equal to other Premier Cru wines. But from the year 1975 on its wines have lived up to their reputation. "The Perfection of Elegance" is a definition many critics connect with Lafite, and this celebrated 1953 Lafite justified this description convincingly. A perfect looking bottle and the level was by the neck. Decanted for two hours. Attractive, mature brick-red colour. Sound and open bouquet with a hint of mint and sweetness. Soft and pleasing, mouth-filling wine. Incredible elegance and a feminine, classic Lafite with great depth and fragrant finish. Sensitive and multilayered, lingering experience. Tasted 22 times in the last seven years with very variable notes. This vintage shows large bottle variations. At Lafite they needed close to a year to bottle everything from cask to cask. The best bottles were perfect, but more than a few were already quite one-dimensional and dry. But with a little bit of luck this exquisite Lafite is the best Lafite you will ever taste ­ a marvellous wine. 1955 1957 Château Lafite-Rothschild (Pauillac) 90p Château Lafite-Rothschild (Pauillac) 83p 2007/now x3 2001/now x2 1959 Château Lafite-Rothschild (Pauillac) 98p 2007/2020 x23 D1h/G2h Very good appearance. Decanted for one hour. Healthy, youthful and bright colour. Very classic on the nose with spicy Cabernet notes, cedar wood, chocolate and delicious truffle. The 1959 Lafite is more open, intense and complex than the 1961, which also looks older and has more tannin. Elegant, but ripe fruit, acidity and structure. Well balanced. Surprisingly fat and big wine for Lafite, while very elegant. Long, sweet C h â t e a u L a f i t e 19 FINE Estate

C h â t e au L a f i t e v i n tag e s and intense finish with some soft tannin left. An outstanding wine. Since 1959 Lafite did not make wine of this level until 1982. 1960 1961 1962 1964 1966 1967 1969 1970 1971 1973 1975 1976 1978 1979 1981 Château Lafite-Rothschild (Pauillac) Château Lafite-Rothschild (Pauillac) Château Lafite-Rothschild (Pauillac) Château Lafite-Rothschild (Pauillac) Château Lafite-Rothschild (Pauillac) Château Lafite-Rothschild (Pauillac) Château Lafite-Rothschild (Pauillac) Château Lafite-Rothschild (Pauillac) Château Lafite-Rothschild (Pauillac) Château Lafite-Rothschild (Pauillac) Château Lafite-Rothschild (Pauillac) Château Lafite-Rothschild (Pauillac) Château Lafite-Rothschild (Pauillac) Château Lafite-Rothschild (Pauillac) Château Lafite-Rothschild (Pauillac) 80p 93p 91p 91p 90p 80p 84p 86p 88p 81p 83p 91p 87p 82p 90p 2001/now x1 2006/2015 x7 2007/2020 x9 2007/now x4 2007/2015x8 2002/ now x3 2007/now x4 2007/2015 x15 2007/now x9 2005/now x8 2007/2015 x2 2007/2015 x3 2006/now x3 2005/now x4 2007/now x3 ( Pe k k a Nu i k k i ) 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 Château Lafite-Rothschild (Pauillac) Château Lafite-Rothschild (Pauillac) Château Lafite-Rothschild (Pauillac) Château Lafite-Rothschild (Pauillac) Château Lafite-Rothschild (Pauillac) Château Lafite-Rothschild (Pauillac) 90p 86p 91p 97p 85p 91p 2007/2015 x4 2005/2015 x5 2004/2015 x7 2005/2025 x24 2002/2015 x2 2007/2015 x3 1982 Château Lafite-Rothschild (Pauillac) 98p 2005/2020 x9 D2h/G2h This spectacular vintage started off with very early flowering similarly to 1959, 1961 and 1966, indicating a large crop. July turned out unusually hot whereas August was cooler than on average. The heatwave between the 6th and 13th of September nailed the vintage as a legendary one. A very classic Pauillac. Decanted for two hours. Still a youthful, very dark, ruby red colour. Full-bodied and elegant wine. On the palate it has marvellous flavours of mint, spiced berry fruits, tobacco, lead pencil and minerals, all of which linger very comfortably. Full-bodied, with exemplary extraction of fruit and notable tannins. Rich and big Lafite with lavishingly long finish. This extensive Lafite will undoubtedly last for another 20 years, but is already very, very pleasing. 1989 2007/2020 x11 Château Lafite-Rothschild (Pauillac) 93p D 2 h / G 1,5 h No winemaker had seen such early harvests at Lafite: the earliest since 1893. Beginning at the end of August, the grapes were ripe and extraordinarily sweet. While early maturity doesn't always lead to fine wines, we still bet heavily on the excellence of this vintage, and the wines that it produced are truly delicious. Médoc produced deeply coloured wines that are rich and light, similar to the 1982 vintage. A fine bottle with by the neck colour. Decanted two hours. Clear, promising, deep tawny colour. Very intense, developing and complex aromas of yoghurt, milk chocolate and intense, dark, red berries with bell pepper. A concentrated taste with a ripe, almost jammy, fruitiness. The moderately high acidity balances the ripe fruit and firm, big tannins. Long finish with an attractive concentration and finesse. Very good future potential! 1990 1991 1992 1994 1995 1996 1998 1999 2000 2001 2003 Château Lafite-Rothschild (Pauillac) Château Lafite-Rothschild (Pauillac) Château Lafite-Rothschild (Pauillac) Château Lafite-Rothschild (Pauillac) Château Lafite-Rothschild (Pauillac) Château Lafite-Rothschild (Pauillac) Château Lafite-Rothschild (Pauillac) Château Lafite-Rothschild (Pauillac) Château Lafite-Rothschild (Pauillac) Château Lafite-Rothschild (Pauillac) Château Lafite-Rothschild (Pauillac) 91p 82p 86p 91p 89p 91p 92p 94p 92p 93p 95p 2007/2015 x18 2006/2015 x6 2005/2015 x3 2006/2025 x2 2004/2025 x5 2007/2035 x3 2006/2035 x5 2003/2025 x4 2007/2045 x3 2007/2025 x4 2007/2045 x3 20 F I N E

VINI-RARI. RAREST-WINES. it FINE AND RARE WINE SPECIALIST Dom Pérignon 1949 =1 100 Dom Pérignon 1952 =700 Dom Pérignon 1959 =700 Dom Pérignon 1964 =450 Dom Pérignon 1966 =450 Dom Pérignon 1969 =400 Dom Pérignon 1970 =350 Dom Pérignon 1978 =250 Dom Pérignon 1980 =180 Cristal Roederer 1961 =1500 Cristal Roederer 1962 =1000 Cristal Roederer 1964 = 900 Cristal Roederer 1966 = 900 Cristal Roederer 1974 = 400 Cristal Roederer 1975 = 400 Cristal Roederer 1977 = 400 Cristal Roederer 1978 = 400 Cristal Roederer 1979 = 400 Cuvee Brut 1964 Lucien Beaumet Cuvee Louis Florens 1964 Piper Heidseick Cuvee Extra Brut Reserve 1966 Perriet Jouet Cuvee Blason de France 1966 Perrier Jouet Cuvee Rose 1970 Veuve Clicquot Cuvee Comtes de Champagne 1971 Taittinger Cuvee Brut 1973 Henriot Souverain Cuvee Dom Ruinart 1975 Ruinart Cuvee Dom Ruinart 1975 Ruinart Magnum Cuvee Belle Epoque 1976 Perrier Jouët Cuvee Clos des Goisses 1978 Philipponnat VINI-RARI / RAREST-WINES 2c Via Trieste Carmignano Di Brenta 35010 Italy Tel / Fax: +39 049 943 0909 Partita IVA: 04260020286 COM = 60 =250 =200 =250 =160 =350 = 80 =250 =600 =200 =200 http://www.vini-rari.com http://www.rarest-wines.com C h â t e a u L a f i t e 21 FINE Estate

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This ongoing alphabet series presents essential information on the world of champagne for both newcomers and seasoned enthusiasts. Text & Photos: Pekka Nuikki Areas Vine has been cultivated in the Champagne region probably before time even began to be counted. Some say that the Gauls were the first to begin to cultivate vine in the region, but according to modern knowledge, the first grapevines were planted in the region by the Romans who, already at the time of Jesus' birth, had ruled the area for quite some time. From these times, however, the region's inhabitants still had a long and bellicose period to live before the birth of the first champagne bottle. The region's central location in France and Europe not only brought it benefits, but also problems as a gateway to conquerors heading to Paris from the east, and because of that it acted as the gloomy stage for many bloody battlegrounds. F I N E A L P H A B E T 15 FINE Alphabet

The most well known wine region in the world E ven though wine has been cultivated in the Champagne region for over 2,000 years, sparkling champagne started to be made from wine through methods that only did it justice in the early 1700s. At that time, Aÿ was the most famous of the Champagne towns. King Louis XII at one time owned most of its best courtyards. Aÿ is also the place from where the roots of the oldest still functioning champagne house, Gosset, stem from; the Gosset family has produced wines there since the year 1555. The first champagne house that officially started to sell real, sparkling champagne, however, was Ruinart. The Ruinart family has had a long history in the Reims area since the 1400s. In the early 1700s, champagne's desirability and price started to rise in France. This resulted from many of the King's decisions that eased wine sales and production. Particularly notable was the permit that made possible the transport of champagne in bottles instead of the earlier barrel method. The textile trade, which for centuries had been the basis of the Ruinart family's wealth, had created good connections with royalty, and when Dom Thierry Ruinart noticed that sparkling champagne increased his popularity in the King's court, he decided in 1729 to start selling champagne. Today, Champagne is the most well known wine region in France. The journey from Paris to the Marne River valley on a multilane highway takes only a few hours. This northernmost wine region of France is still, despite the destruction that was caused by numerous wars, a very beautiful combination of airy, hilly valleys and idyllic towns. The Champagne climate is often critical for the ripeness of grapes ­ rain, humidity, winter frosts, and mould are frequent risks in this area ­ and for this reason, vines are trained low in order to benefit from the heat that is reflected from the soil. The soil of Champagne is made of sediments of chalk, which forces the vine to dig deep into the ground in order to search for water. 16 F I N E

F I N E A L P H A B E T 17 FINE Alphabet

Kingdom of three grapes In the 33,500 hectare-sized vineyards of Champagne, three grapes are cultivated. Of the farm area, 37% is Pinot Noir, which brings strength and posture to champagne, 35% is Pinot Meunier, which gives fullness, smoothness, and fruitiness, and 27% is Chardonnay, from which the champagne receives its sophistication, endurance, and fresh vitality. In the underground cellars, built in the area by the Romans, there sit some one billion bottles waiting for their commercialisation. Champagne is the most recognised wineproducing region in the world. There are over 18,000 wine growers in its 319 villages, although only a third of them make wine from grapes. Some 150 of the largest and most commercially famous champagne houses sell three-quarters of the Champagne region's overall production to the market. Today, the Champagne Country is divided into five regions that differ from each other in many ways including the cultivation of different grape varieties. Vallée de la Marne ­ the fulsome friend A friend of wine who travels from Paris to Champagne first arrives at the Vallée de la Marne wine region. With mostly south-facing, lower-lying vineyards, this region produces the fullest, ripest wines, predominantly from the Pinot Meunier and to a lesser extent the Pinot Noir grapes. Pinot Meunier is Vallée de la Marne's wild card, in which it is a grape that is appreciated for its fruity, spicy appeal, but it is also considered by many a poor candidate for long ageing. It is a very dark, thickskinned grape. As a variety, it is very tough with a zest for life and is a good fit for the cold and damp Marne river valley nights. It has an important role in the production of basic champagne. The region's finest wine is Philipponnat's Clos des Goisses. 18 F I N E

cold sharpness Montagne de Reims is the northernmost and coldest region in Champagne. Its annual average temperature is only 9.5 degrees celsius. Mainly Pinot Noir is planted in Montagne de Reims. Despite having the northernmost vineyards, with some even facing north, its peculiar microclimate is well suited for growing the Pinot Noir grape. The flavour of the Montagne region champagnes is strong and sharp when young. Montagne de Reims ­ F I N E A L P H A B E T 19 FINE Alphabet

Côte des Blancs ­ home of the champagne Extending south from Épernay for about 21km is the Côte des Blancs. The ridge is planted on both slopes, but the best vineyards are on the eastern side. It takes its name from the hill-covered vineyards of white grapes: Chardonnay. Côte des Blancs has the hilliest appearance, in which on its slopes almost solely Chardonnay vines are cultivated. The finest, creamy Blanc de Blancs champagnes are crafted from these grapes. They are long-lived and elegant. blanc de blancs 20 F I N E

­ home of Pinot Noir The Aube is Champagne's southernmost region. Named after the Aube river that flows through the area before joining the Seine, Aube is a land of lush fertile fields and dense forests. Located about 115km south of Epernay, its climate has more extremes in temperature and the grapes achieve greater ripeness. This eases the cultivation of the region's most important grape, the Pinot Noir. Even though the producers of Aube's champagne are not the most well-known of the Champagne region, they produce bright, fruity, and very pleasing wines. Though rarely talked about, its wines are an important component of the non-vintage wines of the major houses. Aube Côte de Sezanne ­ a forgotten promise The fourth region, Côte de Sezanne, has thus far received the least attention of all the Champagne regions. It was underappreciated a century ago, mainly because there were no easy routes to transport the grapes in good condition from these outlying areas to the main wine centres at Épernay and Reims. Planted again in the 1960s nearly exclusively with Chardonnay, its southern location means that its grapes ripen better than those in most other regions. Even though the area's main grape has traditionally been Chardonnay, Pinot Noir is now occupying valuable soil space, especially for those farmers who would like to develop their wines more in the traditional direction. F I N E A L P H A B E T 21 FINE Alphabet

classification In Champagne, most of the farmers sell a part of their harvest to the champagne houses. For this reason, the growing places are divided into socalled crus, based on a certain scale. The prices of grapes are calculated every year according to this scale. The best growing places produce grapes that are classified as 100 per cent. For example Verzenay, Bouzy, and Ambonnay are considered 100 per cent Grand Cru villages. Grapes, which are viewed as 90­99 per cent, are called Premier Cru. 100 per cent 17 villages are classified as Grand Cru The Champagne Grands Crus are: Ambonnay, Avize, Aÿ, Beaumont-sur-Vesle, Bouzy, Chouilly, Cramant, Louvois, Mailly-Champagne, Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, Oger, Oiry, Puisieulx, Sillery, Tours-sur-Marne, Verzenay, and Verzy. This classification is based on strict criteria, such as sub-soil, slope, and aspect. 22 F I N E

44 villages are classified as `premier cru' or first growth The Premier Cru villages are: Avenay, Bergèresles-Vertus, Bezannes, Billy le Grand, Bisseuil, Chamery, Champillon, Chigny les Roses, Chouilly (PN), Coligny (CH), Cormontreuil, Coulommes la Montagne, Cuis, Cumières, Dizy, Ecueil, Etrechy (CH), Grauves, Hautvillers, Jouy les Reims, Les Mesneus, Ludes, Mareuil sur Aÿ, Montbré, Mutigny, Pargny les Reims, Pierry, Rilly la Montagne, Sacy, Sermiers, Taissy, Tauxières, Tours-sur-Marne (CH), Trépail, Trois Puits, Vaudemanges, Vertus, Villedommange, Villeneuve Renneville, Villers Allerand, Villers aux Noeuds, Villers Marmery, Voipreux, and Vrigny. > F I N E A L P H A B E T 23 FINE Alphabet

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QUANTUM OF SOLACE Text: Essi Avellan MW and Juha Lihtonen Photos: Pekka Nu i k k i Vieilles Vignes Françaises ­ What do the luxury brands Bollinger, Omega watches, and Aston Martin have in common? They all form an integral part of the lifestyle of the most brand-conscious man in the world. The fictive figure of James Bond, created by the author Ian Fleming, lives each moment as if it was his last, enjoying only the best because of his lifethreatening profession. Of champagnes, the best for Bond is represented by Bollinger. Bollinger, which replaced Bond's favourite champagne Dom Pérignon, debuted for the first time on the silver screen in 1973 in Live and Let Die. Bollinger has since been visible in all of the Bond films produced throughout the last 35 years. Bond, played during these years by Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan, and Daniel Craig, usually enjoyed his Bollinger in attractive company with a bottle of vintage Grande Année or RD, corked late. Even though Bollinger's fine vintage champagnes have been visible on the silver screen as Bond's favourite drinks for many years, the champagne house has in its cellars a specialty in wait, with which Bond has not yet charmed his beauties. The rare vintage champagne Vieilles Vignes Françaises is produced from historical vines on a few tiny plots during only the best harvest years, and represents a mere fraction of the entire production of Bollinger. The creation of this unique specialty separates Bollinger from other champagne houses, even without the Bond connection. The connection between Bond and Vieilles Vignes Françaises, though, is more obvious ­ both live under the constant danger of death. F I N E L E G E N D 25 FINE Legend

Bathed in the golden morning sun of Champagne, three diminutive Pinot Noir plots are under the exacting scrutiny of vineyard workers. The plots, surrounded by stone walls, have been given special attention for over one hundred years. These are the only ungrafted vines in nearly all of Champagne that have managed to escape the ravages of phylloxera decade after decade. It is on this morning that the vineyard workers have discovered a fateful problem on the 16-are Croix Rouge plantation in the village of Bouzy. The year is 2004 ­ phylloxera has landed. "It was over in the blink of an eye. Right when we found out that phylloxera had hit us, it only took a couple of weeks before everything was gone. There wasn't a thing we could do", recalls Bollinger's Christian Dennis. Champagne Bollinger has cared for the vines on these three plots with an extraordinary passion since 1969. Renowned English wine author Cyril Ray was the guest of Madame Lily Bollinger when he recorded the history of the Bollinger Champagne house in 1968. His attention was drawn to these exceptional plots and the truly unique character of the wines they produced. At his urging, Lily Bollinger decided to produce wines from these plots under her own name. The 1969 vintage produced 26 in honour of Madame Bollinger's 70th birthday was released in 1974. The first actually commercial vintage was released in 1970. This `museum wine' instantly became a favourite among collectors and a much-desired rarity, so seldom encountered in a lifetime. Bollinger is one of only a handful of the remaining family-owned champagne houses. Founded in 1829, Bollinger attained legendary status in its pursuit of perfection: its renowned Charter of Ethics and Quality was published in 1992 by Christian Bizot and Ghislain de Montgolfier, when the syndicate of Grand Marque houses was not ready to accept the stringent criteria as a guideline for all houses. Bollinger decided to stick with the Charter and its own values, which respect not only quality, but also family, the region and tradition. In an age of increasing champagne production and giant champagne houses, Bollinger has been able to keep its scale small. Export manager Philippe Menguy explains: "Every year we produce two million bottles of champagne, even though we could sell four million. We have 12 million bottles in our cellars, which is a six-year inventory. We own and cultivate a majority of our grape needs, so we're not dependent on purchased grapes". Christian Dennis sheds light on the role that Vieilles Vignes Françaises (VVF) plays in the house portfolio: "Wine is produced in minimal amounts only during the best champagne years, averaging out to 3,000 bottles. This accounts for only 0.15% of our gross production! The hand craftsmanship that this requires and disadvantageous economies of scale make the VVF three times more expensive than our other vintage champagnes. From an economic standpoint, the VVF doesn't play a major role, but in terms of image it is vital to us. It's also extraordinary to produce a wine using winemaking techniques which were used before the phylloxera blight. The VVF is thus the epitome of the country's original champagne style". Unique vines Phylloxera hit Champagne in the late 1800s, killing all but a rare few plots of the region's vines. Phylloxera does not thrive in sandy soils or extremely cool, windy conditions. However, the soil and microclimate of Bollinger's special plots are very typical of the Champagne region. Christian Dennis relates: "Why these plots were somehow spared from the phylloxera remains a mystery. Maybe the key factor was the stone walls, which separate the plots from other areas under cultivation ­ this made it more difficult for the F I N E

phylloxera to spread. But this can't be the only factor, because one of these surviving plots ­ the Croix Rouge in Bouzy ­ isn't surrounded by any walls. Two of the plots are located in the Grand Cru village of Aÿ, which is in close proximity to the Bollinger estate and cellars. Clos Saint-Jacques is the smallest of the plots, with a modest 15 ares, whilst Chaudes Terres is the largest at 21 ares. The Croix Rouge plot, which is located in the legendary Pinot Noir village of Bouzy in the Montage de Reims, is 16 ares in size. The combined area of VVF plantations is therefore 52 ares. After 100 years of struggle, phylloxera finally struck the Bouzy plot in 2004, thereafter making Vieilles Vignes a single village wine. Old ways The name `Vieilles Vignes Françaises' means `old French vines'. There is a commonly held misconception that this is wine made from vines more than one hundred years old. The champagne's moniker refers not to old vines, but old winemaking traditions, which were in use throughout the Champagne region prior to the arrival of phylloxera. In this layered cultivation technique, known as en foule or provigneage, vines regenerate themselves: young canes are planted back into the earth and new roots and vines develop from them. No old trunks are visible at the surface, as a majority of the plantings are buried in mounds of soil. En foule plots are planted very tightly and, to the untrained eye, appear chaotic and uncultivated. Whereas the normal planting density in Champagne is 8,000 vines per hectare, these plots have a planting density of as many as 30,000 vines per hectare. Christian Dennis explains: "Four of our 50 workers are specialists in en foule vines, as their cultivation requires specialised skills. Cultivating these is very different and pure manual labour". En foule vines produce only two to three canes for each vine, thus making the harvest very small. Christian Dennis continues: "The crop yield is about 35% smaller than normal, thus ensuring excellent concentration. The grapes are very ripe, but they still manage to keep a good level of acidity". One half of the grapes in the walled plot of Clos Saint-Jacques are grown using the en foule method and the other half are planted conventionally, but with ungrafted vines. Bollinger says that it is trying out these two methods for comparison purposes. Although the end result is an increase in crop yield, the grapes do not ripen as much as when using the en foule method. The Bollinger formula As we walk through the cellars with Bollinger Chef de Cave Gérard Liot, the meagreness of the VVF production yield is striking: the entire year's output is contained in ten barrels lying on their sides against the wall, stacked one on top of the other. Philippe Menguy explains the losses: "When wine is stored in a 225-litre barrel, one litre of the entire volume ­ the `angels' share' ­ evaporates in three weeks". After spending 6­7 months in barrels, the total amount of VVF lost is around four per cent of the entire production yield. F I N E L E G E N D 27 FINE Legend

Bollinger makes some of the most full-bodied wines in all of Champagne. The use of oak barrels is a Bollinger trademark. Whereas many houses began using cement tanks in the 1960s, Madame Bollinger made a decision to stay with oak barrels. "As with our other wines, VVF is fermented in French oak barrels, which range in age from four to forty years old. We prefer old oak, as we don't want wood or toast notes in the wine", Philippe Says. Chef de cave Liot adds: "In order to avoid bacteria problems, we wash out the barrels as many as five or six times a year. Barrels add nuance to the wine, while steel decreases its level of complexity. We let our wines oxidise gently in the barrels, as it works like a vaccine against oxidisation for when the wine ages." The wine is fermented with cultured yeast at approximately 18°C. Bollinger prefers a long, 6­7-month barrel ageing on the lees. The wine and lees are not actively stirred during this time (battonage). The wine is then bottled in April and moved to 10­11°C cellars for the second fermentation and bottle maturation. Philippe Menguy explains: "Vielles Vignes Françaises is allowed to cellar for a long time: from five to twelve years. In our Special Cuvée, we bring the lees into the bottleneck mechanically, but because the VVF is cellared for so long the end result isn't as good. So, we riddle the VVF manually in racks. After racking and recorking, the wine is cellared for another three months to give it time to settle. In VVF we use around 7­9 g of sugar, so it's fairly dry". Matters of taste on terroir wines Even though one might pay as much as 400 euros for a recent vintage of Vielles Vignes Françaises and it is indubitably one of Bollinger's most expensive wine, it is impossible to claim that it is Bollinger's `best' wine. As a wine made with grapes from only three plots, of only one variety and in only one year, it rarely achieves the subtlety and balance of a Grande Année or R.D. But it's always a great wine. What is interesting about the VVF is its ability to challenge the culture of blending with its terroir foundation and mass production with its small production volume. It also gives us the opportunity to experience what champagne tastes like when made `from its own roots', without any influence from American rootstock. Hand craftsmanship and terroir are always tangible in Vielles Vignes Françaises, which is precisely what collectors and wine connoisseurs are willing to pay for. The best experiences: 99p 98p 97p 97p 1969 Bollinger Vieilles Vignes Françaises (1999/2010) 96p 95p 94p 93p 1998 Bollinger Vieilles Vignes Françaises (2007/2015) 1985 Bollinger Vieilles Vignes Françaises (2006/2015) 1970 Bollinger Vieilles Vignes Françaises (2002/2010) 1990 Bollinger Vieilles Vignes Françaises (2004/2020) 1999 Bollinger Vieilles Vignes Françaises (2007/2020) 1996 Bollinger Vieilles Vignes Françaises (2007/2020) 1992 Bollinger Vieilles Vignes Françaises (2003/2020) 28 F I N E

hackett.com 1 0 0 B e s t 29 FINE 100 Best

Text: Pekka Nuikki Photos: Pekka Nuikki & Armand de Brignac T he greatest challenge for producers in Champagne is not the rather chilly climate, or the quality or quantity of the wines themselves, but how to market their products. The very name champagne evokes powerful images in all of us ­ of luxury, celebration and success. They are images that every one of us would like to associate ourselves with and which set champagne apart from all other drinks. But how do champagne producers exploit these images in their marketing campaigns? Not too well actually, as only around 40-50 champagne producers are known by their brand worldwide. The question worth asking is therefore: how could as many as 5000 unknown producers of champagne make us all aware of their brand and sell their products? At least one would seem to have found the answer ­ Cattier. 14 F I N E

1 0 0 B e s t 15 FINE 100 Best

"The veRY NAMe ChAMPAGNe evOKeS POWeRFUL IMAGeS Champagne the messenger Since the beginning of the twentieth century, it has been the world of sport and the fashion and entertainment industries that have mainly been responsible for champagne's visibility. Producers have not needed to invest a huge amount in order to have their products thrust into the limelight, either at the dining tables of the famous or as an accompaniment to various parties celebrating victory. All the same, the champagne houses have largely shied away from using personal branding in their marketing campaigns. They have simply felt no desire to attach themselves to one particular person. Indeed, many luminaries have felt that champagne brands themselves were a way to say something about their own status and success. One such was Armand de Brignac of Champagne Cattier. OsCar night Champagne One of the hottest champagne stories to emerge from the entertainment industry in recent years concerned the link between Roederer's Cristal champagne and the world of celebrities with which it found favour. Cristal's dominance as the number one drink among celebrities seemed unbreakable until it was challenged by Dom Pérignon, thanks to a number of massive marketing campaigns designed by Karl Lagerfeld. And now it is the turn of Cattier, who realised the time had come to conquer the world of music and entertainment. Cattier created a luxury brand called Armand de Brignac and emblazoned the bottle with a pewter "Ace of Spades" insignia. It erupted 16 F I N E onto the world stage partly by accident, appearing first of all in a video by the US rapper Jay-Z. Afterwards, the golden bottle put in an appearance at David Beckham's celebritystudded welcome party in Los Angeles. Soon after, the cream of the entertainment world left the Oscar celebrations with a chilled bottle of Armand de Brignac in 2009 Academy Awardnominee gift bags. The press proceeded to run stories the following day featuring pictures of world-famous stars, from Justin Timberlake to Will Smith, posing with the golden bottle and history began to write itself ­ without any major advertising or marketing campaigns. Cattier's PR agency could congratulate itself on a job well done. Philippe Bienvenu, Cattier's Commercial Director, is extremely pleased with the way things have progressed and says of the popularity explosion: "There was actually no decision made to launch the brand through celebrities. The first celebrity to become a lover of Armand de Brignac was Jay-Z ­ he heard about the brand and contacted our U.S. importer, who then had us send him several bottles while he was holidaying in the south of France ­ and the bottles later appeared in his music video. Most recently, we saw the New York Yankees baseball team celebrate with Armand de Brignac after winning the World Series. Famous actors such as Leonardo di Caprio, George Clooney and many athletes such as Roger Federer, Luis Figo and LeBron James have all been seen in the company of the golden Ace, as have singers such as Rihanna. It has also become a favourite at France's Michelin-starred gourmet restaurants. "The NeW YORK YANKeeS BASeBALL TeAM CeLeBRATeD WITh ARMAND De BRIGNAC AFTeR WINNING The WORLD SeRIeS."

IN ALL OF US ­ OF LUxURY, CeLeBRATION AND SUCCeSS." These include Alain Llorca's Le Moulin de Mougins and Jacques Chibois' La Bastide St Antoine on the Riviera, along with Reims' celebrated L'Assiette Champenoise." miniskirts and wine The added value that many champagne producers bring to their brand is woefully unimaginative. Today it is almost exclusively visible in the packaging. The same is also true of Cattier's Armand de Brignac champagne, it has to be said, but it is in the unique packaging that its commercial brilliance lies ­ it dazzles and immediately catches the attention. The idea of the metallic bottle was originally conceived by the famed French fashion designer, André Courrèges. his ultra-modern designs featured well-cut pants, trapezoidal lines and miniskirts with white mid-calf boots; white became his hallmark. "Courrèges contacted us because he wanted to create his own champagne and he had two very specific colours; white and silver. he asked us if it would be possible to make a silver bottle for our champagne and in turn we could then say that we were the first champagne house to have a metallic champagne bottle. Mr Courrèges was very happy with the result and started to produce his own champagne under the name `Champagne Andre Courrèges'. We helped him until he retired and then the project ended," says Philippe Bienvenu. "The PRODUCTION IS ALSO veRY LIMITeD. LAST YeAR, We hAD exACTLY 42 000 BOTTLeS; AROUND FIFTeeN PeR CeNT OF WhICh WAS ROSé AND SeveN PeR CeNT BLANC De BLANCS. " JanCis has her dOubts The paperless gold bottle features four handapplied pewter labels, accented with two Ace of Spades insignias symbolising the Champagne region's regal heritage. The bottle is packaged in a black lacquered wooden case, fitted with an engraved nameplate, lined in black velvet and embossed with the brand's crest. It is this vain and pricey look that allows doubt to creep into one's mind regarding the quality of the contents. That has been the reaction of many a wine critic, including Jancis Robinson MW, the UK's best known wine writer. "exposure PR, the company in charge of promoting this new brand in the UK, kindly offered me a sample to taste some time ago and I declined the offer, because I just couldn't imagine recommending a wine at that price and with so little track record," wrote Jancis on her website. She need not have worried. The bottle's external appearance and the high price of the wine are rather off-putting, it is true, but Armand de Brignac's real genius is to be found within the metal shell. "exposure PR noticed my report and offered a tasting sample a second time. This time, I graciously accepted and shared a golden bottle, which was in the most extraordinarily lavish black lacquer box, with some rather bemused friends last weekend. "Now, of course, this is not the same as tasting a wine blind, but I have to say that I was pretty impressed. Armand de Brignac Brut Gold is extremely dense with a very stimulatingly tight bead. It is tense and refreshing, with scents in the floral spectrum followed by real precision on the palate," noted Jancis at the end of a successful weekend. 17 1 0 0 B e s t FINE 100 Best

"The SeCReT BehIND The hIGh PRICe OF LUxURY PRODUCTS ­ LIMITeD PRODUCTION AND AvAILABILITY" d Alexan tier re Cat Philippe Bien ve nu wOrth mOre than gOld Today, Cattier remains an independent champagne producer and family business. It has some 20 hectares of grapevines, and most of the vineyards are Premier Cru. The Cattier family have owned the estate since 1793, though it is only since 1918 that they have produced and marketed champagne under their own name. Patriarch Jean-Jacques Cattier oversees the house's limited wine production alongside his son and Chief Oenologist, Alexandre Cattier. how then is Armand de Brignac different from the other Cattier products? Philippe Bienvenu believes that: "Armand de Brignac is unique for us in a number of ways. JeanJacques and Alexandre wanted to create a high-quality luxury cuvée ­ produced using the most traditional methods ­ that would give them complete control over the final product. Unlike most other champagnes in the category, which are made from a single vintage, their idea was to create a multi-vintage blend, with each bottling comprising three distinct vintages from exceptional years. They also wanted to pay tribute to the emblematic villages of Champagne, which are known for the high quality of their grapes that are all rated Premier Cru and Grand Cru and located in Montagne de Reims, Côte des Blancs and vallée de la Marne. We only use a very small fraction of the first pressing of these grapes compared even to our own cuvées. Three distinct vintages are used for each bottling of Armand de Brignac, in a similar way to our Clos du Moulin." Measuring 2.2 hectares, the Clos du Moulin vineyard is a unique, walled-in vineyard that was acquired by Cattier in 1951. In the past, this Clos belonged to an officer of King Louis xv, Mr Allart de Maisonneuve, who was one of the first producers of Champagne wines in Reims. This special cuvée is a blend of selected vintages and is only produced from high quality harvests. "In the case of the Clos du Moulin, which was, by the way, selected by Air France and British Airways to be served on board Concorde and in First Class, the grapes are taken from just one plot of land instead of many ­ Armand de Brignac by comparison allots more freedom to Jean-Jacques and Alexandre, allowing them to create something different to what we normally make. Jean-Jacques believes that a single vintage champagne is like a single violinist, playing by himself. A multi-vintage such as Armand de Brignac is the entire orchestra, playing together. Finally, the dosage for Armand de Brignac is further enhanced by ageing in oak barrels for nine months, in order to impart a touch of soul to the champagne. The barrels come from Burgundy, having been used once before for Chardonnay. "The production is also very limited. Last year, we had exactly 42 000 bottles; around fifteen per cent of which was rosé and seven per cent Blanc de Blancs. The production will always remain limited, although we can expand a little. According to our projections, we estimate that we could possibly increase production to around 60 000­70 000 bottles, but it will never be more than that," says Philippe. mOther and Child The `de Brignac' name was registered by the Cattier family in the early 1950s. It was chosen by Jean-Jacques Cattier's mother, who had been reading a novel featuring a character of the same name. "In 1950, Mrs Cattier had the idea to create another brand and, by that time, she had already decided to one day do something different to what we were doing at Champagne Cattier. She did not know then exactly what, but she really liked the character in the novel and used his name to create something new. Around ten years ago, we thought that it was time to re-launch this initial project of Mrs Cattier and pay tribute to her. Unfortunately, 18 F I N E

she passed away before Armand de Brignac was released. The concept of Armand de Brignac was originally very simple ­ we just tried to make the best possible champagne with the best possible presentation," explains Philippe. the seCret behind the high priCe Of luxury prOduCts ­ limited prOduCtiOn and availability Although the original idea sounds very simple, it took a decade of hard work and faith to realise. The Armand de Brignac launch went perfectly, though, and the product proved to be a commercial success. "We intentionally limit the production of Armand de Brignac in order to maintain the quality of the brand. We would anticipate perhaps 6000 cases being released in 2010, which is similar to 2009. each year thus far, we have sold our entire release ­ so it is very successful," says Philippe proudly. Cattier has been a well-known producer among champagne connoisseurs for a long time now, particularly on account of the excellent single vineyard champagne from Clos du Moulin. There is always an air of modesty and humility in the way the company goes about things, and it has managed to remain hidden away from the general public, indeed almost too well. It therefore came as a big surprise when Cattier launched Armand de Brignac, a product that represented the complete opposite of the company's previous marketing strategies. The self-assured brand has brought the company fame and at the same time inspired other small champagne houses, under pressure from their bigger competitors and their huge marketing budgets, to believe in a better future. "I think that it has proven to us what we already believed to be true ­ that our champagnes can compete with any in the world, even the most famous houses. We will continue to put the most care possible into the creation of all our champagnes and we hope that the fame of Armand de Brignac will encourage people around the world to try them all. even in small countries there are champagne lovers! We always want the public to have something new to talk about as well ­ so we just released the Demi-Sec and will have new sizes, such as the Nebuchadnezzar (15L) and Jeroboam (3L), available soon." Cattier has discovered its own Midas touch. Armand de Brignac is a splendid example of a new kind of approach, one that would unfortunately seem to be rare among champagne producers in the current climate. The current situation seems surprising considering the numerous successful examples of world class marketing stunts in the past. Over one hundred years ago eugène Mercier, with the help of the Lumière brothers, produced the world's first advertisement film about his champagne, marketed wine tastings above Paris rooftops from a hot air balloon and used the free publicity provided by the Paris World Fair to his great advantage. Back then, eugène understood that you need to offer the consumers more than just beautifully designed packaging. The visual and taste experiences are not enough: it is the images and stories that harbour the luxurious secrets of champagne, and it is these enigmas that should be the main focus throughout future marketing campaigns. > "CATTIeR hAS DISCOveReD ITS OWN MIDAS TOUCh." 1 0 0 B e s t 19 FINE 100 Best

midAS Midas was one of the kings of Ancient Phrygia, where he reigned in the last decades of the eighth century BC. According to the myth, the satyr Silenus ­ in Greek mythology satyrs are male creatures that roam woods and mountains ­ had wandered away from the rest of the Sileni, having drunk a great deal of wine. Midas took the wanderer in and gave him hospitality for ten days before returning him to his companion. To show his gratitude, Dionysos said Midas could have whatever he wished. Without thinking, Midas asked that whatever he touched should be changed into gold. The wish was granted, but everything he touched did indeed turn into gold, including his food, his drink and his daughter when he tried to embrace her. In the end, the king regretted his request and relinquished his powers. the ArmAnd de BrignAc rAnge Armand de Brignac The first release of Armand de Brignac was a combination of three vintages ­ 2000, 2002 and 2003 ­ and an equal blend of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier. Dosage 10g/l. The second and current release comprises three years ­ 2002, 2003 and 2005 ­ and is a blend of 40 per cent Pinot Noir, 40 per cent Chardonnay and 20 per cent Pinot Meunier. Dosage 10g/l. The origins of these grapes are quite varied. They are restricted to only Grand and Premier Crus, the most important of which include Chigny-les-Roses, Rilly La Montagne, Ludes, Villers Allerand, Montbré, Taissy for Pinot Noir; Avize, Villers Marmery, Vertus, and Le Mesnil sur Oger for Chardonnay; and Pierry and Damery for Pinot Meunier. Armand de Brignac Blanc de Blancs The first and current release comprises three vintages ­ 2002, 2003 and 2005 ­ and is a blend of 60 per cent Cote des Blancs and 40 per cent Montagne de Reims. Dosage 10g/l. Armand de Brignac Rosé The first and current release comprises three years ­ 2002, 2003 and 2005 ­ and is a blend of 50 per cent Pinot Noir, 40 per cent Pinot Meunier and 10 per cent Chardonnay ­ including red wine from the old vines of both Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier, representing 12 per cent of the total volume. Dosage 10g/l. Single vineyArd vintAge ArmAnd de BrignAc? Philippe sheds light on Armand de Brignac's forthcoming single vineyard novelty: "Armand de Brignac Clos du Yons ­ 100 per cent Pinot Meunier ­ will be vintage champagne. Compared to the rest of the wines in the range, which are multi-vintages, the first Clos du Yons will be from a single vintage, the 2007. With 1.1 hectares, we could have produced 10 000 ­11 000 bottles but, in fact, we have made so strict a selection that the production will only be around 3000 bottles. I am certain that it will be something very interesting to taste and the first bottles should be released around 2012­2013. "We will surely have something very interesting and very different from the rest. This is the philosophy of Armand, to never do the same as others." 20 F I N E

u n i c o p a r t i c o l a r e r i va - y a c h t. c o m SportRiva 56' 86' Domino a F E R R E T T IG RO U P br a n d 1 0 0 B e s t 21 FINE 100 Best

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Text: Essi Avellan MW R hythmic waves of the chequered flag mark the end of the race. The crowd immediately starts invading the racetrack to witness the victory celebrations on the podium, following last year's Formula 1 Italian Grand Prix in Monza. The fans' wait is soon rewarded, as the top three drivers enter the stage: Rubens Barrichello and Jenson Button of Brawn GP and Kimi Räikkönen of Ferrari. After the happy, yet seemingly exhausted, drivers have impatiently listened to the national anthems and received the monumental trophies, it is time for a party. The special F1 Edition Mumm Cordon Rouge jeroboams are being ceremonially handed to the drivers. Barrichello, Button and Räikkönen pick them up, give them a good shake and approach the audience, directing the gushing sprays of champagne over them and each other. The ultimate motor sport celebrates with the quintessential sparkling wine. How is it that Formula 1 came to build such a strong bond with champagne? F o r m u l a 15 FINE Event

Renault engineers fine-tune their car in preperation for the big race 16 "He has got the right attitude! champagne first." Räikkönen always tastes the 16 F I N E

CELEBRATION VIDEO Click the image and enjoy Mumm´s F1 FINE Event Champagne sabrage at the Mumm bar Kimi Räikkönen celebrates his podium finish I am enjoying the view of the successful drivers playing around with the jeroboams of champagne with Hughes Trevennec, G.H. Mumm's F1 Director. When Kimi Räikkönen stops for a while to take a good sip from the bottle, Trevennec smiles contently: "He has got the right attitude! Räikkönen always tastes the champagne first." I doubt Räikkönen is testing it for the cork taint. It is more likely the Finn savours the drink and rewards himself with it. However it is also customary to reward one's teammates. Often, after the first sprayings, the bottle is dropped down from the podium to the pit staff who start circulating it amongst themselves, sipping the liquid gold in celebration. After all, wines are always best when shared, so even spraying could be considered one form of sharing. I ask Hughes Trevennec about this. "Originally the wine was not sprayed but poured into the trophy or a glass. It was actually in the 24 Hours of Le Mans race in 1967 that the change occurred. Dan Gurney and A. J. Foyt had won the race with the Ford GT 40 Mk IV and Henry Ford II himself had crossed the Atlantic to witness it. Once on the podium, Gurney started to take the muselet off the Salmanazar-sized bottle. But the sunshine and heat had done their tricks and the cork popped open and caused a big surprise. Gurney tried to stop the gushing and placed a finger over the bottle. This, of course, maximised the gushing and got Mr Ford wet. A legend was born." in Champagne, with the Reims-Gueux track playing host on July 2. Trevennec points out: "Obviously, when in Champagne, the teams and drivers were received by the Champagne Houses and given champagne as gifts. Soon afterwards Moët & Chandon started hosting the Sunday night celebrations." F1 raced in Champagne until 1966 and by this time a major bond had been forged. Champagne started to accompany the celebrations worldwide, in whichever country the major houses had managed to secure distribution. Originally there were no exclusive deals but only individual arrangements. Hughes Trevennec remembers: "It was not always given that the celebration wine would be champagne. There was actually a rivalry between a major German sekt house and champagne. But, as history tells us, champagne won the battle." era oF exclusivity In 1984 Bernie Ecclestone, president and CEO of the companies that manage and administrate the F1 circus, started making exclusive three-year contracts for champagne sponsorship. Hughes Trevennec, who worked for Moët & Chandon at the time, was heavily involved in brokering the deal. Moët & Chandon sponsored the competition until 1997 when they decided to leave the F1 podiums. Trevennec shares some background information: "When Moët withdrew from the circuits, Ecclestone kept the Moët bottles on the podiums by buying them. But they were already searching for a new champagne partner. At that time Mumm contacted me and I changed houses. Soon after we went about securing the deal for 2000. In 2010, as F1 turns 60, we are also celebrating our 10th year of involvement! " 17 F1 came to champagne The Formula 1 World Championship, launched in 1950, celebrates its 60-year anniversary this year. The first ever race took place at the Silverstone airfield circuit in England on 13 May 1950. The sixth race of the championship was held F o r m u l a

tricky sponsorship Some voices of criticism are heard about mixing drinking and driving. Therefore Pernod Ricard, owner of G.H. Mumm, strictly ensures that a bottle of champagne is visible and popped open only after the engines are switched off. In conservative Grand Prix environments even more rigorous guidelines are followed. Trevennec specifies: "For instance, in the Arabic countries, such as Bahrain, no champagne is sprayed. Instead, a bottle with the Bahrain Grand Prix logo containing sparkling rose water is used. In France, we also have uncompromising rules about sponsoring events with alcohol. Therefore the Mumm Cordon Rouge is not visible there either, but is instead replaced by a naked bottle." But where legal, the special edition double magnum bottle has become a collectable item. As the wine is not "meant" for drinking, I notice myself wondering whether Mumm bothers putting Cordon Rouge ­ or even real champagne ­ inside. "It is Cordon Rouge", Trevennec confirms, "We manufacture around 3000 of these special bottles on a yearly basis. Each of the three drivers gets one and they also sign one for Mumm. Some drivers, such as Ayrton Senna in the past, collect all their victory bottles in their trophy rooms." Despite the challenges, Mumm values the sponsorship greatly. Trevennec also believes his company benefits from it in two different ways. "Almost everybody loves the GPs and wants to come and see the races. It is such a great opportunity for delivering experiences to our key clients. Via F1 we are also entering and gaining visibility in new markets. But most importantly, it is the joyous moment of celebration and succeeding that fits Champagne Mumm's brand philosophy perfectly." Trevennec then pauses and grins: "And we never have to worry about the result of the race ­ Mumm always wins and gets to be on the podium every time!" > Hughes Trevennec of G.H. Mumm 18 Victory celebrations on the podium 18 F I N E

THE SIMPLICITY OF INNOVATION. LUMINOR 1950 TOURBILLON GMT Hand-wound mechanical Tourbillon movement P.2005 calibre, three spring barrels, second time zone with 12/24 h indicator, 6-day power reserve. Steel case 47 mm Ø. Steel buckle. www.panerai.com Available exclusively at Panerai boutiques and select authorized watch specialists. COPENHAGEN: Klarlund - HELSINKI: Oy Osk. Lindroos AB - OSLO: Urmaker Bjerke - STOCKHOLM: Nymans Ur 1851

Wine Evaluation and Point System FINE evaluates all wines in circumstances as similar as possible to those which our readers would encounter them. In order for the evaluations to be truly beneficial for the reader we always act upon the following norms: We always evaluate the wines in good company ­Westronglybelievethatthebestpartinenjoying awineisinsharingthejoyandpleasure. We do not taste the wines blind ­Ourreadersdonotusuallydrinktheirwinesblind, sowearealwaysawareofitsname,originorvintage whentasting.Thesefactorsnaturallyhaveaneffect ontheexperienceofthewine. We evaluate the wine within an hour of its opening ­Thisiswhenmostofourreadersalsohavetheir wines. We give points to the wines based on their current enjoyment possibility ­Webelievethatthemostsignificantfactorishow thewineinyourglasstastestoday,nottenyears fromnow.Thisiswhyoneofourmostimportant tasksistofindamongstthethousandsofwineswe taste,thosethatareattheirpeakrightnow. In most cases we evaluate the wines in Riedel tasting glasses ­Asourreadersdonotalwayshavethepossibility toenjoywineintheperfectglass,wehavechosen theneutralRiedeltastingglassforourevaluations. Together with the wine evaluation we also advise how the wine should be servedtoenablebest enjoyment.Witheachevaluationthereisamention ofthemostsuitableglassshape,decantingtimeand servingtemperatureforthewine. AsoneofFINE'sfundamentalvaluesistosupport excellence,wehavemadethedecisiontonotpublish winesthatreceivebelow79pointsinourevaluations. Wealsoappreciatewinesthatrepresentexcellent valueintheirpricetoqualityratioandwepresent theseforourreaders'benefit. TASTING NOTE EXPLANATION We use a 100-point evaluation system, where the wines have been divided into the following categories: 99­100p Awinewiththewow-effect.Sheerperfection toallsensesbyeveryparameterofwinequality. Atruegiftfromnature. 86­89p Agoodwinewithbalanceandcomplexity. 80­85p Anaverage,thoughwell-madewine.Nose andpalatearesomewhatone-dimensional andimpersonal. 95­98p Anoutstandingwinethatleavesan unforgettabletastingexperiencewithitsperfect structure,complexityandpersonality. 50­79p 90­94p Anexcellentwine,thatstandsoutbybalance, intensity,complexityandcharacter. Amodestandstraightforwardwinelackinglife andharmony.Thiswineisexcludedfrom appearinginFINETastings. 104 F I N E

FINE TASTINGS The Premier Wine Club Tasting 1827­2000 page 106 RECENT Château Brane-Cantenac Vertical 1962­1981 page 107 Don Melchor Vertical 1987­2007 page 107 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Burgundy 2006 Tasting page 109 FINE Tasting Club 1929­2001 page 110 Bordeaux Super-Second Vertical 1928­2003 page 111 Fine & Rare Tasting 1917­2000 page 113 T A S T I N G S 105 F I N E Ta s t i n g s

The Premier Wine Club Tasting 1827­2000 1827 1934 1985 1900 1996 1947 1990 2000 1870 Quinta do Noval Nacional DRC Romanée-Conti Henri Jayer Richebourg Château Mouton-Rothschild Krug Vintage Champagne Château Pétrus DRC Montrachet Clos de Goisses Juste Rosé Brut Château Lafite-Rothschild 100p 99p 98p 95p 95p 94p 93p 91p 90p 99p 1934 DRC Romanée-Conti, Bourgogne ­ France 2009/now · D 20 min / G 45 min Medium intense brick red colour with ruby tints. Rich and complex nose with opulence and great depth. The nose derives the immensely rich profile of aromas from smokiness to tar and liquorice, flowers, brambles, earthiness, farmyard, animal and violets with hints of burnt sugar. It truly is all that one can wish from a mature burgundy. The broad, medium-bodied and concentrated palate has a nicely balanced acidity and subtle texture, with vibrant energy derived from the sweet red fruit character. Long and harmonious finish. The wine is perfect ­ merely lacking that extra unexplained "wow-factor" that would have given the wine 100 points. CHAMPAGNES 95p 1996 Krug, Champagne ­ France 2009/2030 · D 1 h / G 3 h Intense, rich yellow colour. Pronounced, complex and tight nose delivers toasty aromas with citrus, brioche, and coffee nuances. Dry palate with crisp and vivid acidity, elegantly toasty, mineral character which is still tight but showing clear citrus notes. Long, lingering finish. Wonderfully lean and complex champagne which will definitely show its entire potential within 10 to 15 years, while evolving and lasting well after that. 98p 1985 Henri Jayer Richebourg, Bourgogne ­ France (220 bottles made) 2009/2025 · D 3 h / G 3 h Moderately intense cherry-red colour. A pronounced, charming and very complex burgundy nose with rich red fruit aromas of wild strawberries, liquorice, forest floor, mushrooms, root vegetables and flowers. The medium-bodied palate is vivid and intense with loads of sweet red fruits. The texture is silky and concentrated with subtle tannins. The vibrant mouthfeel is immensely balanced and enriched with well-integrated, high alcohol. Extensive finish. An enormous yet elegant wine that is still in a very youthful phase, revealing just the tip of the iceberg for now. This wine has what it takes to grow into a 100-point wine. 91p 2000 Philipponnat Clos de Goisses Juste Rosé Brut, Champagne ­ France 2009/2025 · D 2 h / G 4 h Moderately pale salmon-rose colour. Intense and tight nose reveals hints of dried apricots, candied red fruits and brioche. The dry, crisp and broad palate is concentrated, with pronounced red fruit character. The concentrated and long finish is highlighted by candied aromas. The wine will definitely benefit from at least ten years of ageing. WHITE WINE 95p 1900 Château Mouton-Rothschild, A. De Luze & Fils Pauillac ­ France 2009/now · D 10 min / G 2 h Deep, intense maroon colour. Opulent and rich, leathery nose with black fruits, smoke, ashes and char. The very concentrated palate has a firm structure, thanks to vivid acidity and supple tannins. The fruit is restrained in style, revealing black fruits. Long and intense aftertaste with leathery tones. Although an evolved wine, it really shows lovely energy and beautiful complexity. 93p 1990 DRC Montrachet, Bourgogne ­ France 2009/2015 · D 2h / G 2 h Golden yellow colour. Pronounced nose delivers complex aromas of toffee, dried fruits, smoke, nuttiness, and even honeyed overtones. The dry palate is broad with an oily texture, nuttiness and dried fruits. Intense, long finish with waxy tones. A very complex and open wine but lacks some of the energetic vibrancy that is commonly found in DRC Montrachets, even in lesser vintages. 94p 1947 Château Pétrus, Pomerol ­ France 2009/2015 · D 45 min / G 1 h Medium intense ruby-red colour. Open, rich and evolved nose of forest floor, black fruits, wet mushroomy tones, smoke and rich floral nuances. Medium-bodied, vivid acidity and powdery tannins are married well with sweet red fruits. The finish is rich but the wine lacks of dimensions and layers, suggesting that this particular bottle is not on a par with many other Pétrus bottles we have tasted from this spectacular vintage. REDS 100p 1827 Quinta do Noval Nacional, Douro ­ Portugal 2009/now · D 30 min / G 3 h Medium intense tawny colour, Very intense, rich and tantalising nose shows a plethora of aromas, from caramelised beetroots to jammed cherries, hazelnuts, sweeten orange peel, dark chocolate, flowers, and cardamom. Full-bodied, intense mouthfilling glycerollike texture rounded with high alcohol and spiced with grinded cardamom flavours. Superb balance and velvety smoothness. Powerful wine with a long, refined and harmonious aftertaste. Considering the perfect condition of the wine at this age, it astonishes and left everyone speechless. 90p 1870 Château Lafite-Rothschild Pauillac ­ France 2009/now · D 10 min / G 35 min Medium intense brick red-colour. Evolved, earthy nose with dried fruits, meatiness, smokiness, dark chocolate and restrained black fruit. The dry palate shows vivid acidity and evolved, dried fruit character with red fruits. A very intense and savoury wine with high concentration and a crisp finish. Such an energetic wine for its age. 106 F I N E

Château Brane-Cantenac Vertical 1962­1981 88p 1981 Château Brane-Cantenac 2009/now · D 1 h / G 1 h Clear, moderately light brick-red colour. Open, seductive, smoky, toasty and leathery nose with bell pepper and cassis notes. Medium-bodied wine with moderate acidity, mellow tannins and dried black fruits. Moderately short, savory finish with smokiness and touch of green notes. 89p 1987 Don Melchor 2010/now · D 2 h / G 2 h Medium intense brick-red colour. Elegant nose with roundness, ripe blackcurrants and hints of herbaceousness, tar and smoke. Medium to light-bodied, vivid acidity and long harmonious finish with mellow tobacco flavours and rounded tannic structure. 85p 1988 Don Melchor 2010/2013 · D 1.5 h / G 2 h Medium intense brick-red colour. Intense, tight, nutty and herbaceous nose with mint, smoke and black fruit aromas. Full-bodied, austere and tight palate which is dominated by firm tannins over the less exposed fruit. The high alcohol adds roundness to the moderately long aftertaste. The wine is restrained in style. It also lacks depth and complexity. 87p 1976 Château Brane-Cantenac 2009/now · D 1 h / G 1 h Clear, medium-intense brick-red colour. Tight nose with floral tones, earthiness, liquorice, cedar and smoke, with blackcurrant notes. Medium-bodied palate with vivid acidity, firm, silky tannic structure and dry fruitiness with blackcurrants. Medium-long, savoury finish. 88p 1989 Don Melchor 2010/2014 · D 2 h / G 2 h Medium intense brick-red colour. Pronounced meaty tones and consommé with root vegetables. Medium-bodied wine with rich black fruit and tight acidity. High alcohol overpowers the astringent savoury finish. 90p 1975 Château Brane-Cantenac 2009/now · D 1.5 h / G 1.5 h Clear, medium-intense brick-red colour. Developed, complex, toasty nose with bell peppers, chocolate and roasted coffee. Medium-bodied, vivid acidity, supple tannins and delicious dark fruit. An elegant wine that is drinking perfectly. 91p 1990 Don Melchor 2010/2020 · D 3 h / G 3 h Moderately light in colour. Intense, deep, earthy and herbaceous nose. Mint chocolate combined with beef stock. The mellow, fullbodied, gentle tannins form a broad velvety texture with cedary nuances. Ripe dark fruits, including black currants. Intense high alcohol but persistent finish. 86p 1970 Château Brane-Cantenac 2009/now · D 30 min / G 30 min Clear, medium-intense brick-red colour. Earthy, less lean, oxidative. Yoghurt, nutty, hints of tar, smoke and violets. Light-bodied, moderately high acidity, leathery, volatile, drying fruit with supple tannins. Lingering finish. 89p 1991 Don Melchor 2010/2015 · D 2 h / G 2 h Moderately intense cherry-red colour. Intense nose with toasty, sweet jammed cassis notes. Full-bodied, vivid acidity and firm big ripe tannins. Juicy balance with lean restrained fruit. Mouthdrying long finish with cigar flavours and high alcohol mintiness. Persistent and long. 89p 1964 Château Brane-Cantenac 2009/now · D 30 min / G 30 min Clear, medium-intense tawny red colour. Peculiar, complex, harmonious nose with brown sugar, cacao, tobacco, leather, smoke and rubber. Medium-bodied silky strutucre, with mellow acidity and supple tannins. Broad mouthfeel with cigar, dried fruits and slightly powdery tannins. A harmonious and supple wine with finesse and complexity. 90p 1992 Don Melchor 2010/2017 · D 2 h / G 2 h Moderately intense cherry-red colour. Slightly closed but very elegant and refined nose with floral and earthy tar aromas. Fullbodied, vivid acidity, firm tannins, youthful energy and tight tannic structure, with sour black fruit character in persistent lean finish. Don Melchor Vertical 1987­2007 Tasting over 20 vintage verticals is always fascinating, but there was a certain special excitement in the air, as this flight came from Chile. Concha y Toro's Don Melchor is, without doubt, the only premium Chilean wine that can set such an extensive vertical. The results of this tasting surprised us with a few different factors. Firstly, the oldest wines did not live up to expectation, as they were lacking both depth and complexity. On the other hand there were surprising differences between the styles of the vintages, which is not a characteristic generally expected from a Chilean wine. While the quality of the wines has been constantly improving, it is fair to say that the younger vintages have much more potential to show their complexity and depth in the future. 89p 1993 Don Melchor 2010/2020 · D 3 h / G 2 h Moderately intense cherry-red colour. Rich, chocolatey and minty nose with liquorice and cassis overtones. Medium-bodied, firm mouthfeel with energetic fruit character. Black fruits, liquorice, and tobacco. A long, high alcohol finish with moderately tight tannic finish. Refined and powerful wine. 88p 1994 Don Melchor 2010/2025 · D 3 h / G 2 h Moderately deep ruby colour. Intense, opulent, jammed cassis. Herbaceous, minty, dark chocolate, sweet spiciy nose, root vegetables. Full-bodied, round, jammed and fruity palate with fresh acidity and mouthpuckering refined tannins. Big, cedary and firm oaky finish. Great potential! T A S T I N G S 107 F I N E Ta s t i n g s

87p 1995 Don Melchor 2010/2018 · D 3 h / G 3 h Moderately intense ruby colour. Elegant, minty nose with lean, jammed ripe black fruit. Full-bodied, smooth, high alcohol, round tannins, high alchol, jammed cassis and long warm finish. Lacks complexity but rich in style. acidity and round, subtle tannins. High alcohol adds roundness to the wine. Very opulent and fruit-driven wine. A rich and harmonious blockbuster that will benefit from further ageing. 84p 2003 Don Melchor 2010/2017 · D 2 h / G 2 h Moderately intense purple colour. Intense, pronounced, smoky and blackcurrant jam aromas with liquorice tones. Full-bodied, vivid acidity with intense and firm gentle tannins that dry the mouthfeel essentially. Tight, less complex finish with high alcohol. Overpowered by alcohol. 86p 1996 Don Melchor 2010/2014 · D 3 h / G 3 h Moderately intense ruby colour. Closed, odd nose with mousiness, gluey and animal tones. Medium-bodied, refined, mellow acidity, rustic in style, restrained fruit and mouthpuckering tannic structure with tobacco character. 91p 1997 Don Melchor 2010/2027 · D 3 h / G 3 h Moderately intense ruby colour. Intense, herbaceous nose with jammy cassis fruit, liquorice, smoke, dark chocolate and mint. Fullbodied, mellow acidity, jammed black fruit, refined texture and long harmonious finish with lovely intensity. Well balanced high alcohol with spiciness. Big subtle tannins. 91p 2004 Don Melchor 2010/2022 · D 5 h / G 3 h Moderately intense purple colour. Closed, tight, jammed black fruit character. Intense spicy aromas with floral tones. Full-bodied, smooth, elegant mouthfeel. Long, very harmonious palate with high alcohol and mouthdrying finish, roasted coffee flavours and ripe blackcurrant tones. Rich but elegant in style. Very wellintegrated alcohol. 85p 1998 Don Melchor 2010/2012 · D 2 h / G 2 h Moderately intense ruby colour. Rich, complex, meaty, beef stock nose with cigar and dry herbaceous aromas. Full-bodied, jammed fruit, moderately high acidity, subtle round tannins and high alcohol, although lacking focus and persistence. Mouth-drying finish. 90p 1999 Don Melchor 2010/2030 · D 3 h / G 3 h Moderately intense ruby colour. Very jammed, intense black currantand bramble nose with heavy toast and sweet spiciness. Full-bodied, jammed fruit, mellow tannins and juicy acidity; velvety texture, high alcohol, round and opulent style with high extraction. Very concentrated and long finish. Drinking well already but will evolve in the future to a much greater wine. 88p 2000 Don Melchor 2010/2015 · D 3 h / G 2 h Moderately intense ruby colour with high extraction. Intense, oaky, vanilla nose with ripe black fruits and a delicate spiciness of mint and dark chocolate. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied, round and rich. The acidity is moderately low while the fruit is ripe and jammy. Spicy and oaky characters stand out well in the toasty finish. Good subtle wine but lacking the vibrancy and elegance of greatness. 93p 2005 Don Melchor 2010/2014 · D 6 h / G 3 h Moderately intense purple colour. Elegant, refined nose with chocolate and smoke, as well as hints of perfumy aromas. Fullbodied, silky texture, intense and refined bramble character. Elegant, less mouthpuckering syle, yet still rich. Satiny finish. 90p 2001 Don Melchor 2010/2035 · D 4 h / G 3 h Moderately intense purple colour. Complex and refined nose with roasted coffee, blackcurrant leaves and sweet spicy nose. Fullbodied, elegant structure, concentrated and long finish with high alcohol and jammed black fruit elegantly integrated in the tight package. Very focused and long, intense finish with very refined texture. Sophisticated style. Big, extracted, loads of everything. Toasty vanilla and sweet spiciness. Gentle blockbuster. 89p 2006 Don Melchor 2010/2016 · D 8 h / G 5 h Moderately intense purple colour. Opulent, open nose with rich blackcurrant jamminess, violets, vanilla, smoke and cinnamonsweet spices. Full-bodied, supple texture. Less expressive, but with finesse and refined black fruit character and persitant finish. Feminine in style. 88p 2007 Don Melchor 2010/2035 · D 10 h / G 5 h Highly concentrated appearance, it is highly extracted. Moderately intense purple colour. Rich, floral nose with ripe blackcurrants and sweet cocolate tones. Full-bodied, intense black and red fruits and a highly concentrated, long and intense finish. Explosive fruit and acidity. Long finish with gently mouthpuckering tannins. 87p 2002 Don Melchor 2010/2017 · D 3 h / G 3 h Moderately intense purple colour. Jammed black fruits, cassis, liquorice and tar. Full-bodied, sweet jammed black fruits, mellow 108 F I N E

Domaine de la Romanée-Conti 2006 Tasting The 2006 vintage stands out the whole DRC range as a delicate and feminine vintage with vibrancy and warm spicy character, dominated by cloves and Asian spices. In ranking order: 2006 Romanée-Conti, DRC 95p 2006 La Tâche, DRC 93p 2006 Échezeaux, DRC 90p 2006 Musigny, Comte Georges de Vogüé 90p 2006 La Romanée, Domaine du Comte Liger-Belair 89p 2006 Richebourg, DRC 89p 2006 Grands-Échezeaux, DRC 88p 2006 Romanée-Saint-Vivant, DRC 87p 87p 2006 Romanée-St-Vivant, DRC 2010/2022 · D 6 h / G 4 h Medium-intense ruby colour. Very spicy red fruit nose with clove, cinnamon and vanilla aromas. The very firm palate shows crisp acidity, powdery tannic structure and delicate red fruit character. Yet the sophisticated palate shows austerity. The finish is closed and a bit harsh, with tobacco tones. 89p 2006 Richebourg, DRC 2010/2030 · D 10 h / G 5 h Moderately intense ruby colour. Elegant and complex nose with ripe wild strawberry fruit, earthiness and root vegetable aromas topped with chocolate cloves. Moderately powerful, yet surprisingly feminine style for Richebourg. Crisp and intense red fruit character and subtle structure. A cedary and gently mouthdrying long vibrant finish. CHAMPAGNES 91p 2002 Vilmart Grand Cellier Rubis 2002 Brut Premier Cru 2010/2016 · D 15 min / G 1 h Moderately light salmon-red colour. Toasty nose with great autolytic character combined with ripe strawberry aromas. The dry, supple and elegant palate shows good fruit intensity in the form of ripe red fruits. Elegant, subtle and long mineral finish. 93p 2006 La Tâche, DRC 2010/2035 · D 10 h / G 5 h Medium-intense ruby colour. Complex and rich nose with peculiar herbaceous nuances and ripe red fruits. Toasty and chocolaty aromas with peculiar smoky, grilled meat tones. A complex, vivid palate with an energetic and refined palate consisting of warm spices and ripe wild strawberry flavours. Delicate, floral aromas highlight the charming and lingering finish. 93p 2002 Bollinger Grande Année Rosé 2010/2022 · D 30 min / G 1.5 h Moderately intense salmon-red colour. Rich, toasty nose with butterscotch, red fruits and apples. Hints of oxidative character. Dry and firm, rich, vivid and crisp palate with a long mineral finish. The complex palate shows fresh red fruits and some brioche flavours. Very focused and concentrated finish. THE FLIGHT 95p 2006 Romanée-Conti, DRC 2010/2040 · D 14 h / G 8 h Moderately intense ruby-red colour. Although the complex nose shows rich, Christmas spice aromas of cloves, cinnamon and hints of liquorice, it is still closed. On the palate the wine shows greatness in its density, concentration and vibrancy, as well immense balance and elegant structure. The vivid acidity shines through the long lingering finish with tobacco, cappuccino and floral tones present. Aristocratic wine, above all the rest. 88p 2006 Chapelle-Chambertin, Camille Giroud 2010/2026 · D 6 h / G 3 h Moderately light ruby-red colour. Rich, ripe wild strawberry nose with charming aromas of violets, vanilla and milk chocolate. The lovely fresh and lean palate has supple structure with mellow tannins and vivid acidity. An opulent Burgundy. 90p 2006 Échezeaux, DRC 2010/2020 · D 5 h / G 3 h Moderately light ruby-red colour. Open floral nose with jasmine and violets, a touch of cedar, ripe wild strawberries and cappuccino nuances. Very refined silky texture, delicate ripe red fruit character combined with floral tones. Subtle and extremely polished tannins. Long, spicy finish includes clove and cinnamon flavours. Drinking superbly now. 89p 2006 La Romanée, Domaine du Comte Liger-Belair 2010/2020 · D 6 h / G 4 h Moderately intense ruby red shows volatile, animal and smoke and woodiness. The austere with restrained fruit. style. colour. The rustic and evolved nose barnyard characters with hints of crisp and intense palate is slightly Long earthy aftertaste and rustic in 88p 2006 Grands-Échezeaux, DRC 2010/2025 · D 8 h / G 4 h Medium intense ruby colour. The intense but partly closed nose still shows complex aromas of brambles, ginger, roasted sesame seeds, vanilla, chocolate and cappuccino. Elegant but firm palate and tight, polished tannins. Fresh fruitiness consisting of ripe wild strawberries and brambles. Long yet closed finish shows some floral flavours. Not a wine to drink now. 90p 2006 Musigny, Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé 2010/2040 · D 12 h / G 6 h Intense dark ruby-red colour. Focused nose with intense red fruit character ­ raspberries, wild strawberries and cranberries. Very concentrated and intense palate with silky structure. Loads of wild berries, raspberries and cranberries. Refined powdery tannins combined with intense red fruitiness form a chewy structure. Very lean and tight in style with a long and intense finish. Very promising yet tightly knitted wine that needs bottle ageing to deliver its best. T A S T I N G S 109 F I N E Ta s t i n g s

FINE Tasting Club 1929--2001 The quarterly FINE tasting club events are always enjoyable. They offer the opportunity to taste sought-after wines, as well as a fresh menu that has been prepared using ingredients that have been fished, hunted or picked by the chef. CHAMPAGNES 89p 1969 DRC La Tache 2009/now · D 30 min / G 1 h Medium intense brownish colour. The moderately intense, very evolved and complex nose shows animal and leather aromas, prunes and hints of floral tones. Medium-bodied palate is in balance with vivid acidity, supple tannins and fruitiness. The fruit is drying, showing a mixture of dried fruits and red berries, while the finish is elegant and lingering with some milk chocolate flavours. Good wine but far from its best. The lack of depth and complexity is something that can only be explained by the bottle variations; in this case, the appearance of the bottle was flawless but the wine inside had just gone past its peak. 91p 1981 Krug Collection 2009/2015 · D 10 min / G 1 h Golden yellow colour, lacking bubbles. Pronounced and complex nose with toffee, nuttiness and dried apples. Crisp, firm and intense mouthfeel with a balanced fruitiness of dried apples and apricots. Lingering and long mineral finish with lemony tones. Drinking well now but will evolve positively still for 3 to 5 years. 95p 1996 Dom Pérignon Rosé 2009/2018 · D 20 min / G 2 h Moderately pale rosé colour. Lovely ripe, wild strawberry nose with delicate aromas of perfume, smoke and butterscotch. Dry, crisp, light-bodied palate with fresh fruitiness. The flavours of wild strawberries are mixed with hints of toffee and toastiness. Elegant and creamy texture. Long, intense and lingering finish. Drinking well already but will reach its optimum maturity in 6 to 8 years of ageing. WHITE WINE 90p 1978 Giacomo Conterno Barolo 2009/now · D 45 min / G 1 h Moderately intense dark brown-red colour. The closed nose delivers an intensive fruit character of black fruits but little else. On the palate, the wine is pronounced, intense, and mouthfilling. Vivid acidity, together with intense flavours of cherries, cranberries and red fruits, form an energetic taste that lasts moderately well. A harmonious wine with persistence and refinement, yet appears one-dimensional. 94p 1929 Château Latour 2009/2012 · D 45 min / G 2 h Dark, intense brick-red colour. The charmingly evolved, moderately rich and earthy nose delivers ripe black fruit and hazelnut aromas. On the palate, the wine shows medium-bodied structure with vivid acidity and gentle tannins. The dried black fruit flavours together with tobacco and cigar notes, forms a savoury and long finish. Latour is known for its majestic wines and this wine is no exception. The well-balanced and harmonious wine will keep but will not improve further. 93p 2001 Coche-Dury Corton-Charlemagne 2009/2020 · D 3 h / G 3 h Intense, yellow colour. Pronounced, toasty and powerful nose with oaky and seductive mint aromas. The dry, crisp and broad palate shows a moderate level of acidity, restrained tropical fruit and firm mineral character. Very concentrated and focused finish. An impressive wine that will reach its peak within the next 8 to 10 years. RED WINES 97p 1985 Leroy Mazis-Chambertin Hospice de Beaune 2009/2018 · D 2.5 h / G 3 h Medium-intense ruby-red colour. Rich, pronounced and intense nose with many aromatic layers of smoke, liquorice, ripe red berries and lovely floral nuances. A moderate intensity, vivid acidity and gentle tannins form a subtle structure to this charming wine, which is accentuated by violets, brambles and wild strawberries. An appealing, elegant and superbly balanced wine with a long, lingering and intense finish. Drinking perfectly now but will become greater with 5 to 8 years of ageing. 92p 1929 Château Mouton-Rothschild 2009/now · D 30 min / G 1 h Medium intense brick-red colour. Pronounced, smoky nose with tar and vegetal tones. The medium-bodied, refreshing acidity and mellow tannins form a delicate and refined structure with touches of herbaceous flavours. Harmonious and lean finish combined with medium-length. Drink up! FINE Tasting Club Menu Marinated whitefish toast gratinated with Finnish Black Label Emmenthaler cheese Chantarelle soup Black Grouse pâté and parsley sauce Mousse of wild Brown Trout and slightly salted wild Norwegian salmon Roast rump of moose with wild mushroom sauce Cheese trilogy Fresh pineapple and Kirschwasser 93p 1947 Comte Georges de Vogüé Musigny 2009/now · D 30 min / G 1 h Medium intense colour with brown tints. Evolved, complex and moderately intense nose reveals smoky, herbaceous aromas along with rosemary and ripe red fruits. The palate is surprisingly fresh and energetic with seductive red fruit character combined with hints of earthiness and a leathery finish. The tannins are silky and the palate is very focused and subtle. This is a beautifully evolved Burgundy that is harmonious and elegant. The wine has passed its peak but will retire gracefully. 110 F I N E

Bordeaux Super-Second Vertical 1928--2003 CHÂTEAU LÉOVILLE-LAS CASES & CHÂTEAU ANGELUS Château Léoville-Las Cases, belonging to Second Growth of the legendary 1855 Bordeaux Classification system, is considered to be the number one challenger to the First Growths in left bank. On right bank, Château Angelus has been considered to hold the same position in the St-Emilion classification system. For this reason the wines are often referred to as `super-seconds' in their region. We decided to put these highly appreciated super-second wines next to each other, along a 75-year timeline, to see how consistent they are. Both wines stood up to their reputation well, with the only major difference shown in the ageing potential. Apparently Léoville-Las Cases benefits from longer bottle ageing as a Cabernet Sauvignon based left bank wine, while the Merlotbased Angelus from St-Emilion is clearly peaking earlier. All wines were tasted openly. 91p 1961 Château Léoville-Las Cases 2009/2020 · D 1 h / G 2 h Moderately intense, slightly hazy, brick-red colour. Rich and complex nose ­ smoky aromas and hints of mint, leather and tobacco notes. Medium-bodied palate with vivid acidity and finegrained tannins forms a firm structure that is well combined with restrained fruitiness and pronounced mineral flavours. The long aftertaste shows walnut, bell pepper and leather tones. A savoury and classy wine with a cool and restrained character. 93p 1962 Château Léoville-Las Cases 2009/now · D 1.5 h / G 3 h Medium intense brick-red colour. Youthful and lovely, opulent nose with complex aromas of bell pepper, chocolate and vanilla. The satiny texture is formed by refined tannins, elegant acidity and moderately intense fruitiness. Elegant wine with black fruit and chocolate flavours in the lingering finish. CHÂTEAU LÉOVILLE-LAS CASES ­ St-Julien 94p 1945 Château Léoville-Las Cases 2009/now · D 45 min / G 1.5 h Medium-intense brick-red colour. Rich, complex and classic nose shows lead pencil, mint, blackcurrant and farmyard aromas. Intense and rich mouthfeel with great acidic and tannic grip. The aftertaste shows firm tannins and concentrated fruit of blackcurrants. The aftertaste lasts long and has cedary aromas. A beautiful and seductive wine. 87p 1964 Château Léoville-Las Cases 2009/now · D 1 h / G 2 h Moderately intense garnet-red colour. Opulent, perfumey, spicy and floral nose with ripe dark fruits and gentle toastiness. Light to medium-bodied round mouthfeel with mellow tannins and vivid acidity. Savoury finish. Promising nose but modest and simple palate. 86p 1949 Château Angelus 2009/now · D 30 min / G 1 h Medium-intense brick-red colour. Partly oxidised nose with smoky and leathery aromas combined with nuts and dried fruits. The medium-bodied palate has a moderately low level of acidity, round tannins and medium-intense black fruit character. Restrained finish with leathery and earthy aftertaste. A one-dimensional wine that is drinking well but retiring slowly. 91p 1966 Château Léoville-Las Cases 2009/2015 · D 2 h / G 2 h Medium intense brick-red colour. Rich and deep nose reveals an abundance of aromas ­ black fruits, rubber, smoke, bell pepper, classic, and mineral tones. Intense palate with surprisingly fresh fruit. The mellow acidity and gentle tannins form a round palate with intense blackcurrant fruit. Moderately long aftertaste with astringency and spiciness. The wine will most likely not improve largely but will keep well for years still. 93p 1955 Château Léoville-Las Cases 2009/2018 · D 2 h / G 2 h Intense, dark garnet-red colour. Charming bouquet delivers black fruits, smoke, vegetal aromas, cedar, chocolate and dry spices. Firm and restrained palate with crisp acidity, concentrated fruit and supple tannins. Classic claret flavours of cassis and cedar in the long finish. A robust style but very balanced. Surprisingly energetic wine for its age. 89p 1970 Château Léoville-Las Cases 2009/now · D 45 min / G 1 h Intense ruby-red colour. Classic claret nose of cassis, cedar and smoke, with hints of violets. The palate is restrained and a little austere in style with firm tannins, good acidic backbone and dried fruitiness. Aftertaste is tight but savoury. Not a great wine but classy. 94p 1985 Château Léoville-Las Cases 2009/2020 · D 2 h / G 3 h Deep, ruby and almost purple colour. Pronounced yet elegant nose shows the beautiful complexity ­ cassis, wild strawberries and black fruits combined with cedary spiciness and dark chocolate. The powerful but sophisticated palate is very vivid, intense and subtle. The aromas in the nose are followed in the palate. Harmonious wine with long, lingering finish. Great, energetic wine which will gain more complexity with ageing for at least five to seven years and most likely more than that. 95p 1959 Château Léoville-Las Cases 2009/2015 · D 1 h / G 2 h Medium intense brick-red colour. Opulent, classic and seductive nose with many layers revealing cigar box, blackcurrants and roasted coffee. Medium-bodied palate is extremely balanced with vivid acidity, refined round tannins and intense fruitiness. A long, concentrated finish with subtleness and elegance. A classic and sophisticated claret. T A S T I N G S 111 F I N E Ta s t i n g s

92p 1998 Château Léoville-Las Cases 2009/2018 · D 6 h / G 3 h Intense dark purple colour. Nose shows great depth and complexity ­ cassis, vanilla, smoke, tobacco and sweet spices. Very refined and focused palate with vivid acidity, mellow tannins and restrained black fruitiness. Elegantly integrated oak adds a delicate spiciness to the taste.. A long, polished finish. A sophisticated and classy claret that will evolve nicely in the next six to eight years. 81p 1967 Château Angelus 2009/now · D 30 min / G 20 min Medium intense, garnet-red colour. Vibrant nose shows complex aromas of smoke, liquorice, plums and jammed raspberries. The palate fails to live up to the expectations in the nose. An aggressive palate with austere tannins, pungent acidity, which is highlighted as sour cherry flavours. Short, sour finish. Certainly not a wine to remember. 87p 2000 Château Léoville-Las Cases 2009/2030 · D 12 h / G 3 h Deep and intense ruby colour. The very classic and complex nose is dominated by chocolate, cappuccino, toast and roasted coffee aromas. The fruit is still masked underneath them. The palate is medium-bodied with mouth-drying tannins, balancing acidity and restrained fruitiness. Moderately short finish. The wine has a hidden elegance which does not show yet. To deliver its full potential it needs to age for at least twenty years, if not thirty. 86p 1969 Château Angelus Magnum 2009/now · D 30 min / G 1 h Medium intense brick-red colour. Promising nose with rich aromas of chocolate, pralines, flowers and earthiness. Some vegetal notes, including beetroot. The medium-bodied palate is high in acidity with mouth-drying, gentle tannins. The fruit is very restrained style and it is lacking the dimensions to form an intriguing experience. Short finish. 84p 1970 Château Angelus 2009/2014 · D 1 h / G 1.5 h Medium intense orange-red colour. Peculiar and strange nose for a red wine. Intense, dried yellow fruit aromas and honeyed overtones with mineral nuances. The palate is round and loosely structured with soft tannins, mellow acidity and raisin-like fruitiness. Moderately long one-dimensional finish. This particular wine was pleasant but by no means a great wine. For the great vintage of St-Emilion, the wine was a disappointment, suggesting that we were just unlucky with the bottle. CHÂTEAU ANGELUS ­ St-Emilion 86p 1928 Château Angelus 2009/now · D 30 min / G 45 min Medium-intense tawny colour. The developed nose delivers delicate and complex aromas of leather, chocolate, ash, tobacco and toastiness. Dry and crisp on the palate with dried black fruits. Pronounced mineral and savoury aftertaste is escorted with leathery tones and restrained fruit. The nose promised more than taste delivered. The wine is passed its peak and fading. 89p 1975 Château Angelus 2009/2015 · D 1.5 h / G 1.5 h Moderately light brick-red colour. Pronounced tobacco nose with black fruits and hints of varnish. Firm and fairly intense palate. Good concentration of black fruits, balancing acidity and tannins. Spicy, liquorice finish. Austere style wine that will age gracefully for a few years but will not become more mellow or round. 86p 1949 Château Angelus 2009/now · D 30 min / G 1 h Medium-intense brick-red colour. Partly oxidised nose with smoky and leathery aromas combined with nuts and dried fruits. The medium-bodied palate has a moderately low level of acidity, round tannins and medium-intense black fruit character. Restrained finish with leathery and earthy aftertaste. A one-dimensional wine that is drinking well but retiring slowly. 92p 1982 Château Angelus 2009/2018 · D 2 h / G 3 h Medium intense ruby-red colour. Lovely nose with an intense and rich nose of black fruits, chocolate, spices and violets. Mediumbodied, round and soft palate. Moderately low acidic mouthfeel and mellow tannins. The ripe black fruit aromas are nicely integrated with spicy, chocolate aromas. Moderately long and generous finish. Very appealing wine to drink now but will evolve nicely within the next six to eight years. 87p 1959 Château Angelus 2009/now · D 30 min / G 1 h Moderately intense tawny-red colour. Sweet, rich and spirity nose with liquorice, dark chocolate, and toastiness. Medium-bodied palate with vivid acidity, mellow tannins and restrained, dried fruitiness. The moderately long aftertaste becomes less focused in the end, leaving the taste one-dimensional and less exciting. 93p 1985 Château Angelus 2009/2020 · D 2.5 h / G 3 h Moderately intense garnet-red colour. Fascinating nose with intense meaty and smoky aromas, wild strawberries, brambles and blackcurrants, and even some lead pencil tones. The rich and youthful palate shows a great balance of firm tannins, lively acidity and intense ripe black fruit character. Great length. An opulent and charming wine. 91p 1953 Château Angelus 2009/2012 · D 1 h / G 1.5 h Medium intense brick-red colour. Peculiar nose shows pronounced wild strawberry and raspberry aromas. Firm and fresh palate. Vivid acidity, gentle tannins and charming pure red fruit character. An elegant and unique style of wine with persistent, lingering finish. 92p 1966 Château Angelus 2009/now · D 1.5 / G 2 h Medium intense brick-red colour. Open, complex and seductive nose has smoky, mineral aromas combined with wild black fruits, chocolate and ground pepper. Broad and moderately intense mouthfeel. Sweet fruitiness, mellow tannins and vivid acidity, all in great balance. Long finish with wild black fruit flavours. A lovely wine that is drinking perfectly now. 92p 1989 Château Angelus 2010/2017 · D 2 h / G 3 h Moderately dark tawny colour. Complex, smoky and earthy nose with tobacco, mocha and dark cacao. Medium-bodied, moderate acidity and a concentrated palate with restrained fruit, firm powdery tannins and harmonious finish. Smoky, tobacco and black fruit flavours in long, silky finish. 112 F I N E

90p 1990 Château Angelus 2010/2030 · D 4 h / G 4 h Moderately dark tawny colour. Intense, complex, rich and leathery nose with black currants, cigar box, liquorice and a touch of mint. Medium-bodied, vivid acidity and subtle tannins with a concentrated and elegant taste that closes in the mid-palate. Great potential but in order to reach its ideal drinkability, it will need to be aged for at least ten to fifteen years. 97p 1985 Dom Pérignon Magnum 2009/2020 · D 15 min / G 1 h Golden yellow colour with refined, small bubbles. Rich and seductively toasty nose with roasted coffee and hints of brioche, almonds and dried fruits. Crisp and broad palate, with mouthfilling mousse, shows various flavour layers of dried fruits, butterscotch, roasted coffee and nuts. Intense, long aftertaste. A charming champagne, which will reach its peak within the next five to ten years. 93p 2000 Château Angelus 2009/2030 · D 10 h / G 3 h Deep, dark ruby colour. Intense, refined and seductive nose of ripe cassis, dark chocolate, vanilla and sweet spicy aromas. Full-bodied, supple palate with vivid acidity, round tannins and delicately intense fruit. Black fruit and dark chocolate flavours escort the opulent and long finish. The harmoniously balanced wine has such a pleasant and opulent character that is, despite the young age of the wine, already being delivered and enjoyed. The wine has, however, great potential and will only improve within the next few decades. 89p 1999 Philipponnat Clos des Goisses 2009/2020 · D 30 min / G 1 h Moderately intense straw yellow colour. Intense nose with lovely yeasty character combined with marshmallows and tropical fruits. Dry and broad palate with rich fruit flavours, as well as floral and vanilla aromas in the long and harmonious finish. Drinking well now but has great potential to age for decades. 92p 2003 Château Angelus 2009/2030 · D 10 h / G 3 h Dark ruby colour. Very concentrated and intense nose with loads of ripe black fruits combined with chocolate, vanilla and toasty nuances. Opulent on the palate and richly structured. Intense fruit of ripe black cassis, satiny tannins and balancing acidity. Harmonious oak influence is detected, with gentle spices and toastiness in the lingering, chocolaty aftertaste. Drinking beautifully already but will deliver much more in next ten to fifteen years. 91p 1983 Taittinger Collection "Vieira da Silva" Champagne ­ France 2009/now · D - / G 15 min Slightly hazy, golden yellow colour. Intense, oxidative, nutty, mushroomy and rich toasty nose. Dry, crisp, fresh palate with nice complexity. Long, lingering finish with a nutty and butterscotch character. 90p 1990 Pol Roger Brut Champagne ­ France 2009/2013 · D - / G 1 h Golden colour and vivid bubbles. Developed, elegant nose with dried fruits, brioche and hints of smoke. The dry and crisp palate shows good intense structure. Dried fruit aromas combined with citrus and toasty flavours form a nice balance in the lingering aftertaste. 92p 1907 Heidsieck & Co Monopole Gôut Américan, Champagne ­ France 2010/now · D - / G 30 min Intense, little hazy golden colour. Rich hazelnut nose with preserved yellow fruit, bisquit, caramelised almond and toasty aromas. Medium-sweet intense palate with broad mouthfeel, dried apricots, prunes and lemony tones. Moderately long, nutty finish with hints mineral and smoky tones. Although the wine is lacking the mousse and vividness due to the evaporated carbon dioxide, it is lovely and drinking charmingly still. WHITE WINE Fine and Rare Tasting CHAMPAGNES 90p 2000 Schlossgut Diel Dorsheimer Pittermännchen Riesling Auslese Gold Capsule Nahe ­ Germany 2009/2030 · D 1 h / G 3 h Intense, golden colour. Pronounced botrytis nose with apricot marmalade, honey, lime and floral nuances. Luscious and broad palate with intense texture and light-bodied style. High acidity dries the lingering aftertaste. Harmonious and delicate wine with lovely intensity and concentration, which indicates great future potential. 97p 1961 Dom Pérignon Champagne ­ France 2009/now · D - / G 30 min Intense golden yellow colour with lazy bubbles. Impressive, voluptuous and creamy nose full of toastiness, roasted coffee, ripe apricots with honeyed overtones and autolytic characters. Crisp, dry and broad palate with lovely texture. Vivid, toasty and citrusy flavours with a lingering, long finish. Fresh palate and beautifully evolved flavours. T A S T I N G S 113 F I N E Ta s t i n g s

RED WINES 97p 1982 Château Mouton-Rothschild, Pauillac ­ France 2009/2020 · D 2.5 h / G 2 h Brick-red colour with brown tints. Perfumey, rich and seductive nose with black fruits, toastiness, smoke and ripe fruity nose. Medium-bodied and very subtle palate with vivid acidity, black fruits and silky tannins. Round and harmonious wine with a long, savoury finish. Drinking well now but will evolve and keep for a further 10 to 15 years. 89p 1999 Ridge Montebello, California ­ USA 2010/now · D 3 h / G 2h Medium intense ruby-red colour. Pronounced, perfumey nose with ripe blackcurrants, cedar, smoke and tobacco. Medium-bodied, moderate acidity, supple tannins, with a vivid and fresh palate. Restrained fruitiness with blackcurrants and brambles. Tar and smoky flavours in aftertaste. Elegant and refined, yet restrained in style. 96p 1992 Henri Jayer Vosne-Romanée Cros-Parantoux, Bourgogne - France 2009/2025 · D 3 h / G 3 h Moderately light cherry-red colour with narrow watery rim. Very intense and perfumey nose full of promise. Intense ripe red fruit with lovely toasty aromas, while the medium-bodied palate offers superb, mouthwatering acidic structure. This wine is in great balance with supple tannins and almost jammed fruitiness; still very youthful and elegant and the style is almost new world-like. A very seductive wine with a harmonious finish. 86p 1905 Château Pape Clement, Graves ­ France 2010/now · D 10 min / G 15 min Moderately light, hazy, evolved tawny colour. Pronounced, leathery nose with earthy, tarry and smoky aromas with black olive notes. Medium-intense, moderate acidity, mellow tannins and round mouthfeel. Leathery, savory aftertaste with restrained, dried fruit flavour and a gentle, mouthdrying tannic bite in the end. PORT 94p 1921 Château Ducru-Beaucaillou, St-Julien ­ France 2009/2015 · D 2 h / G 2 h Moderately intense brick-red colour. Youthful nose with classic left bank character of pronounced mint and cassis aromas with hints of toastiness. Rich, medium-bodied wine with mellow acidity and round tannic structure. Very ripe and almost jammed dark fruit. Milk chocolate flavours in the long and lingering finish. Opulent wine with a refined and surprisingly youthful style. 91p 1917 Vintage Port, Douro ­ Portugal 2010/now · D 3 h / G 3 h Hazy, amber colour. Intense, raisiny nose with a touch of burnt wood. Sweet, intense, raisiny fruit, well integrated alcohol and a long vivid finish. A very well-balanced wine with good structure. Not the most complex Port but very appealing. 94p 1971 Côte-Rôtie La Mouline, E.Guigal, Rhône ­ France 2009/now · D 2 h / G 2 h Moderately intense brick-red colour. Evolved, complex, animal nose with toasty, smoky and ripe dried fruit aromas. Broad and vivid palate with full-bodied silky structure formed by supple tannins, intense flavour of dried fruits and mineral nuances. Chocolate and toasty coffee flavours escort the long and harmonious finish. Seductive wine that is drinking superbly now. 91p 1958 DRC Romanée-Conti, Bourgogne ­ France 2010/now · D 30 min / G 1 h Moderately pale brown colour. Evolved, complex and earthy nose with smoke, leather and violet tones. Medium-bodied palate, delicate mouthfeel formed by refined tannins, vivid acidity and dried red fruit character. Lingering finish with a touch of woody tannins. Still a very appealing and elegant wine. 91p 1943 Château Cheval Blanc, St-Emilion ­ France 2010/now · D 30 min / G 45 min Hazy, brownish colour. The rich nose is very wild with leather, animal, smoke, sweet dried fruits and earthy tones. The mediumbodied palate is subtle, with a silky structure and lingering finish. Dried fruits and earthiness are predominant in the savoury aftertaste. A truly appealing wine from a difficult vintage. 114 F I N E

T a s t i n g s 115 F I N E Ta s t i n g s

8 FINE

Stuart George reviews the fine wine market for the first quarter of 2010. T he green shoots that began to sprout in the global economy late in 2009 started to blossom and bear fruit in the first quarter of 2010. On an annualised basis, the US economy posted growth of 5.7 per cent for the last quarter of 2009. Goldman Sachs's net earnings for the first quarter of 2010 were $3.46 billion, up from $1.8 billion for the first three months of 2009. BP's first quarter profits rose to £3.6 billion, more than double those of a year earlier ­ though these have been severely dented by events in the Gulf of Mexico. General Motors reported its first quarterly profit since 2007. In the UK, the New Year began with the country emerging from the steepest recession and harshest winter for many years. Lloyds Banking Group, which is 41 per cent owned by the UK government, returned to profit. The charmed sunset The results of Sotheby's Hong Kong auction on January 23 were so good that the room must have been glowing afterwards ­ the HK$52.9 million / US$6.78 million total was Sotheby's highest ever for a single-day wine sale. The ten-hour auction saw a six-litre Impériale of Lafite 1982 make HK$363 000 / US$47 190 (estimate HK$140 000­ 200 000). Pétrus prices were as tall as Hong Kong's Central Plaza: two magnums of the 1982 sold for HK$360 000 / US$46 800, nearly three times the high estimate. At Acker Merrall & Condit's Hong Kong sale on January 29, a dozen Lafite 1982 went for HK$300 000 / US$39 000 (HK$240 000­320 000). Acker Merrall also offered what it claimed to be "the single largest consignment of Henri Jayer wines ever to appear at any auction", a 69-lot collection from the cellar of Henri Jayer's US distributor Martine Saunier. The prices were incredible and recalled the Lotos-eater days of 2007/8. For example, six bottles of Richebourg 1978 achieved HK$680 000 / US$87 628 (estimate HK$360 000­480 000). Demolition man Hart Davis Hart of Chicago also held an auction on January 29. DRC estimates were demolished here: five bottles of the unfashionable ­ though good for the year ­ Romanée-Conti 1991 made $40 000 ($18 000­28 000). Similar estimate-busting results were seen at AUCTION REPORT 9 F I N E In v e s t i n g

FINE WINE AUCTION REPORT 2010 1st QUARTER Zachys' March Hong Kong sale and Sotheby's March auction of Lloyd Flatt's cellar, which included old bottles of DRC and Bouchard Père & Fils. The London-based fine wine exchange Liv-ex reported that turnover in January, which is usually a quiet month for the wine trade, was up sixty per cent year on year, though January 2009 was arguably the lowest point of the global recession, when the fine wine market was as jammed as a Toyota accelerator. The Liv-ex 100 Fine Wine Index, which represents the monthly price movement of 100 of the most sought-after fine wines, rose by 2.7 per cent, the largest monthly increase in almost a year making it only eight per cent below its June 2008 high. At 3.3 per cent, the greater rise of the Liv-ex Claret Chip, which is based solely on the Médoc First Growths, suggested that Lafite was outperforming the market. At auctions and elsewhere, its prices floated upwards like the ash from Eyjafjallajökull. The London and Hong Kong merchant Bordeaux Index received a single order for Lafite worth £200 000 and sold over £8 million of fine wines in January, 72 per cent higher than its 2009 monthly sales average of £4.7million. Whatever happened to that quiet January? The not so dirty dozen At Sotheby's London on February 17, Lafite 1986 went to £10 500 (£8000­10 000), though the post-sale press releases were more concerned with 10 FINE

a Melchior of Cheval Blanc 2006 that made £14 000, nearly three times its high estimate. It was sold to VinumXtremus LLC, which bid on behalf of "a major Korea-based collector." At Zachys' February 26­27 sale in Hong Kong, a 12-lot parcel of original wooden cases of Lafite 1982 went round the Mandarin Oriental hotel like a Mexican wave. The most valuable of these twelve lots was No. 142, which made HK$340 000 / US$43 045 (HK$200 000­360 000) ­ the highest price for this wine at auction since the $45 000 bid at Acker Merrall & Condit's November 2009 Hong Kong sale. Altogether the dozen lots totalled HK$ 3 720 000 / US$480 000 (total estimate HK$2 400 000­4 320 000), an average of $40 000 per case. Allowing for exchange rates, with the US dollar relatively weak against the Hong Kong dollar, North American prices remained just behind those of Hong Kong. Christie's sold a dozen Lafite 1982 in New York on February 27 for $38 000 ($26 000­35 000). But the four bottles of Romanée-Conti 1990 that fetched $65 000 ($40 000­60 000) said even more about where the fine wine market was and where it might be going. Pro rata, this price was equivalent to its peak of $195 000 a case in May 2008, when Acker Merrall sold it at an estimate of HK$1 440 000­1 920 000, equivalent now to US$187 200­249 600, or $62 400­83 200 per four bottles. Christie's played relatively safe but the price achieved in New York might see estimates for DRC and other wines pushed back up to 2008 levels. The Liv-ex 100 Fine Wine Index rose three per cent in February, making it almost six per cent up since the start of 2010, with a year on year increase of 19.5 per cent ­ almost enough to cover the buyer's premium at a New York or Hong Kong auction! The Claret Chip rose by 3.6 per cent, making February 2010 the eleventh straight month of increases for these indices and giving total returns since March 2009 of 20.9 per cent for the Liv-ex 100 and 25.4 per cent for the Claret Chip. Lafite 2000 accelerated by nine per cent and moved above £15 000 per case for the first time, an increase of 85 per cent in only one year. Highs and lows Lafite lots flew through auction rooms during the first three months of the year like the sandstorm that swept through Beijing in late March. But the 1982's price was relatively becalmed by the end of this first quarter, with bids staying below $40 000. Four cases of the `82 were offered at Hart Davis Hart on March 22, all of which made $38 000 ($28 000­42 000), and a full case made HK$300 000 / US$39 000 ($240 000­320 000) at Acker Merrall & Condit's sale on March 26­27, over thirteen per cent below this quarter's highest price of HK$340 000 / US$43 045. Nonetheless, Lafite 1982 has rebounded from a low of $18 000 in March 2009, when the fine wine market was as cracked as the Liberty Bell. It has more than doubled in price in one year. Acker also claimed a "world record" for a Lafite "superlot" of seventy bottles spanning selected vintages from 1799­2003. Estimated to sell at HK$ 1 000 000­1 400 000, it brought in HK$2 100 000 / $273 000. The claimed record was for a single Lafite lot sold at auction. There were further signs of returning strength at Zachys' La Paulée Auction on March 12. At the equivalent sale in 2009, twelve bottles of La Tâche 1990 sold for $30 000 ($24 000­38 000). Here, eight bottles sold at $24 000 ($20 000­32 000), or $36 000 per dozen pro rata. Although this was still a long way from the $60 000 achieved by Sotheby's in April 2008, it was further evidence that prices were on an upward trajectory. The $50 000 bequest Liv-Ex Exchange turnover in the first three months of 2010 was up 73 per cent on the same period last year and 39 per cent higher than in the last quarter of 2009. The first quarter of 2010 saw the Liv-ex 100 increase by 11.7 per cent to reach a new all-time peak, passing the previous high seen in June 2008. The Claret Chip achieved a fourteen per cent rise over the quarter, which pushed it above the 300-point barrier for the first time. Bordeaux Index's turnover for Q1 was sixty per cent up on the same period in 2009. Doubtless this figure was helped by AUCTION REPORT 11 F I N E In v e s t i n g

FINE WINE AUCTION REPORT 2010 1st QUARTER the £45 000 sale of a Pétrus '82 Impériale to a "Hong Kong fine wine collector", the most expensive single bottle ever sold by the company in its 13-year existence. The least expensive ­ one hesitates to say cheapest ­ vintage of Lafite, 1991, was now traded at close to £5000 / US$6000 / ¤4700 on Liv-ex. Predictions of Lafite's price collapsing have been as exaggerated as reports of Mark Twain's death. He went on to write The $30 000 Bequest and Other Stories; Lafite 1982 looked sure to reach $50 000 before 2010 ended. The tiger's breath As it says in the Book of Changes, a Chinese classical text: "Without the breath of the tiger there will be no wind, only clouds, and certainly no rain." Despite the economic downturn, China said that it was targeting economic growth of eight per cent in 2010. Its economy is likely to grow by more than nine per cent this year, in contrast to the sub-par economic recovery of the USA and Europe. As shown by the results outlined above, more and more fine wine is being bought and sold in Asia. The combined US$28 501 810 (including premiums) tally of the four auctions held in Hong Kong this quarter was greater than that of the eight conducted in the United States, which totalled US$24 343 625. More lots were sold at US auctions than in Hong Kong but at a much-reduced value ­ $2741 to $7149. Andrew Caillard MW, Fine Wine Principal of the Australian wine auction house Langton's, observed: "The overall secondary market is generally very buoyant. There is even a touch of speculation and excitement reminiscent of a boom market. However, there is a cool breeze that wafts through the warmth. It will take only a new bout of bad economic news to bring back uncertainty. With Greece in trouble, countries like Portugal and Ireland in near-default and the UK in splendid denial, it looks like the centre of the fine wine world is moving towards Asia. The `go for gold' policy of the top wine auction houses has resulted in extraordinary price realisations and an almost obsessive reliance on Chinese billionaires ­ and ilk ­ in pulling the fine wine market out of an economic quagmire." But fine wine merchants and auctioneers should not presume that the Chinese will always spend money. An Indonesian auction in early May of treasures recovered from a tenth century Chinese shipwreck failed to attract a single bidder ­ though perhaps potential buyers were deterred by the US$16 million deposit required to bid. At the end of 2010's first quarter the fine wine market "basks and purrs" like one of Emily Dickinson's volcanoes. A brighter economic outlook has brought more liquidity into the secondary wine market, which has recovered remarkably quickly ­ at the top of the market, at any rate. Catalogues are starting to bulge, even if there are fewer sales than in previous years. However, with big money again starting to flutter around stock exchanges, there is a danger of bankers reverting to the recrudescent behaviour that scuppered the global economy. The threat of another eruption is ever-present. > 12 FINE

AUCTION REPORT 13 F I N E In v e s t i n g

Krug Textandphotos:PekkaNuikki hatisthebestchampagneofalltime?Inmyopinion,thisisaquestionforwhichthereisnooneanswer.Andyetso manywinemagazinearticleswrittenbysomanywineexpertsstilltrytofindtheultimateansweryearafteryear. It's a question that seems to have a different "right" answer every time, depending on who is doing the questioning and when. This is a question whose reasonableness--or even necessity-- might have numerous points of view. It is also a question for which, I believe, no one else but the person asking it could possibly provide the right answer. The answer you invariably find is entirely subjective--all others are virtually meaningless. In my own case, I found that ultimate answer in a cosy showroom at the Krug champagne house, where I was privileged to join Rémi Krug for a taste of one of the world's most rarest and most famous champagnes--the Krug 1928. The champagne was perfection itself, quite likely the finest champagne I have ever tasted. But is it the best champagne of all time? For me it most certainly is! The tasting alone put the Krug 1928 at the top of my personal list, and when this experience was further expanded and deepened by the many chapters of the Krug 1928's history, told to me by Rémi as we savoured this ambrosia, there was no room for any doubt. 14 F I N E

K r u g 1 9 2 8 15 FINE Vintage

16 F I N E

SurplusKrug Tinyglasses - In those days Krug's primary market was England--especially for Krug Vintage--and England's top wine merchants usually ordered and paid for an allocated amount of Krug vintage at an early stage; that is to say, right after bottling and long before delivery. This is largely the same practice used today with en primeur purchases in Bordeaux. Indeed, English merchants purchased the 1928 vintage at a very bad time, just when the economic crash of 1929 affected livelihoods and there was even the threat of war looming on the horizon. The high expectations that experts had for this rare vintage, the Krug reputation, the lack of good vintages from the beginning of the 1920s and the limited availability of the Krug 1928 made it a major commercial success. ­ When war broke out in 1939, our cellars still held a large quantity of lots already paid for by the English, so my grandfather Joseph very wisely decided to buy them back in order to save them from falling into German hands. When the war ended, he offered the wines he had saved to the original buyers, but some of them no longer wanted the entire quantity of this vintage, instead opting for a partial or whole substitution with a later vintage (1937). So, my grandfather kept the "surplus" (what a strange word to use for a Krug!) for himself. This is why we've been able to enjoy this one-of-a-kind vintage and follow its development! Rémi was also kind enough to tell me a bit about his own, personal recollections of the 1928 Krug: ­ I got my first taste of the 1928 at my grandfather's house, where each of the five grandchildren took turns visiting for lunch every week, each on our own day. My day was Thursday. Because the middle of the week was free at that time in France, I got to stay at my grandparents' house after lunch and listen to stories about their lives, our family, the town and the wars - this was something about which they had a lot to say! ­ At lunch I always got a small drop of Krug in a tiny children's champagne flute as well as Bordeaux. This is how I found most of the Bordeaux I adore. The Krug was, naturally, a Grand Cuvée, but once or twice a year we got to enjoy the famous Krug 1928. I can still remember the rich, tender, enchanting magic in those few drops of divine nectar from my childhood. ­ Later, when I started working for Krug in 1965, I was allowed to join my father and Henri on those special occasions, when a bottle was opened and shared with guests. This might have happened once a year, so these occasions were not to be missed - or forgotten. On one such occasion, we were tasting two bottles of Krug 1928 with Serena Sutcliffe and David Peppercorn; one of the bottles was from my grandfather's stores and it was corked before the war in 1939. The other bottle's second corking was done at the end of the 1940s. The tasting was completely blind ­ we didn't even say what Krug we were drinking. Naturally Serena and David recognised these as being the same wines, and found a bit more vivaciousness and passion in, as it turned out, the wine whose bottle had been corked before the war; yet another demonstration of our long-standing "apathy" regarding the importance of a second corking. "Icanstillremembertherich,tender, enchantingmagicin thosefewdropsof divinenectarfrom mychildhood." K r u g 1 9 2 8 17 FINE Vintage

JoiedeVivre ­ I'd like to close with a very personal and cherished anecdote: At the end of the 1960s, when my grandfather, Joseph Krug, was approaching the venerable age of 100, he summoned Henri and me to ask how much Krug 1928 he had left in his personal stores. When we told him, he proclaimed: "Well boys, I know I'm supposed to be cutting down on my drinking, but when I turn 100 we are going to have a big party and drink all of that Krug 1928­right down to the last drop! I was stunned, but overjoyed by this proclamation! Here was a man who Krug1928 Decanted 10 minutes. Refined, golden and youthful colour. Surprisingly fresh and open nose­exceptionally lively, intensive, but at the same time almost diaphanous. A rich, soulful wine. Still very "young" and extremely layered, creamy and fruity. A tender, fresh, but sturdy and rich wine, whose extremely long-lasting, intensive aftertaste tingled in my mouth for an extraordinarily long time. This wine is positively loaded with individuality. Retained its character in the glass beautifully and just got better and better with time. This has got to be the best champagne ever made-- or am I just imagining things? Does it really matter? Taste and appearance both deserve 100+ points. What more could I possibly add? An absolutely perfect wine, whose magic transforms a transient moment into an unforgettable memory. (PN) tasted three times, last in 2008 101 points was very old in years, but very young at heart, still possessing such joie de vivre that he was prepared to give up this extremely valuable wine in one fell swoop, while most people hold on tightly, guarding their treasures jealously as they aged. What a lesson in youth it was for us all! This reinforced my belief that even the most magnificent wine is nothing if it can't be enjoyed and shared. That the only things worth collecting and keeping are the memories of those epiphanous experiences when the magic of a Krug, just like the magic of an Yquem, a Pétrus, Shakespeare, Mozart or Charlie Parker, transforms a transient moment into an unforgettable memory. ­ The sad part of this story is that we never did get to have that big party­my grandfather passed away a few months after this, just shy of his 99th birthday, thus leaving us those precious bottles to enjoy. But I shall never forget that moment and what it really meant. 18 F I N E

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14 F I N E NO WINE BEFORE ITS TIME

No Wine Before Its Time E ver dreamed of having a wine cellar in your home? As our fascination with wine continues to grow, home wine cellars are becoming increasingly popular among wine lovers the world over. Varying from simple utilitarian storage to elaborate beautiful rooms, we can entertain in as well as store our prized collection. Having your wine collection close at hand has many rewards and advantages. text: Perry Sims, author of; "The Home Wine Cellar" photos: John Rickard While providing for your personal enjoyment now, a custom wine cellar also adds value to your home for the future. Add to that the convenience of having quality, properly aged wine readily accessible at home. On a larger scale, a wine room in the home can also become a gathering place for friends and family alike. The ambiance in the wine cellar can add an exciting if not romantic element to our entertaining. Security and protection of ones valuable fluid investment is another important advantage. C O L L E C T I N G 15 Fi n e C o l l e c t i n g FINE Collecting

How do we know which wines will profit from an extended stay in the cellar? While many wines today are made in a style that is meant to be consumed sooner than in previous vintages, most wines will improve with some age. Certainly some are better suited for aging than others. Most white wines, with the exception of some white Burgundies and Chablis, are best consumed within a few years of release, while most robust reds will benefit from one to as much as more than twenty years of proper storage to reach optimal maturity. During the aging process, the wine's unique compounds change and integrate, to form the characteristics, (taste, aromas, colors, texture etc.) of each individual wine. How do we know which wines will profit from an extended stay in the cellar? And how long should we age an individual wine? Probably the most consistent factor in determining the age worthiness of a particular wine is it's pedigree. A producer's track record for making wines to lie down is the easiest and often surest method. Another factor would be a particular vintage's character and concentration. Varietals and appellations-down to certain vineyards themselves, can also be factors. Another aid in identifying a wine's potential is to find a wine writer whose tastes are in line with those of your own, and take their advice to heart, at least until you feel comfortable with your advancing abilities and palate. In general, robust, deep ruby red colored, tannic, yet well balanced wines will perform best in the cellar. With time the budding wine enthusiast will not only be more confident with these decisions, but will discover within his or her own tastes how much age they prefer on their wine. the proper environment for the controlled aging process for our precious wines. You will be well rewarded in the long run with properly and gracefully aged wines consumed at their peak of maturity. There are many influences that threaten to harm our wines. Heat, temperature fluctuations, air contact, light and vibration are most often the main culprits of our valued wine's demise. Of these, the primary destructive force would be heat, or more often, temperature fluctuations. As virtually any chemical reaction is accelerated by the addition of heat, rapid maturation is going to follow. When not stored in a controlled environment, the temperature can spike up, and drop down again many times over the life of the wine, or even in a given day. Each of these "cycles" will aid in the ruin of our prized collectable. As the liquid heats it expands, pushing air out through the cork. As it cools again the receding liquid pulls fresh, oxygen laden air back into the bottle, therefore re-oxygenating the wine. Which brings us to the next abusive influence, air contact. When air comes in contact with wine, it will oxidize the alcohol and begin changing it to vinegar. Light can also help to destroy wine. Photochemical reactions will accelerate and otherwise alter the normal and desirable aging process. Lastly on our list of undesirables would be vibration. This too will cause a wine's maturation rate to increase, and distort the preferable chemical reactions of slow, graceful, proper aging. Now that we know what to look out for, how do we avoid these damaging interactions with our wines? We just need to build a cellar with; consistent, optimum temperature (typically between 55­ 60 Fo/13-16 Co), that does not have constant or excessive light, has little or no vibration and has ample humidity ( in the 55­75 percent range). Sounds easy right? Not so fast ! I wrote a complete book on this subject and could still not completely cover every possible scenario. I could not begin to cover all aspects of the actual construction in an article of this size. If you are one of the lucky few that already has a facility that meets all of How big is your collection? The scale and style of an individual's wine cellar may mirror the devotion to their wine collecting hobby. For some, a large lavish cellar to store and showcase their wine would be in order. For others, a more utilitarian cellar, with the primary emphasis on the proper environment for wine storage would suffice. One collector may want a capacity of thousands of bottles, while another would be content with a few hundred. Whatever direction your personal desires and needs take you, the common denominator is creating 16 F I N E

the above criteria, i.e.; (basement, cave etc.), you're all set! For the other 95 percent, you will most likely have to create a conditioned space to comply with the needs for a proper cellar. So just what does it take to create this specialized condition? While there are as many potential variables as there are individuals, there are some consistent requirements to achieve this objective. A few points to consider when choosing a site for your future cellar would be -Space requirements for your anticipated collection, be realistic here, collections can grow rapidly. Do you wish to have a room large enough to congregate in with a few, or many friends? -Convenience, having your wines within easy reach, from close proximity of the areas in your home you gather and entertain in, is a real plus. You might even want to showcase the cellar from these high profile areas via insulated glass doors, and windows. -Minimum temperature variation. When practical, choose a location that will be easier to keep at a cool, constant, set temperature, to avoid excessive energy consumption and the likelihood of cooling system stress and malfunction. Obviously here, the basement, if you should have one, would be a better choice than an attic location. -Accessability for mechanical system. Be sure it is practical to get any necessary refrigeration equipment and required electrical service to the site. Racking system. Now that you have selected a site for your new wine room, there are many items that should be addressed during the construction or remodeling phase of the project. If the project is a remodel cellar, you will likely have to remove all of the wall covering (drywall or the like), to access the framework for the vapor barrier, insulation, electrical needs etc. It is important that there be a vapor barrier installed on the "warm side" of the insulated cavity, or wall. C O L L E C T I N G 17 Fi n e C o l l e c t i n g FINE Collecting

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There are many ways to achieve this, (plastic sheeting, foil backed rigid insulation, a foil-heat reflective barrier, spray foam, bubble-foil, even a vapor proof paint coating), the most important things to remember are that the barrier be as uninterrupted as possible, and that it is on the WARM side of the insulation. This is the time to make any framing modifications, and to rough in any refrigeration equipment, and electrical needs. Then the new wall covering can go on, and although the humidity in the room is not extremely high, it is wise to use a moisture resistant wall covering. Next use a high quality enamel paint, (only if there is a properly installed vapor barrier), and any decorative finishes to your tastes. For the flooring, generally some type of hard surface (tile, stone, concrete, brick etc.), works best. The most functional lighting is some sort of track light. With one, small penetration, we can have many adjustable heads for our task and accent lighting as well. Accent lighting is most easily accomplished with rope light. Although much more costly there is now an L.E.D. rope lighting that generates less heat. Pendant fixtures and wall sconces add a nice effect. All lighting, with the possible exception of the rope lighting, should be on a dimmer to adjust the amount of light, and consequently heat. The door should be insulated and weatherstripped on all four edges. If it is glass, it should be dual pane for insulation and to keep from "sweating." Any windows should be treated the same, and be at least dual pane, if not triple for very large expanses of glazing. Then there is the most visible, and very important part of the cellar equation, the racking system. There are countless styles, types, arrangements, designs, quality levels, price points and materials to choose from when it comes to racking options. Capacity, aesthetics, displays, counter tops, lighting, rack height etc. are design specific items. I personally prefer the majority of the racking system to consist of C O L L E C T I N G 19 FINE Collecting

the individual bottle variety. For most private home collections this type of rack makes the most sense. With the single bottle rack, if you have one bottle or a full case, the organization is simple. Also, this type of racking is the most earthquake resistant, if you live in an earthquake prone area. Bin style racks that hold a full case of loose bottles are another option. Adding a small percentage of this type is fine, but for most collectors, you would not want to use too many in your design. This style makes sense if all of your wine is in full cases (highly unlikely), if not, you will be forced to stack one type or vintage wine on top of other mixed selections in the same cubicle. Another drawback to the bin or case racks is where you use the Burgundy type of bottle, (i.e. Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Champagne, Rhone, and many Syrah brands), as these bottles have a tapered shape, and can slide right out of the bin on their own. Racking that extends the full depth of the bottle is preferable so the necks of the bottles do not stick out past the racking. These are but a few suggestions for the racking design. There just would not be enough space here to cover all of the racking possibilities. system. Split evaporator systems, which have two parts, the evaporator in the cellar, and the condensing unit located remotely via refrigeration lines to the outside or another mechanical area. This is the system I will use most often. The main advantage of this type of unit is we can get the noise and heat out of the house, and there are no obtrusive elements outside the cellar to have to look at. Split refrigeration systems require a professional to install and service, and therefore will cost more than the simple self contained units, but well worth it in most situations. Self contained, through the wall units are the least desirable and least expensive type of system. They vent through a wall common to an adjacent, conditioned, (or within about 25 degrees temperature differential of your desired cellar temperature, or, T.D.), location, that must be of equal or greater size than the cellar you are cooling to dissipate the heat. Drawbacks to this type of system are they can be quite noisy, they are not aesthetically pleasing, and vent heat into the adjacent room. On the plus side, if your conditions allow for these negative aspects, these systems are easy to install, and have simple electrical requirements as well. So wether you are an investment minded collector, or someone who only occasionally lays down a few bottles, the benefits of proper storage are obvious. One becomes spoiled by drinking even moderate red wines with a little time in the cellar. It may be difficult to "swallow" the current release vintages after having a cellar and drinking your wines at their full potential. Wines with softened, silky, integrated tannins that won't bite your head off. Maturity and complexity that only comes with age. Let's pop open a 25-year-old Bordeaux, or a 15-year-old Cab and celebrate! Heart of your cellar. The cooling system you choose is the "heart" of your cellar. Today there are many choices to consider. It must match the size of your room, the cooling capacity required, the size of your collection and the installation requirements. Here is a bullet list showing the pros and cons of each type of system; Air handler systems, are the duckted units where all the machinery is located outside the cellar, therefore eliminating all the noise and visual distractions, inside the home and cellar. The units can be split systems with the remote condenser located some distance away if desired. This is the top of the line system and the cost will be proportionately higher than a standard split 20 F I N E

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P e r f e c t i o n 76 FINE i n c o m f o r t Text: Meri Kukkavaara Photos: A m a n New De l h i Picture yourself able to travel and stay in hotels without restrictions. Let your imagination run wild and make a list of all the things you would appreciate in the accommodation you choose for your journey. High on my list would be appreciative and sensitive service, a beautiful and harmonious environment and a complete experience in an aesthetic and environmentally respectful location. In addition, I would want the opportunity to spoil myself with completely luxurious pampering treatments and excellent food.

AMAN 77 FINE Lifestyle

78 FINE FROM THE START, AMANRESORTS HAS AVOIDED LARGE SIZE AND VOLUME. INSTEAD IT VALUES THE NOTIONS OF SMALL, CHARMING AND INTIMATE

The Dutch-Indonesian entrepreneur Adrian Zecha has created sites around the world that probably fulfil the wishes on most people's lists. He believes that it is possible to build environmentally friendly holiday resorts that feed visitors' aesthetic yearnings while offering peace, quiet and wonderful experiences thanks to their small size and complete services. That philosophy led to the creation of Amanresorts. Amanresorts believes that small things can be great and that less can be more. environment and culture. Some of the recurring characteristics at all Amanresorts are simplicity and consideration for the local culture. NEW DELHI'S PEARL On my recent journey to India I had the chance to visit Aman New Delhi. Divided into old and new sections, Delhi is India's second most populous city with around 14 million inhabitants. It contains a rich combination of modernity and historic sights. Old Delhi was PLACE OF PEACE built, surrounded by thick walls, in 1638, at the behest of the Great Mughals, or moguls. It In just over two decades, Amanresorts has served as the capital of the Mughal Empire and grown to comprise 24 individual resorts in 15 as the home of the royal court, artists, tradesmen countries. The first resort was the result of a and all levels of society. Delhi offers visitors a happy coincidence. Zecha was searching for a breathtakingly eclectic window into India, with home for himself in Phuket, Thailand, when he its people, animals, bazaars, monuments and, especially, traffic. Amid this throbbing activity, came upon a beautiful coconut grove. He Aman New Delhi is like a beautiful closed pearl realised that the time and place were right to oyster in a stormy sea. open a small luxury hotel respecting the beauty of the Completed in 2009, Aman O F F E R S New Delhi was designed by site, and this led to the D E L H I construction of the first VISITORS A BREATH- Australian architect Kerry Amanresort, named Hill. The clean lines of the Amanpuri ("place of peace"). TAKINGLY ECLECTIC hotel beautifully incorporate It was opened in January 1988. traditional Indian ornaments. WINDOW TO INDIA The rooms and suites are From the start, Amanresorts elegant and unpretentiously has avoided large size and luxurious. Gorgeous stone floors are covered volume. Instead it values the notions of small, with skilfully handmade rugs that echo the charming and intimate. In this way it can offer rooms' sophisticated earthy colour palette. its guests personal service and individualised Traditional Jali screens provide privacy on experiences. It responds to the wishes of guests hoping for a high-quality lifestyle while valuing terraces and balconies, and their delightful, sustainable choices and thirsting for experiences ornamental shadows are integrated into the of diverse cultures. Aman's guests are pampered interior design. The transition between rooms in a creative and beautiful environment, and the and balconies or terraces is seamless, through concept seamlessly involves opportunities for large windows. The outer areas with their luxurious spa treatments. couches provide a wonderful setting for a lazy Located all around the world, Amanresorts afternoon nap. I was very impressed by the are similar yet different. The main similarity is room's own 5m x 5m swimming pool on the the level of service: this is the basic pillar on balcony: what a luxury in the heart of a hot which everything else rests. The differences lie metropolis! in the actual stay, as the experience varies Aman New Delhi, just like the other Amanresorts, offers its guests tailored depending on the location. Zecha believes that experiences near by. Delhi has plenty to see and most important factors in addition to service are the hotels' design and the aesthetic elements to do, from picturesque markets to countless arising from their environment. All sites are pretty parks, monuments, temples, mosques located in places of great natural beauty, making and other sights. Aman New Delhi's guests have at their disposal an Ambassador car with a the surroundings an essential aspect of the resort's aesthetics. However, every resort is chauffeur, as Aman has acquired a whole fleet completely different; they are designed by of these luxury cars that were designed after the Second World War and that were once such an different architects to perfectly suit the AMAN 79 FINE Lifestyle

AMAN Although the wine was originally made to please just one man, EugèneAimé Salon, he was not alone in his integral part of the Indian cityscape. With their refurbished retro interiors, they now provide Aman guests with a waft of old Delhi. Delhi can also be explored on foot, with Aman's own guides specialising in architecture, history, culture and art to introduce you to the ancient city. PLEASURE FOR THE PALATE Aman New Delhi's restaurants serve dishes made with care and skill, ranging from classic cuisine to the exotic, not forgetting the local culinary traditions. The Aman Restaurant menu changes often and comprises Indian, Asian and European cuisine. The kitchen uses fresh, organic vegetables directly from Aman's own gardens. Next to the restaurant is the Naoki counter, which specialises in French kaiseki. It combines the finest techniques of French cuisine with Japanese artistry in composing dishes. Wine enthusiasts will be pleased with the extensive Lounge wine list, with hundreds of 80 FINE

N wines from a number of hand-picked producers from around the world ­ the oldest dating as far back as 1944. Further familiarisation with the wines is possible in the wine cellar and its intimate tasting room. A most interesting interior can be found at the Lodhi Restaurant, which is split into three levels: the relaxed tapas lounge on the lower level and a Mediterranean restaurant on two levels above. The large windows on the lower level open onto the large pool that reflects the sky. Upstairs, the focal point is the open kitchen with its wood-fired oven. One challenge for the development of the restaurants' wine selection arises from the Indian culture, which has not traditionally involved wine. Australian-born Kavita Faiella, Cellar Master at Aman New Delhi, explains: "When you are in a city that doesn't have a strong wine culture and you can't rely on importers putting something new in front of you each week, as a sommelier, you kind of need to do a lot of the legwork. Keeping up to date via the internet with various wine blogs and magazine websites is really important, otherwise it is so easy to lose touch. I think it is a good thing how the social media is becoming such an important element of the wine world. Here at AMAN FINE Lifestyle 81

Wine cellar with members' cabinet Aman, we source 70 per cent of our wines ourselves. It is not only about finding good wine for the list, but also introducing producers. The best thing about wine in Delhi is that because the wine drinking culture is in its adolescence, no stigmas exist, it is just as easy to sell bottle of Spanish Albarino as a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. Because of this we are able to list and sell some really interesting wines, everything from Txacolina from the Basque Country to Greek Rosé from Kiriyani. It is all just about experimentation here in India at the moment, which is nice." INNOVATIVE WINE PROGRAMME The Amanresorts Wine and Spirits Programme works with many vineyards, making it possible for the resorts to offer some of the world's most desirable wines. Aman New Delhi's house wines include a Cabernet Sauvignon from the famous Torres Mas La Plana estate, a dry Scalabrone Rosé from the Antinori Guado al Tasso estate in Bolgheri and champagne from Jacquesson, which was once a favourite of Napoleon. Some wine producers have bottled wines especially for Aman as extensions of their own brands. In New Delhi, every room has a Cellar Master Kavita Faielle half-bottle of Krug champagne and a StEstèphe wine from Château Cos d'Estournel, bottled exclusively for Amanresorts. Faiella describes their cooperation with the Bordeaux estate: "Château Cos d'Estournel's JeanGuillaume Prats has a very positive attitude towards our wine programme and is happy to work with us. St-Estèphe is a wine that has actually been created together with Prats. We have sampled the barrels together and influenced the final blend for our cuvée. Working with India comes naturally to him ­ after all, the founder of the estate, Louis Gaspard d'Estournel, was fascinated by India and all things Indian and was known as the Maharaja of St-Estèphe!" Beside the Cos d'Estournel partnership, Champagne Salon has created three exclusive wines for Aman. Thanks to this one may find three vintages of custom-disgorged Salon Blanc de Blancs champagne from 1983, 1988 and 1990. Amanresorts has also gained access to some estates' private cellars and oenotheques, whose unique offerings contribute an interesting depth to their wine selections. Thanks to the wine programme, Amanresort guests can book in advance to visit partnering vineyards, châteaux and homes around the world. The programme works with more than 250 wine 82 FINE

Private plunge pool and spirit brands, including Champagne Salon, Domaine Leroy, Fisher Vineyards, Martin Miller's Gin and Duncan Taylor Single Cask Rare Scotch Whiskeys. The Austrian glassmaker Riedel is another partner. Faiella takes me to the hotel's stylish wine cellar and tells me about certain wine projects that are under way at Aman New Delhi: "In October we will launch a new Wine Club. It will involve personal wine cabinets for members in our cellar, as well as activities and events. The club is really just about trying to bring the wine drinking people of Delhi together. There is already a good core of wine drinkers established in the city who appreciate wine and want to learn more about it. By working with these people we will hopefully encourage more people in the city to embrace wine." In India, wine is subject to high taxes, a burden which Faiella hopes will be alleviated in the near future. "Until this happens I think it will be hard to see wine become a part of the culture, as we have seen in Hong Kong for example." Another new project is the Women's Wine Circle, a concept that I would be happy to see more widely circulated. When I ask Faiella which of her current tasks she is most excited about, she replies: "All of them, really. Being involved in developing something new is really inspiring. The wine culture is in its early stages in India, so we can start all of our projects with a clean slate. That really requires an energetic pioneering spirit!" HEAVENLY RELAXTION Another very special element of Aman New Delhi is the lavish and beautiful spa. India is known for its ancient Ayurvedic well-being traditions, and the Aman Spa offers timehonoured Indian treatments combined with contemporary therapies. There is also a wide selection of high-class cosmetic and body treatments for men and women, as well as prestigious hair and beauty studio. The spacious and elegant wellness area includes two traditional hammam baths and a bamboo orchard for relaxation. In the sheltered garden, the hotel's architecture is mirrored in the surface of a 50-metre swimming pool. I was attracted to the idea of trying out various traditional therapies, so I opted for a treatment combining many different techniques. The Aman Spa provides thorough training for its staff, and you can really tell. I was placed in the skilled hands and extremely calm care of Sukanti, a young Indian spa therapist. At the end of the treatment, I felt light and full of peace. The relaxing package involved Reiki, craniosacral-style gentle pressure, deep tissue massage, shiatsu, Thai stretching, relaxing massage, third eye opening and several hot Amanresorts has also gained access to some estates' private cellars and oenotheques, whose unique offerings contribute an interesting depth to their wine selections. AMAN 83 FINE Lifestyle

towels placed on the body. It was heavenly. I was plunged into timelessness. The Aman Spa treatments are designed by Aman's in-house Spa manager and they provide a completely unique experience: the client is lulled by music composed specifically for each treatment, and the therapists use specially made oils that are not only therapeutic but also that caress the senses. The treatment room is beautiful. It is really a luxurious and sophisticated relaxation room, with generous amounts of space and natural lighting that filters in fetchingly through bamboo shoots. This amazing space crowns the spa experience. Amanresorts' founder Adrian Zecha has a simple philosophy: to offer an unprecedented, stress-free, relaxing experience that provides extraordinary memories. The location must be pleasant and the environment free of pollutants. No mysticism is required; only friendliness, true warmth and good food. I understand and value the ambition to design resorts that appeal to people with their beauty and whose services can fulfil almost your every last wish. In this, Amanresorts has really succeeded. All we need to ask now is whether Zecha has created such perfect resorts that the travellers won't ever want to step outside during their stay? > AMAN NEW DELHI Lodhi Road New Delhi 110003 India www.amanresorts.com/amannewdelhi Champagnes 1990 Salon Blanc de Blancs Custom Disgorged for Aman 1988 Salon Blanc de Blancs Custom Disgorged for Aman 1983 Salon Blanc de Blancs Custom Disgorged for Aman White wines 1993 Domaine Leroy Meursault 1er Cru `Les Perrières' 1978 Domaine Leroy Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru `Les Chevenottes' Red wines France 1990 Château Cos d'Estournel, St-Estèphe ­ Bordeaux 1990 Château Pichon-Lalande, Pauillac ­ Bordeaux 1989 Château Pichon-Longueville-Baron, Pauillac ­ Bordeaux 1988 Château Cheval-Blanc, St-Emilion ­ Bordeaux 1978 Leroy Pommard Premier Cru `Les Vignots', Bourgogne Italy 2000 Gaja Barbaresco Sorí Tildín, Piedmont, Italy Spain 2005 Artadi El Pison Reserva, Rioja, Spain 2004 Alvaro Palacios L'Ermita, Priorat, Spain 1986 Vega-Sicilia Unico Artist Label Magnum, Ribera del Duero, Spain 140 000 INR (2555 Eur / 2991 USD) 170 000 INR (3 100 Eur / 3632 USD) 190 000 INR (3 468 Eur / 4059 USD) USA 2005 Araujo Estate Altagracia, Napa Valley, USA 2003 Harlan Estate, Napa Valley, USA 2001 Shafer Hillside Select Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, USA Fortified Wines 1944 Henriques & Henriques Sercial Madeira * The prices in Euros and US Dollars are approximates 11 000 INR (201 Eur / 235 USD) 58 000 INR (1060 Eur / 1240 USD) 21 000 INR (384 Eur / 449 USD) 22 000 INR (402 Eur / 470 USD) 65 000 INR (1186 Eur / 1389 USD) 58 000 INR (1 060 Eur / 1239 USD) 32 000 INR (585 Eur / 684 USD) 30 000 INR (550 Eur / 641 USD) 35 000 INR (640 Eur / 748 USD) 65 000 INR (1187 Eur / 1389 USD) 52 000 INR (950 Eur / 1111 USD) 37 400 INR (683 Eur / 799 USD) 26 000 INR (475 Eur / 555 USD 63 000 INR (1150 Eur / 1346 USD) 110 000 INR (2008 Eur / 2350 USD) 84 FINE MAN AMAN NEW DELHI'S WINE CELLAR TREASURES

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FINE DEVICE This section introduces devices which bring even greater enjoyment of wine Simply the best A wine expert's most important tool is surprisingly not expensive or complicated; it's small, simple and easy to carry with you. Nothing can replace it if you don't have one and it is a tool that all wine lovers can buy themselves. It is widely available and costs very little. This particular example is better and more practical than other similar but more expensive versions. Indeed, It has saved me from many embarrassing situations. t e xt a n d p h oto g ra p h : Pe k k a Nu i k k i Only a few weeks ago, I was in a situation where I had to open dozens of bottles of older wines in front of approximately fifty people. In these circumstances the most important tool is a functional corkscrew, an implement often taken for granted. Therefore, I always carry at least one Pulltap's corkscrew with me. This simple opener is a classic and belongs in almost every wine expert's tool kit. The Pulltap's corkscrew is characterised by a beautifully designed, slightly S-shaped ergonomic handle. It has an ingenious two-phase support which directs the spiral's force directly upwards and not to the sides like many other openers. Even an older cork can be removed easily and remain intact. The heart of a good corkscrew is the spiral and the spiral of this model is top quality. It is a strong, five-turn steel spiral coated with Teflon. The spiral sinks straight and easily into the cork without breaking it, unlike many older drill-type corkscrews. Its long handle works well as a lever making it easy to remove even the tightest corks, while a handy, serrated knife with a spring lock mechanism adds to the user-friendly design. The Pulltap's opener is brilliant in its simplicity and the price is well under ten euros, fifteen US dollars, at its cheapest ­ excellent news for wine lovers. After a few attempts, the opener is extremely easy to use, but the only thing I feel is missing are the instructions. They are not included, at least not with the cheapest models, so here are my instructions for opening a bottle successfully: ­ If the bottle has been stored horizontally, it should be put in an upright position at least 6 to 24 hours before opening, depending on the bottle's age. This gives time for the sediments to settle on the bottom of the bottle before the wine is poured. Before lifting the bottle into an upright position, you should also check the foil capsule's condition, the tightness of the cork and the colour of the wine. If you have more than one bottle of the same wine, first select the bottle in the worst condition. ­ Carefully unfold the Pulltap's serrated foil knife, neatly cut open the protective capsule and remove it. Fold the foil knife back into its non-use position. Wipe the mouth of the bottle and the exposed cork surface clean of any mildew or other impurities. ­ Unfold the corkscrew and its hinged support. Place the sharp tip at the end of the spiral in the centre of the cork and drive it straight down into the cork so that only the last turn is visible. Do not drive the corkscrew through the cork, because displaced cork pieces may contaminate the wine. ­ Place the hinged support on the side of the bottle's neck so that the upper lip sits firmly on the mouth of the bottle. Hold the bottle firmly, keep it upright and lift up the Pulltap's lever with your other hand so that the cork comes up halfway. Do this with care to avoid breaking the cork. ­ Remove the lip from the mouth of the bottle and place the lower lip of the support on the mouth. Lever the cork directly up, guiding it with your hand.­ especially with older vintages, the corks tend to split in two. The best way to make sure that the rest of the cork comes up in one piece is to insert the corkscrew into the cork at the widest possible angle and pull it up manually, not using the lever. ­ Finally, remove the cork from the corkscrew once it has separated from the bottle. Check that the information on the cork corresponds with the information on the label. It is not worth smelling the cork as it won't tell you anything about the wine itself. Smelling the cork is more a part of the opening ritual in restaurants. Wipe the mouth of the bottle once more with a clean cloth and pour a drop of wine into a glass. Taste it to make sure that the wine is in good condition, not corked or otherwise defective. Clean the corkscrew and put it in a place where you can easily find it the next time you need to open a bottle. Spanish PULLTEX, S.L. is part of the Spanish TEX Group established in 1985. The developer of Pulltap's is Ramón Brucart who started working at the company in 1994. Within a couple of years, the internationally patented Pulltap's became one of the best-known corkscrew brands. 14 F I N E

One Bottle 30 Guests One of the best things about wine is its capacity to bring people together. The finer the wine, the more likely it is to attract a group of its owner's friends. Wine usually also tastes better in good company; a pleasure shared is a pleasure multiplied, so to speak. But what if you want to enjoy a last bottle or rare vintage, and are expecting dozens of friends? Can one bottle be enough ­ not just to satisfy, but to ensure each guest's full enjoyment of the wine? I have often spent evenings with unique bottles of wine, among dozens of other t e xt a n d p h oto g ra p h : Pe k k a Nu i k k i guests. Rare bottles are mostly characterised by their very rarity; in other words, usually only one is available. Sharing it evenly among tens of guests is not easy, especially not in any way worthy of the wine. Most commonly it is done using an ordinary measuring glass, for instance the measure from a medicine bottle. Sure, it enables the wine to be shared, but combined with an ordinary wine glass this method does not allow for a complete experience or evaluation of the wine. The use of a medicine measure or kitchen measuring spoon is also guaranteed to ruin the atmosphere of the evening and the wine's magic. At worst, I have seen wine measured out with a tablespoon. That is far removed from romance or enjoyment. This used to be yet another problem that has now thankfully been solved by the guru of the wine glass world, Georg Riedel. His tasting glass is ingeniously simple. It superbly combines Riedel's technical innovation ability and the importance of wine glass design. The basic philosophy behind Riedel's glasses lies in the physiology of tasting and the importance of the first impression. His glasses are designed to bring out the best characteristics of different grape varieties. Riedel's tasting glass allows for comprehensive information to be gained from even a small quantity of wine, and also allows for the precise and easy measurement of portions. The stem of the glass is designed to hold 20 millilitres, which means that a standard wine bottle can easily be shared between 35 guests. The instructions for glass usage are revolutionary. In order to fully experience the wine, the drinker is invited to lower the glass onto the tabletop and rotate it by 360 degrees. The wine flows evenly from the stem, coating the ample inner surface of the bowl, maximising the aeration of the wine and permitting an accurate perception of its appearance. Not a drop of wine is spilled from the horizontal glass. I feel that the minimum portion a bottle should be divided into is exactly these 20 millilitres. The quantity allows for the requisite two sips, the first for evaluation and the second for pure enjoyment. Riedel's tasting glass provides the optimal taste experience for a small portion, and does it with style. The glass is suitable for all wine varieties except champagne. It is important to remember that a wine glass is the final link in the long chain that brings us full enjoyment of a wine, reaching from the vineyard to the taster's lips. The significance of the glass is particularly emphasised for especially noteworthy and rare wines, as even the best wine will lose some of its soul if incorrectly served. In light of this, too many of us enjoy expensive wines out of poor quality glasses. A good wine glass is a oneoff investment on which one should not economise. 15 F I N E D E V I C E FINE Device

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rier-Jouët launched , the Belle Epoque. Per hand-painted his era carefully with the same name, In 1902, Émile Gallé prestigious champagne e bottles. In his its mpagn With its bottle by Gallé, white lilies on four cha Belle Epoque, in 1969. for Perriervisualised them as celee something of a symbol thoughts, he must hav hard- it has become of grand festivities. He nges in ownership, I bebrated centre pieces Jouët. After several cha uld lie forgotten in the it would be anything e doubtful of whether ly imagined that they wo ades. But perhaps cam for dec l product in a beautiful cellars of Perrier-Jouët more than an industria e still a esee that one day his for Belle Epoque champagn he could already then all wrapping. Is the te the most beautiful of raordinary era? design would decora genuine praise of the ext e travel in time back to champagne bottles, a tru Essi Avellan MW F I N E D E V I C E 15 FINE Device

"Henry Gallice turned his attention to how his champagne was packaged" In 1969, the year Belle Epoque was launched, luxurious champagnes were gaining ground on the champagne market. Belle Epoque was a perfect addition to the game. At the same time, it marked a new era in marketing wines: before it, decorating a bottle with large flowers would have been regarded as unthinkable, an act of heresy. In their marketing, the few well-established luxury brands relied mostly on their historical connections to the era of Dom Pérignon. Did Perrier-Jouët make its bold move for the sake of marketing or to celebrate the "beautiful era" of history? The period from the late 19th century to the outbreak of the First World War is known in European history as Belle Epoque. During this era of peace, technological innovations improved the living conditions and new, modern forms of expression developed in art. It was the heyday of Art Nouveau. The beautiful, worriless period was also a golden era for champagne. Consumption grew in France, and champagne became to symbolise celebration everywhere in the world. The late 19th century was also an era of rapid growth for Perrier-Jouët. In the hands of Henri Gallice, the company raised its yearly sales figures from one million to 1.3 million bottles between 1880 and 1888. Henri Gallice proudly wrote to an Australian merchant in 1888 how he had never spent money on advertising. He regarded high quality as the best advertisement a wine could get, and never compromised it. But as competition got fiercer and sales started dropping, he was forced to change his mind about advertising. Henry Gallice turned his attention to how his champagne was packaged. In 1902 he approached Emile Gallé, a leading glass designer and one of the founding fathers of the Art Nouveau movement. Gallice commissioned Gallé to design a bottle for his vintage champagne. Gallé designed four magnum bottles with hand painted Art Deco flowers. Perrier-Jouët was known for its use of Chardonnay, and the flowers paid homage to Chardonnay grapes. However, practical problems stepped in. No automated way of producing them was found and the price of hand painted bottles would have been too much for all but the richest customers. At the same time, the markets for champagne were heading towards a crisis. Gallice dropped the project, hoping that the bottles could be used later, at a better moment. It took sixty years for that moment to come and the forgotten bottles to be found in the cellars of Perrier-Jouët. 16 F I N E

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Climb on the Social Ladder The other champagne dynasties founded before the end of Napoleon's era may boast with noble origins or at least with well-off founders, but not so with Perrier-Jouët. The Ruinart and Clicquot families were wealthy merchants; the Moët family was part of the local nobility. Perriers had been craftsmen and their social status started to change only during the 18th century. Pierre Nicolas-Marie Perrier founded the champagne house in 1811. Because the name Perrier was not unusual enough, he combined it with Jouët, the maiden name of his wife. Under the guidance of Charles Perrier, the next generation built the foundation for the success of PerrierJouët, both in the royal courts of Europe and among British customers. Charles, the youngest of Pierre Nicolas's sons was the one most interested in his father´s business. English language was a prerequisite for working on the champagne market, and young Charles was sent to London to learn the language in 1834. The young man was positive, energetic, lively, and he had what it took to succeed in the trade. In 1835 Charles announced that he was ready to return home and get back to work­with limitless amounts of energy to put into his fathers' business. Perrier-Jouët became wealthier and emerged gradually as a competitor to Moët and Ruinart. Strong ties to Britain were strengthened, and by the year 1847 some 75 per cent of the production was sold to the British. Perrier-Jouët was a pioneer in producing dry champagne, which the British loved. "Perrier-Jouët was the first to mark vintage dates on corks in 1858" Perrier-Jouët was one of the most prestigious dry champagnes, but it was also the result of some ambitious product development. When vintage wines became the name of the game, Perrier-Jouët was the first to mark vintage dates on corks in 1858. A decade later, it started printing them on the labels as well. This development marked also the beginning of a market divided between non-vintage and the more expensive vintage champagnes. 18 F I N E

From Riches to Rags Six years before his death, Charles Perrier took upon himself to train his nephew Henri Gallice to continue the family business. Henri was only 19 years old at the time, but Charles took the risk, because he knew the young Henri to be smart and diligent, with the kind of go-ahead spirit needed in the job. At first the business flourished, but the sales figures took a dive in 1890. Henri Gallice did not manage to break into new markets, and the competition in Britain got fiercer year after year. In the 1890's, British wine merchants started offering their "own-brand" champagnes, which weakened the sales of the more expensive quality brands. A phenomenon, which is recurring just now, one hundred years later! Consumption grew in France, but Perrier-Jouët had only a small share of the French champagne market. Gallice chose not to even try to conquer a bigger share of the sales: Perrier-Jouët was practically synonymous with dry champagne and the French had not found the dry champagnes yet. The turn of the century arrived with two further problems: the wine louse phylloxera left French vineyards devastated and forged champagne distorted the market. Henri Gallice's era ended in the First World War, which left the whole region of Champagne in ruins for a long time. After Henri Gallice's death, ownership was split between more and more family members. They took no interest in developing the business. Perrier-Jouët was a frozen company with steady but modest revenues and returns, so it came as no surprise when the family sold it. Champagne Mumm bought Perrier-Jouët together with its vineyards in 1959, only to sell them to the Canadian Seagram the following year. Seagram turned out to be a stroke of luck for Perrier-Jouët, which had suffered from lack of investments. Now, production facilities were modernised and oak barrels were replaced with steel tanks. Perrier-Jouët increased its output, its portfolio grew and it benefited from the international distribution channels of Seagram. F I N E D E V I C E 19 FINE Device

Emile Gallé's Lilies One of innovative products which Perrier-Jouët could now develop was the luxurious champagne, Belle Epoque. In 1964 André Bavaret, cellar master, showed the four hand painted magnum bottles to Pierre Ernst, sales and marketing director of the house. Even after the 60 years under the dust of the cellar, the bottles brought alive the magnificent history of the house. The lilies reminded of the flowery elegance of the Chardonnay-based trademark wines of Perrier-Jouët. Pierre Ernst began a project to finally enable the bottles to go into production. The enamelling techniques of the Belle Epoque era were largely forgotten, but the house needed an artisan who would provide the decorations at a reasonable price. After months of feverish search, a suitable family business was found in Argenteuil. They produce the bottles even today. Meanwhile, Michel Budin and André Bavaret set to develop a champagne worthy of the bottles. Basis for the mixture was to be found from PerrierJouët's own vineyards in the Grand Cru villages of Côtes de Blanc. The first vintages had more Chardonnay from the village of Cramant than the present version. Only 5000 bottles were produced at first. The legendary Maxim's of Paris, founded in 1891, was the champagne enthusiasts' paradise in the Belle Epoque era. Perrier-Jouët gave the restaurant exclusive rights for the new luxury champagne for two years­and a true reincarnation of the beautiful era was born. The immediate success of the enamelled bottles was echoed in the numerous customers' requests that they would like to take the empty bottles home with them. Since those early years, the production of Belle Epoque has grown year after year. Belle Epoque Rosé was created in 1976. The excellent vintage of Chardonnay in 1993 inspired Hervé Deschamps, cellar master at PerrierJouët, to produce a small quantity of Blanc de Blancs: -The production is very small-scale­only one per cent of all Belle Epoque champagnes. The grapes are grown almost exclusively in one of our top vineyards in Cramant. Rosé makes up 8 per cent of the sales, and we hope to see that figure grow. Despite the larger volume we now produce, the production is still expensive: high levels of humidity and the way the bottles are piled take their toll on the gilding. The cost of a bottle without any contents is 10 euros!" A Man with Know-how Cellar master is the key person in producing champagne. Mixing wines from different villages, vineyards and different varieties requires well-developed senses and years of experience. Vintage champagne ages in cellar generally for more than 5 years, and it is only after that that the cellar master has a chance to taste the results of his work. Hervé Deschamps, cellar master at Perrier-Jouët, has worked for the champagne house for 23 years and has had the chance to develop his expertise under two of his predecessors. Deschamps has been in charge since 1993: -We aim to recreate the style of that era in Belle Epoque: elegant, flowery and with plenty of fruit. About a half of the grapes are Chardonnay, 45 per cent Pinot Noir and the final five per cent Pinot Meurnier. Some 60 per cent of the grapes are grown in our own vineyards and we always ensure that the amount of Chardonnay from Cramant and Avize is as high as possible. Like most Grand Marques, also Perrier-Jouët uses only the best cuvée. The wine is fermented in a controlled temperature of 18 degrees celcius with the aid of cultivated yeasts. All champagnes of the house undergo full lactic acid fermentation. Deschamps says: -Belle Epoque is very dry, so when we re-cork it, we add just 8 ­ 8.5 grams of sugar to the bottles. There is some variation in dosage between the vintages as a mere half a gram of sugar is able to fully change the wine. 20 F I N E

Hervé Deschamps F I N E D E V I C E 21 FINE Device

The Secrets of Autolysis The bread-like and baked aromas which characterise champagne are formed during the so called autolysis, in which the wine has direct contact with the disintegrating yeast sediment. During his studies in Dijon, Hervé Deschamps specialised in autolysis, and we had an excellent chance to ask him about the process. -"After bottling, the yeast stays alive for some two months. The cells start to disintegrate once all sugar has been consumed. Autolysis starts immediately with smaller proteins and other molecules. A short fermentation on top of yeast sediments produces the aromas of fresh bread and yeast. The wine undergoes changes throughout the process but autolysis really starts only after 18 months. The exact time needed depends on temperature and the type of yeast. The aromas created are complex and layered. This makes the minimum length of aging, 15 months, too short for us here in Champagne. Even our non-vintage varieties age on sediment for at least three years." Hervé Deschamps points out that the chemical composition of champagne makes the aromas produced in autolysis unique to wines produced in the region. Champagne can not be copied anywhere else in the world. -"We age Belle Epoque on yeast for six years, which yields full benefits from autolysis. After re-corking, we keep the bottles in the cellar for another couple of months, so that the sugary wine has time to blend in properly." More Changes of Ownership Under the ownership of Seagram, Perrier-Jouët quickly gained popularity on the other side of the Atlantic. For the American market, Belle Epoque was renamed as Fleur de Champagne. The house was ranked as the third among champagne brands in the US. Seagram held on to the house for 29 years. During this time, volumes grew and quality improved. A group of American private investors bought the house in 1999. The investors may have been after money rather than after good champagne as Perrier-Jouët and Mumm were sold at a highly profitable price to Allied Domecq in 2005. Pernod Ricard, another multinational company, acquired the champagne houses when it bought Allied Domecq the following year. Hopefully, Pernod Ricard will be a longtime owner with a firm interest in the development of Perrier-Jouët. Maison Belle Epoque Perrier-Jouët opened a museum for the art and style of Belle Epoque era on Avenue de Champagne, the champagne main street of Épernay, in 1990. The museum houses more than hundred pieces of art by the most renowned artists of the era. The size of the collection makes it unique in the world. The maison is more than just a museum: dinners are organised there and quests have the possibility of spending a night in the midst of the Art Deco masterpieces. To celebrate the new millennium, champagne houses launched various kinds of special editions of their wines. Perrier-Jouët produced 5000 magnum bottles of vintage 2005 Belle Epoque Reserva. The lilies on these bottles were made of gold and platinum. These collector's pieces were pricy, but the price included a night and a luxurious dinner in Maison Belle Epoque. I love the personality and uniqueness which the Belle Epoque era and Emile Gallé's art have given to Perrier-Jouët. Unique as it is, the champagne is even today among the most beautiful bottles in the world. Its impact reaches beyond the house of Perrier-Jouët: Georges Renoy maintains that the bottle has been an important source of inspiration for all modern bottles and labels, and many others share his view. The future of Perrier-Jouët holds the challenge all champagne houses and all prestige cuvées share: that of price and quantity. Will it resist the temptation to increase volume during the current champagne boom? Whatever the champagne house chooses to do, I hope that nobody at Perrier-Jouët has forgotten Henri Gallice's principle: high quality is always the best possible advertisement. 22 F I N E

to the not live up 98 87p palate does Epoque 19 foamy. The Belle is rich and ee aromas. ground coff restraint. The mousse er, it does freshly ing. Howev ificant toffee and d with sign f delicious m further ag tages. o se Soft nose o l benefit fr ill more clo vin is wine wil ose. It is st le Epoque charming n be firmer. Th finesse of the best Bel ure could r ruct re o The acid st the structu not possess utter and 92p style with b que 1996 grated Belle Epo ose. Classic asty n is well inte elegantly to id structure arts to oped ne ac The 1996 st alate. The fi reamy devel n on the p e intensity. y colour. C o ssiv Pale lemon l as tart lem with impre s time. tones as wel d nuanced k in 10 year oky mineral mousse. Delicious an sm , it will pea and However to the fruit drink well. ngside aromas alo 1995 86p e Epoque notes, straw intensity. Bell toffee s some fruit y with soft se is cream wever it lack years. o ho lour. The n t5 m-bodied, g lemony co and mediu hin the nex Developin enjoyed wit alate is soft ing. Best on. The p op lem le and devel apple and y Approachab eel is cream 93p as. Mouth-f que 1990 not highapple arom Belle Epo ith y is the nose w side. Acidit uite easily che like on and toasty sweet, brio w its wide es firmer. Q ity, rich, ng to sho re becom fru arti ctu me. The 1990 is ardonnay st and the stru in five to ten years ti ith the Ch tes emerge d elegant w ing its peak mineral no h an ore that is reac the finish m pagne today lighted. At hable cham p ast, cream approac ue 1985 92 t nose of to elle Epoq and vibran B monious gant d round har ubbles. Ele with fine b uits. Rich an ed mousse. A great fr colour fin s and stone ring yellow ste and a re hite flower st bottle Deep matu s. Apples, w h the bubbles. Long ta zed bottles but the la e fruitines al si d wit olding on and rip e from norm ell integrate magnum h uth-feel, w eriences wer a difference with the mo exp ite ts. k. The first ere was qu an 92 poin wine at pea magnum. Th l, worthy of more th ed was a tast very wel 92p f the 75 cl que 1983 but some o is Belle Epo num bottle mag r. The nose vely from a lden colou fresh and li ed deep go n the palo op as been ctive width ring. Devel The 1983 h n signs of ti fruit complexity. Attra The magnum drink . s have show bottle ith dried ng finish ely toasty w s. Fresh acidity and lo rich, delicat . bubble ow refined superbly n ate and soft 1999 87p ained and e Blancs flint. Restr e Blanc d re Epoqu n and gun mo Bell e of an inte of straw, le h a promis lis-like nose e. l today wit st h Chab ery youthfu d intense ta Tight stylis features. V ng, tight an Chardonnay cture and lo stru mineral re: elegant esting futu a 1999 94p ich rise in que Rosé ubbles, wh Belle Epo ur. Small b spberry e ra colo ch, with fin lmon-pink e le. Light sa fresh and ri ine. On th ose is very quisite bott ructured w An ex d and st elusive am. The n d odie steady stre its fresh an th. A full-b persistent, ine retains toasted notes benea y, but the w ady, nutty my, lightly re d cream h a crea fruit and b polished an texture wit ousse is smooth ned Rosé. palate the m is lovely balance and . A finely tu There cing finish e entran character. flavour in th t2002 87p d some toas que Rosé f red fruit an . The taste Belle Epo oky nose o it al sm d fru lour. Miner ear acidity and focuse aturation. ion skin co er bottle m charm. Lin tractive on ars' furth y pale at ith more Ver do w five ye palate could This will benefit from iness. The closed. and is still lean F I N E D E V I C E 23 FINE Device

Breguet the attack was given! Château Lafite-Rothschild. 5:13 flat. - The Mona Lisa of Timepieces Text: P e k k a N u i k k i assuredly. It read precisely seven o'clock. It was absolutely quiet, even though the thick morning mist on the plain of Waterloo concealed an army of tens of thoulonger, until the metallic blue hands of his Breguet read 7:21am. The order for Fifty-three years later on 8 August 1868, at 4:20pm, Baron James Mayer de Rothschild signed a deed of sale, which granted him ownership of the Château Lafite vineyard for a price of 4.4 million francs. The vineyards became known as Precisely sixty-nine years [ADL1]after this, Ettore Bugatti stood on the shoulder of the LeMans circuit and clocked the fastest lap of his Bugatti Type 57G at Eight years afterwards, Sir Winston Churchill lit his first cigar on the first day of the Yalta Conference and looked at his watch: the metallic blue hands read 8:55am. It was the morning of 5 February 1945. Five minutes later, negotiations with Joseph Stalin and Franklin D. Roosevelt that would decide the fate of postwar Europe would resume. Churchill rose slowly from his chair, slipped his Breguet No 765 watch into his pocket and was ready for a very positive outcome. sands of men and their mounts. It would soon be time. Napoleon waited a while N apoleon slid his gold pocket watch out of his pocket and looked at it 14 F I N E

Napoleon lost his battle, the Baron got his name into the annals of wine history, Bugatti took LeMans twice and the formation of the UN was agreed upon at Yalta. These historic events and great men have one thing in common ­Breguet F I N E D E V I C E 15 FINE Device

commission Breguet to make the finest watch ever known, no matter how much it would cost or how long it would take to produce. The watch was to be made of nothing but the finest, most precious materials and contain all the known complications of the time, such as a perpetual calendar which adjusted for leap years, an equation of time, a minute repeater that chimed out the minutes and even a thermometer. Breguet began work on the watch immediately, but the challenge proved to be more demanding than anyone had anticipated. Breguet's No 160 watch was eventually finished some 44 years later, four years after the death of Breguet himself. The ill-fated Queen never lived to see the finished product, either, as she was sentenced to death for treason by a revolutionary tribunal in 1793. The watch was initially entrusted to the Breguet family, after which it changed hands only a few times over two centuries, finally ending up at the L.A. Mayer Museum for Islamic Art in Jerusalem. In 1983, there was a break-in at the museum and the watch was stolen. Its current whereabouts are unknown[AZ2]. Breguet ­ the first brand-name product Time has been measured throughout human history. It was crucial to possess knowledge of the seasons, sowing and harvest times and celebrations, which were determined by the positions of the sun, moon and stars. Even though time has always played a central role in human reality, it was not until the broader proliferation of clocks that it also became part of our practical reality. Abraham-Louis Breguet, who quite literally put time in our hands, was born in Switzerland in 1747. When he began his apprenticeship as a watchmaker at the tender age of 15, he moved to Versailles in France. Twelve years later, Breguet founded his own company on the Île de la Cité in Paris. This marked the beginning of Breguet's illustrious career, which was embellished with a host of inventions and royal clients. Clocks have evolved a great deal from the first time humans planted a stick in the earth to follow the traverse of the sun. When examining the relatively short 500-year-long history of crafting timepieces, one watchmaker rises above the rest. Abraham-Louis Breguet (1747-1823) is a veritable renaissance man of the watchmaking world and arguably the finest watchmaker to have ever lived. In addition to being a technically gifted and inventive watchmaker, he can also be considered a designer and marketer far ahead of his time. The direction of style in which a watch's hands, numbering and intricate engravings demonstrate the sophisticated sense of form of its designer still bears Breguet's signature. The Leonardo of watchmakers First wristwatch A headless queen and a 10,000,000 euro watch Breguet's watches were among the most sought-after brand-name products of their time. European courtiers as well as diplomats, scientists and artists formed his regular and extremely well-paying clientele. The Queen of France, Marie Antoinette, was one of his most famous and loyal customers. Young and beautiful Marie Antoinette, one of the brightest stars in the royal constellation of the time, inspired both adoration and disapproval in aristocratic circles by serving as a model for the Breguet watches she so admired. Indeed, the most famous Breguet watch of all was named after the Queen. The fascinating story of the Breguet No 160 watch, also known as the "Marie Antoinette", begins one night in 1783. Abraham-Louis Breguet awoke to a loud banging at his door. He opened it to find a young officer purportedly sent by one of Marie Antoinette's lovers, who wanted to 16 F I N E Perhaps the most famous Breguet invention was his tourbillon. The tourbillon is a watch escapement in which the balance spring, escapement wheel and pallet fork make a complete rotation every minute. A tourbillon corrects the rate error caused by the movements of an ordinary balance spring and the watch user.

Pictured above: Hand-wound Breguet 3091 Classique "Grande Complication" with tourbillon. Price (in yellow gold): approx. 87,000 euros. F I N E D E V I C E 17 FINE Device

Pictured above: Breguet "Reine de Naples". Price (in white gold): approx. 197,000 euros. 18 F I N E

Today, only the most expensive creations of the most prestigious watchmakers employ the tourbillon, whose construction is considered the pinnacle of watchmaking skill. Breguet's shop was also the birthplace of the wristwatch. It took two and a half years to make the Breguet No 2636 wristwatch, before it could be delivered to its commissioner on 10 June 1810. Its perfect movement consisted of such complications as a repeater. A repeater is a complex striking work, which chimes out the time when a button is pressed on the left side of the watch. The striking work first marks whole hours, then quarter hours and then, possibly, the remaining minutes. This makes it possible for the wearer to know what time it is, even in pitch darkness. The watch was ordered by Napoleon's sister Caroline, the erstwhile Queen of Naples. Sympathetic clock One of Breguet's most ingenious and yet most "unnecessary" inventions was a so-called watch stand. The basic idea behind a watch stand, which was part of a table clock, was to wind a pocket watch, set the right time, and place it on the stand for the night. The invention was dubbed the "Sympathetique". Its production proved to be extremely expensive and time-consuming, and Breguet only managed to make five Sympathetique clocks during his lifetime. Breguet's idealistic inventor persona is aptly illustrated by the fact that it was he himself who developed a movement that regulated the time kept by a pocket watch, even though in reality his pocket watches were so accurate that there was no need to constantly reset them. With Sympathetique clocks it was hardly a matter of fulfilling a real need; rather, it served more as a demonstration of Breguet's overwhelming technical skill as well as a marketing tool. Indeed, all five of Breguet's Sympathetique clocks were commissioned by kings. F I N E D E V I C E 19 FINE Device

Pictured above: Hand-wound Breguet 3988 Classique "Grande Complication" with double tourbillon. Price: approx. 305,000 euros. The timepiece of kings after the death of Breguet, the company continued making watches, first under his son, Antoine-Louis, and then his grandson, Louis Breguet, beginning in 1833. The House of Breguet produced hand-made watches at a rate of approximately two hundred a year for such clients as Selim III, the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, King George III of England, Louis XVIII, King of France, Fuad I of Egypt and Tsar Alexander I of Russia. Starting at 10,000 euros breguet is still one of the most prestigious watchmakers, if not the most prestigious. Only Patek Philippe has a history and reputation nearly as glorious. Breguet still manufactures its watches by hand, and its production volume is only a fraction of other watchmakers, such as Rolex. Breguet watches are considered true luxury items, with prices starting at 10,000 euros and ranging all the way up to 200,000 euros for Tourbillon watches. The buyer of a Breguet will have his or her name immortalised in the corporate records alongside other Breguet clients, such as Napoleon and Alexander I. The author has been an aficionado of timepieces longer than a taster of wines. His specific area of interest encompasses wristwatches, and pocket watches converted to wristwatches, from the late 19th century and early 20th century. He is especially fond of rattrapantes and repeaters, and is also the proud owner of three Breguet watches. 20 F I N E

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