­ the best customer care in the business Here at FINE, we believe that not only do our customers appreciate the best service in the field, but that they also need to be looked after in a very personal way. So, instead of selling only magazine subscriptions, we want to offer you more. A lot more. To be caring and supportive in all matters concerning top wines: that is our promise to you. When you become a FINE client by choosing a service package most suited to your needs from the subscription list, we will make sure that your knowledge and know-how in fine wines will quickly increase. You will stay ahead of the pack in terms of fine wines and be well informed as to how the best wines fare on the market and in the glass, as well as where to get them and how to tell fakes from the real ones. FINE WINE SUBSCRIPTION FINE WINE Subscriptions FINE CHAMPAGNE SUBSCRIPTION This package includes everything you will ever want to know about champagne and the effervescent lifestyle that surrounds it. It keeps you abreast of the world of champagne with the world's only champagne magazine, current newsletters, books and other services that are included in the package. When you want to gain access to the world of top wines and be among the first to learn about wine happenings, the most recent tasting experiences and vintage analyses, but you don't collect or invest heavily in wines, this is made just for you. This package reveals the fascinating stories behind the world's finest wines and makes sure that you stay up to date regarding top wines through the leading FINE Wine Magazine, newsletters, books and other services that are included in the package. For more information click here For more information click here FINE RARE SUBSCRIPTION If you are wine enthusiast, FINE RARE includes everything you need and more. We will make sure that you will be the first to hear about what happens in the world of fine wines, as well as telling you every week which wines are at their best right now and how their prices are developing. In addition, we will also warn you about the fakes on the market. The package consists of the leading magazines concerning fine wine: FINE the Wine Magazine and FINE Champagne Magazine, all our wine guides, The 1000 Finest Wines Ever Made book ­ which is considered to be the Michelin Guide of the wine world ­ and a unique array of other services. FINEst SUBSCRIPTION We have designed this package for wine collectors, investors and professionals. It offers the most current knowledge of the world's best wines, their drinkability today, price developments and the handling of the wines ­ all on a daily basis. The package includes everything you can imagine, including the world's only Wine Investing Magazine, FINE Champagne and Wine Magazines, books and guides, a professional tasting tool and community, the world's only FINE Wine Auction Index, and invitations to events around the world. This is a package that only the world's leading FINE Wine Media can offer you. We will ensure that you stay immersed in everything related to the top wines of the world on every single day of the week. For more information click here For more information click here T H E WO R L D 'S L E A D I N G F I N E W I N E M AG A Z I N E S us $ 3 0 · n o. 1 0 ca n $ 3 0 THE AMERICAN WINE MAGAZINE Wine Advertising · Arzak · Auction Report 2010 · Icefood · Aston Martin · Château Latour Experience I N G L E N O O K

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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 PAGE 56 Fine eDitor'S pick PAGE 18 Fine GALLerY 13 17 18 28 36 38 56 62 PAGE 74 Fine eVent FineeDitoriAL Are Wine Appraisals Boring and Unnecessary? Only for Experts FinenUikki eBay: The Las Vegas of Wine FineGALLerY Wine Advertising -- Have You Seen Any? FineperSonALitY Daniel Boulud -- Chef & Entertainer FinepAULSon Wine and Alcohol FinereGion Douro -- The Smiling Inferno FineeDitor'S pick The Yeatman, Porto, Portugal FineDeSiGn Original Wooden Cases FineeVent The Château Latour Experience -- Vintages from 1929 to 2008 FineDininG Arzak -- The Temple of Basque Cuisine FineeXperience Restaurant Experience of the Year -- Iceland, A Haven of Culinary Adventure FineinVeStinG A Perfect 2010? FinetAStinG The Vine Club Tasting Event FinekApon The 1945 Pétrus FineLiFeStYLe Aston Martin DB9 Volante -- Power, Beauty, Soul and SOUND 74 84 100 106 113 126 130 PAGE 62 Fine DeSiGn C O N T E N T 3 FINE Content

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To b e c o m e a n a u t h o r i s e d s u p p l i e r o f C l i v e C h r i s t i a n F u r n i t u r e g o t o t h e b u s i n e s s p a g e a t c l i v e . c o m

F U R N I T U R E F O R L U X U R Y H O M E S O F T H E W O R L D · C L I V E . C O M

F I N E ­ T H E W I N E M A G A Z I N E FINEMAGAZINES 100 Pall Mall St James, London SW1Y 5HP United Kingdom WWW.FINE-MAGAZINES.COM Tel: +44 (0) 20 76648800 fax: +44 (0) 20 73213738 W r i t e r s 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 editor of FINE ­ The Wine Magazine and its American & Scandinavian editions 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. 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. 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. Meri Kukkavaara Publishing Editor, Meri Kukkavaara is the publisher of FINE Champagne Magazine. She is 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. Editor-in-Chief Editor-in-Chief Managing Editor Managing Editor Publishing Editor Deputy Editor Deputy Editor Publishing Editor Copy Editor Copy Editor Creative Director Creative Director Art Director Art Director Event sManager iDirector Senior Partners SocialMe dia iDirector Photographers Senior Partners Contributors Photographers Contributors Communications Director Sales Director Communications Director Media Director Sales Account Managers Media Sales Executive Marketing Marketing Assistant Assistant Financial Financial Manager Manager Price Price Printing House Printing House Orders & Queries Orders & Queries Pekka Nuikki Pekka Nuikki pekka.nuikki@fine-magazines.com pekka.nuikki@fine-magazines.com Juha Lihtonen Juha Lihtonen juha.lihtonen@fine-magazines.com juha.lihtonen@fine-magazines.com Meri Lepola Anne Kukkavaara meri@fine-magazines.com anne.lepola@fine-magazines.com Anne Kukkavaara Meri Lepola anne.lepola@fine-magazines.com meri@fine-magazines.com Craig Houston Craig Houston craig.houston@fine-magazines.com craig.houston@fine-magazines.com Teemu Timperi Teemu Timperi Jouna Stern Jouna Stern teemu.timperi@fine-magazines.com teemu.timperi@fine-magazines.com jouna.stern@fine-magazines.com jouna.stern@fine-magazines.com Rene Dehn Rene Dehn rene.dehn@fine-magazines.com rene.dehn@fine-magazines.com Charles Meisner Malene A. Banks, Romain Virion, Rajiv Singhal, Ralf Frentzel malene.meisner@fine-magazines.com Pekka Nuikki, Johannes Grau Charles A. Banks, Romain Virion, Rajiv Ahm, Essi Avellan MW, MarieSinghal, Ralf Frentzel Armin Diel, Nuikki, Johannes Grau PekkaStuart George, Andreas Larsson, Jan-Erik Paulson, Mario Sculatti, Marie Ahm, Essi Susane Reininger, Mikko Eriksson, Avellan MW, Armin Diel, Stuart George, John Kapan Andreas Larsson, Jan-Erik Paulson, Mario Markku Vartiainen Sculatti, Mikko Eriksson, markku.vartiainen@fine-magazines.com Susane Reininger Paulina Hoffman Markku Vartiainen Cover photograph: Pekka Nuikki ­ Bodegas Baigorri, Rioja Libris Oy Libris Oy 2010 paulina.hoffman@fine-magazines.com markku.vartiainen@fine-magazines.com Martine Mäkijärvi Paulina Hoffman martine.makijarvi@fine-magazines.com paulina.hoffman@fine-magazines.com Thomas Hassi Tore Holmgren thomas.hassi@fine-magazines.com tore.holmgren@fine-magazines.com Sanna Vihervaara Sanna Vihervaara sanna.vihervaara@fine-magazines.com sanna.vihervaara@fine-magazines.com Noora Mähönen Noora Mähönen noora.mahonen@fine-magazines.com noora.mahonen@fine-magazines.com Single Issue 30 including delivery Single Issue 30 including delivery Single PPDM, Password Protected Single PPDM, Password Protected Digital Magazine, 15 Digital Magazine, 15 www.fine-magazines.com www.fine-magazines.com subs@fine-magazines.com subs@fine-magazines.com Tel. 010 289 1000 Tel. 010 289 1000 +358-10 289 1000 +358-10 289 1000 Fine Publishing Helsinki Ltd Fine Publishing Helsinki Ltd Vattuniemenkuja 4 E Vattuniemenkuja 4 E 00210 Helsinki, Finland 00210 Helsinki, Finland www.fine-magazines.com www.fine-magazines.com Publisher Publisher Printed in Finland by Libris Oy Printed in Finland by Libris Oy Ltd 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. Paper: UPM Novatech Satin © Copyright: European Fine Wine Magazine Ltd FINE ­ The Wine Magazine ISSN 1799-2222 12 FINE

F I N E ­ T H E W I N E M A G A Z I N E Are Wine Appraisals Boring and Unnecessary? Only for Experts 7 April 2011 F or many readers, wine appraisals make up the most valuable content of wine magazines. Optimally, appraisals assist you in making better purchase decisions and provide expert information on how and when to best enjoy the wines. Despite this, it seems that the wine media fail to take appraisals seriously enough. In doing so, they let you down. Having followed wine magazines for decades, I must say that the critiques presented in various publications by the world's most highly regarded wine critics are usually very similar in format: descriptions that mainly ­ or sometimes entirely ­ rely on the aromas experienced by the experts. Comparisons of these texts make evident their subjectivity, as two descriptions of the same wine can sometimes differ hugely. The reader can easily get the feeling of simply peeking in the diaries of the wine critics, whose notes are not really useful to anyone but themselves. Where can one find out whether the wine is worth its price, how the wine should be served, and what it should be served with for optimal enjoyment? It is time to look in the mirror and make a change. Here at FINE, we spend a lot of time and money seeking out wines around the world. We uncork more fine and rare wines than any other wine medium in the world in order to share up-to-date, relevant information with you. Our main objective from day one has been to encourage our readers themselves to open and enjoy unique wines. We have tried to make this often daunting undertaking as easy as possible by providing our views on how and when the wines are best enjoyed. However, even we have not adopted a comprehensive enough view. A change is needed and it is happening now. From this issue onwards our wine appraisals will be different. We will focus on the essentials: the things that matter to you. Our appraisals are now more informative, satisfy the needs of different readers and are presented in a more immediately intelligible format. TASTE OF FINE By doing this, we hope to create a better and more rounded wine experience, allowing you to be more informed when it comes to drinking wines, collecting them, investing in them or pairing them with food. Enjoy! Juha Lihtonen Managing Editor E D I T O R I A L 13 FINE Editorial

Michelin Guide Three Stars San Francisco Chronicle Four Stars The Restaurant at Meadowoood Worth a Special Journey The Restaurant at Meadowood Chef Christopher Kostow

Relationships are core to life in Napa Valley. or the last half century, Napa Valley the original gathering place for the Valley's has provided the panorama for a burgeoning wine community, Meadowood unique way of life--directed by the has now become an international wine industry and acted out by a host of destination and boasts membership within local players. Wine is the thread weaving the the exclusive ranks of Relais & Chateaux. art of man with the Come for a visit. bounty of nature in Walk the fairways a complex pattern on which Auction of relationships-- Napa Valley has relationships that go raised more than $90 to the core of the million since the Valley's legendary first gavel was raised. way of life and set Mingle with the the stage for a story vintners and growers like no other. as they enjoy their The community club through sport that is Napa Valley activities, recreation, contributes to local and the pursuit of enterprise through lifelong wellness. its vast experience Dine on the private and deep-seated terrace of your relationships. In adguestroom or spend dition to grape growthe evening enjoying Master Sommelier Gilles de Chambure ers and wine makers, a meal prepared it includes agriculturalists, great chefs, som- by Michelin Three-Star chef Christopher meliers, maître d's, gallery owners, innkeep- Kostow in The Restaurant at Meadowood. ers and shop proprietors. All depend upon Spend a day exploring the wineries you've each other for their unique livelihood and longed to visit with Gilles de Chambure, lifestyle. Master Sommelier, whose sole role at For the past 46 years Meadowood Meadowood is to enhance guests' knowledge has served as the heart and soul of the and enjoyment of wine. winegrowing community--as a center for A stay at Meadowood offers you entry social and family life and as a second home into an extraordinary way of life. Capture for travelers from around the world wishing the magic of Napa Valley and develop your to immerse themselves in the region, its own relationship with the people that define wines, and its people. Founded in 1964 as this unparalleled experience. F the sporting life at meadowood The forested hillsides of Meadowood's two hundred fifty-acre valley slope to the cool green of the estate's nine-hole, walking golf course. Presiding over the tranquil fairways and the golf teaching facility is Resident Golf Professional Doug Pike. Meadowood's Resident Tennis Professional, Doug King, is one of the country's leading tennis teaching innovators. The founder of Acceleration Tennis, a revolutionary teaching system, King is leading the way in reinterpreting the traditional tennis model, working with players of all skill levels from beginner to professional. Between dining and wine experiences we invite you to stretch your legs with a game of golf or tennis. 900 Meadowood Lane, St. Helena, California 94574 Tel (707) 968-3153 www.meadowood.com

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F I N E R ecently, the Château Lafite 1982 has experienced an astronomical rise in value perhaps too astronomical, and perhaps not based on the quality or uniqueness of the wine itself. Still, month after month auction houses report new record prices and I expected that to happen again recently. Up for auction was the perfect bottle. The starting price was exceptionally low, but as around thirty bidders competed for it, the price rose to 500 euros in just a few hours. In the end, the Lafite was sold for 650 euros ­ a high price for an empty bottle. The fact that the auction took place on eBay a few months ago is not enough to explain the high price ­ significantly higher than what I paid for a full bottle in 2000. I feel that the only logical explanation for the price is that in a few months' time the same bottle will reappear on the market, either on eBay or in China, although this time it will be full, equipped with a fancy new foil and with another zero added to the price. The sale of fake wines online, especially on eBay, has been common for years, and business seems to be thriving. The most obvious proof of this are the prices paid for empty bottles. Recycling is evidently the topic of the day, even on eBay. eBay is both heaven and hell for the wine buyer. The selection is endless and endlessly changing (as I write this there are around 54 000 bottles of wine for sale, and thousands more will appear next week), but there are huge fluctuations in quality. Practically any wine at all can be found on eBay, from the famous Lafite 1787 to the latest Romanée-Conti. Often the price is only one tenth of the price in international auction houses, but so is your chance of making a successful purchase. I have acquired hundreds of wine bottles through various countries' eBay sites, and many of them have been genuine, in good condition and well packaged. Unfortunately, many have also arrived broken or proven to be fakes. Around one in ten wines have failed to arrive altogether. The site offers opportunities for real bargains, because the sellers are usually private individuals, selling directly from their own cellars without intermediaries. Usually when buying from a private vendor, the main problem is not the reliability of the wine's origins, but the transport. Few people have access to the proper packaging materials needed for wine, and even fewer know how to insure the freight. On average, two out of ten bottles are broken on arrival. eBay is also used by hundreds of "real" wine dealers, but many of them do it mainly to dump their worst bottles on to the market. eBay is also paradise for wine counterfeiters and thereby an excellent place for us professionals to learn to recognise fakes. I would argue that more than half of the bottles sold on eBay for over 500 euros are counterfeits. Some of them are blatantly obvious, like the Jefferson Lafite 1787 mentioned above (although even that was sold for over 15 000 euros), and others extremely skilful, like a Romanée-Conti Montrachet from 1982 that I recently acquired. Unfortunately there are also sellers who offer wines they do not even have. Having received payment, they disappear from the system, only to register again the next day under a different username. Thus it is only worth buying wines on eBay if you are ready to take risks regarding their authenticity, Pekka Nuikki transport and condition ­ even their existence. In Editor-in-Chief fact, the only way I can envisage the use of eBay being risk-free is when it comes to selling your own wines. Selling on eBay is easy and the whole world is a potential buyer. You do not have to send out your wine until you have received the money. It is simple and it is safe. The risk of being defrauded on eBay has grown exponentially in the last twelve months. Therefore it is necessary to be alert and not to set your hopes too high. I recommend observing the following rules when buying on eBay: ­ Only buy from sellers with at least 200 positive ratings from buyers. Ensure that the seller did not receive the positive feedback by selling 50cent pens but rather products similar to what you are buying. ­ Look for sellers who are based in your country whenever possible. ­ Check that the seller has sold wines before and that the feedback received for postage and packaging is a full five stars. ­ Ask the seller to send pictures of the wines directly from his or her private email address. Pictures of the foil and the wine's surface level in particular should be requested. ­ Ask for photographs with a date stamp. ­ Always ask the seller to insure the wine for its full value. ­ In the case of expensive bottles, ask the seller to use a courier service rather than ordinary post. ­ Only use PayPal or a similar payment method; never agree to wire transfers or Western Union. Never give your credit card details to the seller. Following these principles already improves your chances of buying a genuine, full wine bottle in good condition on eBay by 50 per cent. But it is always a gamble. In fact, many sellers' favourite expression is probably "What happens on eBay, stays on eBay." > NUIKKI 17 FINE Nu i k k i eBay: The Las Vegas of Wine

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Text:Pekka Nuikki Wine Advertising ­ Have You Seen Any? How many wine advertisements do you remember seeing in magazines and newspapers? How many mottoes or slogans do you recall? Probably not many. In fact, remembering even one will place you above the average. This is no surprise. In a fiercely competitive wine industry, valued at an estimated 18 billion euros in 2011, the majority of wine producers have no marketing budget whatsoever, not to mention any advertising budget. Consumers generally do not like to spend money on things they do not know. It is hard to get to know someone without communication, and advertising forms a part of the communication between a product and its customer ­ a step forward on the path of getting to know each other. Therefore, one of the best ways of standing out from among more than 300 000 wine brands is still traditional marketing and advertising. This basic fact became clear to the Inglenook Winery forty years ago, and in a very simple way: through dialogue. Showing Up Woody Allen once said that eighty per cent of success is showing up. Advertising works pretty much in the same way. Show up in popular media and you stand a chance of people remembering your product when they are making a purchase decision. Simple, but time-consuming and expensive. Still, it is essential if you want to make your brand a success. Good communications, like good advertisements, always have an inexplicable attraction ­ a strange, almost supernatural or magical pull that stays in your mind. Depending on your attitude towards commercial communications, you might approach this attraction with either spontaneous admiration, cool detachment, childish enthusiasm, straight-laced seriousness or preconceived judgement. One thing is for sure, though: good advertising garners a response and awakens interest from buyers. Let Your Product Speak for Itself Browsing the latest leading wine publications, I find plenty of interesting, sharply written and beautifully illustrated articles, but no advertisements fulfilling the same criteria. It is just one beauty shot of a bottle after the next, without any relevant or memorable statements. Today, companies have to provide more information about themselves and their products than ever before. There are an increasing number of places for custom- ers and products to meet. Therefore, I contend that in the wine industry, more than in any other similarly sized industry, advertising offers the easiest and most costeffective way of standing out from the crowd and having a positive impact on consumers' purchase decisions. For those who make a living out of it, wine is a very mundane product. Working with it daily, they can easily start to view the world and the market purely from their own perspective; they see only their own product and its technical or functional excellence and forget what it is that actually makes people buy it. This is why we need advertising, copywriters and media: to act 19 W I N E A D V E R T I S I N G FINE Gallery

as interpreters between the product and its buyers. For consumers, wine is far from mundane. It contains many fascinating, appealing and valuable elements ­ things that should be brought out and presented to potential buyers. This requires advertising that can highlight the product's best aspects without undermining its credibility. Good advertising is always based on solid fact. Its energy comes from verifiable properties of the product or service on offer. Wine, perhaps more than any other consumer good, contains a huge number of aesthetic and ethical factors on which to build a positive message. Consumers are smart. Anyone can distinguish an excellent advertisement from a mediocre one ­ just like a good wine from a bad one. Anyone can interpret and mentally process a message that is punchy, different, positive and fresh and which tickles our imaginations. That is the definition of a good advert. Although it is crucial to remember and accept that the most important task of advertising, besides imparting information, is to enhance sales ­ not to act as a free news or entertainment channel for viewers. The main difference between factual communication and advertising lies in the 20 FINE presentation or tuning. In this way, advertising can seduce its audience more effectively than a purely rational message. It is thus the approach, rather than the medium or even the content, that differentiates advertising from other communications. The changes in society since the 1960s, arising from information and communication technology developments, economic globalisation, increasing prosperity, liberalisation of ideas, weakening of traditional behavioural norms and growth of market supply, have led to a situation with completely different daily routines and well-being levels. Advertising and marketing were also in turmoil at the time, looking for their place in the new communication channels and modes that were becoming available. The result was partly a lot of trivial nonsense but partly also the sharpest and most insightful communications of their time. Diversity was not feared, it was turned into art ­ and not just any art, but sellable art. Inglenook conducted an extensive and attention-grabbing advertising campaign, which did not, however, rely on the colourful and penetrating phenomena of its time. Its success was not based on flamboyant, imaginative pictures or on ostentatious prom- ises concerning the product's superiority. Quite the opposite. The advertisements consisted of small black-andwhite pictures with a relatively large amount of text. It is difficult even to discern the real essence of the product ­ its so-called unique selling argument. In Inglenook's adverts, the philosophy of enjoying wines has been broken down into small pieces and ingeniously regrouped into an explosive whole, which is meanwhile very modestly framed. Despite their apparent plainness, the messages are a beguiling reinterpretation of the marketed product and all of its values. I consider this reinterpretation to be skilfully constructed and pretty clever. I believe that at the time it led to almost instant changes in the minds and behaviour of the recipients of the message. The advertisements' directness and honest, fact-based humour were a strong weapon in vying for positive, action-inducing attention from consumers. Good advertising consists of timeless aesthetics, well-timed entertainment, multidimensional culture and straightforward product information, all at the same time. Advertising is interpersonal communication, without which our environment would be much impoverished ­ both spiritually and materialistically. >

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B Text: Juha Lihtonen oulot Photos: Pek k a Nuik k i DANIEL BOULUD ated an impressive restaurant empire with tentacles around the world in cities such as Miami, Vancouver, Singapore, Beijing and London. It is a true American Dream story, which started on a farm in the French countryside and landed in the limelight of Broadway. We met Daniel to find out what it has taken to become a star chef. D aniel Boulud, 56, is one of the hottest names on the restaurant scene today. With his three Michelin Star establishment "Daniel", rated the best restaurant in New York and one of the best in the world, Boulud has cre- D a n i e l B o u l u d C h e f & E n t e r t a i n e r 29 FINE Personality

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B W e meet Daniel far from the skyscrapers of New York, in a cosy Tennessee resort called Blackberry Farm. He is here for the weekend to serve his awarded cuisine alongside amazing wines to a number of assembled gastronauts. These gourmands from around the United States have gathered here to meet Daniel Boulud, to learn from him and to enjoy his cooking. Many of them have been his customers for years and have become acquitanted with him in person, while the others know him only from television and his cook books. After this weekend they will consider him their friend such was the intensity of the time spent together. If it was intense for guests, it was certainly even more so for the hard-working Boulud and his team; from early morning preparations for cooking workshops to lunches and latenight dinners. However, Boulud seems fresh and relaxed as he sits in his chef 's uniform, smiling happily and basking in the bright sunshine that floods the terrace. "I love being here. It is like being at home on my family farm in France, although this is obviously a much more prestigious place compared to where I am from," Daniel smiles and he is suddenly transported back to his childhood. "The place where I was born and raised was near Lyon, in a village called St.-Pierre-deChandieu. I grew up immersed in the routine of the farm. We bred chickens and turkeys, grew vegetables and had livestock such as cows, goats and pigs. We also made goats cheese from the milk of our goats and ham and saucisson from the pigs. I used to go to farmers' market once a week with my father to sell what we had produced. Along with the farm, we ran a small café next door called Café Boulud, which was established by my great-grandparents. This was an inspiring and small world for me. I felt that going to school was not for me, and when I turned fourteen my parents did not know what to do with me." The young man had a passion for cooking but getting to work in a restaraunt in Lyon without any contacts and references seemed to be all but impossible, however, help was found from one of the family's clients. Boulud Da n i e l re of a businessman than a chef to the young Boulud. Nandron ­ Highway from hell O ne of the permanent clients of the Boulud farm was a next door neighbour, a wealthy lady to whom Daniel supplied cheese, eggs and vegetables. This woman and her Lyon-based surgeon husband were gourmands and frequently dined in the best restaurants that Lyon had to offer. They knew Daniel as a hardworking and positive boy, and decided to offer him their help. They were acquainted with great chefs like Paul Bocuse, Gérard Nandron and Alain Chapel, and asked around to see if anyone needed a young apprentice. "I consider myself lucky that Lyon-based two Michelin Star chef Gérard Nandron agreed to take me as an apprentice for two months before the next one arrived. It was a hard school and I worked 13-hour days. Actually, at that time it felt like I was in hell," Daniel recalls. Despite the working environment, he was inspired by the skillful chefs in the kitchen, while Nandron himself was a distant boss who seemed mo- oulud's hard work as apprentice paid off and in 1972 he was nominated among the best culinary apprentices in France. The following year he started to work as a cook in La Mere Blanc with George Blanc. It was here that Daniel got to see up-close how George Blanc, who was ten years older than him, was planning and striving to create something new and exciting, by turning traditional countryside cooking into contemporary cooking. "The energy, motivation and passion that George Blanc had was very inspiring. I also saw in him the sense of perfection that you can only find from three Michelin Star restaurateurs." La Mere Blanc ­ Catching perfection B oulud Copenhagen Plaza Hotel ­ Too much too soon "I found a lot of soul, passion and charisma in Roger Vergé as a person. It did not only exist in his cooking, but in his restaurant, his staff and the overall expression of the place. For me, it was very important to learn to understand that there was much more involved in the career I had chosen than to become just a good cook. There are many chefs that do not really care for placing much stock in service or in the details of the place; they just take care of the kitchen and that is fine. Roger Vergé was not one of those people and after working for him first as a cook and then as a chef de partie, I learnt not to become like that." A oulud did not witness George Blanc achieving the third star, as he had left him in 1974 for the French Riviera, where he started to work for the famous Roger Vergé at Le Moulin de Mougins, just north of Cannes. It was the same year the restaurant was awarded its own Michelin star. "It was a very exciting experience. When a restaurant earns its third star, the next five-toten months are just an amazing high speed ride. After that the joy turns into a constant pressure to stay at that level," Boulud explains before saying that the biggest impact for him was not the third star, but something else. Le Moulin de Mougins ­ More than a kitchen B fter Boulud had worked for two years at Le Moulin de Mougins, he wished to return to Lyon. Vergé must have seen great potential in the 22-year-old, as he suggested Daniel for the position of sous chef in the four-star Plaza Hotel restaurant in Copenhagen, a project which Vergé himself was involved in. Boulud was most certainly interested and decided to postpone his return to Lyon. "Denmark was already fascinating thirty years ago when it came to food ­ lots of creativity and a lot of things happening. It felt so good being outside France, teaching and coaching the other young chefs and exchanging ideas on Scandinavian cuisine, as well as learning how to use its ingredients. I felt, however, that I was far too young to carry the given responsibility, and I was also missing the ambiance of a three star restaurant establishment." DANIEL BOULUD 31 FINE Personality

Boulud Dan i el Michel Guérard's Les Prés d'Eugénie ­ Creating a fantasy A fter a year in Denmark, Boulud found himself at Eugénieles-Bains in the southwest of France. It was here that the famous French chef Michel Guérard was running his three star establishment at the family-owned hotel and health spa. While respecting Guérard's cuisine greatly, Boulud was also fascinated to learn about the rich culinary history of the region. "During my year and a half working for Michel Guérard, I learnt a lot from him about cooking, but I learnt much more outside the kitchen. I used to spend afternoons taking pictures from every angle of every little thing, both inside and outside the place. Mrs Guérard, who was a daughter of the founder of the beauty brand Biotherm, had such exquisite taste when it came to décor; she is one of the most sophisticated restaurateurs in France. I was very impressed with her eye for detail, and this is important in the restaurant business as the restaraurant is not your home, it is an environment that you create for others. It is the place where you create a fantasy for your guests through the surroundings. I am not saying it is all about the décor, of course the food has to be tasty and creatively done, but once you have both there the fantasy can be created." terms of love, as they broke up in less than half a year, but in his career it can very much be considered just that. It was from here that Daniel travelled to the United States. After working in Copenhagen for less than a year, first as a sous chef in the Plaza Hotel and then in Les Etôiles, the number one restaurant in Copenhagen, Boulud was offered a job as a private chef for Roland de Kergorlay, head of the European Commission delegation. The job was in Washington DC. "For a young guy it was very exciting. I was given a visa, a car and an apartment alongside a lousy salary, but everything else was in line. I worked there for two years. During this time I visited New York and spent a month in a famous upscale restaurant by the name of La Côte Basque, where my friend, a former pastry chef of Roger Vergé, was working. It was fascinating, and I saw how young American chefs were eager to push their cooking to limits that I had not seen in France. The energy in the restaurant and its powerful presence was impressive. It was a superb restaurant with a breathtaking wine cellar. I thought to myself there and then that I wanted to come back to New York one day and show the city what I could do." New York via Copenhagen ­ A turning point D 32 aniel left the Guérards to return to Denmark, where he had a crush on a Danish girl. It was not a turning point in his life in ack in Washington, Boulud became friends with the famous chef Jean Louis Paladin, who was the pioneer of a new cooking movement in United States during the early eighties. To Boulud, he was an inspirational chef who assisted him Polo Lounge and Le Regence ­ Stepping on to the stage B FINE B From Le Cirque to circle ­ Overtaking New York in finding a job in New York. His first position there was as a sous chef at the Hotel Westbury Polo Lounge in 1982, where he got to work with many dedicated American chefs. Many of these men have gone on to become the superstar chefs of today, such as Thomas Keller, Alfred Portale and Billy Yosses. After two years at Westbury, Boulud was asked to open a new restaurant for the same owners ­ Le Regence at Hotel Plaza Athenée. He got the restaurant up and running but then wanted to resign. "I got really sick of working in hotels. The summer was coming and the hotel business slowed down. I was then asked to cut staff costs and to get rid of the pastry chef, as the owners belived that we did not need him during the summer. I came back a week later and told the owners that I had found the solution ­ I saved them the costs by leaving myself," Daniel laughs. During his career in Le Regence his cooking had made an impression on many people. Among them was the restaurant's next door neighbour, restaurateur Sirio Macconi. earned four stars in The New York Times twice." By 1992 Boulud felt that he had achieved his target in New York as a chef, by gaining such great recognition there. He therefore decided to fulfil his dream of establishing his own restaurant and left Le Cirque. However, at the time he was still unaware as to where he should do it. To evaluate possible options he decided to return to Lyon. "I went to France and to Lyon for two summers in a row to see if I could make it there. I tried to open a restaurant but I could not take care of the investments by myself and the banks would not grant me the loans. So, I needed to raise money and I quickly realised that it is best done in New York. I was looking to gather around twenty investors who would each invest 150 000 dollars. Then I met Joe Smilow, the retiring CEO of Playtex, who said that he never thought of investing in a restaurant, he did not know me and did not know how good chef I was, but he liked me as a person. He also said that he would rather like to be the only investing partner." o M acconi recruited Boulud to run his restaurant, Le Cirque, as the executive chef. "It was a big position for me, as an executive chef," Daniel recalls. "Le Cirque was at that time very famous for its clientele but the food was not on par with the restaurant's reputation. So, I had the responsibility of lifting the reputation of Le Cirque's kitchen. I worked there for six years, during which time we The Daniel Boulud empire ­ Dreams come true I n 1993 Boulud's dream came true as he opened Restaurant Daniel on the ground floor of the Surrey Hotel on Manhattan East 76th street. The foundations of the Boulud success story had been laid. After committing himself to one address in Manhattan ­ in 1998 Café Boulud opened next door to Restaurant Daniel ­ he was ready to take a second step. He made his cooking an export good from New York

B and established his first restaurants outside the city, in Palm Beach and Las Vegas. Soon after, he branched out to major cities outside the United States, such as Beijing, Vancouver, London and Singapore. Meanwhile, he introduced new bars and restaurants in New York, including the untried concept of a gastropub in the lower east side of Manhattan. DBGB proved to be more than successful, serving sausages, burgers and seafood platters in an atmosphere that mixed French Brasserie with traditional American tavern. Boulud believes that behind his success is something other than creativity and the ability to find new niches in the restaurant business. "It is the people around me that have made me so successful ­ good partners and amazing staff. My staff are very young, very dedicated; they ouud oulud trust in me and work very hard. This is very important, as I want the young chefs to trust me and to grow with me. We will work together and we will make it together; I give evertyhing I can to help my chefs succeed and to succeed with them. It is certainly not easy and involves a lot of hard work every single day. But it is not only about the kitchen, as I have already said. We also need to monitor the front of the house constantly. The service is one of the biggest hallmarks and we are really focusing on service ­ its efficiency, precision and knowhow. It has to be flawless and we also have to be as close to perfection as possible. This is not only important in Restaurant Daniel but in our bistros as well; you must feel the service in our most casual restaurants is as special as it is in any other other of our establishments. This is very challenging, es- pecially in a crazy city like New York. It is almost like steering a spaceship at three hundred miles per hour through a storm: you feel the tension coming from everywhere and yet you have to keep the course perfect. To do that, I need a lot of people, a lot of perseverance, a lot of meetings and a good strategy. Constant reassessments are also needed in terms of menus, the market, service, maintenance, communication, and all the other little details that are so vital. The business can deteriorate very quickly, and we need to make sure we are a step ahead and have a clear target when it comes to what we want to do. My target is to be consistent, but in our business that is always the hardest thing to do." Due to the increasing pace of new restaurants opening everywhere, it seems that Boulud's spaceship does not only go three hundred miles per hour in New York, but all over the world. Despite the style of his restaurants, he keeps impressing foodies and critics with his cuisine, which is based on the precise and rich flavours of classic French countryside cooking with a modern spin using traditional techniques. For Boulud, the key is to understand how to combine different ingredients sensitively with each other, in order to create precise and intense flavours. "When it comes to cooking, I think it is very important to understand that it is not all about complexity ­ it is about precision of flavours. Not every dish is a master piece of beauty. You give me twenty pounds of tripe and I will make you a wonderful dish out of it. It might not be a visually beautiful portion but it will be visually soulful, DANIEL BOULUD 33 FINE Personality

especially when it comes to the taste. It would give me as much pleasure to prepare a pot of tripe as it would to prepare a very sophisticated raw fish dish with different layers of flavours. I am very connected to both the seasons and the market and my cooking is still very driven by the ingredient. I am a man of tradition and invention. I also do not know what my cooking would have been like if I had not had this passion with me. It has perhaps been my ability to be indentified, but within myself I am happy and I make a lot of people happy with because of it. Daniel Boulud has certainly made a number of people happy with his cooking throughout the years, but where does he see himself in the future? "First of all, I still do not know where I belong. I have lived in New York City and I have done everything in New York, but is this really the place where I want my life to stop? I have always had something of the adventurer in me, as you can see from my career. So, let me put it this way: five years from now I am going to do what I am doing now. Ten years from now I hope to take two months' holiday a year, minimum. Twenty years from now, I wish to have a little house in Brazil, a little cabaña on the beach and something in Provence. I also want to have an apartment in New York, as I still hope to work around a third of the time. Thus, I would take four months off a year, mostly travelling and dabbling in a little bit of work, but still being very involved. When it comes to my career and future, I must say that I admire Paul Bocuse. I have known him since I was fourteen. He has always been behind me, helping and supporting me. At the B 34 FINE age of 84 you can still find him in his restaurant; he is involved, although he does not do any cooking there. It is, however, his prescence that makes the atmosphere so different. So, I wish that I can still be in my restaurant when I am 84. That means that I will be in good health and still in love with what I am doing." It is undeniable that Daniel Boulud is a talented chef, but one can claim that the secret of his success has lots to do with his personality. The time spent with him at Blackberry Farm proves that he has an amazing ability to connect with, overwhelm and entertain people. It stems from the happiness he is willing and able to share with people, and the way he confronts and treats people, whether they are his workers, clients or complete strangers, is charming. With his humour, mesmerizing charisma and positive energy, he attracts people who want to share the success with him. These are qualities one rarely finds in a chef. Although he is a chef in his heart, he has one quality that makes him stand out from the crowd: he is a great entertainer. > Daniel Boulud's restaurants and awards: 2010 Bar Boulud, London 2010 DB Moderne Bistro, Singapore 2010 DB Moderne Bistro, Miami 2009 Bar Pleiades, New York 2009 DBGB Kitchen & Bar, New York 2008 Bar Boulud, New York 2008 Maison Boulud, Beijing 2008 DB Moderne Bistro, Vancouver 2005­2010 Daniel Boulud Brasserie, Las Vegas 2003 Café Boulud, Palm Beach 2003 DB Moderne Bistro, New York 1998 Café Boulud, New York 1993 Restaurant Daniel, New York ­ three Michelin stars & No. 8 in the world's best restaurant list James Beard Foundation awards for: "Outstanding Restaurateur" "Best Chef of New York City" "Best "Outstanding Chef of the Year" "Outstanding oulud

Every New Year's Eve I find myself in the same place, year after year. No matter where I am in the world, I make sure that I land in New York on the afternoon of the 31st. And why wouldn't I? When the King of Champagne comes calling for an evening of celebration, it is always wise to RSVP accordingly. It is safe to say that no one has opened more great Champagne for more peo people than Rob. Maybe Juhlin has tasted more, and that is a maybe, but I doubt he has shared his portfolio as openly and effortlessly maybe, as the KOC. Now Big Boy is not exactly someone I would call introverted, but trust me when I tell you that is exactly what you don ot want but him to be when you are a guest in his home, particularly on New Year's Eve. I was there early, and some interesting and eclectic non-vintage ­ make that multi-vintage ­ Krugs started things off curiously, though not incredibly impressively. A case of multi- vintage halves from the 1970s was a bit oxidized, and bereft of bubbles, although its nose seduced at first. There were initially warm, inviting caramel and vanilla notes that soon waned into a thin palate lacking substance. The thing about multi-vintages is that they can age and be spectacular, as Bruce the Returner reminded me. It is just that these particular half-bottles were anything but. Therefore I was quickly onto a multi-vintage Krug Rose from the 1980s. This was delightful, clean and fresh, light yet with an extreme finish. It maintained delicious strawberry dust flavours, and I took a quick refill (93 points). flavours, A 1966 Bollinger led us into welcome vintage territory, but did not make me feel welcome with its simple and one-dimensional palate. It was mature and pleasant in the nose, but another wine that did not deliver upon the promise of what it should have/could wine have/could have been (90 points). The 1966 Billecart Salmon Cuvee Nicolas Francois set our course back on target with an intriguing nose of honey, vanilla and lilac, all deftly woven. There was nice sprightliness to its palate, with lean, sweet wheat flavours, and almost yellow carob. Its finish was lemony, and Olof noted `copper', although I was not sure if he was talking about his investment strategy. Big Boy said something about a ten-case parcel, and I definitely think he was talking about his investment strategy (94 points). Then came the magnums; everything from here on out was served in magnum or jeroboam. We stayed on route '66 with a 1966 in Louis Roederer Cristal. It was another mature nose, in a heavy white molasses direction and not as expressive as the old crist cristals usually are. Its palate was more like it, still tasty with orange blossoms, game and a sweet, big and nutty finish. It clearly had orange the best density of anything so far, and the guy with the five Harleys that Vince McMahon was looking for took off his horns to declare that `the '66 rocks'. Nonetheless, it was an affected bottle, and one that had the most sophisticated palates abuzz with discussion due to its two-sided story (95M-A). A 1971 Ruinart de Brimont Reserve de Vicomte was the first of our 1971s, as the rest of the evening would be purely about the `71s and `61s. Actually, more `ones' were planned in honour of 2011, but I only made it to a little past 2am. I need to get that report, come to think of it. I was not sure if the Ruinart was a different Ruinart house, as the label was completely different than anything I had seen from Ruinart but apparently Brimont and its vineyards is the ancestral home of Ruinart. However, this was an entry-level vintage Champagne and clearly not the `tete de Cuvee'. It had an apple-like nose, and while nice and smooth, it did Cuvee'. not stand out. Bruce politically hailed it as `a good example o a great vintage'. (91M) of The 1971 Dom Pérignon began a monster streak of six killer Champagnes in a row from Big Boy, much like Derek Jeter delivers Champagnes during World Series. Rob added six runs scored and twelve RBIs on top with the array that followed. The DP was classic with its sugary, vanilla wafer nose. It was rich and delicious, and full of granulated sugar flavours to the point where I thought about it making one almighty a Bollini Royale or whatever mixed drinks t they make with bubbly. I happen to always drink it straight, so I do not really know about these things. Although a touch sweet it was, all in all, outstanding (95M). The 1971 Dom Pérignon Rose was an `infant' per Lady Agah, the artist formerly known as the Angry Chick. It is 2011, time to reinvent yourself, in case you did not get the memo. The DP Rose had wet earth aromas with light strawberry ones to match; both were deep and coiled, seemingly ready to strike. Its palate was huge with `insane' structure, and enough acidity for a college uni university chemistry programme. Dry and powerful, this was a perfect bottle of this wine, taking off like a rocket ship throughout its jet-fuelled finish. There were gorgeous flavours unfolding as it opened, particularly in the red and rose direction, with more earth as well. Lady Agah continued: "It is like a red wine", paying its density and structure a compliment. It was a beautiful monster, indeed. I am sure its score will improve with time, but it is just not quite there yet, there being 97 points and above. (96+M) jan-erik paulson Wine and alcohol friend of mine, who came to visit me in my small hometown of Waldkirchen in deepest Bavaria, brought with him a number of special bottles he wanted to share with me. One of these was a 2002 Napa Cab, a wine that I was curious to taste having heard so much about it (Robert Parker gave this wine a perfect 100-point score). The first sip showed an incredibly concentrated sweet, cabernet fruit that just seemed to bounce out of the glass 36 A and demand attention. The second sip reminded me more of a Cherry Heering liqueur than a wine. It was just too much of everything. No one asked for a second glass, so I kept the half-full bottle and tried a little over the next couple of days to see if it would get more drinkable with time. There seemed to be a bit more complexity after one day but it was still so overpowering that I found it difficult to drink. A lot has been written about wine and its ever increasing alcohol levels. Many wine drinkers are increasingly distancing themselves from alcoholic `monster wines' and are looking for wines that are lighter in style and more suited to drink rather than just taste. This is a thought that I also generally subscribe to. But is the alcohol content in itself the main problem with most of these wines? No, the problem is more a case of the wines being out of balance. A Fino Sherry, containing 20 per cent alcohol, is a refreshing and lovely wine that does not appear heavy at all. When it comes to the FINE

still wines, there has been a great variation in the alcohol levels. For example, one of my all-time favourite wines, Mouton 1949, has less than 11 per cent and the epic Cheval Blanc 1947 possesses a stunning 14 per cent. Neither of these wines have too little or too much alcohol. It is an unfortunate fact that a large number of winemakers try to get the maximum power and concentration out of a wine, in order to obtain high scores from wine critics or to show off their skills. It is often forgotten that wine is a drink to accompany food. Instead, too many winemakers make wine as if it should take part in a body building contest, which is the direction the large professional tastings seem to have taken. All the tricks are being used in vineyards and cellars to obtain something even `bigger', which leads to `wines on steroids'; an alcohol content of 15-16 per cent is not that unusual anymore. Most of these wines are overwhelming, tiring to drink and frankly boring. Even my beloved Bordeaux is not an exception any more. The competition to obtain a top score from the leading wine critics has led to a ruthless selection process in the cellars. Strict selection makes sense in a difficult vintage, but it is totally unnecessary in an excellent vintage like 2009. Here, up to 50 per cent of the harvest was relegated into their `second wines', in order to achieve a small amount of highly concentrated wine that could achieve top notes and prices. Why not instead be happy that the vintage brought the possibility making a large number of bottles of very good wine? I am a great fan of the 1990 Bordeaux vintage, from which I had the great fortune to buy lots of half -bottles en-primeur for private use. Their alcohol content is around 12.5 to 13 per cent and the wines are fresh and delicious to drink now, and have been that way for the last ten years. These are the kinds of wines that the bordelaise can produce better than anyone else in the world. The 1980s brought a steady increase in quality compared to the often unripe and hard wines from the 1970s. This was largely thanks to the financial situation allowing investments in the vineyards and the cellars. At harvest, ripeness was sought but over ripeness avoided and the wines were true to the traditional style. But, the early 1990s were marked by difficult vintages and the emergence of `garage wines' through high degrees of ripeness, low yields, modern cellar techniques and much use of new oak, which was used to concentrate the fruit of the wine. These `garagiste' wines impressed many wine critics at barrel tastings by being more expressive than their traditional counterparts. Over the years it has been shown that many of these wines do not age very well, and the era of the garage wine seems to be over. This again proves that the most important parameter for the ability of a wine to age gracefully is its balance. Another factor for increased alcohol in wine is global warming, as the growing season is warmer and drier. Traditionally, Bordeaux was harvested with an alcohol level of 11.5 per cent and then chaptilised further. Now, phenolic ripeness is being sought, making the wines silkier and more approachable at an early age. The side effect of this is a wine harvested with higher alcohol and lower acidity. So, the price of being able to compete with more `modern' and easy-to-understand wines is a loss of freshness, drinkability and ageing potential. Long gone are the days when the public would willingly buy a wine and wait twenty years or more for it to become drinkable, as was often the case for Bordeaux in the past. But hastening the maturity cycle of a wine too much leads to the loss of one of the greatest experiences there is ­ the complexity, elegance and sense of history of drinking a mature wine from a great vintage when it is 40, 50 or 60 years old. > COLUMN 37 F I N E Pa u l s o n

RUGGED PEAKS and steep terraced slopes spread as far as the eye can see. A magnificent sight. Just one hour from Porto lies a peaceful wine district, through which the river Douro flows calmly, dotted with the odd boat. There is hardly any traffic, and the locals' slow pace is unaffected by today's hurried lifestyle. I feel as though I had just travelled 50 years back in time. The wines from the region, however, have nothing calm about them: they exude power and are permeated by a long and lively history. Although for visitors the wine estates present a warm and unreserved front, there is turmoil in the background as the future makes its inevitable way forward. The port wine industry has been in tumult for years. The consolidation of companies into larger corporations, a familiar phenomenon in the wine world at large, is the talk of the day here, too. As Jacqueline Dias from Symington ironically says: "Visits to Douro are starting to be rather short, as there are fewer and fewer producers to call on." We had booked an entire week to unravel the secrets of the valley, however. In fact it was barely enough to scrape its red-hot surface ­ for we had arrived in Hell, and it wanted our souls. Text: Pekka Nuikki & Essi Avellan MW Photos: Pekka Nuikki 38 FINE

The Smiling inferno PORT WINES 39 FINE Region

The port trade is just as much a battle of brands as that of, for example, champagne. This causes a challenge in term of producer mergers. The products must be properly set apart from each other, both in image and in taste. The Symington family accounts for around 18 per cent of port wine sales, being the leader of the fine wine category with a market share of around 30 per cent. The thirteenth generation of the Symington family manages three major port brands and owns a handful of smaller ones. Dias explains: "Dow's is our big-volume seller, Graham's is a traditional-style premium classic, while Warre's represents a more unique style of port." Portugal's largest wine producer, Sogrape, owns three houses of port: Ferreira, Offley and Sandeman. Vasco Magalhães, who is in charge of the firm's communications, summarises the different brands' roles as follows: "Sogrape entered the port business only recently, having acquired Ferreira, which is known and loved for its elegant, traditional wines, in 1987. Offley, which appeals to the younger target group, joined Sogrape in 1996. The latest acquisition from 2002, Sandeman, offers a lighter, more aromatic style." The wines from the region, however, have nothing calm about them: they exude power and are permeated by a long and lively history. Escalating costs Besides mergers, port producers face the challenge of rising production costs. Visiting the area gives a good idea of just how labour-intensive the process is. The steep terraces require manual work, Vasco Magalhães and there are fewer and fewer people willing to do it. Despite the burgeoning port wine trade, the Douro Valley is still a poverty-stricken, undeveloped area. The wines are aged and sold in Porto, so the valley itself is denied a share of the wealth. Young people are keen to make 40 FINE

PORT WINES 41 FINE Region

it in the city, which means that the cost of labour is constantly rising. The same applies to winemaking. Traditionally, the grapes were crushed by foot in stone lagares. Rute Monteiro from Quinta do Noval recalls the original fabrication method: "On the first evening, eleven men in rows would tread the grapes back and forth, accompanied by music, from eight until midnight. In the morning, the treading would start again at half past eight, and now women were allowed to take part. The work continued until five in the afternoon, fuelled by dance, music and wine." The lack of workers has forced producers to implement technical advances. Symington has been the pioneer in developing mechanical crushing. How- ever, autovinification and Vinimatics have been unable to match the quality achieved through treading. Symington created the Robotic Lagares to imitate the manual process as far as possible. Jacqueline Dias shows us the robot at Quinta da Cavadinha: "The robot has silicone feet, whose pressure against the grapes is adjusted to match the weight of a 70-kilogram 42 FINE

man. The Cavadinha robot is one of the most modern in Douro. It can handle six steel vats simultaneously. The vats can be turned individually in order to remove the crushed grapes in just a few minutes, whereas in the stone lagares it was a question of manual shovelling. Currently, 8­10 per cent of our production is still treaded by people, meaning that our finest wines are produced 100 per cent manually." competition is unreasonably harsh. No port producer can benefit from this. More than 70 per cent of port wines are sold between September and December. In many places this valuable seasonal trade has been ruined by discount selling of standard ports, when it would make more sense to focus on the specialist categories. Demand for standard wines is constantly falling, and production is shifting towards retailers' ownbrand ports. This is why all the producers and the Port and Douro Wines Institute (IVDP) are focusing their energy on developing and marketing spe- PricEs Drag BEhinD The technical arrangements in the vineyards and the cellars have improved the cost structure, but the biggest problem faced by port wines is still unsolved. Christian Seely from Quinta do Noval is worried about price development, or rather the lack of it. After all, these are some of the world's top wines, but their prices are very low, especially in the aged category (for example LBV and Tawny). Monteiro explains: "Because ports are heavily seasonal products, discount campaigns have eaten away at the average price and cialist categories, such as Vintage, Single Quinta, LBV and Colheita." The IVDP wants at all costs to avoid the situation that is common in many other wine districts, where production by far exceeds demand. This is why the authorities have been restricting port wine production to below the current sales volume for the last five years. The IVDP trusts that this will help to raise prices and improve the area's reputation, quality and vitality in the long term. Port wine is one of the few sectors in the world in which the supervising organisation would have the courage to make such a drastic decision. One can only hope that this gamble will produce the desired results with regard to increasing interest and prices. "On the first evening, eleven men in rows would tread the grapes back and forth, accompanied by music, from eight until midnight." light at thE EnD of thE tunnEl A recent Drinks Insight survey pointed out some interesting opportunities PORT WINES 43 FINE Region

for development in the port wine category. The survey showed that consumers do not consider ports too expensive, and that both men and women are suitable target groups. Women's interest in ports is growing, and there is increasing variation in overall buyers' age ranges and social classes. However, the product group is considered too complex with all its categories. Therefore increasing knowledge is of primary importance for developing port sales and prices. Christian Seely of Quinta do Noval believes in the United States, Canada and Scandinavia as growing markets for port wine. This appears to be confirmed at least by the largest wine buyer in the Nordic region, Alko, which reports a growth in sales of over 10 per cent per annum in the last five years. Thus, some signs of change are discernible in the market after years of stagnation. IVDP, which focuses on quality, appears to have a clear direction in mind. Reputed winemaker João Nicolau de Almeida from Ramos Pinto agrees: "The quality of ports and all Douro wines in general has significantly increased. But despite the good average quality at the moment, there is still room for improvement. I believe we should produce less quantity and higher quality. There is always demand for good wines. The hardest part is changing attitudes ­ those of producers and consumers alike." challEnging anD rEwarDing tErroir The Douro Valley must be one of the most astonishing wine districts in the world. It is a country of extremes in climate, soil and topography. The journey from Porto to the western part of the district takes one hour. Within that journey, the temperature can rise by ten degrees Centigrade in summer. In winter the valley can be beset by sub-zero temperatures, while in summer the mercury often exceeds 40 degrees. As the locals say, it's 9 meses de inverno e 3 de inferno: nine months of winter and three of hell. Rainfall varies from a typical 1200 mm on the seashore to a low of 400 mm inland. There are huge differences between areas and between years. José Manso, who is in charge of wine-growing at Barros, recalls the exceptional year of 2001: "For us the usual rainfall is 600 mm, but in 2001 we had a huge 1200 mm. The biggest problem was that one half of that fell within one month. This was disastrous for the terraces, which are susceptible to erosion. This year, on the other hand, many vineyards were destroyed by a hailstorm." The Douro soil is characterised by a thin surface layer of slate and clay. The lower soil strata are predominantly slate and creating new vineyards is a huge effort. Manso says: "Dynamite and bulldozers are essential. The large rocks must be blasted, while the smaller ones can these days be buried underground. Traditionally, the rock was used to build the patamares (terraces)." The rockiness of the soil has many advantages. During the rainy season, it 44 FINE

"I don't feel that we need new varieties. We should focus on the traditional Douro ones ­ there is plenty to do with them." Dirk Niepoort closE to organic ProDuction helps the water to be absorbed deep into the earth, allowing the root layer to dry quicker. It also curtails erosion. During the growing season, the stones heat up during the day and reflect warmth on to the roots long into the evening, which furthers ripening. The Douro soil is characteristically acidic, with very low pH values. This can easily cause a scarcity of certain macronutrients. Low levels of potassium and phosphorus are typical problems in Douro, and they lead to reduced yields and slow ripening. Manso adds: "Our parcels are also poor in organic matter. The soil is estimated to contain less than two per cent organic matter, which is problematic, for example, in times of drought. Many producers take steps to increase this percentage." Douro is infernally hot in summer. In 2006, record heat waves at harvest time had a detrimental impact, especially on white and red wine production. A heavy hailstorm early in the summer was another sign of exceptional climate conditions. Almeida comments: "The climate is clearly changing. It may become indispensable to allow irrigation beyond Douro Superior. We may also have to change the ways in which vines are cut and hung, in order, for instance, to provide increased shading for the grapes." Dirk Niepoort is a believer in organic cultivation. José Manso thinks along the same lines: "Douro only has a few dozen hectares of vineyards classified as organic, but in practice almost all wine-growing here PORT WINES 45 FINE Region

is close to being organic. This is not an end in itself for us; it guarantees better quality and sustainable development of the area. The best quality comes from a harmony of soil, climate and grapes, without chemicals." the angle of the slope, each horizontal patamare could fit 1­3 rows of vines. Sogrape's Magalhães describes the traditional method: "This is the ideal way of growing vines in Douro, because with only 1­3 rows on each landing, most grapes will ripen evenly. In the late 1800s, however, there was a plague of phylloxera, after which the necessary workforce could not be found for extensive replanting. That is why you can still see mortarios in the valley ­ old terraces with dead vines, replanted with olive trees." The old-fashioned patamares were picking them at different times would be too difficult. And with many of these old terraces planted with a mixture of varieties, the end result can be unpredictable." The arrival of bulldozers allowed for the development of second-generation patamares from the 1960s. Again containing 1­3 vine rows, these terraces were built without supporting stone walls. This makes them prone to erosion during heavy rain. However, they are much cheaper to build, which also makes them easier to repair when necessary. The newest terraces are typically parcels of a single variety. This also applies to the latest cultivation method, vinha ao alto. These are vertical vineyards planted without terraces, which allows for a much higher planting density than on the patamares, at about 2400 vines per acre. Ferreira and Offley have many vertical parcels. Magalhães lists some of the pros and cons: "Initially we feared problems with erosion, but in the end there have been fewer problems in those terms than with the new patamares. It is all a question of the incline. A 30 per cent gradient is optimal for the vertical system, with 40 per cent as the absolute max- thE Million-Dollar QuEstion Douro's steep, rocky hills cause diverse problems for planting vineyards. Historically, there have been four distinct ways of tackling the issue. The most traditional building method was patamares terraces, made by piling rocks from the soil into thick walls. Depending on "I am not against singlevariety wines and the use of international varieties in Douro. I am only interested in quality. If this can be achieved through varietal wines or foreign grapes, then why not?" Ferreira imum. Mechanical farming is easier on followed by socalcos, with fewer terraces and several parallel rows of vines on each. This method brought lower construction costs and facilitated mechanisation. Magalhães explains: "The problem with this model is uneven ripening. The first rows ripen much faster than those in the middle, but the vertical parcels, but then the manual tasks, such as picking and vine cutting and tying, are more difficult." All of the abovementioned methods are still in use, and opinions vary concerning the superiority of one over another. With such a varied topography, the best method depends on the exact 46 FINE

location and gradient of the vineyard. For example, sunlight will hit vertically and horizontally planted vines in different ways. Touriga Nacional's reputation is based on its aromatic nature and its ability to produce subtle, strong wines. It is characterised by blackcurrant and blackberry notes and a scent of violet. A good port grape should have tannins, full- tiME for rEsEarch Research into different cultivation methods and varieties, let alone clones and rootstocks, is only recent in the area. However, now every major house is feverishly doing it. Warre's experimental vineyards at Quinta da Cavadinha, for example, have endowed the company with data on the behaviour of different varieties and clones. The region permits the cultivation of 36 red and 24 white grape varieties. Almeida of Ramos Pinto says: "The old know-how regarding the traditional varieties has been lost. We now have to work hard in order to learn to understand and to grow each one in the right way. For me, Douro wines are primarily blended wines. Each variety is just one variety, and it can never bring the complexity of nuances of a blend. That is especially due to the number of mesoclimates we have here." Touriga Nacional is considered the number one grape for port. Magalhães describes some of the ongoing research: "My brother wrote a whole thesis on Touriga Nacional. The problem with the variety is its small yield. He investigated 178 different clones and chose the six best ones. Previously the average yield per vine was just 500 grams, but with these select clones we can reach 1500 grams per vine without compromising on quality." bodied colour and a strong fruity nature. The naturally high acidity of Touriga Nacional also gives it ageing potential. As for some of the other varieties, Magalhães says the following: "Tinta Roriz, a.k.a. Tempranillo, is more difficult here than on the Spanish side of the border. Its acidity tends to fall flat in all but certain exceptional years. Tinta Barrocca is a low acid variety, whose alcohol content can rise to 16 per cent. It comes out well almost every year and it can be cultivated in wetter areas, even right on a river bank. Sousão is an undervalued variety that provides good colour. Tinta Cão is low in yield but produces elegant and peppery wines. Amarela, on the other hand, is grown Symington Family PORT WINES 47 FINE Region

thanks to its high yield, acidity and perfume-like quality." Traditionally, different varieties were grown all together on the same plots. The move to single-variety parcels was only made in recent decades. Now the trend is back in the other direction; at least Niepoort and Almeida have ended up mixing varieties in many vineyards, although this time based on scientific research data. International varieties have also found their way into the Douro Valley. This is no wonder, because, for example, Syrah and Cabernet grow very well there. But many producers want to hold on to their national treasure ­ the wealth and diversity that comes from dozens of local varieties ­ and this includes João Nicolau de Almeida. to ask what they thought about single-variety wines and the use of international varieties in Douro. Ferreira started: "I am not against them. I am only interested in quality. If this can be achieved through varietal wines or foreign grapes, then why not?" Roquetta agrees: "Portugal has dozens of endemic varieties with huge potential. But global competition is hard, and Portugal is still looking for its place on the wine map. This is why Cabernet and Syrah, which actually grow very well here, can help us." Olazabal also takes a positive approach: "I don't see why we couldn't use other varieties, although there is still a lot of research to be done on our own." "Portugal has dozens of endemic varieties with huge potential. But global competition is hard, and Portugal is still looking for its place on the wine map." Tomás Roquetta , Quinta do Crasto's Douro Boys: against convEntionality Douro Boys is an internationally renowned marketing partnership between five wine estates, whose purpose is to make the traditional wine district a bit more dynamic and to generate international interest in small producers' wines in the face of corporate consolidation. Dirk Niepoort is the bestknown Douro Boy; the others are Quinta do Vallado's Francisco Ferreira, Quinta do Crasto's Tomás Roquetta, Quinta do Vale D. Maria's Christiano van Zeller and Quinta do Vale Meão's Francisco Olazabal. For the sake of equality, one should mention that there are also two Douro girls: Susana Esteban of Quinta do Crasto and Sandra Tavares of Vale D. Maria. The Douro Boys have the reputation of ground-breaking innovators, so I had Niepoort is a bit stricter: "I don't feel that we need new varieties. We should focus on the traditional Douro ones ­ there is plenty to do with them." Christiano van Zeller also believes in blends and local varieties: "We grow 41 varieties on our estate. What a spectrum of options and nuances!" 48 FINE

It is a pleasure to listen to the Douro Boys, each of them having such a strong personality. They occasionally have rather sharp differences of opinion, just as they should. The group formed almost by itself some fourteen years ago, through various connections between all the different companies. As van Zeller says: "Forming the Douro Boys was not any kind of selection process, but a natural continuation of work that had al- ready been done. New members have not been accepted since 1999, and it would in fact be too difficult for them to make an entrance into the long friendships and enduring history." Our week in the red-hot Inferno is soon over. We managed to visit dozens of estates, although our car only travelled at an average speed of 30 kilometres per hour due to the difficult roads. Two things in particular impressed us: the notably friendly and positive atmosphere on the estates, and the astonishingly high quality of the port wines in general. Of the hundreds of ports we tasted, only a handful were bad and several were excellent. We managed to keep our souls. Only one question remained: how come the wines made in the Inferno tasted of Paradise? > PORT WINES 49 FINE Region

fine VinTage PorT TaSTing FINE organised a fascinating Port event in Berlin last year, with ports dating back to 19th century. There was great crowd of port lovers, journalists and port producers, who shared the ten-hour tasting and dinner adventure at renowned Restaurant Margaux. The cheerful event was hosted by famous producers Dirk Niepoort, David Guimaraens and Paul Symington. There were no disappointments within the wines and all were in good condition. Port 2007 Dow's Vintage Port 2003 Taylor's Vintage Port 1994 Warre Vintage Port 1992 Taylor's Vintage Port 1989 Offley Vintage Port 1985 Fonseca Vintage Port 1980 Dow's Vintage Port 1977 Fonseca Vintage Port 1970 Niepoort Vintage Port 1967 Quinta do Noval Nacional Vintage Port 1966 Graham Vintage Port Points 93p 85p 90p 94p 88p 91p 86p 90p 93p 97p 90p Port 1963 Quinta do Noval Vintage Port 1960 1960 Ferreira Vintage Port 1958 Sandeman Vintage Port 1955 Graham Vintage Port 1952 Ramos Pinto Vintage Port 1945 Croft Vintage Port 1942 Niepoort Vintage Port 1927 Offley LBV 1924 Ramos Pinto Vintage Port 1899 Ferreira Vintage Port 1840 Vintage Port Points 96p 66p 85p 86p 85p 89p 91p 89p 95p 94p 91p TaSTing noTeS in chronicle order: 50 FINE

PORT WINES 51 FINE Region

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PORT WINES 53 FINE Region

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Edi 56 tor's The Yeatman, ·P ick · FINE

Porto, Portugal Text: Stuart George Photos: The Yeatman At Vila Nova de Gaia, on the south side of the Douro at Porto, the river flows under the Ponte de Dom Luis towards the Atlantic, 550 miles from its source in northern Spain. Dazzling light and ferocious heat bounce off white stones. Other than access to the river (and the lower taxes that brought Port producers here in the first place) it seems an unlikely place to make and store wines. It is an even more unlikely place to find what is being billed as Portugal's finest hotel and restaurant. Owned by the Taylor-Fladgate Port group, which owns the Croft, Fonseca and Taylor brands, The Yeatman had a "soft opening" in September 2010 before its official launch in January 2011. I was one of the "friends" invited to stay (at my own cost, I should mention) during the "soft" period when the finishing touches to the hotel were being made ­ which is to say that there was a lot of building work still going on. The 32 million budget was funded mainly by Taylor's, with 7 million from the Portuguese government (no wonder they've gone bust), though the final cost was 40 million. The hotel sits high above the Port lodges and rabelos (boats) that lie along the riverfront. Taylor's has built 82 bedrooms (all sponsored by a "Wine Partner"), 11 event rooms, a wine shop, a 20 000-bottle capacity cellar, overseen by Beatriz Machado, and The Caudalie Vinothérapie® Spa, where those who have overindulged can purge themselves. I was given a 50-minute massage here by the lovely Sonia, who 57 PORTO, PORTUGAL F I N E E d i t o r 's Pi c k

considered me to be "stressful" (I think that she meant "stressed") and "toxic" (in the best sense). Too much work and wine has apparently shortened my life. The Yeatman's chef Ricardo Costa was formerly at the Relais & Châteaux Casa da Calçada hotel in Amarante, 40 miles northeast of Porto, where he obtained a Michelin Star. Taylor-Fladgate's MD Adrian Bridge persuaded him to come to Porto, perhaps by showing him the magnificent view from the Yeatman's dining room (and most of the guest rooms) of the river and the Ponte de Dom Luis. The hotel exists to promote Portuguese wines, especially Port. I ate from the five-course "Express Menu" with some additional amuse bouche. The aperitif drink was Murganheira Grande Reserva Bruto Assemblage 1995, a sparkling wine from Beiras in north Portugal. Largely made from Malvasia Fina, with the red grapes Touriga Nacional and Tinta Roriz also in the blend, it smelt "skinny" ­ of grape skins, that is ­ with little of the yeastiness found in Champagne and some other sparkling wines. The hotel exists to promote Portuguese wines, especially Port, but a wide range of classics from other countries is available from the 1500-strong wine list. The Murganheira was pleasant, as was the Taylor's Quinta de Vargellas Extra Virgin Olive Oil, which I was told has a low acidity of only half a per cent. The first amuses bouche were foie gras with caramelised apple, scallop salad with Avruga caviar and steak tartare. They were delicious and decadent. The dishes kept 58 coming ­ they must have known that I had been to the Spa that afternoon. The flatbread was scrumptious. Beef carpaccio topped with a cheese balloon with a tunatto sauce ­ a Portuguese version of vitello tonnato ­ with ruccola leaves and white asparagus was the first starter. The cheese balloon was achieved brilliantly but it looked better than it tasted ­ it was rather rubbery in texture and flavour. The beef was tasty but a bit chewy. Having downed the Murganheira, I was offered a white wine from Bucelas ­ Companhia das Quintas's Santa Catherina Reserva 2007, made from the obscure but wellregarded Arinto grape. It had a creamy, almost yoghurt-like nose, with pear flavours and snappy acidity. It was very good with the shrimp, which was served with a celery sauce. However, the few chunks of celery that were floating in the dish really were not necessary. FINE

PORTO, PORTUGAL 59 F I N E E d i t o r 's Pi c k

The main fish course of monkfish roasted with tomato chutney had some sort of sweet and sour caramelised `thing' on top and some very earthy tasting carrots. I liked it very much but there was too much calamari pasta with it. The Atalaya 2008 ­ a red table wine from the Douro ­ served with the mountain lamb had a colour as dark as the river outside and was made in a modern, lush style, with oak make-up and high alcohol. The lamb had been "double cooked" ­ boiled twice, apparently ­ and came with a rather sickly almond and orange cream. For dessert, the hazelnut mousse and carrot, coconut and curry cake needed to be cut with the ice cream to sweeten and soften it. The fresh strawberries and raspberries that decorated the dish were very moreish. A nutty and nicely chilled Fonseca 20-year old Tawny Port followed, and it was delicious. I can think of few things more enjoyable than sipping Port while enjoying a view of the River Douro. After such a splendid dinner, breakfast the following morning was a little disappointing. I suppose pasteurised milk and evil-tasting coffee are to be expected in Portugal ­ I got used to it when I was backpacking round this lovely country ten years ago. But the cold meats and fresh fruits were fine. Even though parts of the hotel were still a building site, my visit to The Yeatman was superb; the accommodation, food, wine and service were just about flawless. Once the hotel is completed it will doubtless be an essential experience for gourmands, oenophiles and `Portugalphiles'. > The Yeatman Rua do Choupelo Vila Nova de Gaia 4400-088 Portugal +351 93 200 3916 www.theyeatman.com 60 FINE

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Margaux cabinet 62 FINE

Text: Stuart George FINE meets with Viscount Linley, nephew to Queen Elizabeth II, and Paul Pontallier, Director of Château Margaux, to learn more about their collaboration with The Antique Wine Company of London's "Grand Châteaux Series" wine cabinets. Yquem cabinet ORIGINAL WOODEN CASES 63 FINE Design

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From left: David Linley (cabin designer), Stephen Williams (owner of the Antique Wine Company), Paul Pontallier (Technical Manager, Château Margaux), Corinne Mentzelopoulos (owner of Château Margaux) "It took me a long time to work out that food and wine are quite enjoyable," admits Viscount Linley, nephew to Queen Elizabeth II and founder of the eponymous bespoke furniture business. "A few years ago Stephen Williams, Managing Director of The Antique Wine Company, took me and my wife to Château Margaux to get a flavour of the place", he recalls. There was a long lunch with 1989 Pavillon Rouge for the main course and the 1961 grand vin with the cheese: "It was the most wonderful colour, very light and brown. That was really my introduction to exceptional wine." In December 2006, The Antique Wine Company sold a 135-bottle collection of Château d'Yquem, including every vintage produced from 1860 to 2003, to the Grand-Hôtel du Cap-Ferrat for $1.5 million. "We wanted a nice box to put it in," says In 2007, The Antique Wine Company sold its "ParWilliams, "so, at the suggesis Town Hall Fine Wine Collection". Williams "had tion of the Grand-Hôtel, we noticed that David had made some very interesting commissioned David Linley architectural models in the past, of manor houses to produce two very beautiful and stately homes in the UK. So I thought why not walnut cabinets." make a replica of the Paris Town Hall to go with this wine collection?" John Wilsher, Production Director at Linley, claims that making this box was a challenge: "The detail in the Paris Town Hall box was phenomenal. The Marquetry and carved details were all done by laser etching to give an illusion of three-dimensionality." "It was an interesting concept to make architectural models from exotic woods," says Williams, "so the idea of reproducing the Grands Crus châteaux of Bordeaux followed suit quite easily." Parisian stitches ORIGINAL WOODEN CASES 65 FINE Design

The Antique Wine Company's "Grand Château Series" was then commissioned, a limited edition of nine individual fine wine collections from top Bordeaux estates, each encased in a perfect scale architectural model cabinet designed and made by Linley. Cabinets have been selected for Cheval Blanc, Haut-Brion, Lafite, La Mission Haut-Brion, Latour, Margaux, Mouton-Rothschild, Pétrus, and d'Yquem. The five cabinets made for each estate contain 18 bottles of the relevant wine, with one of the The first completed cabinet was of Château Mard'Yquem cabinets including gaux, which had never before allowed its name to a 133-vintage vertical from be associated with any other product. "It was entire1856 to the current 2007 rely due to Stephen Williams that Margaux allowed us lease, as well as memorabilia the privilege of making the box in this form," insists from the château's archives. Lord Linley. The Antique Wine Company Paul Pontallier, Director of Château Margaux, conis offering this "Great Antique curs: "It happened because of Stephen Williams. He d'Yquem Collection" for sale came and offered us this possibility and we were during 2011 "for direct purquite impressed by it. We did it because of the sheer chase by pre-selected clients. If quality of the project ­ though we do not plan to do a successful private offer is not anything else like this." submitted the auction will go Spanning 1900 to 2005, the 18 Margaux vinlive for public bidding." tages included with each of the five cabinets came "Limiting each Château edifrom the château itself, though wines for the other tion to just five cabinets encabinets have been assembled from a combination sures that these collections will of the relevant château's reserves and The Antique become an invaluable investWine Company's own stocks. ment and rare wine treasure, Measuring 1425 mm (56 inches) high, 690 mm adding the ultimate `wow' fac(27 inches) wide and 550 mm (21.6 inches) deep, tor to a wine room or cellar," the Margaux cabinets were crafted in sycamore, ripsays Stephen Williams. The ple sycamore, burr ash and Bombay rosewood. The relevant château has the option familiar front elevation of the Château was modelled to purchase the first one, with as a three-dimensional portico with fully turned sycaWilliams retaining one of each more columns that hold inlaid windows and doors in cabinet for himself. "If business contrasting veneers. Marquetry details are repeated turns bad I can sell them!" he on all floors. The lower steps conceal a secret drawquips. er, which are a feature of Linley's work. Nine Network Cabinet Sauvignon Margaux workshop 66 FINE

xxxxx cabinet ORIGINAL WOODEN CASES 67 FINE Design

Yquem cabinet 68 FINE

The commissioning process for the cabinets began with the brief and then proceeded to 3-D computer and line drawings, which were developed into proper technical drawings. The designs are so accurate that some years ago a Linley model was used as the basis of an actual roof ­ Linley's cabinet designer had worked out its structure before the roof's architect. "Some of our designers went to a couple of châteaux," John Wilsher explains, "but mainly it was worked out from photographs, roof was very tricky. The skill of the designer is to the Internet and any kind of create an artistic interpretation of the building and to working drawing that we could keep the main features but make it work as a box." find." Paul Pontallier says, Some of the Marquetry is done by laser. "Purists "We were not involved very say that it should be done by hand but the laser is closely... We don't know about very accurate and it can be used to define lines withcabinets ­ but supposedly we in the same piece of timber," asserts Linley. "It's difcan make wine." ferent. If the technology is available why not use it?" "The designs are worked It takes six months to make each cabinet. "One out very accurately," continman doesn't work on it constantly," stresses Wilsher. ues Wilsher. "They are scale "There is a Marquetry cutter in addition to the permodels of the building ­ to a son working on the box, who we think is the best degree. When a building is in the business." Linley says, "He has large hands symmetrical, like Margaux, it's and it's surprising how he can work with such small relatively easy. But some of the details. But it is increasingly difficult to find craftsmen others have complicated archiof this calibre, particularly for people who would tecture and do not lend themwant to take on the challenge of these constructions, selves to a box to store wine in. which are increasingly complex." A lot of the work goes on the roof, for example. Haut-Brion's Pétrus cabinet ORIGINAL WOODEN CASES 69 FINE Design Grand Marquetry

The Margaux cabinet was launched just before the global economy slipped in autumn 2008. "I wasn't worried because it's a three-year project," asserts Stephen Williams. "We'd just started and we were sure that things would change ­ and they have. We're back in an age when the market for collectibles is very strong. Even in the middle of the credit crunch we didn't see much downturn in demand for top end wines from private individuals." Private collectors have usually been the most enthusiastic clients but a full set of all nine cabinets Cheval Blanc cabinet was sold to the Hotel Lisboa in Macau, though it filled the cabinets with its own wines rather than The Antique Wine Company's collections. Each of the cabiThere are analogies between how the cabinets nets costs £145 000 / and the wines that lie inside them are made. (171 480 / $224 750) Both are crafted from natural materials. Like plus shipping and VAT grapes, timber is affected by where and how it is as applicable. But there grown. Linley uses particular sources for its wood, are First Growths among like a winemaker sourcing barrels from particular equals: the Pétrus and coopers. But, as Wilsher recognises, "It's easier for Lafite cabinets are priced us because we're not dependent on the weather." at £195 000 (230 610 The colour of wood changes over time. As with / $302 250) each. wine, light colours get darker and dark colours get lighter. With cabinet making, of exceptional furniture or wine is due to a singular perfection means rigorous seattention to detail. lection of timber and that the Linley has fitted out London restaurants, including screws line up, among many The Goring Hotel and The Sloane Club, and would other considerations. Like a "love to do a wine cellar... I started the project befine wine, it is a matter of balcause Stephen and I share a love of wine and we ance and smoothness. both like beautiful objects. He has been a phenomFine furniture, like fine wine, enal partner." is expensive because it is la"It's been an interesting project," concludes Wilbour intensive, needing many liams. "We don't find it difficult to come up with man-hours to bring it to life. It interesting ideas. I enjoy the challenge of doing is heavy and fragile, making something a bit different, as do our clients, who are it difficult and costly to ship. fanatical about wine and can afford to enjoy it to Fundamentally, the splendour whatever extent they want." > Credit crunch cabinets Cabinet projections 70 FINE

extraordinary hosts is now one of Blackberry Farm's most anticipated guests. This Spring, Blackberry Farm is honored to welcome the incomparable Chef Alain Ducasse as part of yet another year of unparalleled experiences. Situated in the Tennessee foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains, Blackberry Farm's Relais & Châteaux property has become one of the most celebrated epicurean destinations in the world. With its 160,000-bottle Grand Award-winning wine selection and the peaceful serenity of 4,200 protected acres, Blackberry Farm is home to more than 30 exclusive Food & Wine events in 2011. To reserve your place for Alain Ducasse or any of our special events, contact our Reservations Team, or log on to blackberryfarm.com to view a complete listing of our yearlong calendar of culinary experiences, outdoor adventures and more. one of the world's most Walland, Tennessee 00.1.865.984.8166 blackberryfarm.com

World-renowned chef, restaurateur and hotelier Alain Ducasse visits Blackberry Farm along with vintner Christophe Perrot-Minot Alain Ducasse MAY 9-12, 2011 a celebration of exceptional Rhône varietals featuring Yves Gangloff, Christophe Baron, Sara Pérez, René Barbier and John Alban MAY 19-22, 2011 Hospice du Rhône featuring chef and cheese expert Terrance Brennan and Bordeaux vintner Thomas Duroux of Château Palmer JUNE 9-12, 2011 Classique featuring pastry chef François Payard and vintner Jenne Lee Bonaccorsi of Bonaccorsi Wine Company DECEMBER 4-7, 2011 Delicious Decadence

The CL E hâteau FINE atour Vintages from 1929 to 2008 74

Text: Juha Lihtonen Photographs: Pekka Nuikki early one hundred bottles of Château Latour's finest wines, thirty-five vintages, twenty courses, two Michelin-star-winning chefs, a luxurious setting and a select group of fine wine lovers. These are the common factors between two events organised on opposite sides of the world, both of which FINE was privileged to attend. CHÂTEAU LATOUR EXPERIENCE 75 FINE Event

lackberry Farm, at the foot of the Smoky Mountains in Tennessee, is in many ways a unique leisure oasis. It is known as the best small luxury hotel in the US, and last year FINE named it the World's Best Holiday Destination 2010. Its owners, Sam and Mary Celeste Beall, organise a dozen or so gastronomical wine events each year, hosted by the best wine producers from around the world. For us, none so far have been able to compare with an event that offered fifteen vintages of Latour, accompanied by dishes from perhaps the most renowned chef in the United States, Daniel Boulud. The event's value was further enhanced by the fact that its host was the President of Château Latour, Frédéric Engerer, who brought the Latour vintages with him directly from the estate's cellars. In other words, after ageing on the estate, the wines had rested unmoved in the same place since they were bottled, which lets them show off their best characteristics. B The event was divided into two, with the morning giving a view of modern-day Latour and its wines from the last decade, with Engerer at the helm. The more mature wines were enjoyed at dinner, which came courtesy of celebrity chef Daniel Boulud . Latour in a Barn T he beautifully renovated barn on Blackberry Farm houses a long table set with white tablecloths and hundreds of glasses. The staff buzz around, putting the final touches to this impressive setting. Sommelier Andy Chabot is placing dozens of wine bottles on the side tables. There are ten vintages of Latour, ranging from 1999 to 2008. Frédéric Engerer opens the event by transporting guests to Latour with the help of video equipment and beautiful music. Before the tasting, Engerer describes the great developments made in wine-making at Latour in the last few decades. "Significant quality enhancements have taken place in wine production at Latour in the last fifteen years. I began working at the estate in 1994, and when I was put in charge of production in Frédéric Engerer 1998 I decided to question all of the routines that had been prevalent in the process until then. I wanted to understand the DNA of Latour's wines in order to focus on replicating it in each vintage, without compromising on quality. As a consequence we have modernised our entire production philosophy. In practice, it has meant replacing the production team," Engerer explains. He goes on: "According to the new philosophy, we produce more than ten wines from the estate's different parcels, instead of just one, Frédéric Engerer and Daniel Boulud 76 FINE

Frédéric Engerer which we then analyse to decide whether they will come under our grand vins or, for example, Forts de Latour. Previously, all the grapes from certain vineyards ended up as grand vins, without further considerations as to their quality," Engerer says. He emphasises the fact that the modernisations have led to some parcels being biodynamically cultivated. The method has led to such good results that it is now the aim for all vineyards. Latour Vintages 1999­2008 W nificant differences in character, ranging from robust and powerful to subtly aromatic. They all share an intense, dark aromatic nature with berries, minerals and fine-grained, well-balanced tannins, which in Engerer's view are the elements of Latour's DNA. The vintage that stands out the most is 2003, which pleases the majority of the guests with its powerful and voluptuous character. The 2005, charged with high expectations, does not disappoint with its striking complexity, concentration and velvety smooth structure. The European palate is most pleased by Engerer's debut vintage, 1999, which charms with its maturity, silkiness and generosity. It is an excellent demonstration of how a young Latour can be beautifully balanced and nuanced, even at just over ten years of age. The biggest surprise of the tasting is the youngest wine of the vertical, 2008, which enthrals us with its abundantly fruity, smooth, tannin-rich and nuanced character. These are exceptionally enjoyable wines from Latour, thanks to their rich fruitiness. This may be partly explained by the favourable vintages, but thanks are also due to Engerer's new production methods. Although the wines are already delicious, their complex nature will properly shine through only after decades of bottle ageing. There is a wide gap between the young and old Latours, as we find out by comparing the morning's wines with those enjoyed later with the dinner prepared by Daniel Boulud. A Boulud-Latour Encounter T he venue for dinner is the upper floor of the Blackberry Farm barn, above the wine cellar, where a large hall with a ceiling height of ten metres is dominated by dark hand-finished wood décor and a large open kitchen. The kitchen is buzzing, with some twenty cooks preparing the festive dinner. Boulud calls the tune, shuttling between the dining room and kitchen to demonstrate the proper plating. Meanwhile, the guests enjoy delicious amuses-bouche. Bottles of Krug Grande Cuvée are uncorked, people are making toasts and small-talk, and the atmosphere is welcoming and happy. There is excitement in the air as we await the start of Boulud's eight-course dinner, accompanied by the wonderful Latour vintages. Engerer joins forces with Blackberry Farm's owner Sam Beall to welcome everyone to the meeting of these two giants ­ the triple-Michelin-starred Daniel Boulud and Château Latour's legendary wines. "We have a long history with Daniel, as our collaboration started in early 1995. The owner of Latour, François Pinault, often dined at Restaurant Daniel. He told me that we needed to help Daniel with his wine e conduct a half-blind tasting of the 1999­2008 vintages. Engerer wants to place the wines on an equal footing and thereby prove the consistency achieved by the recent modernisations. The wines have sig- Barn at Blackberry Farm 77 CHÂTEAU LATOUR EXPERIENCE FINE Event

selection, so we decided to give him the keys to the Latour cellar and let him have almost any vintage we had there. Well, here we are now creating a venue together. His cuisine has evolved since 1995, although he himself looks younger." Engerer presents the Latours we will be enjoying with dinner; more mature than those of the morning and some of the best vintages from the last fifty years. Before they arrive, we awaken our taste buds with a selection of three starters escorted by white wines. While we await the fourth course, our glasses are filled with a Forts de Latour ­ known as the little sister of Latour ­ from 2000 (93p). Engerer wants to couple it with the finer Latours to demonstrate that Forts de Latour is also a great wine, and by no means a second-grade product but a brand in itself that is produced almost independently from the vineyards, rather from grapes that were not good enough for Latour. The wine wins us over, proving to be better than the Latours we evaluated in the morning, thanks to the maturity and roundness which follow thanks to a higher proportion of Merlot grapes than that used in Château Latour. Boulud's Tennessee trout farcie with Swiss chard, pancetta and sage proves to be an excellent companion for the velvety, multidimensional and mellow Forts de Latour. Next up is a rich and delicately flavourful pigeon grillé sur tartine au salmis, foie gras, country bread and wild mushrooms. The dish is accompanied by two fairly young Château Latours: 1996 (93p) and 1995 (90p). The 1996 is more nuanced and aromatic, while the 1995 is tight, closed and dry. The 1996 also better complements to the dish. Both of these wines are young, however, and will benefit from another fifteen years of storage. The 1990 vintage (97p), on the other hand, is already attractively drinkable, although its cashmere-like tannin-rich structure will be even more delicious and rounded after a further ten years of ageing. The wine is a superb companion to Boulud's Trio of Four Story Hills Veal ­ roasted loin, crispy sweetbread and braised cheeks with summer peas, tender root vegetables and summer truffle jus. The first climax of the evening takes place when the Château Latour 1982 (99p) is poured. The intense, silky, soft and deliciously fruity wine captivates the guests, who can do nothing but praise it volubly. This is indisputably one of the best vintages of Latour, and it too has an illustrious future ahead. The wine is coupled with the perfect partner in Canard à la presse, spinach subric with plums, quinoa and caramelised onion. This peak is followed by another, in what is considered to be the best-ever vintage of Latour, 1961 (99p). Having tasted this wine more than one hundred times, we can attest to it having stayed astonishingly energetic for a whole fifty years and find that it still shows signs of ageing potential. The wine is aristocratic and well-balanced. It harmoniously 78 FINE

combines the most typical characteristics of a Latour: minerals, well-balanced tannins and dark fruitiness. It is exceptionally youthful and energetic, although not quite as alluring as the 1982 is now. We taste both the normal and the magnum-sized bottles and feel that this time the magnum is just a touch more structured and complex. This great wine is rounded off by Boulud with a perfectly complementary cheese platter of delicious Vieux Comté, Mimolette and Tomme de Brebis. Although the group of diners as a whole favours the 1961 Latour, for us the 1982 seems superior thanks to its delicious fruity nature and smoothness. However, the difference between the two vintages is very slight. Boulud delights his guests still further with delicious desserts before allowing us to withdraw to enjoy the evening's musical entertainment and to share our experiences of the wines. Glimmer and Sparkle J ust about one month later, the twinkling of the huge Tennessee night sky is replaced by the glimmer of chandeliers in Germany, where the Latour vertical continues. This time Jan-Erik Paulson, an expert in mature wines and long term contibuter to FINE, has invited twelve collectors to enjoy an unforgettable evening. The restaurant of the finest hotel in Munich, Königsof, offers a fabulous setting for a dinner tasting comprising twenty-three Latour vintages from between 1929 and 1991. The restaurant's Michelin-star-winning head chef, Martin Fauster, has created a ten-course menu to accompany the wines. Hundreds of glasses sit on the beautifully-set dinner table at Restaurant Königshof, ready to be being filled with ever older vintages of Latour. Sommelier Stéphane Thuriot manages skilfully to extract even the crumbliest of corks from the oldest wines and places them elegantly on view. Let the dinner begin. First we toast the event with one of the 1907 Heidsieck Monopole Goût Américain champagnes (93p) found at the bottom of the sea, to great acclaim from the guests. The demi-sec champagne is lively and deliciously nutty. Two fine white wines from the Austrian Fritz Wieninger ­ Wieninger Chardonnay Grand Select 2006 (91p) and Tribute Chardonnay 1997 (92p) ­ act as a prelude to the Latours. The Montrachet-style wines are an excellent complement to the Breton lobster with chestnuts and chicorée. Stéphane Thuriot, Königshof 's Sommelier CHÂTEAU LATOUR EXPERIENCE 79 FINE Event

Latours from 1929­1991 T he next eight courses are complemented by different vintages of Latour. The long and heavy dinner is lightened by a halfway pause the length of a champagne bottle, during which we stretch our legs. We are served the excellent Krug Vintage 1988 (91p), whose mineral freshness and crisp acidity clean the palate and raise the atmosphere before the most renowned Latour vintages arrive. After six hours, the amazing dinner is over. Having tasted twenty-three vintages from a period of over eighty years, it is easy to agree with Engerer's idea regarding the Latour DNA. It is defined by characterful tannins that mark all of the tasted vintages. While seductiveness is not generally a term that can be associated with Latour wines, they make up for this in structure and nobility. We did find differences in the wines, too; not only between vintages but even be- tween bottles. An example is the rivalry of the 1961 and 1982 vintages: contrary to what happened at Blackberry Farm, at Königshof the 1961 (99p) prevails with its body, refinement and intense fruity nature. The 1982 (93p) does not display the delicious fruity and round character that was found in the bottles brought to Blackberry Farm directly from the estate. This time it is somewhat closed and youthfully astringent, although still elegant and full of promise. Here, it is shadowed even by the 1945, 1949, 1964, 1989 and 1990 vintages. Unfortunately, the 1929 and 1952 vintages, which are known to be excellent, have suffered from oxidation due to the embrittlement of the corks and are not on full form. Similarly, the 1937 is past its best and the 1967 is the only wine of the vertical to suffer from cork taint. Otherwise, the wines are in superb condition and the brilliant 1945 vintage receives a full one hundred points from us for the third time. Considering the Latours enjoyed at both of these events, we must conclude that the wines from the estate are aristocratic and charming but only reveal their true greatness after decades of ageing. While the Latour 1961 is, overall, a magical and seemingly immortal wine, the estate has produced a large number of other excellent vintages. Some forces to reckon with in the future will Jan-Erik Paulson 80 FINE

be the 1982, 1990, 1996, 2005 and 2009 vintages. Out of these. the 1982 and 1990 are expected to reach their peak within ten years, whereas the 1996 needs at least another fifteen years and the succulent twentyfirst-century vintages need at least a couple of decades. If you are looking for a multidimensional Latour to enjoy today, focus on vintages prior to 1989. It is this multidimensionality that makes Latour wines suitable for enjoying with a number of different dishes, thanks to their rich acidic and mineral nature. Latours, whether young or old, are, in fact, gastronomical wines that are at their best at the dinner table. > Wine 2009 Château Latour FINE points 95p 89p 87p 83p 92p 87p 84p 87p 85p 88p 93p 93p 90p 86p 93p + 95p 92p 91p 88p 89p 87p 99p + 93p 84p 83p 86p 89p 91p 92p 94p 99p +100p 88p 84p 94p 100p 85p 82p (tasted on the estate in Feb. 2011) 2008 Château Latour 2007 Château Latour 2006 Château Latour 2005 Château Latour 2004 Château Latour 2003 Château Latour 2002 Château Latour 2001 Château Latour 2000 Château Latour 1999 Château Latour 1996 Château Latour 1995 Château Latour 1991 Château Latour 1990 Château Latour 1989 Château Latour 1988 Château Latour 1986 Château Latour 1985 Château Latour 1983 Château Latour 1982 Château Latour 1981 Château Latour 1976 Château Latour 1975 Château Latour 1973 Château Latour 1970 Château Latour 1966 Château Latour 1964 Château Latour 1961 Château Latour 1953 Château Latour 1952 Château Latour 1949 Château Latour 1945 Château Latour 1937 Château Latour 1929 Château Latour Hotel Königshof CHÂTEAU LATOUR EXPERIENCE 81 FINE Event

Latour Menu by Daniel Boulud, Blackberry Farm Walland, USA ... Chilled corn velouté, bavarois of sea urchin & caviar Summer zucchini flower stuffed with peekytoe crab, zucchini pesto & tomato marmalade Kataifi wrapped langoustines with vadouvan, spiced yogurt, carrots cru et cuit & glazed romaine parcels Tennessee trout farcie with Swiss chard, pancetta, sage & pauillac reduction Pigeon grillé sur tartine au salmis, foie gras, country bread and wild mushrooms Trio of Four Story Hills veal - roasted loin, crispy sweetbread, and braised cheeks with summer peas, tender root vegetables, summer truffle jus Canard à la presse, spinach subric, red, plums, quinoa with caramelised onion, sauce au sang Vieux Comté, Mimolette, Tomme de Brebis, walnut bread Rosemary scented apricot confit with almond biscuit, ladyfingers, honey ice cream Chocolate and peanut butter ganache, praliné feuilletine, caramel ice cream Chocolates and macaroons ... Latour Menu by Martin Fauster, Hotel Königshof Munich, Germany Chilled corn velouté, bavarois of sea Breton lobster with chestnuts and chicorée Suckling pig with crispy blood sausage Veal's head with glazed sweetbread Foie gras with baked apple and plums Guinea fowl consommé Braised shoulder of lamb with white beans and Pommes Anna Médaillon from venison with Jerusalem artichoke and ravioli Stuffed oxtail with Périgord truffles Wild duck with red cabbage and elderberry-pear crêpe Petit fours ... ... 82 FINE

heitz wine cellars s t. h e l e n a , c a l i f o r n i a w w w. h e i t z c e l l a r . c o m

­ The Temple of Basque Cuisine Text: Juha Lihtonen Photos: Arzak & Pekka Nuikki never failed to come within the top ten restaurants in the ranking, as rated by the highest professionals in the field. We tested the restaurant to find out what makes it one of the icons of the restaurant world. The answer was surprising and served to us right at the end. rants that find themselves at the business end of the World's Top 50 Best Restaurants year after year. The San Sebastian establishment of Arzak, now run by the fourth generation of the same family, is one such place. In the last five years it has here are a select few restau- 84 FINE

t is half past eight in the evening. Spain's gastronomic Mecca, San Sebastián, is all hustle and bustle as people dash into shops and then to restaurants, where they will enjoy some well-deserved pintxos. The idyllic Basque town has an abundance of bars that specialise in those delicious snacks, but above all it is known for Spain's most re- spected fine dining restaurants, such as Akelare, Arzak, Martín Berasategui and Mugaritz. We choose Arzak, which is known as the icon of revolutionary Basque cuisine. We take the seemingly endless Alto de Miracruz from the centre out towards the suburbs. Deserted for the evening, neither the road nor its dark buildings give the impression of leading to a restaurant that attracts thousands of fine diners from around the world each year. After half an hour of walking, we finally spot a building whose windows spill a warm light onto the street. The awning above the door says Arzak Restaurante. We have arrived. ARZAK 85 FINE Restaurant

Amid Villagers aving enjoyed our champagne in the bar, we move on to the dining room. The elegant little room, decorated in dark and beige colours, is full. Its thirty or so seats are generally filled with couples speaking Spanish or Basque. Many of them are local. The atmosphere is sociable, and in our dark blazers we feel a little overdressed. After we have sat down, we are met by the radiant and graceful head chef, Elena Arzak. The restaurant's youthful, energetic hostess enthusiastically welcomes us. To lead us properly into the Basque cuisine, she wants us to experience a fish and seafood-oriented menu. We do not object. We embark on a fast-paced three-hour journey into the secrets of the modern Basque kitchen. A Dip into Basque Flavours (86p) he kitchen sends us a Basque greeting in the form of kidney bean soup (86p), sweet fig-infused corn pudding (85p), rice cakes with mushroom foam and kabraroka, and a deep-fried vermicelli-wrapped scorpionfish pudding (86p). These are delicate and fine tastes, although nothing revolutionary. An attention-grabbing, steaming dish is carried to the table. Amid the thick smoke created by carbonic acid ice are small cherry tomatoes coated in ground Iberico ham (88p). Refreshing, salty and tasty. 86 FINE

A Wine Lover's Dream nce we have enjoyed the appetizers, Sommelier Mariano Rodríguez arrives to enquire about our wine choices. Arzak's wine list is so extensive that it is difficult to decide; there are too many temptations. Not only is the selection large, but the wines are better priced than at any three-star restaurant we have previously experienced. The champagne list's nonvintage basic choices are priced at around 80 euros, while a top champagne such as Dom Pérignon 2000 is some 200 euros and Cristal Magnum 2002 just over 400 euros. As expected, Spain is well represented on the list, and among the best wines from the country are numerous new-wave wines, all affordably priced. It is a joy to notice how many mature Spanish wines there are, such as the Marqués de Riscal Reserva 1959 (91p) we decide upon at 130 euros a bottle. The most expensive wines on the list are Pétrus and Romanée-Conti of which there are several vintages. ARZAK 87 FINE Restaurant

Surprise Wine ecause the menu has an emphasis on fish and seafood, we ask the sommelier to recommend a top Spanish white wine. Without hesitating, he mentions a rare product of the Mas d'en Gil estate, the Coma Blanca 2006 (90p) white wine from Priorat. Made from equal parts Garnacha Blanca and Macabeo and aged for six months in French oak, the wine is refined, wide, powerful, mineral and tropically fruity. A good recommendation, although how well it fits with the food remains to be seen. 88 FINE

he wine's first challenge is the next dish, which consists of the great French delicacy goose liver, cooked in two ways. Composed of two dubiously shaped filo cones, the dish relies on taste and symbolism at the expense of aesthetics. Elena, shuttling between tables, arrives to introduce the dish. "Living as we do by the sea, seafood comprises a major part of our diet. However, we also have the enriching influence of the mountains that separate the Basque Country from the rest of Spain. In this dish we wanted to combine the sea and the mountains into the flavours that are served with the foie gras. The result is two bundles that are reminiscent of cromlechs, or rocky formations on the mountains. Inside, the goose liver is mixed with stewed onions and mushrooms. To heighten the symbolism, the pastries are decorated with a powder made from parsley, lichen and crab." We pick up the bundles with our fingers, as Elena encourages us to do, and have a taste. Crispy, delicately flavoured and nicely textured. The strong flavour of the foie gras overpowers many of the tastes we were looking forward to experiencing, however, such as the lichen. The Coma Blanca is surprisingly good with the dish thanks to its fruity and mineral nature. Having finished the dish I feel a hand on my shoulder. As I lift my gaze I see our host, one of the most highly respected chefs in the world, Juan Mari Arzak, smiling down. "Is everything all right?" he asks pleasantly. Once I have assured him everything is wonderful, he continues on his round. As Juan Mari and his daughter circulate around the dining room, the friendly staff carry in one portion after another. ARZAK 89 FINE Restaurant Lichen on the plate: Cromlech with Onion (89p)

Ethereal lobster: Lobster, Potato and Copaiba (84p) oon we are treated to the next delicacy. Elena reappears to explain: "What you now have before you is lobster, which has been brushed after cooking with a spice purée made from onion and pepper. This preserves the fine flavour of the lobster, which can be concealed by, for example, marinating. Next to the lobster there is potato that is first whipped into a purée, then dried for three days, after which it has been fried and popped in olive oil. The drying process is important because without it the potato would not pop like that when fried," Elena explains, and continues: "In addition there is a lobster sauce, which includes an essential oil brought long ago from the Brazilian Amazon by my father: copaiba, which contributes a unique aromatic quality." Our expectations are high. The flavours are distinct but, as before, delicate and cautiously mild. The lobster's soft texture is nicely counteracted by the crispy potato, while the lightly aromatic copaiba supports the flavour of the shellfish. Interesting and exciting. Most of our excitement is, however, due to the fact that we are still waiting for the symphony of flavours that will blow our minds. It has not happened yet. As for wine, the sommelier's recommendation, Coma Blanca, is again excellent with the dish and we are surprised by how well the ripe and gentle Marqués de Riscal 1959 complements this mild dish without overpowering it. 90 FINE

lena presents a potato dish accompanied by truffle oil, truffle juice and egg yolk. In addition there is some fresh black truffle with grated orange peel, which Elena promises will finely complement the truffle flavour. The rich and finely textured dish melts in your mouth. It raises the bar a little higher. Again, it has clean and refined flavours, but the intensity goes beyond that of the previous dishes. Both of the wines suit the portion wonderfully well. he pace at which the food is brought out is brisk, and empty plates are quickly replaced by full ones. Next we are faced with a grilled and stuffed lemon. Elena explains: "The entire lemon is grilled first before being emptied. Then it is stuffed with prawns, fennel, a little bit of ginger and chicken broth. After that it is baked in the oven. Before baking it is brushed with a special essential oil, called patchouli, which is mainly used for skin care. We have discovered that it gives very good aromas when used like this. It aromatises the lemon from the outside in. Next to the lemon we have made a purée of ginger and parsley. This is served with an infusion made of shrimp heads." The dish is strong, intense and rich in umami. A fine and clear flavour profile, although perhaps somewhat one-dimensional. The portion's acidic and bitter flavours are a challenge for the wines, which this time fail to complement them but still stand up to them. The next dish is a much better match for the wines. Beach on a plate: Low Tide Monkfish (93p) his is a photogenic dish, beautifully presented. Elena is enthusiastic about the idea behind it: "Here we want to imitate the low tide of the sea. We have prepared a fillet of monkfish lying on the sand during low tide. We have first sautéed it and then brushed it with a purée made of poached onion, almonds and monkfish liver. Next to the fish is fried red seaweed and clams, one made from pure mussels and the other from sugar, salt and seaweed. The blue sea stars are made of Curaçao liqueur. The orange-coloured large marbles that look like roe are made from sphered red peppers." The fish is very juicy and tasty, while the rest of the dish is more mildly flavoured. ARZAK 91 FINE Restaurant Orange on truffle: Potato cube with fresh truffle and egg yolk (93p) Skin care for lemons: Lemon, Prawns and Patchouli (92p)

owever, the other dish is the one that steals the limelight. My colleague has tears in his eyes after tasting it. The dish is called Fireworks on the palate: dessert delights he last few dishes have each been more delicious than the last. Finally, we are presented with two desserts, of which one is completely spectacular and makes this an unforgettable dinner. 92 FINE Playing Marbles with Chocolate (93p) is a dessert with marble-like chocolate balls that are crusted with South African amaranth and served with a special sauce reminiscent of crème anglaise. Elena explains that the crème is made from cheese whey mixed with oregano. The dish is completed by ice cream made of chocolate and rosemary. A crisp and intense taste profile that melts in the mouth. he first, Soup and Chocolate between Vineyards (100p). They are chocolate balls covered with gelatine and flavoured with special seaweed and sugar. The balls lie on a red fruit sauce served with a sorbet made of parsley and basil. The softly textured chocolate balls have immense concentration, which manifests itself as an explosion of flavours when it melts in the mouth. The taste is so intense and so long that it is overwhelming. The best taste experience I can recall. Superb!

Fractal finishing spectacle fter the chocolate spectacle there is a final dessert, which has the difficult job of following the giddy Chocolate between Vineyards experience. It is a sponge cake of pistachio with beetroot (91p), and is served with banana and passion fruit ice cream. It is delicious, yet not as interesting as the previous one. The most exciting act during the dinner took place when a bowl of transparent liquid mead was brought to the table. The waiter then proceeded to pour a red liquid into the mead, and a stunning geometric pattern occurred. The way the two viscous materials curled around each other was beautiful to watch, and added a touch of the mystic to our culinary adventure. Six months in the making, this spectacle had been created with the help of the local university and was a further example of Arzak's unique view of food and the dining experience as a whole. Juan Mari Arzak had heard our comments regarding Chocolate between Vineyards and came to our table before asking us to follow him. We walked into the kitchen to see how this mind-blowing dessert was made. We were surrounded by twenty cooks, all watching the process. A ball of chocolate is dipped into cold, flavoured vegetable powder jelly, and after that into hot water. JuanMari explains that the special gelatine they have is able to harden at hot temperatures. After witnessing how this heavenly dessert was made, we sat down at the kitchen table with Juan-Mari and Elena to have coffee and petit fours and learn more about the Arzak philosophy. Our dining experience at Arzak was exceptional, in that none of us can remember a dinner which gradually escalated through every course and finally climaxed in a perfect dessert. In most fine meals, the starters leave the greatest impression. This time neither they nor the main courses had us in raptures, although they were all balanced and tasty. The most interesting thing about the flavours and presentation was the local symbolism, which was really skilfully executed in some dishes. As a whole, the experience was made delectable not only by the fine food and the excellent wines, but above all by the restaurant's warm atmosphere, which is due to the friendly staff and affectionate hosts. ARZAK 93 FINE Restaurant

ded out to learn from the great masters in France." Juan Mari lists a litany of celebrated names, such as Paul Bocuse, Jean and Pierre Troisgros, Alain Sanderens and Gérard Boyer, as well as the esteemed Basque Pyrenean chef, Firmin Arrambide. 1975 was a great turning point in Juan Mari's life. There was a seminar by two legendary French chefs, Paul Bocuse and Raimond Olivier, in Madrid, where they were presenting French nouvelle cuisine. The Basque chefs Juan Mari and Pedro Subijana were invited to the event, which opened their eyes and led them to establish a new Basque cuisine. This was revolutionary in the Basque Country, where people are passionate about food. Arzak and Subijana reinvented old recipes, coming up with new cooking methods and ways of handling ingredients. ow the head chef of a reputed restaurant, Juan Mari Arzak became an icon of the Spanish cooking world and his restaurant became the new temple of Basque cuisine. In 1989, the restaurant received its third Michelin star, which it has maintained ever since. In the last twenty years, Arzak has developed his techniques, while a new touch has been brought to the restaurant by Ferran Adrià, star of new Spanish cuisine and El Bulli. "Ferran is like a brother to me. We take holidays together, meet each other and exchange ideas. We also exchange recipes and discuss our latest experiments," Juan Mari says. He emphasises the fact that although they know each other's cooking methods and recipes, their styles are completely different. "I make Basque signature cuisine. Although this cooking is evolutionary and avant-garde like Ferran's, it always shows its Basque roots. We are against globalisation. We want to stick to cultural heritage and the roots of what is Basque, but we fly on evolution." When asked whether by evolution he means Ferran Adrià's new molecular gastronomy, Juan Mari laughs: "People talk about molecular gastronomy as if it were something Ferran invented. Anything you want to call it ­ atomic or nano cooking or whatever ­ has existed since prehistoric times, when fire was first introduced into food preparation. When food is cooked, it is all about the molecules and how they reform during preparation, so it is nothing new or revolutionary. A Moment with Juan Mari & Elena Arzak t is midnight and we sit in the Arzak kitchen with Juan Mari Arzak, as his daughter Elena is still going around thanking the last diners for their visit. In his hand, Juan Mari has a glass of Vega Sicilia from the year of his birth, 1942. He is inspired to tell us the story of Arzak. "I was born and brought up in this house, which was built by my grandfather over a century ago. In 1897, he and my grandmother started a tavern here to serve the villagers in Alza, which is now a suburb of San Sebastián. I was only nine years old when my father died and my mother was left to run the restaurant with my grandparents. I grew up in this kitchen, helping my mother ever since I was a little boy. When I turned nineteen, I told my mother I wanted to continue in the family business. My mother asked me the same question I would later ask Elena: are you sure that this is what you want to do? Having finished my military service and completed studies at the hotel and restaurant school in 1966, I started studying with my mother. After we received our first Michelin star in 1974 and the second in 1977, I hea94 FINE

Everything is molecular cooking. Evolution in cooking is for me something avantgarde and innovative, and Ferran has also succeeded in this." Juan Mari emphasises that science and research are highly involved in current avant-garde cooking. He compares it to a child's enthusiasm: "You have to think like a child. The day you lose the child-like curiosity of exploring things, that is when evolution stops." hile he is talking about science in cooking, he reminds us that although science makes life evolve around us, a restaurant is a different form of life. "People come into a restaurant to eat well and feel happy. This is the obligation we need to fill every day. The food is one thing. It has to be good and tasty; it has to show its roots and a Basque spirit. It means that as a foreigner, when you sit at the table and close your eyes to taste the food, you should know that you are in a special place away from your home. It is not like music, where you can go to the same concert in New York or Hong Kong and close your eyes and not feel any difference. We have to remember that it does not matter how much time we spend creating revolutionary dishes in our kitchen laboratory, if we do not make sure our guests enjoy them. Every day is a special day for our guests. We at Arzak have to be happy in our work, so that we can generate happiness and well-being for our guests. Throughout the generations our aim has been to create motion and happiness in people who visit us." Elena has returned to the table after seeing off the final guests and thanking her thirty-strong kitchen team for another day. She is full of praise for her staff: "We have a great team. There is a good match of young and older people, so that we have a blend of creativity and experience. Some of the most experienced people, besides my dad, have been working with Basque cuisine for thirty years!" lena, soon to be 42 years old, also has plenty of experience. She started assisting in the kitchen and dining room at the age of eleven. After that she spent all her holidays working at Arzak ­ even during the six years she was living abroad, studying at the Hotel and Tourism Management Institute in Lucerne, Switzerland and working in top restaurants such as La Gavroche in London, Troisgros in Roanne, Louis XV de Montecarlo, Pierre Gagnaire in Paris and El Bull in Catalonia. lena's holiday internship at Arzak came to an end in 1995, when she returned permanently to learn from her father at the restaurant. She praises their teamwork: "My father has giv- en me space to create. He has always known that if there is no room for me to fulfil myself, I will leave. So I have been able to run the restaurant as if it were my own. We respect each other. Since our age difference is not that great there is no abyss between the generations, so it is easy to work together. We seem to share the same tastes. Maybe it is genetic?" Juan Mari continues: "First of all, there is no my cuisine or Elena's cuisine. It is all Basque. Having developed dishes together for twenty-five years, we know how to discuss the refining of a course. We both have to stand fully behind it for it to make our menu." hen I ask what father and daughter might have gained from each other, Juan Mari says he learned how to learn from his daughter. Elena says her father taught her how to renew herself and swiftly adapt to her surroundings. So when is Juan Mari planning to step aside from the demanding long hours of restaurant management and leave his daughter at the helm? "My whole life I have been an anarchist and free to do the things I want. I have lived my dream every day working at this restaurant. Why would I give it up just because I reach a certain age? I am never going to retire." ARZAK 95 FINE Restaurant

Nueva Cocina Vasca uan Mari Arzak has been involved in developing new Basque cuisine for the last 40 years. The main objective of his kitchen is to spice up traditional flavours with exotic touches and techniques that respect the local cuisine. Speaking of exotic flavours, Elena Arzak mentions a few that are not traditionally pleasing to the Basque palate: coriander, ginger and coconut. With regard to techniques, certain avant-garde practices are joined by traditional cooking methods such as smoking. In terms of avant-garde, the mechanical drying of ingredients is one of the most popular preparation methods of Arzak. The dry components are ground into powders that are used for flavouring dishes. Flavouring is a keyword when speaking of Arzak and its nueva cocina. Next to the restaurant's test kitchen is a `flavour bank' with 1400 references. This, combined with the inherited cultural legacy, forms the DNA of Arzak's dishes. "We all have an idea of how food should taste. It springs from our childhood and the culture in which we were brought up. For one reason or another, food plays an exceptionally large role in the Basque culture. This is also evident in our customers, of whom many are local middle-class people who come here to enjoy and discuss the food. From them we receive valuable feedback that helps us to further develop Basque cuisine in a direction that respects the local culture," Elena explains. Chefs de Cuisine: Head Sommelier: Menu Degustation: Wine assortment: Most prestigious wine: Atmosphere: Try this: Scores: Alternatives: Juan Mari & Elena Arzak Mariano Rodríguez 7-course menu 170 3000 references; 100 000-bottle cellar 70% from Spain, 20% from France, 10% around the world Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Relaxed, friendly, genuine Chocolate between Vineyards Overall 94 p (Food 91p, sommelier's wine match 95p, service 96p) Akellare, Mugaritz, Martin Berasategui Opening hours: Tuesday to Saturday (closed for holidays 19 June to 6 July and 6 to 30 November) Contact information: ARZAK Restaurant Avda. Alcalde José Elosegui, 273 20015 Donostia / San Sebastián tel: +34 943 278 465 / +34 943 285 593 - fax: +34 943 272 753 Nearest airports: San Sebastián ­ Fuenterrabia: 20 min San Sebastián ­ Biarritz: 30 min Bilbao: 60 min 96 FINE

Quality. When embraced doesn't need frills. Gerard Darmon, Paris 2011 KITON.IT

travel a lot, and thanks to my work I usually get to dine in the best restaurants in my destinations. The best restaurant in any city is usually easy to find if you own a Michelin Guide. I don't actually carry one with me, but I do carry an iPad. Usually I only have to Google "the best restaurant in xxx", and the screen is filled with suggestions in mere seconds. Various travel, media and discussion forums have diners describing their experiences and rating restaurants. Whether a five-star rating from one hundred ordinary patrons is a more reliable indicator than three stars from the Michelin Guide is for each reader to decide. This time I decided to trust visitor ratings and booked a table at Fish Company, characterised by many of its customers as the best in Reykjavík. t the end of the evening I left my own feedback on the comments board at the entrance to Fish Company. My yellow note said: "Thanks for the top restaurant experience of the year!". I A Restaurant Experience o f t h e Ye a r Text and photography: Pekka Nuikki Iceland: 100 FINE

A Haven of Culinary Adventure celand is an interesting compilation of strange landscapes, tin houses, steaming hot springs and an unhurried approach to life. The centre of Reykjavík has no department stores or luxury hotels, let alone any Louis Vuitton outlets. But there are restaurants on every block, and even more cafés; even in a lot of I bookshops the smell of coffee invites you to linger at one of the many tables. The buildings in the city are low-slung and modest, but agreeable in their own way. Fish Company does not stand out in any way ­ in fact I walked past it a few times without noticing. It is on the ground floor of a rather expressionless corru- gated tin shoebox. A narrow bridge crosses a small pond, filled with people's wishes, to the restaurant entrance. As I approached, I tossed my own coin into the pond with a silent wish: not to be disappointed this evening. I wasn't. On the contrary, I enjoyed the best service and the most perfect dinner of the entire year. 101 F I S H CO M PA N Y FINE Experience

" The philosophy in our restaurant is to use Icelandic ingredients, combined with herbs and spices from around the world," explains Fish Company's maître d' Borbjörn Svanbórsson. "We take a local ingredient and figure out where else it is indigenous and what other ingredients we could use from those countries, as long as they are available in Iceland. In addition we want to offer people the opportunity to experience fine dining at our restaurant while showing them that it can also be a fun or at least a pleasant experience to dine at a good restaurant." The restaurant's most popular menu is called Around the World. "Around the World is a nice way to enjoy our tasting menu. Many fine restaurants now offer some kind of tasting menu; we wanted to add something to the experience and thought of a way to travel around the world while sitting in one place. This has proven to be quite popular," says Svanþórsson. I chose the Chef's Surprise Menu, which really was a surprise ­ especially in terms of the delicacy, generosity and balance of its flavours. I was impressed by the freshness and abundance of local ingredients. "We find it very important to use local materials. We can be proud of our Icelandic ingredients, including our lamb, lobster, whale, puffin and, naturally, fish. Recently, people have really become aware of the merit of using Icelandic products whenever it is possible," Svanþórsson says. And what about the wine list? It was not very impressive on paper. The selection was small and lacking in fine wines or top vintages. I started with a basic Bollinger champagne and ended with a Pinot Noir from Napa Valley's newcomer, Darioush. Although I had enjoyed a magnificent dinner accompanied by top vintages from Krug and Latour in Munich not a week before, I still found unreserved delight in these non-vintage alternatives. Out of a rather modest selection, the sommelier had conjured a near-perfect choice of wines to accompany the menu. "I admit that our wine list is less than impressive, but wines still make up a very important part of the dining experience here," the sommelier told me. "Unfortunately the economic recession left us with few alternatives, because both the taxes and the alcohol licence fees are very, very high. Our policy at the moment is to emphasise affordable options on the wine list so 102 FINE

that our customers, especially the Icelandic ones, can get value for their money. Naturally, that leaves less room for really high-ranking wines. We do our best to keep a selection of fine wines, but in the last few years their number has decreased. It is the same among Iceland's wine importers; cheaper wines now form the basis of their stock." As a whole, Fish Company was a success. The light-heartedness and spontaneity of the youthful staff, the carefully considered mood lighting and colour palette, the perfectly timed service and the seamless cohesion between the food and wines left nothing to be desired. And neither did the bill, which was very reasonable. ish Company was established in 2009. In that same year, Gustav Axel Gunnlaugsson, Fish Company's head chef, won the title of Chef of the Year in Iceland. "Our head chef, Gustav Axel, is a protégé of the restaurant's proprietor, Larus Gunnar Jonasson. Larus himself was the Master Chef in 2004," Svanþórsson says. "Gustav started his career at the Seafood Cellar, which was then one of Reykjavík's best restaurants, and that is where he met Larus. Gustav is from Húsavík, a small town in northern Iceland, and was a footballer until an injury cut short his career at the age of 17. That was when he decided to become a chef, as he had always watched and helped his mother in the kitchen with great interest. Gustav's aim is to win the Nordic Chef of the Year award, and he has also expressed an interest in opening his own restaurant in the near future." The word `adventure' is used confidently on Fish Company's website, in the menus and on the restaurant's very walls. "By adventure we mean our promise that customers can expect something different from our food," Svanþórsson explains. "We know that there are many great restaurants in Reykjavík ­ at least I believe so. We promise to do our best to stand out and try new things. Our chefs are very welcome to play with their food. As an example, we have been open for just 18 months, but we have already had nine different lamb main courses and eight different lobster starters on our menu. I think we can safely say that even regular customers can still be pleasantly surprised by our sense of adventure." That is a big claim for a basement restaurant in a small tin house, but it is by no means an overstatement.> Chef's surprise menu Mustard glazed pork belly & gnocchi pasta in creamy Tio Pepe sauce, black olive sand & rosemary marinated tomato Garlic-spiced langoustine & smoked cod with crunchy seaweed, snowbeans, juicy lobster sauce & bacon-almond powder Cured wild salmon & smoked salmon tartar with mustard jelly, cauliflower `couscous', dill foam & ryebrown bread sand *** Roner-cooked salted fillet of cod & mussels in vanilla bean, sweet potato, tomato jelly, confit garlic, rhubarb & shellfish stock Herb-boiled rack of lamb with smoked lamb & leg of lamb, sugar browned potato, beetroot salad, cherry juice & sweet bechamel *** Warm chocolate tart with caramel apple, whipped nougat, hazelnut crumble, green apple sorbet & vanilla bean ice cream Burnt coconut crème brulée & passion fruit marshmellow anis ice cream, wasabi rocks and passion ice cream F Fish Company Vesturgötu 2 A Reykjavik www.fishcompany.is F I S H CO M PA N Y 103 FINE Experience

The Essence of Rarity and Quality Greg Martin Auctions is a leading auction house for antique and collectible arms, armor and historic memorabilia. Since its inception in 2002, the company has achieved the sale of some of the most important arms ever sold and numerous world records for prices realized at auction. Our upcoming Fine and Collectible Arms Auction features The Al Cali Collection of Important Colt Firearms on September 18, 2011, in San Francisco. (View online catalog one month before sale) Now accepting consignments for future auctions. Greg Martin Auctions 701 Bryant Street San Francisco, CA 94107 USA tel: +1-415-777-4867 fax: +1-415-777-4807 email: info@gregmartinauctions.com www.gregmartinauctions.com Arms and Armor Historic Memorabilia Arms and Armor Arms and Armor Historic Memorabilia TM Historic Memorabilia

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FINE Wine Auctions 2010 FINE looks back on an extraordinary year for the fine wine market. A PERFECT 10? 10 2010 Text: Stuart George Mother Nature was unkind in 2010 ­ an earthquake in Haiti, floods in Pakistan and an unpronounceable volcano in Iceland. There was huge financial trauma; many are still recovering. However, commodities and collectibles ­ especially wine ­ have carried on regardless. The art market ­ or at least Damien Hirst's reputation ­ wobbled before the summer but you would never have noticed as record prices were set for works by Warhol and Modigliani. As with the fine wine market, there was intense demand at the very high end. Thanks to a thriving market in Hong Kong, clearance rates at wine auctions were outstanding and record prices were achieved. Annual totals were the best ever, exceeding previous highs seen in 2007. The three leading wine merchants in the UK ­ Berry Bros. & Rudd, Bordeaux Index and Farr Vintners ­ each reported sales of over £100 million in 2010. W I N E A U C T I O N R E P O R T 2 0 1 0 107 FINE Wine Inve sting

FINEst Wines Auctions 2010 The auction houses in 2010 Auction sales of fine wine in 2010 totalled $408.1 million. New Yorkbased Acker Merrall & Condit achieved $98.5 million in worldwide sales, the highest total ever achieved by a single auction house in one year. Nearly two-thirds of that figure came from Hong Kong. Sotheby's more than doubled its 2009 total to achieve $88.27 million, while sales in Hong Kong increased by 268% year on year. Christie's was in third place with $71.5 million, about the same as its 2007 peak. In 2009, Zachys had the highest gross of any wine auctioneer. Although it totalled a sizeable $56.51 million in 2010, this represented "only" 11% growth year on year. Its Hong Kong revenue increased by just 3%. By comparison, Acker Merrall was up by 94%, Sotheby's by 111% and Christie's by 69%. Fine wine auctioneering is an intensely competitive business. Overall, New York sales were up by 34%, the UK and Europe by 58% and Hong Kong by a dizzying 157%. New York's relatively modest figure suggests that wine that previously would have been sold there is now going to Hong Kong. The Red Hammer As in 2009, the fine wine market in 2010 was dominated by the Asian market and by the Lafite brand. Chinese wine collectors will spend as much as it takes to get what they want. In October, three bottles of Lafite 1869 were each sold by Sotheby's for HK$1 500 000 (149 258), making this the most expensive 75cl bottle of wine ever sold. They were of course sold to "Asian Private" clients. The still unbottled Lafite 2009 made HK$300 000 (29 852) at the October sale, an astonishing price that will probably encourage the Bordelais (or at least Lafite) to price their 2010s even more ambitiously. A bottle claimed as the only known existing Impériale of Cheval Blanc 1947 was sold by Christie's in Geneva on 16 November for CHF298 500 (239 051). Pro rata, however, it did not match the Lafite 1869. A six-litre Impériale of that would be worth CHF1 450 390 (1 161 530). Through the Looking Glass Prediction is always difficult. In January 2004, Bill Gates told the World Economic Forum: "Two years from now, spam will be solved." But, as far as fine wine is concerned, some things are nearcertainties. The 2010s will be awesomely expensive. Unless the economy slips badly, then the fine wine market will continue to prosper and bargains will be hard to come by. Doubtless there will be a stampede for Lafite 2008 when it is released, with its etched Chinese symbol on the bottle. Lafite is apparently the only Bordeaux estate to have translated its entire website into Chinese. Its neighbour Mouton has shrewdly chosen the Chinese artist Xu Lei for its bespoke 2008 label. The short-selling of Lafite 2009 on the London based fine wine exchange Liv-ex in June caused "outrage" as if the short-sell was akin to displaying a Tom of Finland drawing in a shop window. But the "traditional" fine wine trade had better get used to this sort of thing. How and where fine wine is traded has changed forever. We live in an age of borderless capital in which it is easy to buy and sell wine in London, New York, or Hong Kong, wherever you are. 108 FINE

FINEst Wines Auctions 2010 Very good white Burgundy was made and it was a good year for Penfolds Grange. Although overshadowed by 1982, 1981 clarets (and Champagnes) can be surprisingly pleasant. 1971 is another unfashionable Bordeaux year but worth a look, especially Cheval Blanc. DRC did well, and fine wines were made in the Rhône (especially Hermitage La Chapelle), Champagne and the Mosel. This is arguably the best ever vintage of Grange. People celebrating their 50th are deeply fortunate. 1961 was a truly great Bordeaux vintage, with Latour and Palmer especially distinguished. Hermitage La Chapelle of this year is the most expensive vintage available of this wine. Barolo and Barbaresco were also good, though this is long before Angelo Gaja's barrelinfluenced alchemy. Wines from 1951 and 1941 are mostly terrible, though some 1941 Madeiras are thought to be good. Grange was first made in 1951, though never released commercially. Port was terrific in 1931, especially Noval Nacional. The first vintage of Dom Pérignon was made in 1921, an auspicious year for Champagne in which Pol Roger produced a renowned wine. Romanée-Conti and d'Yquem were fabulous. There were riots in Champagne in 1911, though the wines were still very good. Finally, the "Comet" vintage of 1811 was great throughout Europe's classic wine regions. Bottles still occasionally appear at auctions and can be drunk with pleasure by centenarians! Anniversary wines With anniversary wines, those celebrating a 20th anniversary or birthday in 1991 are unlucky ­ it was a dreadful Bordeaux vintage. Tokaji was good, though, as was Port. California had an excellent year. For 21st anniversaries, 1990 offers a lot of choice. It was a great year in Bordeaux for both red and sweet wines. Red Burgundy was outstanding and some good whites were also made. The Rhône and Champagne also had fine years, as did Barolo and Barbaresco. The wine of choice for 25th celebrations would be Mouton Rothschild 1986 ­ expect demand and prices for this to increase. W I N E A U C T I O N R E P O R T 2 0 1 0 109 FINE Wine Inve sting

FINEst Wines Auctions 2010 CHÂTEAU LAFITE 1982 AVERAGE AUCTION PRICES 2010-2000 (12x75cl including premiums) (Source: Liv-ex.com) AUCTION TOTALS 2010-2007 (All totals include premiums) (Source: WineSpectator.com) * "Estimated" figure 110 FINE

How to read FINE's tasting notes: We open and taste more fine and rare wines than any other wine media in the world. As these wines are so special, we firmly believe that they deserve to be presented in the best possible manner, and in a way that will serve our readers well. This is why our tasting notes include lot more information than just a basic description of each wine. The topics we cover in our tasting notes other than colour, nose, taste and finish are: The given price is a six-month average paid in auctions run by major auction houses throughout Europe, the USA and Asia (FINE Wine Index) A short description of the wine Mentions if the wine is worthy of its price based on its rarity and our tasting experience How many times we have tasted the wine and the most recent tasting Recommends the length of time each wine should be decanted before serving How long the wine lasts having been poured into the glass The year we believe each wine will reach its optioptimum drinkability The perfect dish to accompany each wine Calculates the risk of encountering counterfeit bottles. This is an estimate based on the FINE edieditorial team's experience Shares specific information about the wine or vinvintage, which will add value to the tasting experience Instead of this wine, another option is offered that might be more a suitable investment Wraps up our opinion about the wine In our wine evaluations, the most signifisignificant factor is the scoring system. We score wines according the pleasure they deliver today, not according to their potential. Our purpose is to make sure you enjoy the wines when they are at their optimum, in order to ensure the wines not only deliver the greatgreatest pleasure but also their value. As one of FINE's fundamental values is to support excellence, we have made the decision to not publish wines that receive 79 points or below. We use a 100-point evaluation system, where the wines have been divided into the following categories: 99­100 A wine with the wow-effect. Sheer perfecperfection to all senses by every parameter of wine quality. A true gift from nature. 95­98 An outstanding wine that leaves an unforunforgettable tasting experience with its perfect structure, complexity and personality. 90­94 An excellent wine, that stands out by balbalance, intensity, complexity and character. 86­89 A good wine with balance and complexity. 80­85 An average, though well-made wine. Nose and palate are somewhat one-dimensional and impersonal. 50­79 A modest and straightforward wine lacking life and harmony. This wine is excluded from appearing in FINE Tastings. 112 FINE

Tasting Event FINE's annual January tasting took place at Villa Ruusuniemi in Helsinki, Finland. The theme this time was "Turning point vintages". Twelve privileged people from Finland, United States, Denmark and Switzerland tasted wines fully blind. Champagnes and tasting wines by ranking order: THE VINE CLUB 113 F I N E Ta s t i n g

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For many years now, I have heard the story of this particular batch of 1945 Pétrus: when Wilf Jaeger tells you that it is the best bottle that he has ever had, it is hard not to listen. It just so happens this batch rested comfortably in the `Imperial Cellar for Cellar' many years, and for most of those years I had to hear Wilf tell me over and over how great it was, digging my desire a little bit deeper with each recollection of their magical evening, which also saw the 1945 Trotanoy as a distinguished runner-up. Low and behold, the last four bottles turned up in our record-setting May auction, and immediately after the sale I made my move on the buyer, who happened to be the top buyer of the event. I asked if we could share one together, my treat, as I had to have this bottle before it disappeared forever like that girl you never asked out during high school. I was determined for that not to happen again. The first evening of my latest trip to Hong Kong saw the 1945 Pétrus make its way to the dinner table, at long last. First, we started with a 1955 Leroy Mazis Chambertin, a generous contribution from my newfound best friend. The Leroy had a truffle, mushroom and sous bois nose at first, with some dirty earth and soupy bouillon tones followed by secondary rose and citrus aromas. Its acidity was still extraordinary, and my host told me the story of how one evening this bottle showed even better than all the top Bordeaux, including a 1947 Cheval Blanc. `The power of Burgundy', I thought to myself. The wine got better and better with each sip, shedding some of its dirt to reveal chocolaty flavours with borders of various nuts. Hints of tomato joined the citrus, chocolate and earth flavours, and the wine fleshed out in the glass as well. However, it could not beat the Bordeaux However, that would follow, and possibly even suffered a point accordingly (94 points). Five years in my making, and sixty-five years in the bottle, it was finally time for the 1945 Pétrus. This was an original, no doubt about it by the looks of the bottle. Perfection came to mind upon the first whiff, as its nose was a kaleidoscope of greatness, whiff, pulling in every great quality from all the Pomerols right in to my glass. Aromas of plum, chocolate and royal garden marched into my nose with style and precision. Fine was an understatement, as its elegance and breed were of Olympic equestrian level, carrying over to its fruit, which was elegant but at the same time beyond wealthy. Its concentration was golden, as in bars not bracelets. I could not get over its density, both in the nose and on the palate. The 1945 was all that and then some, and it seduced me like a gorgeous woman. Its colour was still dark and vibrant; this wine could last another fifty years without issue. Its royal garden qualities upgraded to Versailles status, and flavours of mocha abounded on its dense and deft palate, with nice traces of chalk on the finish. There were pinches of wild herbs emerging, in a rosemary meets wheat way, as well as a baked goodness in a coconut direction, but it was not quite coconut. Our sommelier noted, `strawberry'. The chef at Otto E Mezzo, Hong Kong's version of Mario Batali, gushed that it was `so young and so healthy.' What was so great about this bottle, and this vintage for the Right Bank in general, is that it still possessed a tension to its fruit, unlike 1947, which produced concentrated and much sweeter wines in general. I can only hope to taste this nectar again in my lifetime, but I strongly suspect that it will be difficult to achieve the heights that this bottle took me to. It touched my soul (99+ points). It was a nice warm-up for the week that followed, a casual Monday that was anything but. >For many years now, I have heard the story of this particular batch of 1945 Pétrus: when Wilf Jaeger tells you that it is the best bottle that he has ever had, it is hard not to listen. It just so happens this batch rested comfortably in the `Imperial Cellar' for many years, and for most of those years I had to hear Wilf tell me over and over how great it was, digging my desire a little bit deeper with each recollection of their magi magical evening, which also saw the 1945 Trotanoy as a distinguished runner-up. Low and behold, the last four bottles turned up in our record-setting May auction, and immediately after the sale I made my move on the buyer, who happened to be the top buyer of the event. I asked if we could share one together, my treat, as I had to have this bottle before it disappeared forever like that girl you never asked out during high school. I was determined for that not to happen again. The first evening of my latest trip to Hong Kong saw the 1945 Pétrus make its way to the dinner table, at long last. First, we started with a 1955 Leroy Mazis Chambertin, a generous contribution from my newfound best friend. The Leroy had a truffle, mushroom and sous bois nose at first, with some dirty earth and soupy bouillon tones followed by secondary rose and citrus aromas. Its acidity was still extraordinary, and my host told me the story of how one evening this bottle showed even better than all the top Bordeaux, including a 1947 Cheval Blanc. `The power of Burgundy', I thought to myself. The wine got better and better with each sip, shedding some of its dirt to reveal chocolaty flavours with borders of various nuts. Hints of tomato joined the citrus, chocolate and earth flavours, and the wine fleshed out in the glass as well. However, it could not beat the Bordeaux that would follow, and possibly even suffered a point accordingly (94 points). Five years in my making, and sixty-five years in the bottle, it was finally time for the 1945 Pétrus. This was an original, no doubt john kapon The 1945 Pétrus P 126 FINE

or many years now, I have heard the story of this particular batch of 1945 Pétrus: when Wilf Jaeger tells you that it is the best bottle that he has ever had, it is hard not to listen. It just so happens this batch rested comfortably in the `Imperial Cellar' for many years, and for most of those years I had to hear Wilf tell me over and over how great it was, digging my desire a little bit deeper with each recollection of their magical evening, which also saw the 1945 Trotanoy as a distinguished runner-up. Low and behold, the last four bottles turned up in our record-setting May auction, and immediately after the sale I made my move on the buyer, who happened to be the top buyer of the event. I asked if we could share one together, my treat, as I had to have this bottle before it disappeared forever like that girl you never asked out during high school. I was determined for that not to happen again. The first evening of my latest trip to Hong Kong saw the 1945 Pétrus make its way to the dinner table, at long last. First, we started with a 1955 Leroy Mazis Chambertin, a generous contribution from my newfound best friend. The Leroy had a truffle, mushroom and sous bois nose at first, with some dirty earth and soupy bouillon tones followed by F secondary rose and citrus aromas. Its acidity was still extraordinary, and my host told me the story of how one evening this bottle showed even better than all the top Bordeaux, including a 1947 Cheval Blanc. `The power of Burgundy', I thought to myself. The wine got better and better with each sip, shedding some of its dirt to reveal chocolaty flavours with borders of various nuts. Hints of tomato joined the citrus, chocolate and earth flavours, and the wine fleshed out in the glass as well. However, it could not beat the Bordeaux that would follow, and possibly even lost a point accordingly (94 points). Five years in my making, and sixty-five years in the bottle, it was finally time for the 1945 Pétrus. This was an original, no doubt about it by the looks of the bottle. Perfection came to mind upon the first whiff, as its nose was a kaleidoscope of greatness, pulling in every great quality from all the Pomerols right in to my glass. Aromas of plum, chocolate and royal garden marched into my nose with style and precision. Fine was an understatement, as its elegance and breed were of Olympic equestrian level, carrying over to its fruit, which was elegant but at the same time beyond wealthy. Its concentration was golden, as in bars not bracelets. I could not get over its density, both in the nose and on the palate. The 1945 was all that and then some, and it seduced me like a gorgeous woman. Its colour was still dark and vibrant; this wine could last another fifty years without issue. Its royal garden qualities upgraded to Versailles status, and flavours of mocha abounded on its dense and deft palate, with nice traces of chalk on the finish. There were pinches of wild herbs emerging, in a rosemary meets wheat way, as well as a baked goodness in a coconut direction, but it was not quite coconut. Our sommelier noted, `strawberry'. The chef at Otto E Mezzo, Hong Kong's version of Mario Batali, gushed that it was "so young and so healthy". What was so great about this bottle, and this vintage for the Right Bank in general, is that it still possessed a tension to its fruit, unlike 1947, which produced concentrated and much sweeter wines in general. I can only hope to taste this nectar again in my lifetime, but I strongly suspect that it will be difficult to achieve the heights that this bottle took me to. It touched my soul (99+ points). It was a nice warm-up for the week that followed, a casual Monday that was anything but. > COLUMN 127 FINE Kapon

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Volante 130 FINE

Text and Photographs: Pekka Nuikki What would you say is the "coolest" brand you know? Personally, I might say Apple. After all, the iPhone and iPad are two of the most desirable and talked-about items around the world and among all age groups. Another answer could sociated with the ever suave and sophisticated Bond, be today's global phone book and soJames Bond. cial network with nearly 600 million Aston Martin came out as the coolest brand for the third users, Facebook. It brings together consecutive year. It superseded all of the aforementiomodern, busy people from around ned brands, as well as Ferrari, Lamborghini and Bentley. the world, effortlessly yet with a tinge of excitement. What could be cooBut what makes a brand the coolest, if only a few people ler... Nike, Google, YouTube, Prada? have personal experience of it? In the case of Aston MarThe correct answer, at least according to the CoolestBrands survey, is Aston Martin, a car famously astin, the answer consists of four words: power, beauty, soul and sound. ASTON MARTIN DB9 131 FINE Lifestyle

Volante apa Valley is at its finest. The thick-skinned grapes on the old Cabernet vines have been ripe for picking for days, and harvesting is nearly done. Heat shimmers I take another few pictures, trying to captuover the valley's endless re the impression ­ the fleeting pattern of light vineyards, turning the and shade on the glimmering bonnet of the Aston hundreds of pickers wor- Martin. king between the rows Aston Martins are not edgy into blurry, indistinct fi- cars; they don't have sharp surfagures. Details lose their ces or pronounced power domes. he innovative DB9 was the start of an exciting significance as the hot The timeless bodywork is elegant new era for Aston Martin, as it took on a fresh air currents blend toget- and gently curved, and the side direction with several new models. First launched her the rich colours and profile is very clean, with a single- at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September 2003, shapes of the landscape. sweep roofline. There are very few the Aston Martin DB9 became the first car to The view before me is cut or shut lines. be produced at the company's modern facility in almost straight from a The car and the landscape fuse Gaydon, Warwickshire. nineteenth-century Im- together seamlessly and past cen"All cars built at Gaydon are based on Aston pressionist painting. turies lose their significance. Sa- Martin's new VH (Vertical Horizontal) architectuOnly the car at the fo- tisfied, I pack up my camera and re. It is the first time in our history that we have refront reminds me of step into the Aston Martin DB9 had a totally flexible yet dedicated Aston Martin modern times. Volante. architecture. The DB9 is the first car to use it, N Beauty T 132 FINE

which makes this the most important Aston Martin ever," says Dr Ulrich Bez, Chairman of Aston Martin. He goes on: "The DB9 has been designed as a sports car but with GT levels of comfort and cruising ability. It is aimed at people who love driving but also enjoy exclusivity and style. It is the perfect vehicle to take you from London to the south of France, or to drive for the sheer exhilaration of it. It is fun and very focused on the driving experience, but also offers all the comfort you would expect from an Aston Martin grand tourer." The sun starts to go down and it is time to find a different photographic setting. I sit on the hot hand-stitched leather and place the key, more reminiscent of a Cartier jewel, in its place. The cabin around me is totally handtrimmed in beautiful, natural materials, which are handmade and hand-finished ­ from the cutting of the leather to the carefully crafted wood. It incorporates the latest in modern technology without resorting to superfluous controls or displays. The leather is particularly soft and supple, as you would expect of Aston Martin, and it is used throughout the cabin. The use of aluminium on the dashboard, instrument panel, centre console and door handles reflects the aluminium structure that underpins the entire car. The finish is stylish and contemporary, yet the material itself is steeped in automotive tradition. There is a minimum of distraction ­ even the satellite navigation screen folds discreetly away. ASTON MARTIN DB9 133 FINE Lifestyle

134 FINE

ASTON MARTIN DB9 135 FINE Lifestyle

Power y first interaction with the powerful V12 engine starts at the dashboard, with the clear glass starter button, and its inviting deepred glow which beckons me to start the engine. I contain myself, however, and press the button next to it first. In an instant, it turns the coupé into a convertible. As the roof noiselessly glides off, the luxurious scent of hot leather from inside the car blends with the aromas of toasted, ripe grapes. I enjoy the feeling of near-perfect fusion with my surroundings, but only for a moment. I press the ignition, which flashes red, and the words Power, Beauty and Soul as one of the best in the world, so it was a very appear, one by one, on the dashboard. good starting point." The roar of the V12 engine eliminaThe engine was developed from the V12 used tes any remaining affinity with the in the Vanquish. The crankshaft is new, as are the peace of the picturesque landscape. camshafts, inlet and exhaust manifolds, the lubThe engine's impressive wall of sound rication system and engine management. completely isolates the driver from the The result is more low-down torque and improve agility and handling. This helps the DB9 outside world. All that is left is the car a more seamless power delivery. The ma- achieve its perfect 50:50 weight distribution. and its driver. The top speed is 190 mph (306 km/h) and the ximum power is 470 bhp, with the maxi"When you're attempting to build mum torque rising to 443 lb.ft. Even more benchmark 0-60 mph time is 4.6 seconds. the world's greatest 2+2 sports car ­ impressively, 80 per cent of that maxiNot that it comes as a surprise, but this and that's certainly the goal for the mum torque is available at only 1500 rpm. 470-horsepower, V12-powered DB9 is a rather DB9 ­ there really is no substitute for "This car will overtake in any gear, at any entertaining automobile. The bellowing exhaust a V12," says Aston Martin's Chief Po- revs, more or less anytime. It really is that and voluptuous low-end power can turn this sowertrain Engineer, Brian Fitzsimons. good," says Brian. phisticated convertible into a neo-paganist beast "Aston Martin's V12 is acknowledged In the new DB9, the V12 has been with just a touch of the throttle. fitted as far back and as low as possible, to M 136 FINE

Soul leave the vineyards behind and head for the scenic town of St. Helena. Driving at ordinary speeds, the Aston is more reminiscent of a Bentley or a Rolls-Royce than a superfast sports car. The body itself is quiet ­ even the typical road noise of The car has a Touchtonic 2 six-speed automatic a convertible is not discernible. The audio gearbox. There is no point searching for a gear stick, reproduction inside the car is a whole diffe- as the automatic used in the Aston Martin DB9 is parpar rent story. The in-car entertainment system ticularly innovative. The DB9 is is state of the art. Developed by Scottish hi- one of the first cars in the world Martin DB9's Chief Programme Engineer, Dafi experts Linn, it includes its own amplifier to use a shift-by-wire automatic vid King. and speakers that are specially designed for gear change. The conventional On a 300+ km/h performance car, superb the DB9. It also benefits from the DB9's gear lever has been replaced by brakes are essential. The large discs (355 mm high-quality fibre optic electronics, which a system of buttons that select front, 330 mm rear) are ventilated and groodisplay signals with total clarity. The top- park, reverse, drive or neutral. ved, rather than cross-drilled. of-the-range 950 W Linn hi-fi system uses "It is easy to use and gets "Grooving is more efficient than cross10 speakers and a 200 W subwoofer cont- rid of the clutter associated drilling," King says. "The pads are kept clearolled by an inbuilt accelerometer that even with the automatic gear lever on ner and work more effectively. Also, brake pad compensates for changes of pressure in the the centre console," says Aston dust can block cross-drilled discs, which reducar's interior. ces braking performance." I ASTON MARTIN DB9 137 FINE Lifestyle

Sound efore St. Helena there is a brief stretch of motorway. You can prevaricate endlessly about whether to buy the Aston Martin DB9, but in the end it only takes a stretch of empty road like this to make up your mind. I change gears manually using the lightweight magnesium paddle shift and rev the engine past 3000 rpm. The engine comes to life, wailing the most beautiful melody I have ever heard in a car. The thundering soundscape takes over all my senses and the decision of whether to buy the car is suddenly very simple. There are many supercars that delight with their design, "Engine note is very important for the driving experience. The Aston impress with their quality and surprise with their speed, and V12 engine has been described as having the best sound in the world," while the experience of driving them is in a way perfect, on says Brian. "We spent a great deal of time getting the `music' of the DB9 an emotional level it leaves you empty. There is a risk of this just right." happening with the DB9, too; the car is almost too perfect. The modern Aston Martin is fun and a very cool driving experience That is, until you up the revs past 3000. After that there is no that is both unique and unforgettable. Combining Aston Martin's unique reasoning and the acoustic pleasure that overtakes the driver is character with an uncompromising design philosophy, the DB9 was born incomparable. Aston Martin has managed to create a comple- out of a synthesis of traditional craftsmanship, high-tech manufacturing, tely unique soundscape, which differs positively from Ferrari's modern components and use of the finest materials. somewhat severe sound and Lamborghini's low roar. 138 B FINE

pass by the picturesque town of St. Helena. I have forgotten all about photography as the Silverado Trail continues in a straight line towards the mountains and their winding roads. The cool breeze caresses my face, the soft leather conforms to my every move, and the V12 engine encompasses all of my other senses. I am in the middle of a concert for one. Up on the hills, the sound is accompanied by echoes bouncing off the valleys and rock faces. The ambience is indescribable. I stop the car on top of a cliff and turn off the engine. I listen to the perfect silence, but not for long. The hypnotically pulsating deep-red start button and its promise of ecstasy make sure of that. The reward is total connection: a level of engagement that genuinely stimulates all the senses, that reignites a passion for driving and life. > I The Aston Martin DB9 is a grand tourer first sold in 2004. It was the first model manufactured at the new Gaydon factory. The initials DB come from David Brown, who was the owner of Aston Martin for the largest part of its history. Ian Callum started the design work and his follower, Henrik Fisker, concluded it. Each year sees the manufacture of one thousand of these cars, based on Ford's VH platform. ASTON MARTIN DB9 139 FINE Lifestyle

W O R L D ' S O N L Y C H A M P A G N E M A G A Z I N E FINE Champagne Magazine As the world's leading fine wine publisher, FINE proudly presents the world's first and only champagne magazine ­ FINE Champagne Magazine ­ that celebrates this unique wine and region. FINE Champagne includes tasting notes, the history and development of champagne, lifestyle articles on world-class restaurants and hotels, as well as profiles on champagne and luxury legends. This magazine is all about champagne; fascinating stories, intriguing champagne personalities and the latest tasting notes of both the world's most soughtafter champagnes as well as of those more reachable to a wider audience. It makes for a breathtakingly visual reading experience for all champagne lovers and collectors.

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Philippe Mille brings out the natural best of les Crayères' Philippe Mille brings out the natural best of les Crayères' at the gourmet restaurant «Le Parc» and the brasserie «Le Jardin»... at the gourmet restaurant «Le Parc» and the brasserie «Le Jardin»... At his side, the wine and champagne expertise of Head Sommelier Philippe Jamesse. At his side, the wine and champagne expertise of Head Sommelier Philippe Jamesse. b e a u t i f u l v a c a t i o n r e s o r t s i n t h e w o r l d .. b e a u t i f u l va c at i o n r e s o rt s i n t h e w o r l d R E I M S -- C H A M P A G N E -- F R A N C E REIMS CHA MPAGNE FRANCE Domaine Les Crayères --64 boulevard Henry Vasnier --51100 REIMS --Tel : :+33. (0) 3.26.24.90.00 --Fax : :+33. (0)3.26.24.90.01 Domaine Les Crayères 64 boulevard Henry Vasnier 51100 REIMS Tel +33. (0) 3.26.24.90.00 Fax +33. (0)3.26.24.90.01

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FINE content 13 17 18 28 36 38 56 62 74 84 100 Fineeditorial Are Wine Appraisals Boring and Unnecessary? Only for Experts FinenUiKKi eBay: The Las Vegas of Wine FineGallerY Wine Advertising -- Have You Seen Any? FinePerSonalitY Daniel Boulud -- Chef & Entertainer FinePaUlSon Wine and Alcohol FinereGion Douro -- The Smiling Inferno Fineeditor'S PicK The Yeatman, Porto, Portugal FinedeSiGn Original Wooden Cases FineeVent The Château Latour Experience -- Vintages from 1929 to 2008 FinedininG Arzak -- The Temple of Basque Cuisine FineeXPerience Restaurant Experience of the Year -- Iceland, A Haven of Culinary Adventure FineinVeStinG A Perfect 2010? FinetaStinGS The Vine Club Tasting Event FineKaPon The 1945 Pétrus FineliFeStYle Aston Martin DB9 Volante -- Power, Beauty, Soul and SOUND 106 113 126 130 <<< Return to the coverpage