New & Noteworthy

May 13, 2008 Black Pearl Magnum: A Rare Offering from Rémy Martin The House of Rémy Martin is offering 300 connoisseurs the chance to purchase a limited-edition of Louis XIII―dubbed the Black Pearl Magnum ―a rare Grande Champagne cognac aged in a specially crafted singular oak barrel. The cognac is presented in a handcrafted Baccarat black crystal decanter as a tribute to the signature Louis XIII decanter, which was originally modeled on a metal flask found in the Cognac region of France in 1569. For those craving just a taste, the Plaza in New York City and the St. Regis in Washington, D.C., have purchased the first two bottles and will begin selling them by the glass later this month. A bottle of Louis XIII de Rémy Martin Grande Champagne cognac will sell for $32,000, with the Baccarat decanter. The St. Regis will offer glasses for $1,926―the cost pays homage to the year the St. Regis opened in Washington, D.C. (www.remy.com) ―Alexandra Foster
April 29, 2008 Over the Barrel Wine direct from the cellars of two prestigious winemakers will be featured in the Aulden Cellars-Sotheby’s sale of fine and rare wines on May 17 at Sotheby’s New York. The Peter Michael Winery of Sonoma, California, and Chateau Angelus of Saint Emilion, France, will showcase rare vintages from their vineyards, both of which are known for producing limited quantities of wine made using traditional French-style barreling. Peter Michaels Winery, which will donate auction proceeds to the Sir Peter and Lady Michael Foundation to fight cancer, will offer 30 bottles of Les Pavots Cabernet Sauvignon Vertical 2001-2005, each expected to fetch about $16,250. The auction house estimates the Peter Michael offering, which also includes Mon Plaisir, Belle Cote, and Les Pavots, will bring in more than $120,000. Chateau Angelus will offer wines from 1989 through 2005, including a 1989 Angelus estimated at $4,500. The total Chateau Angelus collection is expected to go for more than $117,000. (www.sothebys.com) ―Alexandra Foster
April 15, 2008 Straight from the Cellar Wine aficionados will have an opportunity to acquire rare vintages and first growths from the cellar of the famed Mirabelle restaurant in London at Bonhams auction on April 30. The auction house will offer more than 300 lots of wine from the now-closed Michelin-starred restaurant, including notable vintage champagnes such as Dom Pérignon Oenothéque and the Krug Collection, as well as eight vintage first growths from Latour 1916, and Clos des Papes (shown). In its heyday, Mirabelle was frequented by such clientele as Winston Churchill, Orson Welles, Vivien Leigh, and Laurence Olivier, along with a constant flow of European royalty. The Mirabelle cellar’s contents, worth more than $200,000, will be offered on April 30 at Bonhams London headquarters. (087.002.736.22, www.bonhams.com). ―Alexandra Foster
April 1, 2008 Conradtini, the Creative Martini Martini aficionados take note: Conrad Hotels and Resorts invites guests behind the bar to become their own master mixologist with a new bespoke cocktail service called Conradtini. You won’t find standard drink menus on the bar tops of Conrad’s 18 worldwide hotels and resorts; instead guests pore over a list of liquors, mixers, garnishes, and even stemware that may be combined to create the “perfect” cocktail. Ingredients vary at each hotel and resort to reflect local culture and flavors. But don’t worry if you don’t fancy yourself a mixologist just yet—Conrad’s international staff of bartenders is also on hand to create a concoction just for you, based on your preferences for liquor, carbonation, and sweetness. Try the Brickelltini, created by the Conrad Miami’s resident manager Josep Juncosa and named for its location on Brickell Avenue, which features vodka, Midori, and fresh lime juice. Conradtini cocktails will be available throughout 2008 at all Conrad hotels and resorts. (www.conradhotels.com) ―Alexandra Foster
March 18, 2008 Spiritual Revelation What happens when the world’s most renowned producer of gin teams up with an internationally acclaimed artist, a prestigious British jewelry house, and the preeminent creator of crystal? They produce a million-dollar collection of decanters christened Revelation. Gin maker Bombay Sapphire collaborated with New York artist Karim Rashid, Baccarat, and Garrard jewelry house to produce the five-bottle collection—priced at $200,000 apiece. Each bottle has been shaped into a 10-sided gemstone to represent the 10 botanical ingredients used to create Bombay Sapphire gin and is appointed with a diamond-and-sapphire encrusted stopper. The Revelation bottles, sold with a year’s supply of gin, will be on display at airports in London, New York, Dubai, Singapore, and Sydney beginning March 27, before being sold to aficionados willing to pay one-fifth of a million dollars to house their gin in luxury. (www.bombaysapphire.com) ―Bailey S. Barnard
March 4, 2008 Le Cheval Fou: An American Hermitage The 2005 vintage presents a unique case in the recent history of winemaking: With few exceptions, it was a great vintage worldwide. Australia, South America, Spain, Germany, Austria, California, and France all enjoyed outstanding harvests in this Golden Year of the Grape. Entrepreneurs John Schwartz, a partner in Amuse Bouche Winery with Heidi Barrett, and Danielle Price, executive director of wine at Wynn Las Vegas, can judge firsthand the striking quality of the latter two regions, having produced the vibrant and complex 2005 Coup de Foudre (a blend of Stags Leap District Cabernet Sauvignon with a modicum of Santa Barbara Syrah), as well as the 2005 Le Cheval Fou—the inaugural vintage of a pure Syrah from Hermitage on which they collaborated. Named for the legendary Parisian cabaret Crazy Horse (where French ushers are costumed as Royal Canadian Mounted Police, while the female performers are costumed barely, if at all), this tantalizing wine is an authentic Hermitage, produced in cooperation with legendary winemaker Michel Chapoutier. Hermitage, at just over 300 acres, is not only one of the smallest appellations in the region, but would arguably also qualify as a Premier Cru, if the Rhône had an official system of classification. While its roots, quite literally, are French, Le Cheval Fou ($125 per bottle, $750 per six-pack) exhibits an American exuberance: Its Gallic minerality and beefy tannins support a flavorful framework of dark berry, cedarwood, smoked meat, cinnamon, and other earthy spices. ( www.LeChevalFouWine.com) ―Brett Anderson
February 19, 2008 Whisky Wise Connoisseurs in search of Scotland’s most exquisite whiskies need look no further than Duncan Taylor. This independent bottler and whisky merchant is a purveyor of some of the world’s most exclusive scotch whiskies, such as the recently released 40-year-old Macallan 1967 presented in a handcrafted wooden box containing a 75cl bottle, a 5cl miniature, and an engraved glass. Duncan Taylor matures each single-malt whisky at its original distillery to allow it to age in the environment where it was originally distilled, and it will only bottle each cask when it reaches optimum age and quality. Duncan Taylor’s selection is available through Preiss Imports. (760.789.6010, www.preissimports.com) ―Daniel Curtis
February 5, 2008 Pride of Ownership: Foley to Focus on His Own Label Bob Foley, regarded by many as perhaps the best winemaker in Napa Valley, is leaving his long-held position at Pride Mountain Vineyards to develop his own label further. In just a handful of years, Robert Foley Wines has expanded its production from a single claret to a portfolio of six wines that includes charbono, petite syrah, merlot, pinot blanc, and the newly introduced Howell Mountain cabernet sauvignon. Foley characterizes this growing concern as a “mom-and-pop operation,” since he farms the vineyards and manages the winemaking himself, while his wife, Kelly, handles the business details. Nevertheless, the label’s success has enabled the Foleys to construct a state-of-the-art winemaking facility on Howell Mountain, which will be completed in time to greet the 2008 harvest. Meanwhile, Pride Mountain Vineyards’ programs will continue under the stewardship of Sally Johnson, who has stepped in as lead winemaker. “Working to maintain Bob’s legacy of super-ripe, concentrated wines is a challenge that I am eager and excited to accept,” she says. Foley is equally pleased with Pride Mountain’s choice of replacement. “The last 15 years for Pride have been great,” he reflects. “The next 15 are going to be even better. This transition is all about wine quality, and I’m very excited about what the future holds for Pride.” (www.robertfoleyvineyards.com) ―Daniel Curtis
January 22, 2008 Beauty of the Century Beauté du Siècle, Hennessy’s newly released ultra-premium cognac, pays homage to the best of the 20^th century in arts, craftsmanship, and invention. The skillfully blended distillate combines a selection of eaux du vies stored in Hennessy’s paradis cellar over the past century, with the oldest parts dating back to 1907, the height of the belle epoque. Housed in a one-liter Baccarat decanter, the 100-bottle limited-edition cognac is presented in a 150-pound, aluminum-solder treasure chest designed in Art Nouveau style by contemporary French artist Jean-Michel Othoniel. In addition to the cognac, each chest contains four Murano glasses; a numbered, limited-edition coffee-table book containing the 3,000 images of the Talbot Collection, a group of black-and-white photographs taken between 1889 and 1914 of actresses, dancers, and haute couture models donning the fashions of the day; and an original print from that collection, preserved by the Musée des Arts Décoratifs. The chest is available without the bottle through art gallery Sikkema Jenkins & Co. in New York. The cognac in its chest (150,000 euros or about $220,000) is hand delivered by a representative from Hennessy. (www.hennessy.com, www.sikkemajenkinsco.com) ―Jessica Taylor
January 8, 2008 A Connoisseur’s Tequila Dos Lunas, the El Paso, Texas-based producer of fine tequilas, has broken new ground in luxury tequila with the release of its Grand Reserve Tequila. The Extra Añejo sipping tequila is the world’s first commercially available tequila to be aged more than 10 years. Distilled in sherry oak casks in Guadalajara, Mexico, the spirit is more comparable to fine single malts and cognacs than it is to traditional tequilas. In addition to being harvested from fully mature 100 percent blue agave and fermented using natural yeast—as are all Dos Lunas’ products—the Grand Reserve is bottled in handblown, individually numbered Baccarat decanters encased in an ebonized wooden box. The Grand Reserve is $2,500. (915.533.2000, doslunasgrandreserve.com) ―Bailey S. Barnard
December 18, 2007 Barrel Malibu At his new wine bar, Barrel Malibu, John Selman of Malibu Village Wines provides access to rare cult wines by the ounce. He has solved the preservation dilemma involved with opening truly valuable wine by installing a cutting-edge Italian Enomatic tasting system that uses argon gas to replace the air in opened bottles. This casual setting is an appropriate place to experience the increasingly popular Malibu chardonnays, and cult connoisseurs can enjoy 2003 Screaming Eagle at $119 per mouthful. The ever-changing collection is complemented by an offering of cheeses and charcuterie from the Beverly Hills Cheese store. For the oenophile that finds no romance in self-service, the traditional bar across the room has a lineup of vintages by the glass diverse enough to suit the eclectic Malibu community. (310.456.8777) —Daniel Curtis
December 4, 2007 The Frescobaldi Family Unveils a New Brunello di Montalcino At black-tie fete held in November at Villa i Collazzi in the Florentine hills, the Marchesi de’ Frescobaldi announced the February 2008 release of a new Brunello di Montalcino from the Luce della Vite estate, near the family’s famed Castelgiocondo. “We are extremely happy to celebrate the arrival of the Luce Brunello di Montalcino,” said Luce della Vite’s president Leonardo Frescobaldi. “Ten years ago, we presented Luce for the first time at Villa i Collazzi, and we thought it would be wonderful to celebrate that milestone with a new one by introducing the Luce Brunello di Montalcino at the same venue.” In 1995, the Frescobaldi family entered into a joint venture with Robert Mondavi to create the first Super Tuscan wine from Italy’s Montalcino region. First released in 1997, Luce is a vibrant yet sophisticated blend of Sangiovese and merlot that roils with roasted coffee, chocolate, and raspberry flavors. The 2003 Luce Brunello ($80) offers a more traditional take on the estate’s terroir, showcasing pure Sangiovese vinified according to the strict standards required for Brunello. The unusual heat of the vintage has yielded a ripe, dense, powerful wine that delivers a concentrated medley of dried plum, blackberry, clove, and licorice. (Available at Folio Wine Partners, 707.256.2700, www.foliowine.com.) —Brett Anderson
November 20, 2007 Veuve Clicquot Goes Vertical Veuve Clicquot has joined forces with the Porsche Design Studio to create a striking, modern wine cellar to house a collection of 12 rare vintage magnums. At $70,000, the newly unveiled Veuve Clicquot Vertical Limit by Porsche Design Studio is equipped with an unrivaled selection of champagne that retraces the brand’s history for the past 50 years. The futuristic, vibration-proof, six-foot tall, steel wine cellar features 12 individually-lit shelves that are built with temperature controls to maintain a constant 12°, the exact temperature of Veuve Clicquot’s cellars in Reims, France, and the most appropriate temperature for tasting. Only 15 Vertical Limit armories will be produced. (Available at Crush Wine and Spirits, 212.980.WINE) —Jill Newman
November 1, 2007 La Alteña Distillery Celebrates its 70th Anniversary with a Rare Extra Añejo El Tesoro Aniversario commemorates the 70th anniversary of its La Alteña Distillery in Arandas, Mexico, with a limited series of 2,007 cases of the rare tequila. The extra añejo was aged for seven years in white oak American bourbon barrels, fertilized with organic materials, slow-cooked in brick and stone ovens, and crushed with traditional stone grinding wheels. A nutty, almond-like flavor follows scents of chocolate, vanilla, and spices, but perhaps the most gratifying aspect of drinking El Tesoro Aniversario, which is $150 a bottle, is the rich agave finish. (www.eltesorotequila.com) —Skye Mayring
November 1, 2007 K&L Wine Merchants Goes Hollywood K&L Wine Merchants has been a voice of authority in Northern California wine country for more than 30 years, providing specialists to each of the world’s major wine regions and assigning them the task of choosing the best and most unique wines from that region. K&L’s knowledge extends far beyond its California roots: Selections include fine wine from Oregon and Washington, as well as France, Italy, and Australia. The wine merchants’ latest venture is its Hollywood, California, store, which has an in-house connoisseur and a full range of wines. (www.klwines.com, 323.464.9463) —Alexandra Foster
November 1, 2007 Chivas Regal Releases 25-Year-Old Scotch Whiskey Inspired by the original Chivas Regal and produced in limited supply, the newly released Chivas Regal 25-Year-Old scotch whiskey offers a complex palate and luxuriously rounded finish that only renowned master blender Colin Scott could develop. A well- nuanced nose of orange, peach, and marzipan gives way to the spirit’s persistently creamy, rich milk chocolate flavor. Approximately $299. (www.chivasregal.com) —Skye Mayring

May 13, 2008

Black Pearl Magnum: A Rare Offering from Rémy Martin

The House of Rémy Martin is offering 300 connoisseurs the chance to purchase a limited-edition of Louis XIII―dubbed the Black Pearl Magnum ―a rare Grande Champagne cognac aged in a specially crafted singular oak barrel. The cognac is presented in a handcrafted Baccarat black crystal decanter as a tribute to the signature Louis XIII decanter, which was originally modeled on a metal flask found in the Cognac region of France in 1569. For those craving just a taste, the Plaza in New York City and the St. Regis in Washington, D.C., have purchased the first two bottles and will begin selling them by the glass later this month. A bottle of Louis XIII de Rémy Martin Grande Champagne cognac will sell for $32,000, with the Baccarat decanter. The St. Regis will offer glasses for $1,926―the cost pays homage to the year the St. Regis opened in Washington, D.C. (www.remy.com)

―Alexandra Foster

April 29, 2008

Over the Barrel

Wine direct from the cellars of two prestigious winemakers will be featured in the Aulden Cellars-Sotheby’s sale of fine and rare wines on May 17 at Sotheby’s New York. The Peter Michael Winery of Sonoma, California, and Chateau Angelus of Saint Emilion, France, will showcase rare vintages from their vineyards, both of which are known for producing limited quantities of wine made using traditional French-style barreling. Peter Michaels Winery, which will donate auction proceeds to the Sir Peter and Lady Michael Foundation to fight cancer, will offer 30 bottles of Les Pavots Cabernet Sauvignon Vertical 2001-2005, each expected to fetch about $16,250. The auction house estimates the Peter Michael offering, which also includes Mon Plaisir, Belle Cote, and Les Pavots, will bring in more than $120,000. Chateau Angelus will offer wines from 1989 through 2005, including a 1989 Angelus estimated at $4,500. The total Chateau Angelus collection is expected to go for more than $117,000. (www.sothebys.com)

―Alexandra Foster

April 15, 2008

Straight from the Cellar

Wine aficionados will have an opportunity to acquire rare vintages and first growths from the cellar of the famed Mirabelle restaurant in London at Bonhams auction on April 30. The auction house will offer more than 300 lots of wine from the now-closed Michelin-starred restaurant, including notable vintage champagnes such as Dom Pérignon Oenothéque and the Krug Collection, as well as eight vintage first growths from Latour 1916, and Clos des Papes (shown). In its heyday, Mirabelle was frequented by such clientele as Winston Churchill, Orson Welles, Vivien Leigh, and Laurence Olivier, along with a constant flow of European royalty. The Mirabelle cellar’s contents, worth more than $200,000, will be offered on April 30 at Bonhams London headquarters. (087.002.736.22, www.bonhams.com).

―Alexandra Foster

April 1, 2008

Conradtini, the Creative Martini

Martini aficionados take note: Conrad Hotels and Resorts invites guests behind the bar to become their own master mixologist with a new bespoke cocktail service called Conradtini. You won’t find standard drink menus on the bar tops of Conrad’s 18 worldwide hotels and resorts; instead guests pore over a list of liquors, mixers, garnishes, and even stemware that may be combined to create the “perfect” cocktail. Ingredients vary at each hotel and resort to reflect local culture and flavors. But don’t worry if you don’t fancy yourself a mixologist just yet—Conrad’s international staff of bartenders is also on hand to create a concoction just for you, based on your preferences for liquor, carbonation, and sweetness. Try the Brickelltini, created by the Conrad Miami’s resident manager Josep Juncosa and named for its location on Brickell Avenue, which features vodka, Midori, and fresh lime juice. Conradtini cocktails will be available throughout 2008 at all Conrad hotels and resorts. (www.conradhotels.com)

―Alexandra Foster

March 18, 2008

Spiritual Revelation

What happens when the world’s most renowned producer of gin teams up with an internationally acclaimed artist, a prestigious British jewelry house, and the preeminent creator of crystal? They produce a million-dollar collection of decanters christened Revelation. Gin maker Bombay Sapphire collaborated with New York artist Karim Rashid, Baccarat, and Garrard jewelry house to produce the five-bottle collection—priced at $200,000 apiece. Each bottle has been shaped into a 10-sided gemstone to represent the 10 botanical ingredients used to create Bombay Sapphire gin and is appointed with a diamond-and-sapphire encrusted stopper. The Revelation bottles, sold with a year’s supply of gin, will be on display at airports in London, New York, Dubai, Singapore, and Sydney beginning March 27, before being sold to aficionados willing to pay one-fifth of a million dollars to house their gin in luxury. (www.bombaysapphire.com)

―Bailey S. Barnard

March 4, 2008

Le Cheval Fou: An American Hermitage

The 2005 vintage presents a unique case in the recent history of winemaking: With few exceptions, it was a great vintage worldwide. Australia, South America, Spain, Germany, Austria, California, and France all enjoyed outstanding harvests in this Golden Year of the Grape. Entrepreneurs John Schwartz, a partner in Amuse Bouche Winery with Heidi Barrett, and Danielle Price, executive director of wine at Wynn Las Vegas, can judge firsthand the striking quality of the latter two regions, having produced the vibrant and complex 2005 Coup de Foudre (a blend of Stags Leap District Cabernet Sauvignon with a modicum of Santa Barbara Syrah), as well as the 2005 Le Cheval Fou—the inaugural vintage of a pure Syrah from Hermitage on which they collaborated.

Named for the legendary Parisian cabaret Crazy Horse (where French ushers are costumed as Royal Canadian Mounted Police, while the female performers are costumed barely, if at all), this tantalizing wine is an authentic Hermitage, produced in cooperation with legendary winemaker Michel Chapoutier. Hermitage, at just over 300 acres, is not only one of the smallest appellations in the region, but would arguably also qualify as a Premier Cru, if the Rhône had an official system of classification. While its roots, quite literally, are French, Le Cheval Fou ($125 per bottle, $750 per six-pack) exhibits an American exuberance: Its Gallic minerality and beefy tannins support a flavorful framework of dark berry, cedarwood, smoked meat, cinnamon, and other earthy spices. ( www.LeChevalFouWine.com)

―Brett Anderson

February 19, 2008

Whisky Wise

Connoisseurs in search of Scotland’s most exquisite whiskies need look no further than Duncan Taylor. This independent bottler and whisky merchant is a purveyor of some of the world’s most exclusive scotch whiskies, such as the recently released 40-year-old Macallan 1967 presented in a handcrafted wooden box containing a 75cl bottle, a 5cl miniature, and an engraved glass. Duncan Taylor matures each single-malt whisky at its original distillery to allow it to age in the environment where it was originally distilled, and it will only bottle each cask when it reaches optimum age and quality. Duncan Taylor’s selection is available through Preiss Imports. (760.789.6010, www.preissimports.com)

―Daniel Curtis

February 5, 2008

Pride of Ownership: Foley to Focus on His Own Label

Bob Foley, regarded by many as perhaps the best winemaker in Napa Valley, is leaving his long-held position at Pride Mountain Vineyards to develop his own label further. In just a handful of years, Robert Foley Wines has expanded its production from a single claret to a portfolio of six wines that includes charbono, petite syrah, merlot, pinot blanc, and the newly introduced Howell Mountain cabernet sauvignon. Foley characterizes this growing concern as a “mom-and-pop operation,” since he farms the vineyards and manages the winemaking himself, while his wife, Kelly, handles the business details. Nevertheless, the label’s success has enabled the Foleys to construct a state-of-the-art winemaking facility on Howell Mountain, which will be completed in time to greet the 2008 harvest.

Meanwhile, Pride Mountain Vineyards’ programs will continue under the stewardship of Sally Johnson, who has stepped in as lead winemaker. “Working to maintain Bob’s legacy of super-ripe, concentrated wines is a challenge that I am eager and excited to accept,” she says. Foley is equally pleased with Pride Mountain’s choice of replacement. “The last 15 years for Pride have been great,” he reflects. “The next 15 are going to be even better. This transition is all about wine quality, and I’m very excited about what the future holds for Pride.” (www.robertfoleyvineyards.com)

―Daniel Curtis

January 22, 2008

Beauty of the Century

Beauté du Siècle, Hennessy’s newly released ultra-premium cognac, pays homage to the best of the 20^th century in arts, craftsmanship, and invention. The skillfully blended distillate combines a selection of eaux du vies stored in Hennessy’s paradis cellar over the past century, with the oldest parts dating back to 1907, the height of the belle epoque. Housed in a one-liter Baccarat decanter, the 100-bottle limited-edition cognac is presented in a 150-pound, aluminum-solder treasure chest designed in Art Nouveau style by contemporary French artist Jean-Michel Othoniel. In addition to the cognac, each chest contains four Murano glasses; a numbered, limited-edition coffee-table book containing the 3,000 images of the Talbot Collection, a group of black-and-white photographs taken between 1889 and 1914 of actresses, dancers, and haute couture models donning the fashions of the day; and an original print from that collection, preserved by the Musée des Arts Décoratifs. The chest is available without the bottle through art gallery Sikkema Jenkins & Co. in New York. The cognac in its chest (150,000 euros or about $220,000) is hand delivered by a representative from Hennessy. (www.hennessy.com, www.sikkemajenkinsco.com)

―Jessica Taylor

January 8, 2008

A Connoisseur’s Tequila

Dos Lunas, the El Paso, Texas-based producer of fine tequilas, has broken new ground in luxury tequila with the release of its Grand Reserve Tequila. The Extra Añejo sipping tequila is the world’s first commercially available tequila to be aged more than 10 years. Distilled in sherry oak casks in Guadalajara, Mexico, the spirit is more comparable to fine single malts and cognacs than it is to traditional tequilas. In addition to being harvested from fully mature 100 percent blue agave and fermented using natural yeast—as are all Dos Lunas’ products—the Grand Reserve is bottled in handblown, individually numbered Baccarat decanters encased in an ebonized wooden box. The Grand Reserve is $2,500. (915.533.2000, doslunasgrandreserve.com)

―Bailey S. Barnard

December 18, 2007

Barrel Malibu

At his new wine bar, Barrel Malibu, John Selman of Malibu Village Wines provides access to rare cult wines by the ounce. He has solved the preservation dilemma involved with opening truly valuable wine by installing a cutting-edge Italian Enomatic tasting system that uses argon gas to replace the air in opened bottles. This casual setting is an appropriate place to experience the increasingly popular Malibu chardonnays, and cult connoisseurs can enjoy 2003 Screaming Eagle at $119 per mouthful. The ever-changing collection is complemented by an offering of cheeses and charcuterie from the Beverly Hills Cheese store. For the oenophile that finds no romance in self-service, the traditional bar across the room has a lineup of vintages by the glass diverse enough to suit the eclectic Malibu community. (310.456.8777)

—Daniel Curtis

December 4, 2007

The Frescobaldi Family Unveils a New Brunello di Montalcino

At black-tie fete held in November at Villa i Collazzi in the Florentine hills, the Marchesi de’ Frescobaldi announced the February 2008 release of a new Brunello di Montalcino from the Luce della Vite estate, near the family’s famed Castelgiocondo. “We are extremely happy to celebrate the arrival of the Luce Brunello di Montalcino,” said Luce della Vite’s president Leonardo Frescobaldi. “Ten years ago, we presented Luce for the first time at Villa i Collazzi, and we thought it would be wonderful to celebrate that milestone with a new one by introducing the Luce Brunello di Montalcino at the same venue.” In 1995, the Frescobaldi family entered into a joint venture with Robert Mondavi to create the first Super Tuscan wine from Italy’s Montalcino region. First released in 1997, Luce is a vibrant yet sophisticated blend of Sangiovese and merlot that roils with roasted coffee, chocolate, and raspberry flavors. The 2003 Luce Brunello ($80) offers a more traditional take on the estate’s terroir, showcasing pure Sangiovese vinified according to the strict standards required for Brunello. The unusual heat of the vintage has yielded a ripe, dense, powerful wine that delivers a concentrated medley of dried plum, blackberry, clove, and licorice. (Available at Folio Wine Partners, 707.256.2700, www.foliowine.com.)

—Brett Anderson

November 20, 2007

Veuve Clicquot Goes Vertical

Veuve Clicquot has joined forces with the Porsche Design Studio to create a striking, modern wine cellar to house a collection of 12 rare vintage magnums. At $70,000, the newly unveiled Veuve Clicquot Vertical Limit by Porsche Design Studio is equipped with an unrivaled selection of champagne that retraces the brand’s history for the past 50 years. The futuristic, vibration-proof, six-foot tall, steel wine cellar features 12 individually-lit shelves that are built with temperature controls to maintain a constant 12°, the exact temperature of Veuve Clicquot’s cellars in Reims, France, and the most appropriate temperature for tasting. Only 15 Vertical Limit armories will be produced. (Available at Crush Wine and Spirits, 212.980.WINE)

—Jill Newman

November 1, 2007

La Alteña Distillery Celebrates its 70th Anniversary with a Rare Extra Añejo

El Tesoro Aniversario commemorates the 70th anniversary of its La Alteña Distillery in Arandas, Mexico, with a limited series of 2,007 cases of the rare tequila. The extra añejo was aged for seven years in white oak American bourbon barrels, fertilized with organic materials, slow-cooked in brick and stone ovens, and crushed with traditional stone grinding wheels. A nutty, almond-like flavor follows scents of chocolate, vanilla, and spices, but perhaps the most gratifying aspect of drinking El Tesoro Aniversario, which is $150 a bottle, is the rich agave finish. (www.eltesorotequila.com)

—Skye Mayring

November 1, 2007

K&L Wine Merchants Goes Hollywood

K&L Wine Merchants has been a voice of authority in Northern California wine country for more than 30 years, providing specialists to each of the world’s major wine regions and assigning them the task of choosing the best and most unique wines from that region. K&L’s knowledge extends far beyond its California roots: Selections include fine wine from Oregon and Washington, as well as France, Italy, and Australia. The wine merchants’ latest venture is its Hollywood, California, store, which has an in-house connoisseur and a full range of wines. (www.klwines.com, 323.464.9463)

—Alexandra Foster

November 1, 2007

Chivas Regal Releases 25-Year-Old Scotch Whiskey

Inspired by the original Chivas Regal and produced in limited supply, the newly released Chivas Regal 25-Year-Old scotch whiskey offers a complex palate and luxuriously rounded finish that only renowned master blender Colin Scott could develop. A well- nuanced nose of orange, peach, and marzipan gives way to the spirit’s persistently creamy, rich milk chocolate flavor. Approximately $299. (www.chivasregal.com)

—Skye Mayring