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Vintage Château Lafite-Rothschild from 2003 dating as far back as 1887, starts the Grand-Hôtel du Cap-Ferrat's new series of wine events off with a bang.
This spring, the Grand-Hôtel du Cap-Ferrat hosted an unparalleled wine event 'Three Centuries of Château Lafite-Rothschild,' with a stunning range of vintages of one of the top wines in the world.
The Grand-Hôtel du Cap-Ferrat's newfound investment in wine has hit godly heights. Fresh off the acquisition of a one-of-a-kind collection of the famed Sauternes Château d'Yquem—a treasured series of bottles covering every vintage produced from 1860 to 2003, the likes of which not even the château itself possesses—the hotel is positioning itself as a go-to spot for savvy wine lovers.
As the hotel's head of public relations Brigitte Pellero notes, "A new breath of air is blowing through the Grand-Hôtel du Cap-Ferrat. Wine has become a priority. It is now one of the highlights of the day and should become a true calling card for the hotel." She goes on to add, "Along with the new chef and pastry chef at the restaurant, the collection of Yquem graces the wine cellar, visible through a glass wall in a temperature-controlled room."
A monumental landmark if ever one were. But along with this remarkable set of high-end Sauternes, which are housed in a hand-crafted wooden cabinet, the hotel has committed itself to creating a series of wine-related events. The next of these events is set to attract some fifty wine enthusiasts over the course of a weekend in late September of this year.
Already, the first wine weekend, in April, was heady stuff—the hotel put together a vertical tasting extensive enough to give you vertigo. Rarely, if ever, are wine enthusiasts given the chance to taste a series of vintages as long-ranging and complete. A glass of '95? That is, 1895... Because, in similar scope to the remarkable Yquem collection, the April Bordeaux tasting spanned all the way from 2003 back to 1887.
And, also like the Yquem collection, it was not just any winery's brew. As Bordeaux is the pinnacle of red wine for innumerable connoisseurs, collectors and hedonists throughout the world, its heavyweights can be considered the most prized bottles anywhere. Since 1855, the major chateaus know who's who: the growths of Bordeaux have been strictly classified, from the exalted First Growths down through the Fifth Growths, after which comes the lesser fare of Crus Bourgeois and other unclassified growths. Though questions are sometimes put to the immutable canon, and though the breakaway right-bank Saint-Émilions reclassify their Grands Crus every ten years, no one challenges the ranking at the top. The tiny group of First Growths can be counted on the fingers of one hand, and reads something like a wine-lover's dream: Château Margaux, Château Latour, Château Mouton-Rothschild, Château Haut-Brion and Château Lafite-Rothschild.
Most wine drinkers never get to experience the exquisite nuances of these top growths. Many who do—even well-schooled oenophiles—never manage to taste them at their optimal age. In our day, with the accelerated pace of life and Australian 100-Parker-point Syrahs being popped a year or two down the road from their bottling or factory wineries turning out Cabernet Sauvignons that are smooth and ready to pour from the get-go, it has often been forgotten that 15 years for a First Growth is still just the beginning of its optimal drinking curve, and that grand wines, too young, don't yet have the complexity, maturity and a whole kaleidoscope of aromas they will only come into with careful aging.
So it will not pass unnoticed that something out of the ordinary took place in the wine world in April. The event took place at the Grand-Hôtel du Cap-Ferrat in Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat. On the bill? 'Three Centuries of Château Lafite-Rothschild.' A striking theme for a lavish oenological weekend—only the first in a series set to unfold at the Grand-Hôtel, which has been increasingly positioning itself as the go-to destination for savvy wine lovers. Pouring Château Lafite-Rothschild from vintages spanning the ages, from 2003 to 1887, is a good way to start the series off with a bang.
Conducted by the hotel's competent sommelier, Joël Rolland, the Pauillac First Growth hit a vast range of notes over the course of the weekend at the different masterclasses organized at the hotel. Over 150 bottles of Château Lafite were opened for some sixty privileged individuals, who had come from around the world to attend the event. Among their numbers were sharpshooters such as Lau Chi Sun, editor of the Chinese language wine publication Wine Now, who identified the 1887 vintage blind during a masterclass.
Along with wine specialists, tradespeople and collectors, on site for the weekend was Charles Chevallier, the director of Château Lafite-Rothschild, whose presence was a statement as to the Grand-Hôtel's serious investment in all matters oenological. And though there were a number of organized, instructive masterclasses, the wines were also tasted in a more traditional and informal context, at the table. To bring out their nuances, the new chef at the hotel's restaurant, Daniel Aniès—who already has the feather in his cap of being named Meilleur Ouvrier de France in 2000—developed dishes calibrated to pair well with the wines.
The event was organized by Stephen Williams, CEO of The Antique Wine Company, which since 1982 has specialized in old vintages with famous pedigrees and labels. It mainly sells French wines—the top Bordeaux growths and Burgundy grand crus—to a very international and rather wealthy clientele.
Williams was also the one who put together the unique collection of 135 vintages of Château d'Yquem acquired by the Grand-Hôtel at auction last December for $1.5 million, a collection that is housed in a specially built wooden cabinet in a temperature-controlled space. Its collection and authentification took Williams and his predecessor over 40 years. The set, while destined to remain intact, has an added wrinkle to it—as Brigitte Pellero notes with a smile. "There are in fact a number of vintages in duplicate or triplicate... Where would be the joy in wine if no one were ever to taste it?" This, too, points to just how uncommon it is to possess—not to mention open, taste, enjoy and share—great wines of great age.
http://www.grand-hotel-cap-ferrat.com