FrontRunners
Diamonds in the trough, and a sale of the 13th century. . . .
T
he stakes of most matches York will auction an item that might be
would have to be doubled many relevant to the campaign’s eventual winner:
times over before they equaled the an original copy of the Magna Carta (www
value of the Charles Hollander Backgammon .[Link]). The 13th-century English
Set ([Link]) document codified the idea that no one,
shown here. Made from nearly 15 pounds of not even a king, is above the law. Fewer
yellow gold, 5.3 ounces of silver, and 64,082 than 20 copies survive. Sotheby’s has
white, black, and yellow diamonds, the set assigned a presale value of $20 million to
has a gem weight greater than 2,070 carats $30 million to the document, which will
and a price of $1.5 million. It is the most go on the block the week of December his death, the Marquis de Lafayette. The
expensive piece in Hollander’s collection, 10. . . . At another sale in New York that medal conferred membership in the Society
which also includes a $1 million, diamond- week, on December 11, Sotheby’s may of Cincinnati, a group that celebrated the
encrusted chess set and gem-covered golf receive a record-setting bid for an eagle- Revolutionary War. Sotheby’s expects it to
and soccer balls. . . . As the presidential pri- shaped gold medal that was owned by fetch as much as $10 million, the largest
mary season approaches, Sotheby’s in New George Washington and then, following sum ever paid for a medal. . . .
According to Charles Hollander, his diamond-covered, gold and silver backgammon set required about 10,000 hours to make.
december 200 7 robb report 93
Bottom: Harry Winston 3 Row Diamond Cufflinks supplied
FrontRunners n n
Ride a street rocket, fearing not that fellow with a machine gun. . . .
the $8,000 pavé diamond cuff links pic-
tured below and a limited-edition, $42,000
pavé diamond watch with sapphire and
ruby stripes across the face. . . .
dressed to a tee U Dunning Golf
Performance Apparel ([Link]
.com) cannot fix your swing, but it can
improve your appearance on the course.
For a fee beginning at $10,000, Ralph
Dunning, a tailor in Markham, Ontario,
Canada, offers a bespoke service that
several PGA Tour players use. Dunning
will travel to the location of your choice
and fit you for a variety of the brand’s
pieces, including polo shirts, mock-neck
shirts, pants, and sweaters. . . . If you are
concerned with shots and rounds of
Road Warrior U Prepare to remove suspension system and seven-spoke Mar another kind, consider a Burberry Classic
your hat at the sight of the Ducati chesini magnesium alloy wheels. . . . bulletproof trench coat from Fortier &
Desmosedici RR ([Link])—if Co. ([Link]). The double-
you do not want it blown off. This first- m en only U The Harry Winston Men breasted coat features a zip-out wool
ever street-legal MotoGP replica is by Thom Browne collection ([Link] warmer, a checked lining—and four bal-
derived from the Ducati Corse Grand [Link]) can add subtle sparkle to listic panels. Fortier, which bills itself as
Prix Desmosedici GP6, which finished your wardrobe. Many of the gold rings, the “premier provider in bulletproof fash-
third in the MotoGP World Champion cuff links, and other pieces in this series ion,” also can customize the coats and
ship in 2006. The high-performance from jewelry house Harry Winston and jackets already in your wardrobe with
engine of this $65,000 bike achieves 200 menswear designer Thom Browne fea- ballistic panels or lightweight trauma
hp at 13,800 rpm. Features borrowed ture rhomboid diamonds set in narrow plates that, the company claims, can stop
from the race version include an Öhlins diagonal rows. The collection includes a round from an AK-47. . . .
Ducati Desmosedici RR bike; Harry Winston Men diamond cuff links by menswear designer Thom Browne.
94 robb r e p o r t d e c ember 200 7
n FrontRunners n
Speeding at Lime Rock Park; racing a Bentley across an empty page. . . .
automotive writing U Bentley pen that require turning match those on circuit at the Lime Rock Park racetrack
Motors and the Italian pen maker Tibaldi the car’s handles and buttons. Beginning in Lakeville, Conn., and careen through
have teamed up to create Bentley at Brook in December, Tibaldi will offer 100 18- the Big Bend, a long double-apex right-
lands ([Link]), a line of limited- karat white gold editions (50 roller ball hander. A membership lasts 50 years, but
edition pens offered in advance of the and 50 fountain) with prices starting at if you do not last that long, it may be
Bentley’s Brooklands coupe, which will $12,300. . . . You could use the Bentley bequeathed or sold. . . .
arrive in showrooms early next year. The pen to write a $110,000 check and acquire
connections between car and pen include one of the 300 memberships in the new right angle U Furniture designer
the finish on the pen’s barrel, which Club at Lime Rock Park ([Link] Arthur Tabrizi knows how to hold his
resembles that of the Brooklands’ dash- .com). As a member, you can select 20 wine; he has been making bespoke wine
board. And etchings on the parts of the dates annually to race on the 1.5-mile-long racks for more than a dozen years. His
latest creation, the 11-ounce, 3-inch-tall
Stretto wine bottle cradle (shown below),
Bentley at keeps the bottle at an angle that is ideal
Brooklands pens for letting the wine breathe and allowing
from Tibaldi. sediment to settle. Tabrizi ([Link]
[Link]) offers the Stretto in three ver-
sions, the most notable of which is the
$2,500-plus Raro, which comes with a
diamond embedded in the front. . . .
From the Robb Cellar U Fine wines & spirits worthy of a place in your private collection.
T
he national Prohibition Act of only the winery’s best fruit. The aroma and Leflaive, carries on the tradition, crafting
1919 not only empowered the fed- flavors of blackberry, currant, vanilla cream, whites that are the envy of collectors.
eral government to prevent the man- and licorice are layered atop a classically While Chevalier-Montrachet tends to be
ufacture, sale, transportation, and possession elegant structure that has defined the Napa lean and mineral, Bâtard-Montrachet exudes
of “intoxicating liquors,” but also defined style. Perfect for the holidays, this Cabernet deeper aromas and shows a fatter flavor
these offending waters. In so doing, the leg- comes in a wooden gift box, which can be profile. Anne-Claude’s Domaine Leflaive
islation made a single provision, the exemp- personalized with an engraved brass plate. Bâtard-Montrachet 2005 is fat
tion of Communion wine, that allowed at ($105) [Link] indeed, yet it retains its aristo
least one would-be target of the law to cratic bearing. Citrus flowers
thrive. By making altar wine during the 14 among chardonnays, nothing and toasted almond dominate
years of Prohibition, Georges de Latour, compares to white Burgundy. And ever the nose, while on the palate,
who founded Beaulieu Vineyard in 1900, since Claude Leflaive settled in Puligny, cool mineral flavors and a
avoided the extinction to which most of the France, in 1717 and planted his first vine- bracing acidity wash down
producers in the Napa Valley succumbed. In yards, Domaine Leflaive has produced some the creamy pear fruit. ($342)
b o t t o m : c o r d e r o s t u d i o s / w w w. c o r d e r o s t u d i o s . c o m
fact, thanks to a sudden resurgence of piety, of the most scintillating, precise, and bal- [Link]
de Latour’s business actually expanded, so anced white Burgundies ever to tantalize
that when Prohibition was repealed, he had the senses. The current regime, however,
a cellar filled with wines to sell to a thirsty owes more to Claude’s descendant
public. This gift of drink is commemorated Joseph, who, after inheriting two hectares
annually with the reserve Cabernet Sauvi- in 1905, applied his brilliant engineering
gnon that bears his name. The Beaulieu Vine- mind to the expansion of the domaine’s
yard Georges de Latour Private Reserve Cabernet holdings, buying up plots in vineyards like
Sauvignon 2004 is sourced primarily from Le Chevalier and Le Bâtard. Today, his
the original vineyard
Alfred of 1900
Beurdeley and contains
vases. granddaughter, winemaker Anne-Claude
96 robb r e p o r t d e c ember 200 7
n FrontRunners n
Soar with angels, or savor something heavenly at Pebble Beach.
taste fest U Pebble Beach, long a
destination for lovers of golf, horses, and
classic cars, is turning its attention to gas-
tronomes. From March 27 through 30,
Pebble Beach Resorts will host its first
Pebble Beach Food & Wine event (www
.[Link]), which will
bring together 35 prominent chefs and
representatives from some 200 wineries
to preside over cooking demonstrations, a
rare-wine auction and dinner, tastings of
more than 300 wines, and other activities.
Ticket prices will range from $165 for a
single event to $12,400 for a VIP package
that will provide accommodations and
access to all activities and to after-hours
parties with the winemakers and chefs. . . . The Fontainebleau Miami Beach resort is receiving a $1 billion update.
The Fontainebleau Miami Beach ([Link]
[Link]), built in 1954, has begun air r escu e U The fractional jet Flexjet 25 card, which allows you to pur-
a renovation that, the resort’s representa- operator Bombardier Flexjet ([Link] chase not only 25 but also 30 or 35 flight
tives say, will cost $1 billion by the time .com), a recent Robb Report Best of the hours, has a starting price of approxi-
it is completed next summer. The project Best honoree, is giving you a chance to mately $135,000. The Angel Flight dona-
will expand the property from 920 to be an angel. When you purchase a Flexjet tion program ends December 15.
more than 1,500 rooms, including a 25 flight card, the company will donate
4,300-square-foot penthouse. . . . one hour on a Learjet 45 to Angel Flight, contributors: Brett Anderson,
a charity that provides flights for people Bailey S. Barnard, Brent Butterworth,
who need air transportation but cannot Marilyn Jackson, Jill Newman, Mike Nolan,
afford it. Many of the group’s clients Michael Schulze, Oliver Slosser, Sheila
require immediate medical attention. The Gibson Stoodley, Shaun Tolson
Select Smoke U Recommended additions to your humidor.
T
Montecristo he altadis usa Cabinet Selec medium-bodied flavor ideal for an after-
t o p l e f t : C J W a l k e r ; b o t t o m : c o r d e r o s t u d i o s / w w w. c o r d e r o s t u d i o s . c o m
Cabinet Selección; cións consist of premium, limited- noon on the golf course. The most sub-
S.T. Dupont cutter. edition versions of the cigar stantial of the five available sizes is the
maker’s most popular handmade smokes: 54 x 7 Churchill shown here. ($10 each)
H. Upmann, Por Larranaga, Romeo y [Link]
Julieta, and Montecristo. All are well
worth a try, but to our taste, the latter sporting all the elegance and crafts-
stands out. The powerful, peppery flavor manship for which its maker is known, the
of the Montecristo’s Dominican, Nica S.T. Dupont cigar cutter rests inconspicuously
raguan, and Peruvian filler tobaccos in any pocket. Polished handles slide the
strikes the palate upon the cigar’s igni- precision blades out from within their
tion. After the first inch, the influence brushed stainless steel sheath. The blades
of the Ecuador-grown, Sumatran seed are sufficiently sharp to ensure a smooth,
wrapper begins to dominate, and the tear-free clip even if the cigar is a little dry.
cigar settles into a beautifully balanced, ($435) [Link]
98 robb r e p o r t d e c ember 200 7
