Auction Winners are Brave Drinking at Chez Moi (3Ls, cult wine, Hungarian juice, Madoff’s stash)

Last week I hosted a group of six auction winners who had bid generously for a wine tasting at my place through CharityBuzz auction benefiting Food & Wine’s Grow for Good campaign and Wholesome Wave.  Determined to pull out all of the stops, I enlisted special bottles from my personal collection that would maximize our chances of drinking bravely.

auction wine

The line-up spanned the world (New York, California, France, Italy and Hungary), wine types (bubbly, white, red, and dessert), bottle sizes (half-bottle to two 3-liters), blue chips (Patz & Hall) to cult wine (Scholium Project and Le Pergole Torte), recent releases to the delightfully mature (a 2005 Beaujolais cru Morgan in magnum), and finally a bottle I had acquired from Bernie Madoff’s actual stash (through the 2011 Morrell & Co. auction that benefited the victims of this nefarious felon).  Along with the wine, we nibbled various fine cheeses, salumi, and bread from nearby nirvana Eataly.  Below are the wines:

1) Sparkling Pointe North Fork of Long Island Brut 2002 (New York)

2) Mulderbosch Sauvignon Blanc 2005 (South Africa, from Bernie Madoff’s stash, seized by U.S. Marshalls from Madoff’s “downstairs bedroom on right”)

3) The Scholium Project “The Sylphs” Guman Vineyard 2006 (California, Chardonnay, 3-liter bottle)

4) Patz & Hall Chardonnay Carneros Hyde Vineyard 2010 (California)

5) Cuvee du Cep d’Or Rose 2012 (France, 3-liter bottle)

6) Domaine Savoye Morgon Côte du Py Vieilles Vignes 2005 (France, magnum)

7) Montevertine “Le Pergole Torte” 2006 (Italy, 3-liter bottle)

8) The Royal Tokaji Wine Co. “Red Label – Aszú 5 Puttonyos” 2008 (Hungary)

   madoff