Auction Catalog
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Riverside Choral Society 2016 Salsa Dance Party and Benefit Auction Catalog 6:00 PM March 19, 2016 Mark Morris Center 3 Lafayette Avenue Brooklyn Live Auction Items 2016 1. Wine Treasures from the Rhone Valley | $200 Value Donated by Elliott Kaback and Patricia Woodard 2012 Chaillot Franck Balthazar. “The 2012 Cornas Chaillot (never destemmed and including some vines planted in 1911) is very racy and tight, with red currant and blackberry fruit studded with bay leaf, chalk and dark olive notes and backed by a pronounced iron note. Both in the glass and with time in the cellar, the fruit expands and surrounds the minerality while maintaining its balance, so don’t be spooked by these wines being “too minerally” in style. Both of the 2012s are a bit dark and broader in profile than the ‘13s, in step with the general vintage character for the two vintages in Northern Rhône reds.” Wine Spectator Nov 11, 2014 2014 Saint Joseph Alain Graillot. “Saint Joseph: Syrah (100%). Best drunk when fruitiest: lay down for 4-5 years.” Sometimes referred to as the Cote- Rotie’s less sophisticated little brother: smaller scaled, less complex, and less refined. “Saint-Joseph typically comes across as less sweet, and more rustic — and sometimes off-puttingly raw and austere to consumers who believe that Syrah should be a fruit bomb. But these wines are closer to my idea of classic Syrah.” WineAccess 2012 Condrieu René Rostaing La Bonnette. “Condrieu, the finest rendition of Viognier comes from the small Rhone Valley appellation of Condrieu, where the best wines from steep, granite-rich slopes show an exotic perfume of peach, apricot, pear, spring flowers, and honeysuckle; a rich but normally dry middle palate; and an overall sense of delicacy. Pale chartreuse color. Pungent, highly perfumed aromas of orange pith, poached pear, white flowers and iodine. Juicy and deep but surprisingly energetic, with appealing sweetness and a smoky accent to its tangerine, pear nectar and honeysuckle flavors. Finishes with firm cut and impressive length, the floral and mineral notes repeating. Distinctly concentrated but surprisingly vibrant Condrieu; this will be very flexible with a wide range of foods.” Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar March/April 2014. Aerating this magnificent Condrieu will fully reveal its exceptional aroma. The vintner estimates that its peak will be reached in 2017. 2. Two 50-Yard line Tickets to a Pre-Season Giants Game | $225 Value Donated by Rachel Greenfield This is your chance to watch the Giants’ brand new coach, Ben McAdoo, in action! See the Giants play in the MetLife Stadium, in East Rutherford, New Jersey, and your parking pass is included. Your two tickets are on the 50-yard line, 21 rows up from the visiting team bench. You choose any one of the New York Giants’ pre-season games, which will be in August. Visiting teams and dates will be announced on the Giants website. Live Auction Items 2016 3. Guided Walking Tour to the Best Chinatown Eateries | $175 Value Donated by Jennifer Wu, Judith Johnston and Herb Kaplan Do you have a big appetite and a small budget for eating out? This guided walk- ing tour for up to six people introduces you to Manhattan’s Chinatown eateries. You will discover the best places to slurp noodles, to savor seafood, to select dim sum — and at low prices! Your guide will be carrying a slim wallet of $75 cash (part of the auction item), so that you may sample the delicious food. Go with an expert, and learn how to order. This is a tour that will definitely enlarge your horizons, but not your waistline! 4. James Levine and the Met Orchestra at Carnegie Hall, with Dinner Gift Certificate at The Back Room One57 Restaurant | $424 Value Donated by Cynthia Lilley and Eve Ngan Attend a concert that just might be your last chance to see James Levine’s conducting. Your first tier, front-row box seats have a spectacular view of the orchestra. One of the great Wagnerians, James Levine conducts The MET Orchestra in selections from Der Ring des Nibelungen. Wagner’s epic operatic tetralogy tells a tale of gods and men in music of tremendous power, tenderness, and exquisite color. Wagner’s Ring features spectacular depictions of nature, lumbering giants, flying warrior maidens, all-consuming fire, and more in strik- ingly vivid music. Soprano Christine Goerke, called “a beacon of brilliance” (The New Yorker), and Johan Botha, “a true Wagnerian tenor” (The Telegraph), join the orchestra for Wagner’s brilliant music on Thursday, May 26 at 8 pm. Before the concert, dine with a view of Carnegie Hall! The Back Room show- cases classic American fare with a contemporary twist in the open boutique kitchen. Chef de Cuisine Chad Brauze offers simple, yet refined cuisine made from the highest-quality local meats, seafood, and regionally sourced fruits and vegetables. The food is complemented by a deep wine list revolving around bou- tique American labels and Old-World selections. Use your $100 Gift Certificate toward the $54 prix fixe dinner, or order entrees from the menu. The restaurant is located in the Park Hyatt Hotel (on the third floor), 153 W 57, at 7th Avenue. Reserve online at www.thebackroomone57.com or telephone (212) 897-2188, and allow enough time for a leisurely dinner. Live Auction Items 2016 5. Two Nights in Manhattan, Upper West Side, with Restaurant Gift Certificate | $350 Value Donated by Eliza Lansdale Have your out-of-town guests stay comfortably in a fully furnished one- bedroom apartment on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It's accessible to all west side transportation options. If your visitors are walkers, they'll enjoy Riverside Park, Central Park's Charles A. Dana Discovery Center, and walking to the Nicholas Roerich Museum or the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. The apartment has a living room, a kitchen, and a bedroom. There is one queen-sized bed, one queen-sized sofa bed, and one small futon; up to four people could sleep in the apartment. Clean linen and towels will be provided. A gift certificate to one of the many wonderful local restaurants is included. 6. Wearable Art: Patchwork Quilted Jacket | $200 Value Donated by Toby Moldave, through Amy Asch This quilted woman’s jacket looks wonderful with elegant pants or casual jeans. Made by a creative quilter and artist who combined brightly colored cotton fabrics in a patchwork design, this wearable art jacket is stylish and unique. 7. Top-Shelf Liquor Basket of 8 Bottles | $400 Value Donated by Josh Greenman, Pete Klosterman, Janet Pascal, Evan Sarzin, Katherine Verdery Bourbon — Maker’s Mark Bourbon Whisky. One of the key things to note about Maker’s Mark is the absence of rye in the mash bill for their standard expression. Instead red winter wheat and barley give this bourbon its famous sweeter, easy drinking flavor profile. Maker’s Mark is one of the few American brands who label their products as ‘whisky’ instead of ‘whiskey’ (they spell it without an ‘e’). This is thought to be a nod towards the original founders’ Scottish heritage. 45% ABV. Champagne — Veuve Clicquot, Rheims, France. A blend of pinot noir, pinot meunier and chardonnay grapes. The widow (veuve) Clicquot, established her wine in royal courts throughout Europe in the Napoleonic era. She also gave Champagne to the Prussian guards enforcing the blockade against Russia, and the soldiers opened the champagne with their swords, starting the technique of sabering Champagne. Veuve Clicquot is part of the Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy group of luxury brands. 12% ABV. Cognac — Courvoisier. Courvoisier is among the four leading cognac houses in the world. Legend has it that the emperor Napoleon himself chose Courvoisier as his preferred cognac, therefore Courvoisier is often referred to as “The Cognac of Napoleon”. The company dates back to 1828 and since has its headquarters in the town of Jarnac. This cognac house is at the top of the luxury spirits market. 40% ABV. Live Auction Items 2016 Gin — Hendrick’s Gin, Girvan, Scotland. The distiller writes: “Seek out those who embrace the unusual, and you’ll find that our gin is much loved by a handful of curious individuals all over the world. We invite you to join the merry few. Small batch typically means 1,000 litres or fewer. Hendrick’s distills in minuscule batches of 500 litres, which gives our master distiller even greater control of her careful artistry.” All gin derives its predominant flavor from juniper berries; however, Hendrick’s botanical signature also includes flowers, roots, fruits, and seeds from the world over, complementing the juniper, rose petal and cucumber infusions. Hendrick’s suggests that the gin be served with tonic water over ice garnished with cucumber. On the Hendrick’s website are more complex cocktail recipes (as well as great graphics!). 44% ABV. Rum — from Haiti, this rum is in the style of French-speaking Caribbean islands, known for their agricultural rums. These rums, being produced exclusively from sugar cane juice, retain a greater amount of the original flavor of the sugar cane and are generally more expensive than molasses- based rums. 43% ABV. Scotch — Balvenie. The Balvenie 15 Year Old Single Barrel is matured exclusively in an Oloroso Sherry cask of a single distillation, which gives this unique whisky its decadently spicy flavor profile — a celebration of the unique interaction between oak, spirit and time. Each cask is subtly different — Malt Master David Stewart hand selects each barrel for its flavor of dried fruits, nuts and spice. No more than 650 hand-numbered bottles are drawn from each sherry butt, making every bottling unique and unrepeatable.