Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/687399
18 / the tasting panel / june 2016 THE MESSAGE Auctioneer John Curley seeks the highest bidder at the 2016 Sonoma County Barrel Auction. RICHARD CARLETON HACKER To the Highest Bidder S onoma County Vintners set a record this year at the 2016 inaugural Sonoma County Barrel Auction at the Vintners Inn, selling 75 unique Sonoma County wine lots for a total of $693,800. The auction, open only to those in the trade, featured small lots wines from 16 of the 17 Sonoma County appellations, with the highest bidding going to a Kosta Browne Pinot Noir "The KB Elixir," featuring a 50/50 blend of Russian River Valley and Sonoma Coast fruits; it sold for $46,000. Other notable top sellers were William Selyem Winery's "35th Anniversary Blend" Pinot Noir, which brough $40,000 and Silver Oak Cellars "Single Barrel" Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, which sold for $33,500. All the wine lots up for sale were created exclusively for the auction, with the proceeds going to support the Sonoma County Vintners and their AVA partners, who are dedicated to promoting Sonoma County as a wine region, representing more than 250 wineries and affiliates in the area. "The results of this year's Barrel Auction are testament to the demands of the current wine market and we appreci- ate our trade guest's confidence and regard for Sonoma County wines as highly coveted additions to any collector's cellar," said Jean Arnold Sessions, Interim Executive Director of the Sonoma County Vintners. —Jesse Hom-Dawson PHOTO: WILL BUCQUOY Smoke in the Kitchen C ulinary history was made earlier this year, when for the first time, six award- winning, cigar-smoking European chefs—four men and two women—com- bined their tastes and talents to create a cigar specifically blended to complement a variety of cuisine, including fish, pastas and meats such as veal and pork. Given the fact that many of the world's top chefs are cigar smokers, a chef's cigar would seem a natural evolution, especially since the tobaccos used for cigar-rolling and the ingredients used in cooking both come from the ground. And yet, it took luxury cigar brand Davidoff to combine agriculture and culinary expertise into what has become the Davidoff Chefs Edition, a limited annual edition 6x50 Toro. "One of my hobbies is cooking," said Hans-Kristian Hoejsgaard, President and CEO of the Oettinger Davidoff Group, "so I've always felt that cigars are very much a part of the world of wine and food." Appropriately, the Chefs Edition was unveiled at Davidoff's inaugural Tour Gastronomique—an international celebration of haute cuisine and premium cigars— held at the luxurious Dominican Republic resort, Casa de Campo—at a gala "white suit" gourmet dinner presided over by Casa de Campo's Executive Chef, Anthony Masas, and one of the cigar's creators, three Michelin-starred Peter Knogl, Executive Chef of Restaurant Cheval Blanc at Grand Hôtel Les Trois Rois in Basel. With a medium-plus strength and a nutty, peppery creaminess with an underlying sweetness thanks to the cigar's smooth and oily Habano 2000 wrapper, these flavors gradually intensify as the cigar is smoked. Priced at $30 each or $300 for a box of ten, the Davidoff Chefs Edition—with a double band that features a chef's toque—is available exclusively at select Davidoff tobacconists. —R. C. H.