Wine Spectator December 15, 2017

A handful of restaurants around the world have achieved the status of icon. La Tour d’Argent in Paris traces its roots to the 16th century. Joe’s Stone Crab in Miami Beach, which dates to 1913, was the first restaurant to serve the signature crab claw. Antoine’s in New Orleans has epitomized Creole cuisine since it opened in 1840. New York City is a cauldron of change, but even here a few restaurants have become icons. Peter Luger Steak House in Brooklyn. Katz’s Delicatessen on the Lower East Side The Four Seasons opened in 1959 in the Seagram Building on Park Avenue, the structure itself an emblem of modernist architecture. Over time, the restaurant became the quintessential gathering place for power, wealth and celebrity, all while maintaining impeccable standards for ambience, food and…

50 SHADES OF PINK News editor Mitch Frank’s column “Warning Signs in Pink” (online, Sept. 21) drew numerous comments as readers weighed in on the evolution of rosé; a sampling appears below. Added Value I enjoyed your New York City issue immensely (cover, Oct. 15 & 31). Another great place to visit on the Upper East Side is the museum of the Society of Illustrators. A classic building, fantastic art (and now exhibiting more original comic art), a keen sense of history, and a wonderful bar and restaurant on the top floor. A must-see destination right near the F train. John SciarappaEatontown. N.J. Worst-Case Scenario [I’ve] been an on-and-off-again subscriber for years, maybe decades, and this last issue (Oct. 15 & 31) is the worst. As with [many] of your readers, I’ve never been to New…

On the night of Oct. 8, dry weather and gusting winds helped trigger a wave of wildfires in 11 counties in Northern California, burning more than 213,000 acres within the first week of the crisis, causing at least 41 deaths, forcing thousands from their homes and significantly damaging at least eight wineries in some of the world’s most renowned wine regions. “Police went to every house to get people out,” said Carole Meredith, winemaker at Lagier Meredith. “This is a harrowing experience. Wish I could just fast-forward and know whether our place survived. Our property is both our home and our business, so it’s everything.” October is a month of high risk for wildfires in Northern California. Summers are long and dry, and northern winds can spread flames quickly. In this case,…

Convicted wine counterfeiter Rudy Kur-niawan’s latest appeal was shot down in late September by the same federal court judge who presided over his trial in 2013. He will continue to serve out his 10- year sentence. Kurniawan contended in a petition that one of his lawyers had not properly defended him during pretrial proceedings in 2013. But Dis-trict Judge Richard Berman ruled that the ex-perienced trial lawyer in question, Michael Proctor, had not been neglectful. At issue was FBI agents’ search of Kurni-awan’s house moments after he was arrested five and a half years ago. The agents had an arrest warrant in hand but not a search war-rant. Yet they spent at least 15 minutes roam-ing the house, where they found extensive evidence of a wine-counterfeiting operation. The agents based their search on…

In Italy’s Piedmont, daughters traditionally did not work in family wineries. But sisters Daniela and Monica Tibaldi have been runnings things at Cantina Tibaldi since 2014, bringing new energy to the business. They shared their story in “Vineyards and High Heels,” the winning entry in the 2017 Wine Spectator Video Contest. “We wanted to make this video just for fun, but it’s our reality,” said Daniela, 27. Carrying on their family’s tradition makes all the hard work worthwhile. “My grandfather, every time that he watches the video, he starts to cry,” Daniela said. Their prize included tickets to the New York Wine Experience, where their video was screened. But at press time the Tibaldi family was otherwise occupied with the impending birth of Monica’s first child, a baby boy. Watch the contest…

Christian Moueix Buys Two Right Bank Estates Renowned Bordeaux vintner Christian Moueix has added to his collection of Right Bank properties, buying St.-Emilion’s Clos La Madeleine and Château Magnan La Gaffelière from Société Générale, a French multinational banking and financial services company. The deal closed Sept. 25; the sale prices were not disclosed. Clos La Madeleine is the jewel of the deal, a tiny 6-acre property located within Moueix’s Château Bélair-Monange. The Grand Cru Classé estate is in a prime location. The property has made very good to out-standing wines in recent years, though Moueix feels its potential has yet to be realized. “It has good to very good soil, but we will have to get to know the estate better,” Moueix told Wine Spectator. He intends to keep the property separate from…