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Big Bottles -- No Blues from Montelena
Let's get started with a big bang from the star of Bottle Shock, Chateau Montelena--two monster 3 liter etched bottles. "The 1998 possesses an opaque ruby/purple color, a gorgeous perfume of loamy soil, new saddle leather, chocolate, and black cherry and black currant fruit, full body, and ripe tannin in the finish. There is no doubting that it will still provide considerable pleasure at age 15 or 16. Kudos to the Barretts for producing this impressive 1998 Cabernet Sauvignon, one of the vintage's few stars." (WA) Then the 1999, rated 96 points and not only etched but numbered "1 of 400", "...is considered by Bo Barrett to be a 'great' year. The wine boasts a saturated inky/purple color as well as extraordinary density of fruit and cassis, and huge tannin, body, and extract. It is a substantial, palate-staining, long, muscular Cabernet that should only be purchased by connoisseurs with cold cellars as well as patience. Anticipated maturity: 2006-2030. The Estate Cabernet Sauvignon remains one of California's most remarkable Cabernets. I have been following it since the early seventies, and even the most difficult vintages are still drinking beautifully." (WA)
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The Unattainable Baseball Experience - Yanks/Sox
Have you ever been to Fenway? Or what about the new Yankee Stadium? Wouldn't it be great to see the Yankees and the Red Sox play a game? Well you can--and do it in style on top of the Green Monster at Fenway or in the field MVP section 121 at Yankee Stadium. Just write your own ticket for four seats to any regular season game in either New York or Boston. Pick a Red Sox vs. Yankees game and see the best of baseball rivalries, or just pick any single game from either the Yankees or Red Sox 2011 regular season. These won't last! Includes $1,000 US Airways gift card.
Choose any mutually-agreed-upon Red Sox vs. Yankees game this season and watch the best of baseball rivalries. If you would like to watch an alternate, choose from available games in either the Yankees or Red Sox 2011 regular season schedule. Game selection must be made no later than April 29, 2011.
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Family Fun Beach Package -- Myrtle Beach
Enjoy 3 nights and 4 days in the # 1 family beach destination of the USA! Your package includes the following:
--Three nights at the luxurious and nationally acclaimed Marina Inn at Grande Dunes in a two bedroom villa. The Marina Inn is the recipient of numerous local, regional and national recognitions and awards for service, dining and genuine southern hospitality!
--Dinner for a family of four is included at our award-winning restaurant, WaterScapes.
--A morning tee time for two for golf at the Resort Club at Grande Dunes. This spectacular golf facility receives accolades year in and year out as one of the top facilities in the country. The Resort Club was recognized as the 2009 National Golf Course of the Year by the national Golf Owners Association.
--Four players to challenge Dragon's Lair miniature golf located at the spectacular Broadway at the Beach. Broadway at the Beach is the largest festival entertainment complex in South Carolina. With 19 restaurants, more than 100 specialty shops, movie theaters, a nightclub district and theaters that feature live shows; you are invited to visit a paradise filled with non-stop celebrations that is "Broadwayyyy fun!"
--Four tickets to one of Broadway at the Beach newest attraction, opening April 2011, WonderWorks is an "amusement park for the mind," combining education and entertainment in over 100 hands-on exhibits that will spark the imagination and stimulate the mind. Visitors to the attraction will enjoy a variety of experiences including being blown away by 74 mile per hour hurricane-force winds, maneuvering the controls of a NASA spacecraft to land the shuttle, lying on a bed of 3,500 nails, piloting a fighter jet, designing and riding a 360 degree virtual roller coaster, playing virtual sports and competing in a game of lazer-tag.
--Two tickets for Soar + Explore, Broadway at the Beach's most exciting new attraction for adventurers of all ages! Try the pulse pounding 1,000 foot Zipline Adventure or the exhilarating 3-story Ropes Challenge Course which is the only ropes course over water!
Available during any of the summer months--June through September. (Isn't it nice to have a restriction that lets you go when you can actually take the family!)
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Sloan Propietary Red 2003--6 Bottles
Where else could you find this marvelous 6-bottle collection of Sloan in its original wood case? Parker described this 96-pointer as "...an amazing wine with a dense purple color and a gorgeous nose of new saddle leather, espresso roast, licorice, chocolate, and enormous quantities of black currant, cherry, and fruit intermixed with smoked meats. Full-bodied, powerful, with a broad savory mouthfeel, a multi-layered texture, and no hardness in the finish, this wine has evolved beautifully, and can be drunk now or cellared for 25+ years. Talk about coming out with a Big Bang! Stuart Sloan, the Seattle businessman, has hit both gold and home runs with his extraordinary vineyard perched high on a hill above the renowned restaurant/hotel complex of Auberge du Soleil. A 60-acre estate only partially planted in vines, with David Abreu handling the viticulture and Martha Levy (wife of Harlan Estates' Bob Levy) making the wine, this is as impressive a new operation as I have ever witnessed.
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American Classics Dinner and Wine Challenge
Five Courses|Ten Wines. Only Chef Bruce Schlernitzauer would be crazy enough to share the stage with Pahlmeyer and Hobbs. And you and 6 other couples (14 people total) can be a part of this American Classics Challenge. Bruce will prepare five classic American courses paired with two wines for each course from living legends, Jayson Pahlmeyer and Paul Hobbs. This includes Hobbs' incredible To Kalon and Pahlmeyer's Pièce de Résistance. Ravish the food and then decide which winemaker you love the most--or just be a polygamist and adore them all. With wines rated like these, no one will blame you!
At a mutually agreeable date. Your home or the Phillips. Must be used by April 30, 2012.
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Napa Escape at Saintsbury Brown Ranch
If you've ever awakened in a vineyard, you know what we're talking about. The jack rabbits hopping, the birds chirping, the gentle coolness of the Pacific air. The quiet. The beauty. Well that's exactly what you'll feel at Saintsbury's Brown Ranch guest cottage in the heart of Carneros. You and your guests (4 people, 2 bedrooms) will enjoy three nights of perfection with easy access to Napa Valley and Sonoma. Saintsbury will host you for a private tour and tasting, will stock the house with delicious goodies, and as a bonus, you'll leave with a mixed case of wine to remember your visit. You'll never want to do Wine Country any other way! Includes $1,000 US Airways Gift Card towards airfare.
Your stay must be completed by Dec. 31, 2011; subject to mutually convenient scheduling.
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Screaming Eagle Cabernet Sauvignon 2005
It's not just the label that's "Screaming"; it's the juice inside as well! This 98 pointer (WA) is a killer. "The 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon has gotten even better. This blend of 98% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% Cabernet Franc was aged in 67% new French oak for 21 months. It possesses a gorgeous, Pauillac-like bouquet of cedar, creme de cassis, licorice, smoke, and earth as well as sweet tannins, full body, fabulous layers of fruit, a noble sweetness, and outstanding length. This 2005 can be drunk now or cellared for 25+ years." But then who would chance waiting that long. You must have at least one Screaming Eagle in your lifetime!
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Art-filled Cocktail Party at Bechtler for 16
Meander through three incredible stories of Warhols, Picassos, Calders, Le Courbusiers, Tinguelys, Saint-Phalles et al in the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art as you host your very own cocktail reception for eight (8) couples. Learn some stuff while you are partying - a docent-guided tour will provide your guests with all the need-to-know info about this fabulous, extensive, family-owned collection. Scrumptious cocktails and hors d'oeuvres by Porcupine Provisions complete the picture.
Subject to mutually convenient scheduling. Expires April 16, 2012
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"Greatness in Grenache": A Powerhouse of Iconic Chateauneuf du Pape Producers and Spanish Rock Stars
When someone is named Food & Wine Magazine Best Importer of the year, James Beard Award 2009 Nominee, Outstanding Wine & Spirits Professional Hospice du Rhone's Person of the Year 2008, or Robert Parker Wine Personality of the Year, it turns heads. But when you realize that Eric Solomon lives here in Charlotte, you must be thinking "He wouldn't just donate any old wine to the Charlotte Wine & Food Weekend." And you're right. First they're all magnums. But more importantly, these are killer wines! Domaine Roger Sabon "Secret de Sabon" 2001, a 100 point wine, is "a magical elixir (that) matches the other-worldly 1998 in its seamlessness, extraordinary richness, unctuous texture, and incredible perfume. (This) massively proportioned yet gorgeously balanced, impeccably pure wine is one of the world's greatest expressions of ancient vines and natural/artisinal winemaking." Next up ,"The spectacular 2001 Domaine de la Janasse Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Vieilles Vignes is one of the monumental Chateauneuf du Papes of the vintage." that Parker gave 98 points. Then turning to Spain, the Mas Doix Doix Costers de Vinyes Velles 2006, a 97 pointer, "...amps it up considerably. It yields an enthralling, sexy/kinky bouquet of toasty new oak, liquid minerality, lavender, incense, and wild berries. Complex, elegant, and La Tache-like, it appeals to both the senses and the intellect." The Mas Doix Salanques 2005 is "...a glass-coating purple-hue with an alluring bouquet of cedar, smoke, slate, blueberry, and black cherry." (All ratings and quotes from WA.)
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Wells Fargo Championship Hospitality for Four
The Wells Fargo Championship, by any name, simply gets better every year! You and three of your best friends will have the run of the place on the days that really matter - Saturday, May 7 and Sunday, May 8, 2011. You'll have access to the tournament and a hospitality venue (at either the 14th or 16th greens) which offers covered seating, a full bar, plus food and beverages. So mark your calendar, put on your walking shoes - you are ON the course for the finale!!
Tickets will be forwarded directly to winning bidder on April 25, 2011.
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