News

The special 10^th anniversary year of this important Naples event was a huge success, with more than $600,000 raised in support of the Shelter for Abused Women and Children in Naples. Held at the Ritz-Carlton, 1000 supporters attended the main luncheon, bidding on more than 150 silent auction items. Carte Blanche was an event patron and donated two magnums (2008 Cabernet and 2008 Proprietary Red) for the men’s live auction held at the Old Collier Golf Club. We are very honored to have helped raise $8,500 for this important cause. The Miami Dolphins’ Victor Rivas Rivers was the keynote speaker at the main event, speaking on his triumph over childhood abuse and adversity.

One of the highlights of the Tampa art scene, the second annual Margaret Acheson Stuart Society Auction raised nearly $190,000 for the Museum of Fine Arts St. Petersburg. Carte Blanche was a patron, corporate sponsor, and attended the event, donating a Carte Blanche wine dinner as one auction item, in addition to a Legacy Wine Lot from Nick’s personal collection, raising $10,500 for the museum. Festivities began in the Marly Room and the museum’s lavish gardens, and then moved into the gorgeous glass conservatory for a seated dinner from Michael’s on East in Sarasota.  St. Pete native Fred Schrader and his wife, Carol, of Napa’s Schrader Cellars were in attendance, as auctioneer Ben Ferdinand rallied a crowd of national wine lovers.  Check it out.

We visited our friends in North Carolina for the Triangle Wine Experience weekend, participating in a Carte Blanche/Bure Family Wines dinner lot at the home of Eliza Kraft Olander, chairperson of the Triangle Wine Experience.  The auction item included dinner for 40 by Chef Nina Psarros of Nina’s Ristorante, with Carolina Hurricanes hockey stars Ron Francis, Eric Staal, Cam Ward, Jeff Skinner and Brandon Sutter, complemented by wine pairings from Carte Blanche and Val Bure’s Bure Family Wines, all held at the home of Eliza Craft Olander. The evening  was an elegant affair and huge success, raising $50,000 for the Frankie Lemmon School & Development Center. Now in its 20^th year, this philanthropic weekend attracts national wine aficionados.

Known as the Sun Coast’s premier wine and food fest, Sarasota Forks & Corks is a four-day whirlwind of outstanding wine and locally sourced fare. Carte Blanche was honored to take part in both the Grand and Trade Tastings at this sixth annual event. Featuring cuisine by 50 members of the Sarasota-Manatee Originals (a group of independent restaurant owners that champion local culinary legacy) and a global roster of visiting vintners and winery owners, the main event is staged at the famed Ringling Museum of Art. We capped the weekend with a private Carte Blanche and Keplinger Forks & Corks Wine Maker Dinner at the Positano beach home of Nick & Teil Allen on Longboat Key.  An incredible five course menu for 20 guests by Chef Michael Klauber was paired with Keplinger’s 2009  Red Slope and 2009 Lithic, in addition to Carte Blanche’s 2009 Chardonnay, 2009 Sandstone Seven and 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon.

2009  Carte Blanche Cabernet Sauvignon
Review by: Antonio Galloni
Wine Advocate: # 198 (Dec 2011)
Rating: 94
Cost: $125
The 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon caresses the palate with deep layers of dark red fruit, rose petals, smoke and espresso. It is a bit more voluptuous and sexy than the 2008 in its sleek, polished personality. All of the elements flow gracefully to the huge, textured finish. The 2009 is 94% Cabernet Sauvignon and 6% Petit Verdot  Anticipated maturity: 2012-2019

2009  Carte Blanche Proprietary Red
Review by: Antonio Galloni
Wine Advocate: # 198 (Dec 2011)
Rating: 93
Cost: $95
The 2009 Proprietary Red comes across as quite sumptuous. It lacks some of the classicism of the 2008. Instead, readers will find a wine loaded with dark red fruit, smoke, tar, incense and licorice. This is bigger than the 2008 but not quite as delineated. It makes up for that with gorgeous richness and balance. The 2009 is 47% Merlot, 29% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2024.

Carte Blanche held private wine dinners at the following New York institutions: The Leash (Jan. 19, 2012), The Links (April 12) and The Brook (April 25). A huge thanks to these wonderful NYC institutions for giving Carte Blanche the opportunity to introduce our wines to their members this January and April! The opportunity was greatly appreciated, and a thank you to our hosts.

Carte Blanche participated in a very special weekend with Garden & Gun magazine (a staple on our coffee table), at one of our favorite Florida haunts, the Gilchrist Club. We co-hosted the opening dinner, featuring four wines paired with Gilchrist Club Chef Matt Boring’s gourmet cuisine.  Saturday’s member quail hunt and field feast was followed by the Garden & Gun post-hunt supper at this Northern Florida sporting plantation, as guests from across the country were entertained by the band Travelin’ Light.  Check it out.

November 5, 2011
This annual event is one of the hottest tickets of the year in Tampa, Florida. We served Carte Blanche wines at the Pavilion XXVI Patron Party, which benefited the Tampa Art Museum and was held at the beautiful home of Bretta and Don Sullivan.  Located on the first fairway of Palma Ceia Golf & Country Club, the home hosted Tampa’s top art patrons, and June Annis and Natalie Annis Goodwin chaired the event. It was a lovely evening that celebrated the arts, and we are thrilled to be supporters of such an important Tampa institution. This was the first event to stir up excitement for the Pavillion Auction.  The event raised over $240,000 for the museum’s educational and exhibition programs.  The Celebrity Chef Dinner Lifestyle Lot, with magnums of our 2008 Carte Blanche Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon and the 2008 Napa Valley Proprietary Red, fetched $17,000!

November 3, 2011
Sidebern’s Restaurant hosted the exciting Bern’s Halfway to Winefest No. 15 party, with proceeds benefiting the Vincent Lecavalier Cancer Center at All Children’s Hospital. Guests joined Vinny and friends for an evening of fine wine, spirits, and cuisine by SideBern’s Executive Chef Chad Johnson. Carte Blanche donated two 2008 magnums to an incredible silent auction. The Vinny Lecavalier Foundation works to build hope for children and families battling pediatric cancer and blood disorders and to fund medical research, programming and pediatric patient care through the new Vincent Lecavalier Pediatric Cancer and Blood Disorders Center at All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg, FL.

October 14, 2011
Carte Blanche participated in a very special evening that benefited Pilgrim Africa. “Jasiri: Bold Love for Africa” was the theme of this annual fundraiser, held Oct. 14, 2011, at the Meydenbauer Center in Bellevue, WA. Pilgrim, an indigenous African Christian organization, has offices in Seattle and Soroti and Kampala, Uganda, and provides spiritual, material, social and economic support through integrated multi-sectored interventions, generating wholeness, creativity and dignity. The Jasiri dinner event featured a representative team from the Music Dance and Drama Team at the high school, Beacon of Hope, supported in northern Uganda. We were very proud to be a part of this crowd of change makers—our 2009 Proprietary White was a crowd favorite, while our 2009 Sandstone Seven, Rhone white, was gifted to the 30 patron hosts.