FRANCE ITALY USA CHÂTEAU PALMER CHÂTEAU PALMER, 2018 MARGAUX Château Palmer has ranked among the rare family-run grand crus, co-owned by the Mähler-Besses and Sichels, since 1938. In 2004, the families stunned the traditionalist Bordeaux wine world by naming 34-year-old winemaker Thomas Duroux their CEO before hiring the 30-year-old Sabrina Pernet as technical director in 2007. The team would prove remarkably innovative, prioritising research and development, scorning pesticides and developing a bespoke, holistic vision of viticulture which has allowed them to fully express the character of their parcels – and create some of the most critically acclaimed bordeaux in recent years. “Unquestionably Château Palmer’s greatest asset is that it’s owned by people who are capable of working together and looking far ahead,” says Duroux. “Everything that we have done over the last fifteen years at Château Palmer is revelatory of their uncommon open-mindedness and capacity to be visionary.” Their 2018 Château Palmer, born of a vintage plagued by mildew but saved by steadfast vignerons and a hot summer, earned 100 points from critics like Antonio Galloni, stunned by the depth and voluptuousness of a “truly magical wine”. PASQUA VIGNETI E CANTINE MAI DIRE MAI, 2012 AMARONE Founded in 1925 in Verona, Pasqua Vigneti e Cantine is a historic winery which is undergoing a renaissance under its third-generation CEO, Riccardo Pasqua. Today styled as the “House of the Unconventional”, its wines are rhyming innovation with historic expertise and terroir. Particularly emblematic of this rebirth is Pasqua’s Amarone, Mai dire Mai, from its Montevegro vineyard, which turned on its head the prevailing Amarone style of opulence and high residual sugar. “This Amarone embodies everything we are,” says Riccardo. “Mai Dire Mai was unconventional from its first vintage. It was the first Amarone of a new style – dry to the bone, aristocratic, vertical ... The project was to bring Amarone back to its terroir, to make a wine that expresses not just the appassimento grape-drying technique but the personality of this soil. It’s a lean, elegant, agile wine, which most importantly boasts ageing potential on a par with the world’s greatest wines.” In 2022, the 2012 Mai Dire Mai, a highly concentrated vintage with structure, elegance and strength, was named among Decanter’s Wines of the Year, awarded 96 points. WENTE VINEYARDS NTH DEGREE CHARDONNAY, 2019 LIVERMORE VALLEY Founded in 1883, Wente Vineyards is the oldest continuously operated, family-owned winery in the United States. To say it has shaped the history of American wine is no hyperbole. In 1912, the family imported chardonnay cuttings from France, then selected and grafted the best-performing vines to create what became known as the “Wente clone”. Today, more than 75 per cent of all California chardonnay – the country’s most emblematic wine – stems back to the Wente clone. Wente’s fifth-generation winemaker Karl D Wente currently produces acclaimed chardonnays at every price point, culminating with the nth Degree, a limited production cuvée from the Livermore Valley vineyards where the descendants of the original Wente chardonnay still grow. The vines were literally farmed to the nth degree, with meticulous pruning and harvesting at optimal ripeness in the early morning. Barrel fermented for 11 months with 100 per cent malolactic fermentation and aged sur lie with weekly battonage, the result is a full-bodied chardonnay with a complex nose of ripe apple, apricot and nutmeg, and a palate of tropical fruit, graham and clove. 94
Mandarin Oriental, Paris The St. Regis Bali Resort Explore New Destinations with American Express Travel From booking to boarding and beyond, enjoy every moment when you get away with American Express Travel. Explore exceptional destinations and stay in luxury with Fine Hotels + Resorts, our curated collection of 1,300+ hand-picked properties. As a Centurion member, you receive your Fine Hotels + Resorts benefits, plus additional benefits* exclusive to Centurion on stays of two nights or more at participating Aman, Belmond, Mandarin Oriental, Oetker Collection, Peninsula, Rosewood, St. Regis and Waldorf Astoria properties. *Centurion benefits require a two-night stay and are available at Aman, Mandarin Oriental, Oetker Collection, Peninsula, Rosewood Hotels & Resorts, St. Regis and participating Belmond and Waldorf Astoria properties. **Experience credit varies by property. ***Certain room categories are not eligible for upgrade. Fine Hotels + Resorts: Valid only for new Centurion FHR bookings made through your Relationship Manager or Centurion Travel Service at participating Aman, Belmond, Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group, Oetker Collection, The Peninsula Hotels, Rosewood Hotels & Resorts, St. Regis, and Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts properties. Payment must be made in full with an American Express Centurion Card in the Centurion Member’s name. Available for Centurion Members only. Special amenity and / or Experience Credits and Centurion benefits vary by property; call your Relationship Manager for details. Experience credit[s] will be applied to eligible charges up to the amount of the Experience Credit. Advance reservations are recommended for certain Experience Credits. Centurion Member must travel on itinerary booked to be eligible for benefits described. Noon check-in is based on availability and is provided at check-in. Room upgrade will be confirmed at time of reservation subject to availability, and will replace FHR room upgrade at time of check-in. Certain participating Centurion FHR properties will offer with a minimum paid two consecutive night stay a Centurion benefit of (1) a US0 food & beverage or experience credit; (2) a US0 food & beverage credit only; or (3) a US0 food & beverage or experience credit. Call your Relationship Manager or Centurion Travel Service for details. Credit is applied in US dollars or equivalent in local currency based on the exchange rate on the day of check-out. Unused credit will be forfeited at check-out. Benefits and additional FHR promotions are only applied at check-out and expire at check-out. Participating FHR properties and benefits are subject to change. Limit one benefit package per room, per stay. Three room limit per Centurion Member, per stay. Back-to-back stays booked by a single Card Member, Card Members staying in the same room or Card Members traveling in the same party within a 24-hour period at the same property are considered one stay and are ineligible for additional FHR benefits (“Prohibited Action”). American Express and the Property reserve the right to modify or revoke FHR benefits at any time without notice if we or they determine, in our or their sole discretion, that you may have engaged in a Prohibited Action, or have engaged in abuse, misuse, or gaming in connection with your FHR benefits. Benefits vary by property; call your Relationship Manager or Centurion Travel Service for details. The type and value of the daily breakfast (for two) varies by property; breakfast will be valued at a minimum of US per room per day. Certain room categories are not eligible for upgrade; call your Relationship Manager or Centurion Travel Service for details. Complimentary In-Room Wi-Fi is provided. In the case where a Property includes cost of Wi-Fi in a mandatory resort fee, the Card Member will receive a daily credit from the Property in the standard amount that the Property charges for Wi-Fi. The credit will be issued on the Card Member’s final statement upon check-out. UP TO 0 IN EXPERIENCE CREDITS** COMPLIMENTARY WI-FI ROOM UPGRADE AT TIME OF RESERVATION, WHEN AVAILABLE*** 12PM CHECK-IN, WHEN AVAILABLE GUARANTEED 4PM CHECK-OUT DAILY BREAKFAST FOR TWO To book, please call your Relationship Manager on 1800 23 1889.
