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. 102
Mandarin Oriental, Paris The St. Regis Bali Resort Explore New Destinations with American Express Travel UP TO 0 IN EXPERIENCE CREDITS** 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 over 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, and St. Regis and Waldorf Astoria properties. COMPLIMENTARY WI-FI ROOM UPGRADE AT TIME OF RESERVATION, WHEN AVAILABLE*** *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: Fine Hotels + Resorts (FHR) program Centurion benefits are available for new bookings made through American Express Travel (meaning solely by calling the phone number on the back of your eligible Card) with participating properties and are valid only for eligible Centurion ® members. Bookings must be made using an eligible Card and must be paid using that Card, or another American Express ® Card, in the eligible Cardmember’s name, and that Cardmember must be traveling on the itinerary booked. Room upgrade is subject to availability and is confirmed at the time of booking; certain room categories are not eligible for upgrade. Noon check-in is subject to availability and is provided at check-in. The type of experience credit varies by property; the experience credit will be applied to eligible charges up to the amount of the experience credit. Advance reservations are recommended for certain experience credits. 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. If the cost of Wi-Fi is included in a mandatory property fee, a daily credit of that amount will be applied at check-out. For a stay of two consecutive nights or more, an additional experience credit of up to 0 will be provided. Benefit restrictions are applied per room, per stay (with a three-room limit per stay). Back-to-back stays booked by a single Cardmember, Cardmembers staying in the same room or Cardmembers 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. Benefit restrictions vary by property. Benefits cannot be redeemed for cash and are not combinable with other offers unless indicated. Benefits must be used during the stay booked. Any credits applicable are applied at check-out in USD or the local currency equivalent. Benefits, participating properties, and availability and amenities at those properties are subject to change. 12PM CHECK-IN, WHEN AVAILABLE GUARANTEED 4PM CHECK-OUT DAILY BREAKFAST FOR TWO To Book Call Your Dedicated Centurion Service on 0808 100 50 50
