Second I Used To Be...

Those of you interested in both art AND wine can head out to NYC between now and March 13 to take in the Mouton Rothschild wine label exhibit at Sotheby's. My awesome wife took me to NYC to check it out this past weekend as a bit of an early birthday gift.

For those who are not students of the drama that is the Bordeaux wine region of France: Chateau Mouton Rothschild is considered one of the finest wine estates in France for producing Bordeaux style, Cabernet Sauvignon-based wines.

It has a history of 'firsts' , most notably being the first (and to date only) chateau to have its rank elevated from "Second Growth" (bestowed in 1855) to "First Growth" status (in 1973). It was also the first Bord'x chateau to produce a Napa-valley collaborative wine (Opus One, with Robert Mondavi), and the first to commission and/or feature major artists' work on its wine labels (hence the exhibit), a tradition that continues to this day (the most recent 2004 vintage featuring a watercolor by Prince Charles).

As for their wines, most have measured up to the fine works of art adorning their labels, most notably the 1945 and 1982 vintages, both considered to be among the best wines ever produced (in the history of modern wine making, that is).

The exhibit is not lengthy and if you are detailed-oriented it may take you an hour max to go through it - but the combination of fine modern art and very fine wine is well worth the diversion if you're NYC-bound soon. And to top it all off, if you're also among the world's millionaires you can head over to one of the many NYC wine shops afterwards and celebrate your cultured self with a bottle of Harlan Estate (some vintages we found for the low, low price of... $1200 per bottle :-).