The Guest List

• “The Sommelier” – Arthur Leclerc, Singapore Director of Baghera/wines

• “The Catador” – Andrew Luff, Watchonista CEO

• “The Mixologist” – Carson Chan, Independent watch critic & collector

• “The Chef de Cuisine” – Marco Gabella, Watchonista Chairman & Executive Publisher

The Scene

For “The Wine,” Arthur Leclerc, the Singapore Director of Baghera/wines – a world-leading rare wine auction house with a boutique and private wine club on Rue Adhémar-Fabri in Geneva – surprises us with an eclectic, yet perfectly paired, selection of wines to accompany the event.
 

A few days before the dinner, while discussing the wine pairings for both the food and after-dinner cigars with Arthur, the only request I made was for him not to select an Italian wine. To choose a vintage with a similar terroir to the risotto I made would have been a bit too “old school,” even for me. Little did I know that my jocular request would result in Arthur leading our little party on a sophisticated tour of France.
 

For my “Pandemic Risotto” – or risotto della completa solitudine, “risotto of isolation,” as I often call it – Arthur selected a Taittinger Comtes de Champagne Rosé from 2004. And with its medium-bodied flavors and crisp freshness, it was a much better pairing and near-perfect counterbalance to the richness of the risotto than a heavy Barbera or Barbaresco.
 

Then, as the meal concluded and we ignited our cigars, Arthur decanted an absolute gem: a 1998 Côte Rôtie Les Grandes Places from the legendary winemaker Jean-Michel Gerin.
 

Follow-Up Links

• Baghera/wines
• Furlan Marri
• Taittinger Champagne
• Jean-Michel Gerin Wine

(Photography by Pierre Vogel. Video by Johan Corminboeuf)