A Special Collection The Mar-a-Lago Club’s wine program features special-order, rare vintages, generation-spanning favorites, and winemaker dinners BY MARK SPIVAK
Wine plays a vital role in the culinary program at Mar-a-Lago, and the club makes a special effort to accommodate the wishes of members who have requests for allocated and rare bottles. “Many of our members have their own cellars and are extremely wine-knowledgeable,” says General Manager Bernd Lembcke. “We research their requests, and always try to locate and procure the wines they want.”
At Mar-a-Lago, as elsewhere in Palm Beach, tastes in wine have changed greatly over the past few decades. Traditionally, members had a preference for classic French wines such as Bordeaux and Burgundy, but in recent years, California wines have been gaining in popularity. Hard-to-find Chardonnays from the Golden State such as Kistler, Three Sticks, and Konsgaard are now fixtures on the club’s list, and complex Sauvignon Blanc such as Peter Mi-
chael’s L’Après-Midi are also favorites. Bordeaux remains popular, of course, and several dozen Grand Cru Classé are offered from every region of the Gironde, from Château Pavie and Ausone in Saint Emilion to the first growths of Lafite, Latour, and Haut-Brion. Château Petrus 2009 is the most expensive bottle on the list at $5,000, but there are occasions when even that won’t do. “One of our members wanted Château Pe-
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