We absolutely adore MIKE & OZ NICHOLS for so many reasons. They are great, great
souls! Mike & Oz never hesitate to help and when doing so, always want to know what will
benefit the children of Frankie Lemmon most. When asked to contribute to the auction, the
question posed back to us was "VERTICALS or FLIGHTS?" Naturally, we agreed on BOTH!
Curating three bottles each of CHÃ'TEAU MOUTON ROTHSCHILD and SINE QUA NON,
the former a vertical spanning the 2013, 2014, 2015 vintages and the latter a flight featuring
'Tectumque', 'Squeezebox' - Ziehharmonika', and 'Profuga' bottlings.
With flavors of exotic spices and a rich texture, CHÃ'TEAU MOUTON ROTHSCHILD has
earned a reputation for being the most exuberant of the Bordeaux First Growths. A marriage
of wine and art, Mouton Rothschild's artist-designed labels aren't the only link between the
château and the art world. There's also a Museum of Wine in Art, the only one of its kind in
the world, on the estate. Medieval tapestries, Asian porcelains, old oil paintings and rare
17th-century gold and silverware goblets all jostle for space in one of the estate's former
barrel halls.
SINE QUA NON is aptly named. In Latin, the phrase roughly translates to "indispensable."
What began as an intention to create the antithesis of a lackluster "house wine," turned out
to be a smash hit! Starting with a whopping four and a half barrels of Syrah from the famed
Bien Nacido Vineyard, the 100+ cases sold out in a day. Sine Qua Non, at its heart, is a
Rhone house where Syrah and Grenache play top fiddle supported by Mourvedre,
Roussanne and Viognier. Sharing a similar affinity for art as Château Mouton Rothschild,
Jim Dine, famed contemporary artist known for his graffiti-esque heart paintings, offered one
of his paintings as a label in exchange for a few cases, thus setting the bar for each label
thereafter.
It's easy to understand why these two producers are personal favorites of the Nichols. Drink
as they do! Open your hearts as they have! Raise those paddles!
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CHÃ'TEAU MOUTON ROTHSCHILD VERTICAL:
CHÃ'TEAU MOUTON ROTHSCHILD 2013
CHÃ'TEAU MOUTON ROTHSCHILD 2014
CHÃ'TEAU MOUTON ROTHSCHILD 2015
SINE QUA NON FLIGHT:
SINE QUA NON 'TECTUMQUE'
SINE QUA NON 'SQUEEZEBOX - ZIEHHARMONIKA'
SINE QUA NON 'PROFUGA'