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(Continued)
Posted: Thursday, March 30, 2006
Marvin R. Shanken, center, with Ashton owner Robert Levin (left) and Fuente executive Wayne Suarez.
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The cocktail hour, at which the dinner guests in black tie sampled dozens of cigar brands, featured Dom Perignon 1996. The first course, a black bass wrapped in phyllo with a lemon thyme sauce, was paired with a Louis Jadot Puligny-Montrachet Clos de la garenne Duc de Magenta 2003. The main course, a filet mignon served with morels, polenta, asparagus and springtime ramps, was matched by a superb first-growth Bordeaux, the 1995 Château Mouton-Rothschild. Sublime Hennessy Paradis Extra Cognac completed the night.
The General Cigar Co. folks, standing, from left: Cooper Gardiner, Keith Sparacio, Michael Giannini, Dave Bullock, Sherwin
Seltzer. Seated, from left: Whit Beebe, Victoria McKee, Bill Chilian, Benji Menendez, Ernesto Perez-Carrillo.
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The cigar stars in attendance included Cooper Gardiner, Ernesto Perez-Carrillo, Benjamin Menendez, Sherwin Seltzer, Whit Bebe, Mike Giannini, Bill Chilian and Victoria McKee of General Cigar Co.; Carlos Fuente Jr. and Wayne Suarez of Tabacalera A. Fuente y Cia.; Jose Orlando Padrón and Jorge Padrón, makers of Padrón Cigars; Robert Levin of Ashton; Litto Gomez of La Flor Dominicana; Tim Ozgener, Aylin Ozgener and Mike Conder of C.A.O. International Inc.; Peter Baenninger of Davidoff of Geneva; Julio and Christian Eiroa of Camacho Cigars; Eric Newman of J.C. Newman Cigar Co.; Charlie Toraño of Toraño Cigars; Ernesto Padilla of Padilla Cigars; Peter Arnell of Zino Platinum; Daniel Miranda of Miami Cigar & Co., Tom Bendheim and Les Mann of the Colibri Group Inc.; Matt Arcella owner of the Davidoff stores in Las Vegas; and Stan Shuster, owner of the Grand Havana Rooms in New York City and Beverly Hills.
Former mayor Rudolph Giuliani enjoys one of the evening’s many fine cigars.
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As the meal drew to a close, diners were handed a Humidipak with three special cigars inside--Cigar Aficionado's No. 1, 2 and 3 cigars of the year. No. 1 was a Fuente Fuente OpusX Double Corona, No. 3 was a Padrón 1964 Anniversary Series Exclusivo, and the other smoke was an unbanded robusto with a dark, oily wrapper.
Tim Ozgener of C.A.O (left) shares a laugh with Dominic Chianese of “The Sopranos.”
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The heart of the dinner revolved around an auction donated by many in attendance, including rare cigars such as custom-made Padróns ($28,000), Partagas 150 Signature Series (which went to Gandolfini for $10,000), La Aurora 100 Años ($18,000), a lot including the soon-to-be released Ashton Estate Sun Grown ($25,000) and a special collection of Fuente Fuente OpusX cigars, including a bespoke presentation of 95 Double Coronas, Cigar Aficionado's 2006 Cigar of the Year ($33,000).
Cigar retailer Bruce Goldstein (far left) shares a smoke and a cocktail, with from left, cigarmakers Jose O. Padrón, Jorge Padrón, Litto Gomez and Charlie Toraño.
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There was a rare Daniel Marshall humidor signed by California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger ($14,000), vacations in some of the world's finest resorts, including the Four Seasons Resort in Maui ($24,000), Anguilla's Cap Juluca, and Las Ventanas in Los Cabos, Mexico ($36,000).
Rare wines included a collection of 2003 Bordeaux, Joseph Phelps Insignia ($18,000) and a glorious, rare 1961 Château Pétrus Imperial, which went for $80,000. There was a five-hour trip on a NetJets Gulfstream IV ($50,000), a Caribbean voyage on a 141-foot luxury yacht ($80,000) and a Cadillac Escalade ($64,000).
Standing, from left: Stan Shuster, Wayne Suarez, Matthew Lubart, Barry Stern, Bruce Goldstein, Tom Bendheim, Les Mann and Carlos Fuente Jr. Seated, from right: Roberta Waldman, Suzanne Levin and Robert Levin.
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The final auction lot in each Night to Remember is Marvin's Mystery Box, a unique Elie Bleu Humidor decorated with genuine Cuban cigar bands. Inside was a treasure trove of special gifts, including a guaranteed winning ticket for the Super Bowl (a bet made on each team) and many other prizes. That, coupled with a walk-on role on the show "24," went for $175,000 to Jamie B. Coulter, chairman and CEO of Lone Star Steakhouse & Saloon Inc.
For a full report on The Night to Remember, with details of each auction lot and many more photos, see the upcoming Cigar Aficionado.
Photos by Thos Robinson and Fernando Leon/ Getty Images
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