Grape Escape
A Benefit For
The Museum Center at 5ive Points
2024 Live Auction Items
Chef's Wine Dinner for 10
Enjoy a Five Course Chef's Wine Dinner on the Museum Center's beautiful lighted patio. Exquisitely prepared by Executive Chef Kimberly Frank. Meal will be for 10 guests and pre-arranged with the Museum Center. Preferably a Spring or Fall evening for an ideal dining al fresco experience. Meal will include an amuse bouche, appetizer, salad or soup, entree and dessert. A sample menu might be potato latke with smoked salmon, poached quail egg, hollandaise sauce; Melon and prosciutto crudo or a cold summer soup vichyssoise; Chateaubriand with roasted seasonal vegetable and chimichurri sauce; Blueberry and lilac panna cotta. Each course will be expertly paired with wine. Wine will be provided by Empire Distributing.
2013 Moet Chandon Dom Perignon
750 ml bottle (1)
97 Points
Perfumed with apple, green mangoes, perfume and honeysuckle. Medium-bodied with a creamy and integrated texture and a subtle finish. Bitters. Botanicals. Intense. Drink or hold.
2018 Freemark Abbey Cabernet Sauvignon Bosche Vineyard
750 ml Bottles (3)
98 Points
Blended with 7% Merlot from the famous site, along the benchlands of the Mayacamas, this is a juicy, delicious and sophisticated wine, with impressive, complementary bolts of freshness and intensity that are fully in sync. Notes of gravel, black cherry, currant and herb ride along a structured and generous palate of memorable greatness. Enjoy best from 2028–2038.
2019 Sena Red Table Wine
Bordeaux Blend - 9L Bottle
100 Points - James Suckling
With Original Wooden Case
Stunning aromas of blackcurrant, stone, blueberry and licorice. Also iodine. Floral. Perfumed. Full body, fantastic density of fruit and ripe tannins. It goes on for minutes on the palate with such energy and focus. Touch of chewiness on the finish. A complex and complete wine that delivers a generosity with firmness. Drink after 2021 but already a classic to drink.
Villa Guelpa 2016 Nebbiolo (Lessona)
Piedmont, Italy
3 L Bottle
95 points - Cellar Wine
Fragrant and loaded with finesse, this focused red boasts alluring aromas of rose, perfumed berry, wild herbs and a whiff of vineyard dust. On the elegantly structured palate, bright acidity and firm, refined tannins frame juicy red cherry, strawberry, crushed botanical herbs and a saline-like mineral note before a licorice finish. Will develop even more complexity over the next several years and shows great aging potential. Drink 2022–2036
Friends of Grape Escape
Mixed Case
2009 Quilceda Creek Cabernet Savignon
Donated by Shannon and Christy Ritzhaupt
2020 Brecon Reserve Cabernet Franc
Donated by Rufus and Jane Triplett
2019 Pacheca Vintage Port
Donated by Don Ritzhaupt and Rachel Savage
Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio
Donated by Richard and Amy Banks
2013 Bricco Visette Barolo
Donated by Phil and Kathy Quinnett
2018 b. wise Petite Sirah Moon Mountain District
Donated by Jim and Jean Sanko
Bordeux Collection
Original Wooden Case
750 ml - 2 Bottles Each
2018 Les Carmes Haut Brion
750 ml - 2 Bottles
100 Points
The 2018 Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion is a rock star of a wine and is based on a unique blend of 37% Cabernet Franc, 34% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 29% Merlot that was brought up in 80% new French oak. Offering a deep ruby/purple color as well as a thrilling bouquet of blackcurrants, smoked tobacco, chocolate, violets, damp earth, and truffle, it hits the palate with a full-bodied yet almost understated, building style that carries ripe, supple tannins, gorgeous amounts of smoky black fruits, and an endearing, layered, multi-dimensional texture that keeps you coming back to the glass. A dead ringer for a great vintage of Haut-Brion, it is far from unapproachable today yet needs 7-8 years of bottle age for the fireworks to develop and will have 50-years or more of longevity! Hats off to Guillaume Pouthier for a magical, seamless, singular beauty!
2019 Les Carmes Haut Brion
750 ml - 2 Bottles
98 Points
One of my favourite wines in 2019, immediately captivating with a lasting impression. Gorgeous dark purple in the glass with blackcurrant notes, perfumed violets, dark chocolate and hints of truffle - the old-vine Bouchet (Cabernet Franc) giving aromatic intensity on the nose and palate. Succulent straight away with ripe cherry, blood orange and pink grapefruit flavours set against soft, mouthwatering acidity and a lovely saline grip to the tannins. It's rich but just giving delicate hints in each direction of fruit, acidity, freshness, structure, mouthfeel and body. Restrained and poised, with a drinkability that makes you want a glass now, but could happily be enjoyed decades from now. Managing director Guillaume Pouthier said he simply 'Wants to make wine that is drunk' and this is eminently drinkable. A blend of 48% Cabernet Franc, 28% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot. 3.60 pH. 80% ageing in new barrel, 9% amphora, 11% foudre. Stéphane Derenoncourt consultant. Drinking Window 2026 - 2050
2020 Les Carmes Haut Brion
750 ml - 2 Bottles
100 Points
The best 2020s seem to be confident without showing off or shouting too loudly and this Carmes does just that. Focused and precise, this is complex and characterful, rich yet vibrant with a texture and taste that makes an impact straight away. Fresh black fruits, floral notes and sensational minerality do the talking - it has weight, density and structure - broad and bold yet svelte, it has direction and persistence, building quickly then settling and elongating with such clarity and purity. This is a wine you want to drink. Cool, classic, sharp and decisive with a flawless texture. Whereas 2019 was more generous, this is more classic and easy to understand. An excellent job - seemingly effortless winemaking in 2020 - and a bottle that is sure to be emptied pretty quickly.
Veuve Cliquot Brut Champagne
Donated by Jo Benjamin
2015 Inglenook Cabernet Sauvignon Rutherford, Napa Donated by Carl and Kathy Rohsenberger
2021 Saldo Zinfandel, Oakville California
Donated by Whitney Orr
2021 Belle Glos Pinot Noir Las Alturas
Donated by Coldwell Banker Kinard Realty
Mystery Wine
Donated by Lynn Devault
Mystery Wine
Donated by Brian and Jennie Hobbs
Tennessee Wine Train
Private Dinner
for 24 Persons
Enjoy an Italian Date Night at home! This basket, donated by Christy Goza includes everything you need for an Italian evening in. Start with a charcuterie appetizer on your charcuterie board with olives, fig jam, cashews, rosemary crackers, Christy’s zesty bread and butter pickles and truffle cheese.
For your main course you are provided with artisan pasta, olive oil,
Christy’s roasted marina sauce, parmesan cheese, a strainer, white serving bowl and grey cloth napkins. This will be enjoyed with a bottle of Christy's favorite Italian red wine, Casanova Di Neri 2017 Brunello Di Montalcino
Dinner is topped off with a dessert of dark chocolate with sea salt, amaretti cookies and a bottle of Six Grapes Port wine.
Buon Appetito!
Giacomo Borgogno & Figli Barolo
Cannubi Reserve Vertical
2009, 2011, 2012 - 750 ml - In Original Wooden Case
Barolo wouldn’t be Barolo without the historic Borgogno winery – they’ve been making wine since 1761. They’ve never released a single vineyard Riserva bottle from here…until now.
There were only 200 of these sets released to the entire world,
2009 – 94 Points
“Gorgeous aromatics; coffee, tobacco, roses, violets, cherries, and caramel/burnt sugar-stewed strawberries. Full and massy in the mouth, but so well balanced and textured, the tannins have a lovely weight and give a beautiful depth to the mid palate. Touches of cedar spice and toasted bread on the edges give a spiced piquancy, but this is nicely filling with a crystalline aspect to the fruit and layers of powdery tannins that go vertically rather than horizontally. Powerful but fresh with blueberry nuances, cola and vanilla and medicinal herbal touches on the end. A sense of style and sophistication to this.”
2011 – 99 Points
“Incense, but more perfumed and aromatic on the nose full of dried flowers and wood, patchouli, cinnamon and rose. So pure and delicate on the palate, graceful and elegant with a full weight yet silky tannins that make the fruit glide from start to finish. A wonderful balance of concentration and energy, fullness but with such a juicy, plush core. Still tannic spiced edges which gives some angles as well as a bounce to the fruit profile. There's tension here, it's more straight and taught than some of the others - so well defined and linear - but more thrilling for it. Feels pent up, yet the elements are so well presented and finessed. This is a sexy wine - sensual, thrilling and exciting. I love it!"
2012 – 95 Points
“Cola cubes, baked patisserie, grilled strawberries, toasted bread, fragranced cherries, dried flowers and medicinal herbs - such a wonderful aromatic profile, you could sit and smell this for hours. Polished and taught, a lovely sense of chalky, powdery minerality on the palate against wood and toast elements that give a spiced base that lingers, reminding you that this is still young and not quite yet ready to start drinking but it's extremely elegant and polished. A serious wine with so much potential for long ageing. Lovely mouthwatering acidity, really quite salty, but with a tension that keeps everything straight. A wonderful combination that will be incredible when it's ready.”
2015 Alejandro Bulgheroni 'Lithology' Cabernet Sauvignon
750 ml - 1 Bottle
98 Points
Donated by Jim and Jean Sanko
The 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Lithology (Napa Valley) is gorgeous. Rich, radiant and seductive, the Lithology captures the best of the vintage in its open-knit, alluring personality. Dark red cherry, plum, menthol, mocha, rose petal and spice build effortlessly in the glass. A dollop of Cabernet Franc (12%) adds complexity to this alluring, entry-level Cabernet from Alessandro Bulgheroni.
2023 Live Auction Items
All Aboardeaux! Your Table is Departing...
Celebrate the adventures of yesteryear as you wine and dine aboard the TN Wine Train. The two-hour dining excursion includes a three course dinner with specially selected wines from Advanced Sommelier, John McCune.
For this excursion, your group of twenty-four friends will “own” the dining car. From 6:30pm to 9:00pm you’ll travel through parts of urban Chattanooga, as well as art and historic districts.
This dining adventure includes a three-course dining experience with wine pairings on-board a restored 1924 dining car. All dining choices are selected in advance from menu offerings. You will select your entrees two-weeks prior to your departure.
This excursion will be coordinated with you on a Thursday evening, between April – September, 2023. All excursions depart from, and return to, the depot at 4119 Cromwell Road, Chattanooga 37421
2019 Volunteer Napa Chardonnay
2019 Titan Nancy’s Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon
12-bottle mixed case, 6 bottles each – 750ml each
For Tennesseans, this mixed case screams “Pick Me!”
2019 Volunteer Napa Chardonnay
Miller Family Wines has created at treat right in time for Spring and Summer. Enticing aromas of citrus and citrus blossom dominate, with lemon-lime custard and some tropical aromas as the wine breathes and opens up: passionfruit, guava and even a hint of cinnamon. As the wine aerates, it gains a good amount of richness and impact. Decanting this wine from 2021-2025 is recommended. In the mouth there is a great deal of balance in the liveliness, elegance and extract. Napa muscle in a svelt, ballerina body, with a pretty finish laden with mineral complexity. Bright enough for sushi and the raw bar, rich enough for fried chicken with mashed potatoes and savory gravy. Spinach salad with grilled salmon, squeeze of fresh lemon and a miso-vinaigrette.
2019 Titan Nancy’s Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon
With their 2019 "Nancy's Vineyard" Cabernet Sauvignon, Titan Wine Company demonstrates the depth of Oak Knoll District fruit through thoughtful harvest, fermenting, and aging techniques that preserve a sense of place. This rich, smooth red contains a mixed berry galette aroma, silky tannins, and a lingering finish
2017 BV Tapestry Napa Reserve Red
12-bottle 375ml Case
93 points – James Suckling
"Nice fruit definition to this wine with blueberry and blackberry aromas and some toasted oak. Medium-to full-bodied, creamy and balanced with chocolate and hazelnuts. Bright and vivid with just a touch of alcohol. Drinkable now, but better in a year or two.”
This is a wine that shows the artistry of blending five Bordeaux-heritage grape varieties, which contributed layer-upon-layer of flavor complexity. Cabernet Sauvignon gave the wine its generous core of briary blackberry and cassis expression, while we increased the amount of Merlot this year to tame the tannins and add plush mid-palate texture. Malbec contributed deep plum notes, while Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot completed the blend with nuances of rose, forest loam and graphite.
2019 Castello di Fonterutoli Siepi IGT
3000ml with OWC
99pts – Antonio Galloni
“The 2019 Siepi continues a trend towards greater finesse and nuance in this wine. Crème de cassis, lavender, spice, licorice and plum meld together effortlessly in the glass. Dense and layered, with striking detail, the 2019 is so impressive. The flavors are bright, bold and punchy. An exceptionally beautiful and riveting wine, the 2019 is rich and concentrated, but not at all heavy. What a total knock-out.”
This vintage is sold-out at the winery. A rare find for your cellar. "One of the 50 wines that changed Italy wine style" (Gambero Rosso). Siepi, owned by Mazzei family since 1435, has always been a model farm, still managed today with the same kind of respect. A unique location, a special microclimate, the foresight in the early 1980s to plant Merlot as the ideal grape to complement Sangiovese in a very particular "terroir" produce a wine which is perfectly balanced between elegance, power and complexity.
Friends of Grape Escape 12-bottle Mixed Case
This mixed case represents the diversity and range of personalities ever-present at Grape Escape for the past 19 years. This is how Grape Escape actually began…friends offering choice selections from their personal collections. More recently, these selections have been brought together in a mixed case of astounding quality fetching bids over $1,000.
2016 Corazon Del Sol Gran Reserva Malbec
Donated by Jim and Jean Sanko
2011 Clarendon Hills Moritz Syrah
Donated by Coldwell Banker Kinard Realty
2013 Failla Napa, Hudson Vineyard Syrah
Donated by Lynn DeVault and Glo Ghegan
2019 Seghesia, Sonoma, Montafi Ranch Vineyard, Zinfandel
Donated by Phil and Kathy Quinett
2019 Nickel & Nickel, Vaca Vista Vineyard, Cabernet Sauvignon
Donated by Franklin and Jennifer Chancey
2011 R. Cat, Napa Valley, Cabernet Sauvignon
Donated by Jay and Christy Goza
2011 Quilceda Creek, Columbia Valley, Palengat
Donated by Shannon and Christy Ritzhaupt
2019 Saint Veeder, Napa Crouse Vineyards, Cabernet Sauvignon
Donated by Carl and Kathy Rohsenberger
2009 Crocker & Starr, St. Helena, Napa Valley, Cabernet Franc
Donated by Don Ritzhaupt and Rachel Savage
2016 Rodney Strong Rockaway Cabernet Sauvignon
Donated by Brian and Jennie Hobbs
2019 Shafer Red Shoulder Ranch Napa Valley Chardonnay
Donated by Ken Cagle and Ben Keyser
R. Pouillon Champagne Brut Reserve
Donated by Jo Benjamin
2018 Pym-Rae Cabernet Sauvignon
Mount Veeder Napa Valley
3 bottles in the original wooden case, 750 ml
99 Points
“The 2018 Pym-Rae can be thought of as a hypothetical mix of the 2016 and 2017, with more sexiness and opulence than the 2017 and a touch more elegance and precision than the 2016. Wonderful cassis, violets, tobacco, lead pencil, and chocolate notes define this beauty, and it's full-bodied, with a gorgeous sense of elegance and purity, perfect tannins, and an incredible finish. This stunningly majestic, flawlessly balanced Mountain Cabernet already offers pleasure yet will benefit from 4-5 years of bottle age, and it should be a 50-year wine. Bravo!” - Jeb Dunnuck
