Cries of ‘Toujours le Bordeaux!’ Ring Out at Gourmet Ceremony

The six men stood neatly in a row, five of them draped in velvet cloaks that looked to be trimmed with ermine.

Their expressions solemn but their eyes revealing an inner glee, the six suddenly whooped, “Par le Bordeaux!” They then clapped their hands once, in unison, and shouted, “Pour le Bordeaux!” Another clap followed. “Toujours le Bordeaux!” Clap, clap, clap.

No, it wasn’t the annual lodge picnic of the Paris branch of the Fraternal Order of Bison. The six men who stood in the courtyard of Bertrand Hug’s Mille Fleurs restaurant on Oct. 15 were all maitres (masters) of the Commanderie de Bordeaux, one of the oldest and most distinguished wine and food societies in the world. Their cheer, which translates as “By Bordeaux, for Bordeaux, always Bordeaux,” expressed the fealty these sons of Bacchus have pledged to the vintages of Bordeaux, the great wine-producing region of southwest France that ferments sunshine into such lovely tipples as Chateau d’Yquem and Chateau Lafite-Rothschild.

The cheer marked the induction of three new members--Walter Emery, Andrew Lawlor and Haskell Norman--into the Commanderie, and the brief ceremony that preceded it was not unlike the formalities that in Medieval times (the Commanderie claims ancient roots) attended a squire’s elevation to knighthood. No less a personality than wine importer Julius Wile, who serves as the Commanderie’s deputy grand maitre of the United States, tapped each inductee on the shoulder as a symbol of that man’s elevation to commandeur, after which each new member was kissed on both cheeks by the assembled maitres. In addition to Wile, the cadre of maitres included developer Tawfiq Khoury, whose cellar reputedly is the best-stocked this side of the Mississippi; Albert Aschaffenburg, proprietor of New Orleans’ exclusive Pontchartrain Hotel; Dr. Marvin Overton, whose Fort Worth cellar enjoys international fame; Dr. Louis Skinner of Miami, and Rene Aponte, maitre of Puerto Rico.

Applauding the scene were 40 local commandeurs, spouses and friends, who had gathered not only to witness the induction but to enjoy a collection of fine Bordeaux and the six-course meal that had been prepared to accompany it. San Diego Opera Assn. President Bill Nelson served as dinner chairman; he escorted his wife, Lollie. Among other San Diegans in the crowd were Richel Khoury, Michael and Susan Channick, Tom and Mavourneen Kravis, Joe and Rita Neeper, Dick Duffy and Jeanne Jones, Curtis and Eileen Swartz, and Larry and Junko Cushman.

The serious browsing and sluicing (to quote P.G. Wodehouse, who like Falstaff appreciated a warm bird and a cold bottle) started with a plate of lobster-stuffed ravioli accompanied by a glass of Chateau Laville Haut Brion 1980. That combination led into a meal that included loup de mer (a fish from the North Atlantic) paired with a ’74 Chateau Malartic-Lagraviere, roasted pigeon breasts served with a stunning ’53 Pichon Lalande (poured from an imperial, which holds the equivalent of eight bottles), and a rather jolly pastry filled with goat cheese.

The guests did not consume this meal in silence. Tawfiq Khoury twice called parlements (parliaments), during which guests were invited to stand and comment on the food and wine. No one seemed shy about his opinions; the tomato-basil sorbet that separated the fish and meat courses, for example, came under heavy attack, a situation that greatly discomfitted restaurateur Hug. He bore up bravely under the criticism, however, even when one guest denounced the truffle sauce that anointed the pigeon breasts as “lackluster.” “What can one do when fresh truffles are out of season?” Hug asked.

The evening concluded with cigars (so much for the contention that foodies don’t smoke), and yet another round of the Bordeaux cheer. Among others present were vintner Robert Mondavi and his wife, Margit; Society of Bacchus President Dr. Herbert Francis, from Cincinnati; Christian Tapie, a young Frenchman who works in the California wine industry but whose family owns vineyards in Bordeaux; Christopher McKellar and Molly Sheppard; Victor and Denny Vilaplana; Sam Assam, and Morton and Nona Jorgensen.

SAN DIEGO--Last week proved to be a vintage week for local oenophiles.

Two days after the Commanderie de Bordeaux dinner, several members of that group joined with about 175 other local wine lovers at the Sheraton Harbor Island West for the third annual San Diego International Wine Auction, a formal dinner and lively celebration of the grape that netted more than $120,000 for the KPBS public television and radio stations.

Tawfiq Khoury was again one of the men in charge, this time in tandem with Dr. Michael Channick; chairing the KPBS wine auction has become an annual tradition for this pair. Joining them as auctioneer was Fort Worth’s Dr. Marvin Overton, who took over a job previously held by the famed London auctioneer Michael Broadbent. Overton, a noted wine collector, has presided at Texas cattle auctions, and when he took up his gavel, he proved to be the Willie Nelson of oenophiles. His rolling Texas patter--sung rather than spoken--fetched sizzling prices for some of the 158 lots of rare and fine wines.

The auction attracted many heavy hitters from the national wine scene, as well as local collectors and representatives of several of the area’s better restaurants and hotels. Most seemed eager to get on with the auction, but there was first a gracious prelude in the hotel’s penthouse, where all were invited to sample the ’83 blanc de noir sparkling wine produced by Fallbrook’s Culbertson Winery. Dinner in the Fairbanks Ballroom followed; chef Bob Brody came up with a five-course meal that included scallops served atop pasta colored with squid ink, and loin of veal garnished with venison sausage.

Overton opened the auction by announcing: “This dog and pony show I’m going to put on is not for free. If I’ve got to make a fool of myself up here, you’re damned well going to pay for it!” The audience caught Overton’s subtle hint, and bid cards started flashing furiously the moment the program reached such items as an etched balthazar (which holds the equivalent of 16 bottles) of ’83 Napa Cellars Alexander Valley Chardonnay. This particular bottle fetched a final bid of $1,500; a salmanazar of ’82 Dunn Vineyards Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon brought $2,500.

Such prices put smiles on the faces of KPBS chief Paul Steen and KPBS Auction Director Jacki Taylor. Among other friends of wine and public broadcasting in the crowd were Vangie and Dick Burt, Judee and Bill Feinberg, Linda and Glenn Asakawa, Jean and Jack Morse (longtime Navy League supporters, this couple recently gave a major reception for San Diego’s new Naval Command), Susan and Terry Sheldon, Roberta Oakes with Ted Tietge, Stephanie and Alan Bergsma, wine columnists Tom Gable and Dan Berger, and restaurateurs Piret and George Munger.

If it was a good week for oenophiles, it was also a good one for auction fans.

Saturday, a sold-out crowd of some 520 jammed the Sheraton Harbor Island East hotel’s Champagne Ballroom for “Moonlight on the Nile,” the 16th annual Mercy Ball, which this year raised about $28,000 from an auction of just 11 items. The ball’s total take amounted to more than $118,000, which will benefit the Neurological Intensive Care Unit at Mercy Hospital.

Ball chairman Gail Andrade chose the “Moonlight on the Nile” theme simply because, as she said, “It was something different, and it gave us room for creativity with our decorations.” That certainly was true: The ceiling-scraping pyramid that served as a visual focus in the cocktail room proved to have a hidden doorway in its base, and when guests passed through it to the ballroom, they received the impression of marching into Tut’s tomb. Of course, there was nothing sepulchral about the ballroom--more pyramids towered here, and an immense golden moon (which must have taken rolls and rolls of foil to construct) rose over a clump of palm trees.

The dinner’s first course, a bisque garnished with trussed crayfish, made several women guests nervous, including the one who squealed: “There’s something alive in my soup!” It wasn’t, of course, but the suggestion that it might have been added spice to the meal that also included beef Wellington and a cake glazed with chocolate and marzipan.

Guests had more time to play at this party than they have at previous Mercy Balls, since the committee omitted the silent auction that always preceded the dinner, and made an effort to keep the live auction brief. There was also a raffle for a trip on the Orient Express, which was won by committee member and longtime Mercy Hospital supporter Dolly Ragan. The Wayne Foster Orchestra had little trouble enticing folks onto the dance floor.

Mercy Hospital President Dick Keyser attended with his wife Joan; also present from the hospital was Mercy Foundation Executive Vice President Sister M. Joanne DeVincenti. The guest list included three city councilmen--Bill Cleator, William Jones and Ed Struiksma--and two county supervisors--Brian Bilbray and Susan Golding. Among others present were Carol and Mike Alessio, Alison and Jon Tibbitts, Jane and John Pentelei-Molnar, Sandra and Tom Vecchione, Michele and Tommy Battaglia, Mim and Al Sally, Kay and Bill Rippee, and Sharon and Don Balfour.