Chuck Wagner Picks Up Imus' Vintage Wheels for Charity
Plus, the original Talented Mr. Ripley's wine cellar sells for over twice its estimated value and Penfolds paints the country (RED) for World AIDS Day
Posted: December 1, 2011
• Caymus Vineyards owner Chuck Wagner and family kicked off the holiday season of giving this year with the purchase of a custom 1956 Ford F-100 pickup truck, acquired from radio broadcaster Don Imus. The proceeds from the sale of the truck—$100,000—will support the Imus Ranch for Kids in Ribera, N.M. Wagner, who cofounded Caymus with his parents, Charlie and Lorna Wagner, in 1972, has decided to keep the vehicle as a showpiece and as a Napa Valley tour truck, citing its immaculate condition and various refurbishments, which include a new 351 Windsor engine, and a slew of custom-built parts: “I felt typical vineyard duties were out of the question—this is a fair-weather-only truck!” Wagner said in a statement following the sale. (Wagner is known for his collection of vintage pickups; you can get a look at another one in the WineSpectator.com video Caymus Keeps on Truckin'.) Though the family is thrilled with the purchase, they’re most proud of the donation to the Imus Ranch for Kids, which, since its opening in 1998, has hosted more than 1,000 children with cancer, as well as those with serious blood diseases and, most recently, siblings of SIDS victims.
The "French James Dean," film icon Alain Delon, has recently been selling off his impressive collections.
• French actor Alain Delon, who played Tom Ripley in 1960's Plein Soleil (Purple Noon), based on The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith, auctioned off most of his vast wine and spirits collection this past Saturday at Fouquet’s restaurant on the Champs-Elysées, fetching a grand sum of $333,967. According to auction house Cornette de Saint Cyr, that's more than twice the initial estimate, likely indicating just how popular the 76-year-old French film star still is despite not having a major hit since winning the César Best Actor award (France's Oscar) for Notre Histoire in 1984. One of the chief buyers of Delon’s wares, acquired over a 30-year period, was Dong Guo, a Chinese entrepreneur who flew to Paris for the auction from Shenzen. His successful bids included a lot of six bottles of 1947 Cheval-Blanc for $26,665. Also of note was the sale of 12 bottles of 1972 Pétrus for $16,664 and a vintage 1880 Napoléon Cognac for $3,251. Fans hoping to own a piece of Delon history acquired some of the less sought-after items for inflated sums—six bottles of Entre-Deux-Mers appellation Château de France, dating back to 1984 and estimated at $40, ended up fetching $366. The auction, which was not attended by the actor, followed the sale of part of his modern art collection in October for $11.6 million. This Dec. 12 Delon will be actively involved in another wine auction in Paris, the proceeds of which will help fund research on Alzheimer’s disease. “Prestigious bottles have been donated by French wine merchants and vintners, including a Pouilly-Fumé produced by Pascal Jolivet in collaboration with Alain Delon,” said organizer and wine appraiser Aymeric de Clouet of the Dec. 12 sale.
• Penfolds is painting the world (RED) for charity today, and for the rest of the month, in support of World AIDS Day. In partnership with the AIDS charity initiative (PRODUCT)RED, restaurants and retailers across the country will be offering PENFOLDS(RED)-branded Penfolds Koonunga Hill and Thomas Hyland wines. Penfolds will donate 15 percent of the proceeds for every bottle and glass sold during the month of December to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS with the goal of an AIDS-free generation in 2015. Since the partnership between (RED) and Penfolds was initiated this year, the Australian wine brand has donated almost $120,000 to the Global Fund. Participating restaurants and retailers include the Australian in New York, Cellar360 in San Francisco, the Tasting Room in Houston, Harrah's Casino in Atlantic City, JW Marriott hotels across the country and many, many others. (RED) and its numerous partnerships and events have raised more that $180 million for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Considering it's the season for giving, Unfiltered encourages all our readers to find a way to support the less fortunate today, and a glass of wine is never a bad start.
