Table of contents for June/July 2020 in Robb Report

The Fender Stratocaster may be the defining guitar of the rock ’n’ roll era. Introduced in 1954, the Strat didn’t sell in droves until much later, when it was picked up by the likes of Bob Dylan, John Lennon, Eric Clapton and others. Today, those strummed by the greats can sell for millions. Among the priciest? A black Strat that belonged to Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour and a white model played by Jimi Hendrix. Both were originally purchased from Manny’s Music in New York City. Now, decades after aiding star-making solos, they’re collector catnip. Here’s how the two six-strings compare.…

The Big Idea The Great Steel Rush The absolute hottest material in watchmaking is the least valuable. Steel, traditionally popular with mass-market brands or for entry-level timepieces in a luxury watchmaker’s collection, is the metal of the moment no matter the price, and has been for a couple of years. Collectors are clamoring for it in such staggering numbers that nearly all top-tier companies—including high-horology heavyweights like F. P. Journe and Vacheron Constantin—have been getting in on the game with elevated timepieces fashioned from the humble alloy. Revered German watchmaker A. Lange & Söhne is one of the most recent converts. While the ultra-elite brand has been (quietly) known to make steel watches for collectors, its first series-produced steel-bracelet timepiece, the Odysseus, launched last year with a price tag of…

The Big Idea Hospitality Goes Domestic In 2020, travel feels more precious and precarious than ever before. So it’s fitting that the boundaries between hotels and homes have become so deliberately blurred, simultaneously giving travelers the familiar comfort of home with the indulgence of a hotel. Until recently, five-star hotels opted for one of two overarching styles: chintzy palace or minimalist temple, both aimed to offer guests a distinctly different experience from their houses. Now there’s no set template. Indeed, many new spots borrow design details from domestic settings, often with the chance to buy everything from the bedding to the lamps, so one of your bedrooms can evoke your favorite hotel anytime. This overlap has birthed the “home-tel,” a new type of luxury lodging that combines the best of…

Harsha L’Acqua believes one element of luxury hospitality is often overlooked, especially in far-flung destinations: staff. There’s high turnover, in part because jobs are given to people shipped in for the task, uninvested in the destination. It’s hard, too, for travelers to soak up local culture if a hotel is staffed entirely with non-natives. “Find people who want and need the job, then you’re going to reduce your turnover levels,” she says. “You’re also entering markets more mindfully.” That’s where her five-year-old nonprofit comes in: Saira Hospitality was launched to help link high-end hotels with local hires—call it sustainable staffing. Saira offers hospitality training via an intensive pop-up course that lasts between two to eight weeks. It’s designed to teach long-term hospitality skills to local students; they also visit five-star…

For much of the past year, America’s restaurant scene was as rich, varied and exciting as it has ever been—a continuation of dining’s golden age. Our top 10 this year is a shining example of that culinary energy. We found chefs breathing new life into the seemingly stale tasting-menu format by making it more fun and interactive; we saw live-fire cooking approached with the precision of fine dining; and we were able to understand specific regions, such as the Levant, in a much deeper way than we had before. In mid-March, much of that thriving landscape came to a halt as the Covid-19 pandemic forced the industry to close. The sad truth is that many—some say up to 75 percent—of these independent restaurants will never reopen. This is the end…

Twenty years ago, the job of a good Napa Cabernet was to be big—brimming with lush, ripe fruit, soft tannins and the rich mouthfeel that comes from loads of alcohol (north of 15 to even 17 percent). Critics rewarded these wines; consumers demanded them. Winemakers responded by picking grapes at ever higher sugar levels (losing acidity in the process), extracting ripe flavors to an extreme degree and aging always in new French oak. There’s no denying the generous yum factor of the first sip of a wine styled this way. But something had gone missing from those California reds: all trace of locale. In broad strokes, the higher the sugar levels—and therefore alcohol—in the fruit, the more generic the wine. Trevor Durling, chief winemaker since 2017 for Beaulieu Vineyard, offers…

No one wants to hear they’re getting older. But in the cigar-making world, age has recently taken on a new—and far more positive—dynamic. We now want our cigars, and the tobaccos from which they’re made, to have a little time in the rearview. Of course, the aging process begins as soon as tobacco leaves are harvested. First they’re dried, then sorted by type, size and color; once categorized, they’re stacked into piles called pilónes (or “pylons”), where a compost-type fermentation takes place. After being put into bales and aged further, the brittle tobaccos are brought back to life with water mist, making them pliable enough to be rolled into cigars. But aging a cigar is a step further still. Different tobaccos age differently, as do various cigar shapes. The Fuente…

It’s the stuff of entrepreneurial myth: Avid skier quits Manhattan investment-banking grind to chase pow in Vermont; tinkers with the design of a toy mono-ski called the Snurfer in a Londonderry barn; eventually pioneers the modern snowboard and changes the face of mountain sports forever. This, briefly, is the story of Jake Burton Carpenter, founder of Burton Snowboards, which (now just called Burton) currently produces everything from snowboards and bindings to jackets, boots, sunglasses and even camping gear. But Carpenter didn’t just build a hugely successful name-brand company—he’s widely credited as having laid the foundation that transformed a once-niche hobby into an Olympic sport and a global phenomenon, giving us everything from Shaun White and the double cork to Warren Miller’s Higher Ground. And Carpenter never stopped living the lifestyle…

Welcome to the 32nd annual Best of the Best issue, your yearly guide to the finest new products and experiences in the world. The team started compiling their lists of potential winners as soon as last year’s issue went to press, back in May 2019. But nobody could have predicted where we’d be by the time the 2020 BoB (as Best of the Best is abbreviated in the office) came around, or what we would have been through together. Nearly half of the last 12 months have been traumatic and uncertain, yet, predictably, where there have been huge sacrifices and hardship, there have also shone great examples of human generosity and spirit. So in this issue, alongside awards for elegance and imagination in categories such as cars, boats, art, design,…

The Big Idea Soft Power Much has changed in the last 12 months. It’s a new decade and a whole new world. Even before Covid-19 obliterated “normal,” long-held conventions were collapsing faster than a tweetstorm. The very idea of masculinity has been rightly redrawn and recast, but there’s not yet a definition we can all agree on. From this uncertainty has come not a movement, exactly, but certainly a move toward something we’re calling “soft power.” It’s about gaining strength through vulnerability, bringing empathy to the fore, seeking to understand rather than impose. With the daily news dominated by sociopolitical Sturm und Drang, consideration has become commanding. So what is style in this new world order? Strong-shouldered suits and immaculately shined oxfords, long the international uniform of success, don’t quite…

The Big Idea Precious Mettle For the most imaginative of jewelry designers, inspiration is no longer confined to traditional materials: gold, platinum, diamonds and such. Even big-name high-jewelry collections have recently begun to dive deeper into the universe of options beyond the precious gems and metals that usually dominate the category. Case in point: Cartier employed rutilated quartz, matrix opal and lapis lazuli—stones not often seen in vaunted high-jewelry salons—for pieces in its Magnitude collection. Their presence alongside sapphires and diamonds gave depth and contrast to the jewels’ expressive multicolored palette. Likewise, at fellow French heritage brand Boucheron, stones such as malachite, citrine and heliodor beryl were the stars of several high-jewelry designs, rather than supporting players. And at Messika, plume-shaped motifs made of ziricote wood became the backdrop for…

MARIELLA AVINO Palazzo Avino, Ravello Avino was just 11 in 1995 when her father bought the 12th-century pink villa he turned into this Amalfi Coast retreat. After she took over as managing director, the hotel changed its name from Palazzo Sasso, to emphasize its family connection, and it expanded with a coastal clubhouse and, new last summer, a barefoot-chic fashion boutique. “My father founded a paradise,” says Avino. “I’m trying to make it even more unforgettable.” palazzoavino.com VALENTINA DE SANTIS Grand Hotel Tremezzo, Lake Como De Santis, now 37, has spent every summer of her life at this 110-year old hotel, run first by her grandfather and then her father. Since assuming charge, Valentina has focused on attracting new, millennial travelers via a rolling renovation, new suites and a spa.…

Once, the challenge facing every distillery was consistency: how to create a Macallan 18 or a Pappy 23 that tasted like every other Macallan 18 or Pappy 23, no matter the vagaries of weather or warehousing. That’s now passé. Many distillers saw a need to attract new audiences and responded with relish, cask-aging whiskeys and tequilas—yes, now tequilas—for longer than ever, and we’re just now experiencing the exceptional results. Only a few barrels can ever really go the long haul, and because the liquid evaporates over time, smaller and smaller quantities remain the more a spirit is aged. Of some ultimate rarities—say, a Dalmore 60—there might be just enough to produce a few decanters. Such unique beauties seem destined to enter the auction market, where scarce bottles continue to dominate.…

There have been signs of a surge coming for years: Kara Walker’s moving meditation on sugar’s inextricable links to slavery, which drew crowds to Brooklyn’s old Domino Sugar factory in 2014; the history-making, back-to-back turns of two African-American artists, Mark Bradford and Martin Puryear, representing the United States at the Venice Biennale in 2017 and 2019, respectively; the burbling to the top of other women and artists of color never quite given their due, such as Howardena Pindell, Charles Gaines and Jack Whitten. But it was only in the past year that the art world’s commitment to diversity finally felt serious. Leading galleries such as Hauser & Wirth, Pace and David Zwirner have been in an arms race to sign acclaimed artists of color and women for the past couple…

• Cakebread is one of those brands that resonate with fans across the spectrum, from novices to wine geeks. The family behind it—Jack and Delores Cakebread and their sons, Bruce and Dennis—could rest on their laurels and not change a thing. Instead they built a gorgeous, airy, thoughtfully designed visitors center. And in doing so, they upgraded the entire property’s sustainability, with an eye toward climate change. Bruce’s eyes light up as he talks about the new buildings’ energy-efficient generators and use of reclaimed wood, as well as the parking lot’s permeable pavers and gravel bed, which filter rainwater before it replenishes the groundwater supply. Gardens were added—Buddha’s hand citrus, almond trees—for biodiversity, with accompanying courtyards. But the best part for guests are the tasting rooms with myriad views of…

Glass has marked progressive architecture since Joseph Paxton displayed his Crystal Palace at London’s Great Exhibition of 1851. In the current millennium, glass has transformed the world’s skylines from Dubai to Manhattan. At sea, the craze for crystal has consumed the superyacht world, with several groundbreaking projects having released this past year. Excellence, a 262-foot-long beauty from Abeking & Rasmussen, uses a complicated series of panes for its stunning open staircase. The 262-foot Artefact has glass walls—and 60 tons of the material overall—as well as windows designed in new shapes. Silver Yachts’ 279-foot Bold includes an expansive, full-beam winter garden ringed by glass, which can be folded away and tucked neatly into hidden storage spaces when the weather warms. The trend has spread even to more modest yachts, such as…

Pay a visit to David Alhadeff’s Beverly Hills digs and he’ll let you take the Lindsey Adelman dangling light fixture home with you. You’ll have to pay for it, though, because you’re not just in Alhadeff’s home, you’re in his contemporary design gallery, the Future Perfect, where everything from the Chris Wolston anthropomorphic chair to the Bari Ziperstein ceramic vessel is for sale. Alhadeff’s concept began in 2017, and the design world took due notice. Fast-forward three years and it has reached critical mass. After the Future Perfect’s home galleries came the Invisible Collection’s London apartment, the e-commerce design company’s first brick-and-mortar space, and Clive Christian’s unveiling of what he called a “lifestyle apartment” for his furnishings. The trend has even changed industry terminology. No longer is visiting a “gallery,”…

Full Transparency Peer through the good-looking glass of Bovet’s new Récital 26 Brainstorm Chapter Two and prepare to fall down the horological rabbit hole. A follow-up to Chapter One (a Robb Report Best of the Best 2019 winner), the latest edition is packed with three new patents, including one for the double-face flying tourbillon, now operating at 21,600 VPH, which significantly improves accuracy. Its slanted 47.8 by 18.3 mm sapphire-crystal case offers a 360-degree view of the complex, hand-engraved movement, which displays a moon phase and second time zone with a rotating hemispherical city indicator. $383,500, limited to 30, bovet.com Brute Force The Alyen 988 is a beast of a motorcycle. Even manufacturer Vyrus refers to it as an animal or creature rather than a bike. It took nine years…

The Big Idea Vertical Flight Sees an Electric Boost This past year the groundswell of innovation in private aviation has gained real lift from financial investment, design and even city planning. Uber Elevate has partnered with eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing) manufacturers such as Joby Aviation and Jaunt Air Mobility and plans to establish urban air-mobility networks in Melbourne, Australia; Los Angeles; and the Dallas–Fort Worth area, where its first test site was recently unveiled. Vertical takeoff and landing aircraft got their start way back in 1947, when one of the early hybrid helicopters/airplanes, the Fairey Gyrodyne, took flight. Various models were dismissed as too loud, awkward and hard to fly, but basically they were too technologically complex for their time. Once the “e” preceded VTOL about a decade…

The crème de la crème of new super-suites in the world right now are all in France. Impressive enough to wow even Marie Antoinette, these truly take the cake—and,yes, let you eat it, too. THE PARISIAN APARTMENT, MANDARIN ORIENTAL, PARIS Gilles & Boissier designed this four-bedroom, 4,629-square-foot super-suite with the same je ne sais quoi as New York’s Baccarat Hotel, the design team’s breakout project. Here, on nearly the entire sixth floor of the hotel, they channeled a 1930s Art Deco Haussmann style, with mirrored, marble and polished-wood surfaces at every turn, plus original work by rising local artists. Order a meal prepped in the suite’s full kitchen and served in its private dining room by Thierry Marx, the chef behind the hotel’s Michelin two-star restaurant. From $35,300, mandarinoriental.com CHALET…

The Dalmore 60 Year Old Just three decanters were released, with at least two to be auctioned at Harrods (no doubt for a staggering sum) to celebrate the distillery’s 180th birthday. Balvenie DCS Compendium Chapter 5 The five-bottle set of this final chapter in master distiller David Stewart’s popular series goes for $80,000, but the 56-year-old whisky that went into the barrel in 1962 is for sale separately for $47,000. The Last Drop 56 Year Old Blended Scotch The oldest blended whisky from the importer yet, this spirit spent time in ex-bourbon barrels and sherry butts. Benromach 50 Years Old The distillery’s oldest release to date, for $10,000. Glenlivet Winchester Collection 1967 The final edition in this series, 150 hand-painted bottles of 50-year-old scotch go for $25,000 each. Cask 88’s…

• TURK FATIH TUTAK, ISTANBUL Contemporary Turkish cuisine has never been more exciting or confident, and chef Fatih Tutak is leading the charge at his elegant Istanbul restaurant, Turk. Ancient techniques and local ingredients meet Tutak’s global experience in stellar creations such as bulgur wheat with veal, miso and radish, or memorable duck with chestnut and sour cherries. • DAVIES AND BROOK, LONDON Swiss maestro Daniel Humm named Davies and Brook after the address of the storied Claridge’s hotel that houses it, and his cuisine more than matches the chic Art Deco surroundings. The menu features a sublime take on his classic duck glazed with honey and lavender, while new creations such as citrus-marinated yellowtail with crispy rice are set to become classics in their own right. • MIMI’S, SYDNEY…

$51,870 • Domaine de la Romanée-Conti 1991 Romanée-Conti in magnum, sold at Zachys in New York in October $49,400 • Domaine Leflaive 1996 Montrachet 750 ml, part of a three-bottle lot Zachys sold in June 2019 for $148,200 $45,410 • Château Pétrus 1989 six-liter imperial, sold at Hart Davis Hart in November $41,825 • Château Latour 1961 five-liter jeroboam, sold at Hart Davis Hart in November $37,200 • Domaine de la Romanée-Conti 1971 La Tâche in magnum, sold as a two-magnum set for $74,400 at Sotheby’s in September, as part of financier Don Stott’s personal collection $34,100 • Domaine Georges Roumier 2005 Musigny in magnum, sold in a two-magnum set at Sotheby’s in September, also part of Stott’s collection $32,110 • Domaine de la Romanée-Conti 1971 La Tâche in magnum,…

The buzzwords around everything from surfboards and ski jackets to home goods—terms like re-commerce, post-consumer and circular economy—aren’t new. And “not new” is exactly the point. Over the past year we’ve seen a confluence of trends which suggests a shift toward more sustainable consumerism, with a focus on reuse, repair and resale from brands big and small, plus booming secondary markets for the types of goods—clothes, shoes, furniture—that once hit the dump the moment the shine wore off. Unsurprisingly, eco-friendly outdoor companies have blazed the trail on reuse. Last year, Arc’Teryx launched its Used Gear initiative to refurbish and resell old kit, joining similar programs from Patagonia, the North Face and REI. Nike, which has long incorporated recycling in its designs, now uses 100 percent recycled polyester in its popular…