A private resort perched on the banks of the mighty Yarra River, this contemporary waterfront estate expertly blends the talents of celebrated architects Powell & Glenn with the expertise of Visioneer Builders and Robert Boyle Landscape Design.
Spread across 2,963sqm of carefully curated grounds, the modern manor features a host of five-star inclusions from the personal riverside pontoon to the grass tennis court and heated pool.
The lavish five-bedroom house, which has come to market with a guide of $24 million - $26 million, has been designed with a nod to mid-century architecture. There are expanses of floor-to-ceiling glass panels used to maximise the enviable river outlook and curtains of established trees. This crafty salute to period property has been matched with 21st century elements such as concrete, oak and black steel elements alongside a host of sophisticated designer touches throughout.
Over three levels connected by a lift, the house has multiple rooms for entertaining and everyday living, with several alfresco breakout spaces for all seasons and plenty of privacy.
The ground floor is home to a sleek stainless steel and Dolomite granite kitchen fit for grand scale gatherings with Miele appliances, an integrated fridge/freezer, butler's pantry and convenient cool room.
An open casual living, dining and lounge space has exposed concrete walls contrasted by the softness of the treetops outside almost invited in by swathes of glass. This entertainment zone is punctuated by a striking two-way fireplace separating the informal from the formal.
The same level also has a long terrace complete with barbecue, dining and lounge zones as well as a palatial main bedroom featuring a dressing room and deluxe ensuite.
An entire lower ground floor is dedicated to three more bedrooms with private bathrooms and terrace access, a large multipurpose rumpus room with wet bar, spacious gym and temperature-controlled wine display room.
For guests to feel at home, the unique property also boasts an independent bedroom on the upper floor with an ensuite, walk-in wardrobe and balcony. There is also an expansive home office with separate entry, a neighbouring meditation room and two garages to house up to five cars.
Outside the grounds have been transformed into a Palm Springs inspired tropical garden with a self-cleaning solar and gas heated pool and spa, a luxury pool house with full kitchen, fireplace, bathroom and heated terrace. Beyond the grass tennis court, a riverside deck leads to the private river pontoon.
Packed with mod cons, the Yarra Grove property has CCTV, keypad entry, video intercom, smart home automation, hydronic and underfloor heating, air-conditioning, ducted vacuuming and an under house storeroom.
Listed with Marshall White Boroondara agents Marcus Chiminello, Nicole French and Dave Oster; marshallwhite.com.au
A private resort perched on the banks of the mighty Yarra River, this contemporary waterfront estate expertly blends the talents of celebrated architects Powell & Glenn with the expertise of Visioneer Builders and Robert Boyle Landscape Design.
Spread across 2,963sqm of carefully curated grounds, the modern manor features a host of five-star inclusions from the personal riverside pontoon to the grass tennis court and heated pool.
The lavish five-bedroom house, which has come to market with a guide of $24 million – $26 million, has been designed with a nod to mid-century architecture. There are expanses of floor-to-ceiling glass panels used to maximise the enviable river outlook and curtains of established trees. This crafty salute to period property has been matched with 21st century elements such as concrete, oak and black steel elements alongside a host of sophisticated designer touches throughout.
Over three levels connected by a lift, the house has multiple rooms for entertaining and everyday living, with several alfresco breakout spaces for all seasons and plenty of privacy.
The ground floor is home to a sleek stainless steel and Dolomite granite kitchen fit for grand scale gatherings with Miele appliances, an integrated fridge/freezer, butler’s pantry and convenient cool room.
An open casual living, dining and lounge space has exposed concrete walls contrasted by the softness of the treetops outside almost invited in by swathes of glass. This entertainment zone is punctuated by a striking two-way fireplace separating the informal from the formal.
The same level also has a long terrace complete with barbecue, dining and lounge zones as well as a palatial main bedroom featuring a dressing room and deluxe ensuite.
An entire lower ground floor is dedicated to three more bedrooms with private bathrooms and terrace access, a large multipurpose rumpus room with wet bar, spacious gym and temperature-controlled wine display room.
For guests to feel at home, the unique property also boasts an independent bedroom on the upper floor with an ensuite, walk-in wardrobe and balcony. There is also an expansive home office with separate entry, a neighbouring meditation room and two garages to house up to five cars.
Outside the grounds have been transformed into a Palm Springs inspired tropical garden with a self-cleaning solar and gas heated pool and spa, a luxury pool house with full kitchen, fireplace, bathroom and heated terrace. Beyond the grass tennis court, a riverside deck leads to the private river pontoon.
Packed with mod cons, the Yarra Grove property has CCTV, keypad entry, video intercom, smart home automation, hydronic and underfloor heating, air-conditioning, ducted vacuuming and an under house storeroom.
Listed with Marshall White Boroondara agents Marcus Chiminello, Nicole French and Dave Oster; marshallwhite.com.au
Had you found yourself on the 4th floor of The Shed – the new, hypermodern, Rockwell-designed arts centre at the eastern edge of Manhattan’s Hudson Yards – between 18 and 22 May last year, you can’t have failed to notice a mural by the UK-based Argentinian artist, Pablo Bronstein.
The graphic, better described as a giant digital panoramic, stretched for 15 metres. Titled ‘Scenic Wallpaper with Important Machinery of the 18th Century’, the work featured elaborately-decorated antique instruments, a golden guillotine, and a blown-up depiction of a pocket watch presented to Britain’s King George IV by the then Paris-based watchmaker Breguet and Sons (only in 1976 did the company relocate to Switzerland).
In front of Bronstein’s mural, huddled over a workbench and peering through a magnifying glass, was Guillaume Braud. One of Breguet’s latter-day artisans, Braud was demonstrating the art of guilloché, a laborious technique of engraving ornate patterns into dials by hand.
The finishing touch was introduced to the brand in 1786 by company founder Abraham-Louis Breguet. As inventor of the self-winding pocket watch (1780), the curved hairspring (1795), the tourbillon (1801) and the first watch made for a wrist (1810), rather than a pocket, Breguet was to portable horology what Galileo was to observational astronomy. The brand has been decorating its dials by hand ever since.
The scene, it’s fair to say, was not the sort of thing you expect to stumble across at Frieze New York, the avant-garde art fair established to showcase the leading voices in modern art. The majority of works within The Shed last May were produced post 2000. Breguet – whose better-known clients have included Marie Antoinette, Napoléon Bonaparte, Sir Winston Churchill and a smorgasbord of emperors, tsars and sultans – was exhibiting pocket watches from the 18th and early 19th century.
And yet. If you’ve been keeping tabs on the mechanical watch industry, you could argue that Breguet’s partnership with Frieze – the watchmaker has signed up to sponsor the art fair’s four international editions until 2024 – is more symbiotic than it might first seem. The whole purpose of Frieze, according to its founders, Amanda Sharp and Matthew Slotover, is to platform the protagonists of contemporary culture, after all. And, while Breguet might be on the cusp of celebrating its 250th anniversary, the brand is enjoying something of a moment.
That momentum began shortly after Lionel a Marca was appointed CEO back in August 2021. Originally from the opposite side of Switzerland’s Jura Mountains, a Marca had already spent 30 years in the Vallée de Joux, the nucleus of the country’s watchmaking heartland. After cutting his teeth at movement maker ETA, a two-decade stint at Blancpain was followed by a shorter spell at Harry Winston.
A Marca joined the Breguet board in 2019 before nominating himself for the top job two years later. Marc A. Hayek, President of Breguet and Swatch Group sister brand Blancpain, and a vocal proponent of a Marca in previous years, was happy to oblige. Since then, the trained watchmaker has refocused Breguet’s crosshairs, locking on to a younger, more sports-orientated customer. It seems to be working.
In November 2021, after a Marca greenlit Breguet’s involvement in the bi-annual charity auction Only Watch, the gavel fell on Lot 12: a one-off Type XX pilot’s watch that Breguet had produced in support of the muscular dystrophy initiative. Estimated to achieve somewhere between $50,000 and $77,000, the piece sold for approx. $385,000 – a record for a Type XX chronograph and a sign, perhaps, of a bourgeoning appetite among collectors for Breguet’s brawnier, sportier models.
In the same year, Breguet bolstered its recently-rebooted, adventure-inspired Marine collection with three new watches, now available in material-of-the-moment – titanium. It also launched the thoroughly-athletic Type XXI 3815 – a vintage-inspired chronograph accented by hands, numerals and hour markers in very-now vivid orange.
A Marca has said that Breguet will not be launching any new product lines. Instead, the brand will modernise its six existing watch pillars in line with the younger, more contemporary-minded customer it intends to attract.
Last year, that shift in strategy gave us an updated Tradition Tourbillon, which, with an open-worked dial and electric-blue tourbillon cage, was ‘traditional’ only in name. There was also a new interpretation of the Marine Hora Mundi, a super-smart, snappily-styled second time zone watch that went o to claim various horological awards.
Breguet’s next big launch is slated for April. Despite some robust attempts at digging from Robb Report, embargo dates meant that a Marca remained tight-lipped as to what that launch might involve.
“Well, I can’t get into specifics, but I can tell you that we’ll continue to be guided by the fundamentals of the brand. That is to say, to pay the greatest attention to creating clean designs, legible dials and easy-to-use complications.” Which is a very Swiss fob off indeed.
Frieze will rolled into Los Angeles’ Santa Monica Airport the past month, before continuing its tour to New York, Seoul and London. At each fair, Breguet will be paired with a new artist, the watchmaker working with the illustrator to demonstrate how the brand, and mechanical watchmaking in general, remains as relevant to contemporary culture today, as it did two centuries ago.
On sale from today (and select newsstands next Thursday), the lavish new autumn issue of Robb Report ANZ puts a luxury European sojourn firmly in the crosshairs.
You asked and we listened – our anticipated ‘Luxury Europe’ edition landing earlier than usual, so as you can familiarise yourself with the continent’s ultimate new places, properties and adventures, to get a jump on the 2023 northern hemisphere summer with your travel concierge now.
The 22-page special meanders across Greece, Italy, France, UK, Spain, more, updates certain stalwarts (hello Ritz Paris and Browns London), explores Copenhagen, climbs aboard the Mediterranean’s best new sailing itineraries and superyachts, investigates the ‘new Venice’ and jumps European train travel dripping in modern luxury.
Sticking to adventures new and we speak to an Australian entrepreneur at the forefront of ‘transformational travel’ for the UHNW, check-in to Australia’s most anticipated new openings – Ritz Carlton Melbourne and Capella Sydney – and look on as luxury hotels take to the seas.
Elsewhere, we’re proud to present the latest class of Robb Report Culinary Masters – an exceptional list of chefs and restaurateurs proving the incredible resilience of the local industry, so too some truly exceptional skills.
It’s not all food and frolicking, the lavish new autumn issue also showcasing:
On track – Aston Martin Valkyrie
Australian superyacht owners aiding Great Barrier Reef
Lamborghini Countach – the journey continues
Horology’s finest moves
$1.8m Praga Bohema
Autumn style and grooming
First Drive: Audi RS e-tron GT
Airships Take Flight
There’s more, of course, though we’ll let you discover all we’ve managed to pack into this standout new issue – further proof that Robb Report ANZ is the region’s ultimate luxury expression.
The autumn issue is available now, or, have luxury delivered direct to your door with an annual subscription. The magazine will also be available on select newsstands from Thursday March 30.
Mauro Colagreco, the Argentinian born chef whose restaurant Mirazaur in the South of France is considered by many to be the best in the world, recently spent several months in Australia, bringing a full kitchen brigade for a two month pop-up at Sydney’s Pier One.
In the midst of all that, he found the briefest of windows to head toAdelaide and an exclusive, one-off dinner at Penfolds’ Magill Estate.
He was kind enough to take a moment out of a hectic preparation session in the kitchen to chat with Robb Report Australia and New Zealand.
Robb Report: How does being a stranger in a strange land inspire creativity? Why is it good to put yourself in a different place, a different headspace?
Mauro Colagreco: It’s an interesting question because it was the starting point for choosing Australia. We came here because Australia totally different to anywhere else. Totally unique products endemic to this place. It’s a very special environment because the people love food. The people here know food because what they have here is such high quality.
For me, it’s my eighth time here, but for most of my team it’s the first and they’re all incredibly excited and inspired – they learn every day. As chef it’s always inspiring to work with totally new ingredients. Just today, while wandering the property here at Magill Estate, I found this little berry – I think you call it a lillipilly? It’s delicious and it will go on the menu tonight. I’ve also kept the seeds and will take them back to plant in the five hectares of kitchen garden we’ve got back at Mirazaur.
RR: This continent is a kind of ark — so isolated and so old. How do you feel that shapes the ingredients you’re working with?
MC: This place produces very strong flavours. In many places in the world it’s very difficult to find truly wild flavours. But here you have so many unique things. And Australia is huge. You have such variety, from the tropics to the dessert. For a chef, it’s incredibly interesting to work with such things.
RR:
Are there examples of something that didn’t work the way you thought it might? And things that have surprised you that worked perhaps better than you envisaged they would?
MC: My team came three months in advance of opening the pop in Sydney and met with many farmers and fishermen and to learn as much as they could about Australian produce. It’s always interesting to work with ingredients that are totally new to you, but they also have to incorporate these things into a cuisine that is Mirazaur. I’ll give you an example – we found a kind of native mint. Tiny leaves but super strong. It was far too strong for the dish we originally thought we could use it, but we keep working to find a way that might work. That’s the joy working somewhere so different and new.
RR: It’s interesting that we’re here at Penfolds. In the last couple of years I’ve been in the Napa Valley, tasting Penfolds wines from the Napa Valley, then Bordeaux tasting Penfolds wines from Bordeaux. It’s intriguing to see these classic regions refracted through a Penfolds lens. It seems, to me, you’re doing something similar here.
So with the food that you’re doing here in Australia, what is fundamentally Mirazur and what is Australia?
MC: Mirazur is the approach, the style, the vision. We keep the fundamental structure of what we do at Mirazur, four menus operating concurrently to the Bio-dynamic calendar. One for the leaf days, one for the roots, one for the fruit days and another four the flowers. So we do the same thing here, but of course the ingredients will be very different. It’s Mirazur fundamentals with Australian flavours. I see the similarity with Penfolds. Of course the wines will be Napa wines or Bordeaux wines, but there is something in the approach that puts a Penfolds mark on them too. It’s the same with us. We can’t just come here and do just what we do back in the restaurant. We have to have open eyes, open minds. We have to tap directly in to the place we have come to, otherwise what’s the point?
RR: Many would say dining at Mirazur is the peak of contemporary fine dining, the true luxury gastronomic experience. But where will we be in ten years?
What will true luxury be then?
MC: That’s a difficult question, but I’ll answer like this. I often think about my grandparents, perhaps that ate in a restaurant ten times in their whole lives. No people can eat in a restaurant every day of the week. But they lose something through that. That lose a connection to real food. But my grandmother taught me to cook, but she wasn’t just teaching me recipes. She was teaching me a culture, she was teaching me about seasons, she was teaching me respect for nature. And that’s in danger of being lost. Without out that, fine dining just becomes marketing.
The great restaurants in ten years will be run by a younger generation who have worked hard to learn the truth of great food, to learn the traditions, to understand what makes great produce and to present it in a truly authentic way.
Michelin has almost become as emblematic of French fine-dining landscape as the cuisine itself. While today we may think of the guidebook as a comprehensive tastemaker, the Michelin Guide’s goal in 1900 when it launched was much simpler: to drive local tourism.
At a time when there were fewer than 3,000 automobiles in all of France, the Michelin Guide was designed to highlight hotels and restaurants in such a way that would encourage motorists to make the trek—presumably wearing out their tires in the process. In 1926 the guidebook began awarding stars, and by 1936, Michelin had adopted its criteria for the tiered ratings. One star indicates a “very good restaurant in its category,” two stars translate to”excellent cooking, worth a detour,” while the coveted three stars mean a restaurant offers “exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey. Those ratings have been inextricably linked to Gallic gastronomy.
Prior to the pandemic, the hallowed guide experienced upheaval to the old order. In 2019, Auberge de L’ill lost its third star after holding it for 51 years. And last year Paul Bocuse’s L’Auberge du Pont de Collonges was demoted two years after his death, sending shockwaves through the French culinary community. That continues this year as legendary chef Guy Savoy’s two-decade run with Michelin’s highest honour came to an end as his Parisian restaurant was demoted to two. It wasn’t all bad news as La Marine joined the ranks of Michelin three-star restaurants. Chef Alexandre Couillon can now be mentioned in the same breath as culinary legends from Anne-Sophie Pic to Alain Ducasse to Alain Passard. Here are France’s 29 Michelin three-star restaurants for 2023.
Alléno Pavillon Ledoyen, Paris, 8th Arrondissement
Pavillon Ledoyen’s deep Parisian roots date back to 1842, when the restaurant was first erected in the Champs-Elysées’ gardens. While you can catch a glimpse of the original painted mouldings and ceiling in the upstairs dining room, chef Yannick Alléno, who took over in 2014, brings a modern sensibility to the historic site, which earned the spot a third Michelin star just seven months after he started. Alléno’s pet technique for making sauces are “extractions.” This entails first extracting liquids from ingredients and then reducing them using a technique called cryoconcentration, which involves a combination of sub-zero temperatures and centrifugal force. Diners can enjoy the fruits of this methods in dishes like a dessert that features a coffee-flavoured fir-tree extraction jelly.
Am par Alexandre Mazzia, Marseille
Am par Alexandre Mazzia
Chef Alexandre Mazzia’s eponymous restaurant draws inspiration not just from the produce and seafood available in France’s Cote d’Azur, this 24-seat restaurant boasts influences from beyond its Marseille home. Mazzia spent his first 14 years living in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and before his culinary career, the chef was professional basketball player. His restaurant opened in 2014, earning its first star soon after. He’s become known for unique, globally inspired compositions that have made him beloved in the chefs world, like his scorched mackerel satay with tapioca, wasabi sorbet, red métis; or his marinated egg yolk with lemon panais, combawa mais granité and tarragon.
Arpège, Paris, 7th Arrondissement
L’Arpege
Today, there are few chefs quite as influential as Alain Passard, but back in 1986 he was simply trying to fill his mentor Alain Senderens’ big shoes. That’s the year Passard took over Senderens’ restaurant Archestrate. Passard renamed his new venture, Arpège, the French word for arpeggio, a name that like the establishment’s original name (which means orchestra en francais) pays tribute to his second love: music. Before arriving at Arpège, Passard cut his teeth at the Duc d’Enghien at the Casino of Enghien and the Carlton in Brussels, where he was awarded his first Michelin stars. Arpège earned its third in 1996 and has held onto them ever since—even after adopting a plant-centric menu in 2001. Guests can sample the signature dishes that put Passard on the map, such as his famous l’arpège egg—the hot-cold, hard-soft boiled amuse bouche you’ll now find tributes to at fine-dining restaurants around the globe.
Assiette Champenoise, Tinqueux
Assiette Champenoise
Chef Arnaud Lallement’s fate as a chef seemed predestined. As a child, he watched his father Jean-Pierre, who ran the family restaurant starting in 1975. Then, after studying under culinary legends, like Roger Vergé and Michel Guérard, Lallement took over at the helm in 1998. There, he won L’Assiete its second Michelin star in 2005 and its third in 2014. The menu boasts classic dishes (such as grated foie gras served over fois gras toast), as well as unique novel ones (milk-fed veal sweetbreads), but always with a focus on bringing out the pure flavours of the ingredients with just the right balance of acidity (Lallement’s mantra is “mangez vrais,” which translates to, “eat true”). And, as you’d expect from the region, there are more than a thousand champagnes in the cellar for you to sip with your meal.
Auberge du Vieux Puits, Fontjoncouse
Auberge du Vieux Puits
Chef Gilles Goujon rise to Michelin stardom is the stuff of heartwarming movies. In 1990, he bought L’Auberge de Vieux Puits in the small village of Fontjoncouse for 34,000 euro, after its previous three owners had failed to turn a profit. For five years he struggled to attract diners. But his fortune turned in 1996 when he won the “Best Worker of France,” a prestigious award given out every four years to artisans in different categories. Shortly after, he snagged his first Michelin star in 1997. He won his second star in 2001 and his third in 2010.
Epicure, Paris, 8th Arrondissement
Epicure
While many Michelin-star-winning chefs could be considered culinary royalty, Epicure’s chef Eric Frechon bears an additional, extra-official-sounding honourarium. He was decorated as a Knight of the Order of the “Légion d’Honneur” by Nicolas Sarkozy in 2008—just a year before he was first awarded three Michelin stars. The self-described “control freak” prides himself on his ability to elevate simple—even cheap—ingredients into Michelin-star-worthy fare. Though, there’s no shortage of decadence on his menu. You’ll find classic French cuisine, such as whole roast chicken cooked in a pig’s bladder (a signature dish) and black truffle, artichoke, and foie-gras stuffed macaroni.
Flocons de Sel, Megève
Anne-Emmanuelle Thion
Nestled in the French Alps, Flocons de Sel offers a taste of the mountains. Chef Emmanuel Renaut scours the hillsides for herbs and mushrooms to adds to his dishes. He also takes a twice-yearly sojourn with award-winning cheesemaker Jacques Dubouloz through local farms and pastures in pursuit of the very best cheese. Just don’t expect to see fussily prepared cheese dishes at Folcons de Sel: When it comes to le fromage, Renaut is a purist. You’ll find all 20 of the menu’s hand-selected cheeses in their natural state. “I don’t like to cook with cheeses. I think it’s a waste,” he once remarked.
Georges Blanc, Vonnas
Georges Blanc
Going on 38 straight years of three Michelin stars, Georges Blanc—both the chef and the restaurant—is a French culinary fixture. While Blanc sharpened his technique in restaurants in France and abroad (as well as during a stint as a military cook) it’s hard not to think that some of his talent might be hereditary. Three generations of cooks preceded him, including his grandmother, who was once named the “best cook in the world,” by a food writer. Blanc took the reins from his mother in 1968, before turning the family business into a luxury hotel in the ‘70s.
Kei, Paris, 1st Arrondissement
The newest Michelin three-star recipient in the City of Lights is also the first ever Japanese chef to nab the honour in France. Kei Kobayashi was born in Nagano before moving to France to cook. He’s serving dishes like foie gras with green apple jelly; potato gnocchi with truffle, parmesan emulsion and Iberian ham; and salmon with a bitter sorrel cream with raw and cooked vegetables. While his menu has an influence from his Japanese roots, he’s quite taken with modern French cuisine.
La Marine, Ile de Noirmoutier
La Marine
When La Marine joined the ranks of three-star restaurants in 2023, Michelin’s inspectors said that chef Alexandre Couillon’s ocean-focused cuisine, which spotlights seafood and edible coastal plants, asserted La Marine as one of the very best restaurants in all of France. The guide called his style of cooking both striking and bold, calling out his “braised artisanally fished mackerel, beetroot and parsley foam” and the “crispy buckwheat dessert, caramel mousse, candied citrus fruit and sea lettuce sorbet.”
L’Ambroisie, Paris, 4th Arrondissement
NIeFH/Flickr Creative Commons
Abandoned by his parents and placed in an orphanage at 13, chef Bernard Pacaud found salvation in the kitchen of Eugénie Braizer’s Col de la Luère. The three-star-winning Lyonnais chef took Pacaud under her wing, providing him with both a roof over his head and a place to learn the craft. First nabbing his own third star in 1988, Pacaud has been holding onto the stellar Michelin rating for longer than any of Paris’s other three-star restaurants. L’Ambroisie lives up to its name which means “food of the gods” with its lavish, stunningly plated dishes like sea bass and artichoke served atop caviar. And even if the gods don’t literally dine there, some pretty powerful mortals do: In 2015 presidents Barack Obama and Francois Hollande enjoyed a working dinner at L’Ambroisie.
L’Oustau de Baumanière, Baux-de-Provence
L’Oustau de Baumanière
When the Michelin Guide bestowed its third star on the restaurant at L’Oustau de Baumanière, it said of chef Glenn Viel that “organic vegetables from the garden of Baumanière, along with lamb, chicken and pork, each ingredient of the rich local produce finds its meaning and its true flavours in the hands of the chef.” Viel is merging local ingredients and traditional technique with modern flourishes like serving frog’s leg with puffed rice.
La Vague d’Or, Saint-Tropez
Gianni Villa
Arnaud Doncklele’s impressive resume includes apprenticeships in the kitchens of Alain Ducasse and Michel Guérard, so it’s hardly a surprise that the young chef achieved three Michelin Stars by the time he turned 35. La Vague D’Or offers three tasting menus, including the seven-course “Balade Epicurienne” for adventurous diners and a five course vegetarian option. There’s also two à la carte menus: one inspired by land and one inspired by the sea—which happens to be within view of restaurant’s umbrella-lined terrace, by the way.
La Villa Madie, Cassis
La Villa Madie
Joining the ranks of the three-stars in 2022, La Villa Madie has focused on Mediterranean fare under the leadership of Dimitri and Marielle Droisneau since 2013. Tucked in the south of France, overlooking the pristine blue waters, the local seafood and flora take centre stage. When it comes to Dimitri’s cooking, the guide is effusive: “From one dish to another, it makes its presence felt—light, subtle, tasty, fresh and aromatic, punchy when necessary, and always surprising and original.”
Le 1947 at Cheval Blanc, Courchevel
Cheval Blanc
Yannick Alléno has performed the chef’s equivalent of a hat trick, having earned three triple-star Michelin restaurants over the course of his career. Ten years after his three-star win at Le Meurice, and three years after earning three stars at Pavillon Ledoyen, Michelin awarded him stars for Le 1947 at Cheval Blanc in 2017. The Alpine outpost’s sleek, modern surroundings—which include a perforated sphere through which diners can watch the chefs work—set the tone for the nine-course menu that puts a creative spin on French cuisine. Le 1947 is named for Château Cheval Blanc’s most renowned vintage and aims to provide guests with an experience just as covetable.
Le Cinq, Paris, 8th Arrondissement
Julie Limont
From within the Four Seasons Hotel George V, chef Christian le Squer combines nostalgic French flavours with ambitious new techniques. “My cooking is like a Chanel suit worn over a pair of jeans,” he once said. You can taste this amalgam in dishes like his Parisian-style gratinated onions or line-fished sea bass served with caviar and buttermilk (a nod to growing up near the Morbihan sea in Brittany). “His signature is all over the superb dishes, mastered to perfection and demonstrating exceptional skills and a deep knowledge of the very best produce,” the former director of the Guide, Michael Ellis, said when the 2016 Michelin Guide was released. “Each of Christian Le Squer’s dishes is a true work of art, a shining example of the best of French gastronomy.” Prior to racking up stars at Le Cinq in 2016, Le Squer enjoyed 12 consecutive years of three-star glory at Pavilion Ledoyen.
Le Clos des Sens, Annecy-le-Vieux
Photo: courtesy Le Clos des Sens
Perched near Lake Annecy in the French Alps not far from the Swiss border, Le Clos des Sens is a manor built back in 1866. Laurent Petit leads the Michelin three-star restaurant inside the inn and he draws heavily on the region around him. His food features the crayfish, arctic char and other seafood from the surrounding lakes, including Annecy. As well as ingredients from the garden he’s built at the manor. His culinary education began early, as Petit grew up the son of a butcher and as a young chef cooked for the legendary Michel Guérard, a founder of nouvelle cuisine.
Le Louis XV—Alain Ducasse à l’Hôtel de Paris, Monte Carlo
Pierre Monetta
The first hotel restaurant to secure three Michelin stars, Alain Ducasse’s Le Louis XV has become as much a fixture in Monte Carlo as any casino. But the Riviera mainstay has undergone changes in recent years. In 2007 Franck Cerutti assumed the role of executive chef and was joined by Ducasse’s protege, Dominique Lory, in 2011. Then, the space underwent a more physical transformation in 2015, trading its opulent, 19th-century-inspired wall hangings and sculptures for a more modern vision of luxury. Along with it, the menu got a little facelift, moving to even lighter, more nuanced fare. “Creating a menu is like writing good music,” Ducasse told The New York Times. “Loud and strong contrasts with soft and gentle. In a world where people zap away from anything they don’t instantly love or understand, gastronomic luxury happens when a dish is so well conceived it wins the time to seduce with subtlety.”
Le Petit Nice, Marseille
Richard Haughton
Chef Gérald Passédat says he inherited his taste for beauty and appreciation for things well done from his family of artists and chefs, while he honed his technique in the kitchens of the Troisgros brothers and Michel Guérard. It all came together in 2008 when Le Petit Nice first ascended to three stars. Passédat’s cuisine leans heavily on the abundance of fish in the sea the restaurant overlooks. In a year, he estimates at least 65 different Mediterranean species make their way onto his plates. An updated take on classic bouillabaisse, anemone fritters, seafood carpaccio, and a delicately prepared sea bass named for the chef’s opera star grandmother are a few of the signature dishes that grace Passédat’s menu.
Le Pré Catelan, Paris, 16th Arrondissement
Le Pré Catelan
In one respect Frédéric Anton, one of France’s most admired chefs, is an utter failure: As a child he aspired to become a cabinetmaker. Alas, his cabinet-making dreams were put on hold when he began his career as a chef in 1983, and further left in the dust when he proceeded to cook under some of fine-dining’s biggest names—including serving as Joël Robuchon’s chef de cuisine. Anton’s impressive pedigree eventually landed him at Le Pré Catelan in 1997, where he earned two Michelin stars by 1999 and was elevated to a third in 2007.
Les Prés d’Eugénie—Michel Guérard, Eugénie des Bains
Yoan Chevojon
If one were to erect a Mount Rushmore of French gastronomy, Michel Guérard’s inclusion would be a foregone conclusion. One of the so-called founding fathers of French nouvelle cuisine, Guérard got his first taste of Michelin stardom at Pot-au-Feu, which won its second star in 1971. He opened Le Prés d’Eugénie in 1974, and his cuisine was awarded its first star almost immediately, with a second star arriving in 1975 and a third following in 1977. Today, he’s focused on balancing the hedonistic delights of food with healthy eating.
Maison Lameloise, Chagny
Photo: courtesy Maison Lameloise
This Burgundian restaurant has been a gastronomic institution since Michelin’s inception. It appeared in Michelin’s very first guide in 1900 and earned its first star in 1926. Maison Lameloise enjoyed its first three-star streak between 1979 and 2004, which picked back up again in 2007. Many of the restaurant’s most successful years occurred under Jacques Lameloise, who took over for his father in 1979. In 2008, Lameloise passed the torch to then up-and-comer Eric Pras, who has kept its three-star rating going strong ever since. Pras has made his mark on the mainstay’s menu with technically precise dishes that put a fresh spin on Burgundian cuisine.
Mirazur, Menton
Photo: courtesy Matteo Carassale
It was a career-defining year for chef Mauro Colagreco in 2019. Mirazur finally ascended to three stars and five months later it World’s 50 Best crowned it the top restaurant in its annual rankings. The chef has cooked at Mirazur in the South of France since 2006 after working with titans Alain Passard and Alain Ducasse. He incorporates ingredients around the French Riviera and merges them with inspiration from his Argentinian-Italian heritage for dishes like squid with artichokes and bagna cauda.
Pic, Valence
Serge Chapuis
Pic’s Michelin-star-studded history dates back to the early 20th century. Andre Pic opened in Valence in 1935 and earned three Michelin stars by 1939. Later years proved to be rockier, with the restaurant dropping to two stars in 1946 and to one in 1950. Under the leadership Andre’s son Jacques, Pic ascended again to two stars in 1959 and three in 1973, before falling back to two in 1995, just a few years after Jacques’ death. Then, Jacques’s daughter, Anne-Sophie, took over the illustrious dining spot in 1998 with no formal training. Less than a decade later, chef Pic, the only woman in France with three Michelin stars (and just the fourth women ever to receive the honour), restored Pic to three-star glory in 2007. She describes her cuisine as simple, sophisticated and pointedly feminine, which you’ll see reflected in the menu, as well in the decor. “All my emotions are feminine, so I have this feminine way in my cooking. I think some men are able to make very feminine cuisine, but they are perhaps more focused on technique, less on developing the emotional part,” she told CNN in 2012.
Pierre Gagnaire, Paris, 8th Arrondissement
Francois Flohic
Credited with pioneering the French fusion movement, Pierre Gagnaire’s philosophy in the kitchen is, “tourné vers demain mais soucieux d’hier”—or “facing tomorrow, but respectful of yesterday.” His own culinary past is a mix of formal training and familial connections. Pierre Gagnaire learned the ropes from his Michelin-star-winning chef father, as well as in the kitchens of the highest calibre French chefs of the era, including Paul Bocuse. Gaugnaire took these lessons and started his own restaurant in his hometown of Saint Etienne in 1980, which received three Michelin stars in 1993, but struggled financially. Then, in 1996, Gagnaire opened his eponymous establishment. By 1998 he had his three Michelin stars again.
Plénitude—Cheval Blanc, Paris, 1 Arrondissement
Well, chef Arnauld Donckele wasted no time. For many chefs, bringing their restaurant to the Michelin three-star level can be a career-spanning effort. In Plénitude’s first year of eligibility, the restaurant rocketed to the top of Michelin’s rankings, earning tres etoiles right out of the gate in 2022. Of course, as the chef of three-star La Vague d’Or in Saint-Tropez, Donckele and the guide are quite familiar with each other. Located inside a an LVMH hotel in the heart of Paris, the 26-seat Plénitude connects cuisine from across French regions, drawing inspiration from Normandy, the south of France and Paris. When awarding Plenitude its third star, Michelin called Donckele an “ingenious master creator of sauces,” which is about as high of praise you can give a French toque.
Régis et Jacques Marcon, Saint Bonnet le Froid
Named for the father-son team that runs the restaurant, Régis et Jacques Marcon offers a seasonal taste of the Haute-Loire region—with a special reverence for the local mushrooms (Régis has even written a book on his beloved champignons). Régis took over his family’s inn in 1979, eventually moulding it into the restaurant it is today. He earned his first Michelin star in 1990, his second in 1997, and his third in 2005, just a year after his son, Jacques, joined him in the kitchen.
René et Maxime Meilleur, Saint Martin, Saint Martin de Belleville
René and Maxime Meilleur, the self-taught, father-son chef duo behind their eponymous restaurant, have been cooking together since 1996. The pair’s cuisine pays tribute to the surrounding Savoie region, with ingredients like crozet pasta, raclette, and Saint Martin goat’s milk, and first earned its third star in 2015. “The dishes are precise, generous and remarkably creative. “La bouitte” may mean small house in the local dialect, but the fare offered by René, Maxime and their spouses is of the highest calibre,” Ellis said when awarding La Bouitte its third star.
Troisgros—Le Bois sans Feuilles, Ouches
Holding onto its three-star rating for half a century, La Maison Troisgros—and the family dynasty behind it—has long been a driving force in French cuisine. In 1930 Jean-Baptiste Troisgros opened the restaurant near Lyon. Later, his sons Jean and Pierre took the reins, shaping it into the triple-starred establishment it is today with their nouvelle cuisine. Now Pierre’s son Michel runs the empire, alongside his wife Marie-Pierre and son César. César credits the restaurant’s continued success to his mother’s intuition (she’s pioneered much of Troisgros’s growth) and his father’s culinary sensibilities, which César describes as “tangy, vibrant, fresh, and measured.” Meanwhile, as the youngest Troisgros, César brings youthful perspective, flavours inspired by his travels through Spain and California (he also worked at Thomas Keller’s French Laundry), and “a thing for hot peppers.” The dish he says most encapsulates the restaurant’s ethos today is the cosa croquante: a salad made with shaved carrots that have been lightly fried and seasoned with herbs from the family garden.
A swirling, kaleidoscopic tableau of colour and coral. Underwater visions of angular, flamboyant, even famous fish (looking at you, Nemo), and the muffled sounds that cocoon the exploration of warm tropical waters. It’s other-worldly, this section of Far North Queensland. Wondrous and transportive.
At least that’s what one still envisions of the Great Barrier Reef. The reality is sadly opposed and devoid of such splendour—reefs are arguably decimated due to the increased frequency of coral bleaching, a loss of marine life due to warming waters and the volume of plastics infiltrating already fragile habitats.
Ever since the first documented mass-bleaching event in 1998, we’ve heard repeated warnings about the perils facing Australia’s most famous crop of coral—a 348,700-square-kilometre living structure (the largest on earth) that hugs the northeast coastline.
“My concern is that my kids growing up won’t know the reef like I know,” says Dr. Adam Barnett, director of the Biopixel Oceans Foundation. “I don’t want to take my kids snorkelling in 10 years and them be excited about just seeing one coral—that’s what I’m scared of.”
Despite such words, Barnett also breathes some hope into the conversation.
“When all that stuff came out about the reef being dead, it was a little bit of miscommunication by the media. There was a lot of coral bleaching and die-offs in the Far North Queensland waters, but the reef is too big to die completely. And bleaching doesn’t mean death—it can recover.”
The Biopixel Oceans Foundation is the first Australian organisation to receive support from esteemed Swiss watch manufacture Blancpain—the move informing the horologer’s Ocean Commitment initiative, a near 20-year-old program that has seen more than $70 million donated in support of research and conservation efforts.
“The traditional funding model for research organisations like us is long gone,” adds Barnett. “First off, you need a government in place that actually believes in the effects of climate change, but it’s fortunate there are companies out there, like Blancpain, who want to help us do the research and try to conserve the reef.”
Blancpain’s history with the ocean runs deep, developing the first ever dive watch, Fifty Fathoms, in 1953. The famous timepiece was the brainchild of then Blancpain CEO Jean-Jacques Fiechter, an avid diver who sought a timepiece with which to properly explore the waters below.
Current CEO Marc A. Hayek—also a keen diver—has continued Blancpain’s aquatic alignments and conservation efforts, while also reintroducing the Fifty Fathoms in 2007. Today, it represents around 35 percent of Blancpain’s sales.
“The Blancpain Ocean Commitment has grown in importance over the years,” Hayek tells Robb Report. “Whereas in the past we had to focus on raising awareness, today we can more often take part in field activities. Because after awareness, comes action.”
As for his company’s push into Australian waters: “The Great Barrier Reef is a gigantic lung which can positively or negatively influence other regions, depending on how it is protected. Part of the Great Barrier Reef has already disappeared. We have to limit the damage in order to save it.
“I mean, Australia is a jewel of the ocean and of nature in general. Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia, and so many other places are teeming with wildlife whose health is crucial to the rest of the world. So it’s not just Australia we’re trying to give something back to, but the entire world.”
The money committed to the Biopixel Oceans Foundation has seen the group—with links to the Emmy award-winning underwater film crew Biopixel, as headed by marine biologist and self-confessed “fish nerd” Richard Fitzpatrick—create a series of documentaries with Blancpain, highlighting the environmental work underway on the reef and the personalities behind driving such efforts.
Biopixel was formed in 2013 by Fitzpatrick and Australian IT entrepreneur Bevan Slattery, and holds what is the largest marine natural history archive of the South Pacific, creating high-definition visuals for the likes of the BBC, National Geographic and, now, the Blancpain-aligned series, based on their various aquatic expeditions.
The impressive “Megafauna” projects in 2019 and 2021 enabled the team to discover an aggregation of whale sharks off the coast of Far North Queensland— a previously undocumented gathering, which also led to the possible discovery of a new shark species.
While documenting whale sharks—two of which have been affectionately named Blancpain and Fifty Fathoms—is exciting and important work, tracking the animals is central to the research, as scientists look to analyse the movements of marine animals between protected areas and endangered zones. “What we’re trying to do is get people invested in the reef beyond the coral. We all know about what’s happening with the coral, but we need people interested in the wildlife that is so central to the reef and that without the reef wouldn’t exist,” offers Fitzpatrick. “The documentaries allow us to showcase what’s here in an interesting, engaging way, and this expedition that we filmed wouldn’t have been possible without the help of Blancpain.”
It was the Biopixel Oceans Foundation’s commitment to the reef that recently drew the Swiss manufacture from its Le Brassus headquarters to the balmy, tropical climes of Cairns. “We’ve been completely persuaded by the Biopixel Oceans Foundation,” says Hayek. “First, because it acts on multiple fronts: scientific research, awareness—through images of exceptional quality—and restoration. Also because it shows a great seriousness and commitment which mirrors its deep will to make a difference.”
Like the environment that surrounds them, the small community of scientists, researchers and videographers in Cairns are all connected, forming their own ecosystem of shared data, projects and researchers, something that Robb Report witnessed on a recent reef expedition.
As part of the journey, we headed to a newly built pontoon and research centre at Moore Reef, a two-hour boat ride across the Coral Sea from Cairns. Wedged into an unflatteringly tight wetsuit and among a group that included Andy Ridley, the founding CEO of Earth Hour and founder of Citizens of the Great Barrier Reef, Alicia McArdle, manager of the Mars Assisted Reef Restoration System (yes, the famed chocolate brand also wants a healthy reef) and Professor Matt Dunbabin, creator of an artificial intelligence robot to help regenerate the reef, we indulged in a magical underwater experience, far removed from those fatalistic media reports.
“It’s definitely helping, but we need the tools,” says Dunbabin when quizzed about the impact of these and other initiatives designed to assist the reef. “The reef’s too big to die completely, but until we do something about climate change, we need to give it the tools to adapt and evolve.”
Fitzpatrick views the reef as the canary in the coal mine, and also highlights the most important of words in relation to the Great Barrier Reef—recovery. “We need to get carbon neutral. It’s the only way we’re going to save the planet … Yes, the reef is bleached in parts, but bleached coral can recover. It doesn’t mean it’s dead.”
A refocus on the reef’s resilience should be better vocalised, too. “There needs to be a greater focus on that,” says Eric Fisher, biology manager and master reef guide with GBR Biology. “After every major bleaching event and tropical cyclone, the reef has a great ability to recover and come back, and we need more stories like that.”
These are small wins when compared to the numerous challenges confronting the Great Barrier Reef. But they offer tangible hope—for the future of the reef and for future generations.
“The notion of ‘generations’ is dominant in the watchmaking universe—we create our pieces with the future in mind. And to ensure the future, that of the next generations, we must protect the environment,” says Hayek. “Any positive action makes a difference. Even the smallest actions count. We must all, as human beings—and not just as an industry— play our part and act for our planet.”
It’s been two years, but Swizz Beatz’s follow-up to his last collaboration with De Bethune is right on time.
The record producer, who’s known to friends and family as Kasseem Dean, teamed up with the Swiss watchmaker to craft a successor to the Dream Watch 5 Tourbillon “Season 1” released in late 2021. Over the weekend, at WatchBox’s West Hollywood lounge, the music giant and celeb guests including his wife Alicia Keys and LL Cool J, celebrated the release of his second collaboration: the DBD “Season 2,” a reimagining of De Bethune’s DBD Digitale.
De Bethune describes this second timepiece, released in a limited edition of just 13 pieces, as representing “the culmination of a constant quest in which beauty meets virtuosity.” The 43mm watch features a dark grey zirconium case, a 12 o’clock crown, ogival lugs at its base, and a burgundy dial engraved with the DBD’s classic Côtes de Genève pattern. The face shows off the day, date, and month on a single line on the upper half of the dial, jumping hours in a semi-circular window in the middle of the dial, and scrolling minutes in a small square window on the lower half of the dial. These displays are offset with three jewels on an otherwise bare watch face.
The watch’s sapphire crystal caseback shows off a hand-wound Calibre DB2044, a blued titanium balance with white-gold inserts, and a delta-shaped barrel bridge. Each example in the 13-piece collection will also have the caseback engraved with the number of its edition. Wearers will have a choice of two straps: a burgundy fabric strap that matches the dial, or a black alligator leather strap for a more classic look.
Dean showed off his new watch design on Instagram, where he explained that the 13-piece collection is a nod to his own birthday on the 13th of September. The first DBD Digitale was released in 2006, in white and rose gold, and became an instant classic of the brand. De Bethune calls the DBD “Season 2” a “tribute to creativity, innovation and the art of watchmaking”—and with only 13 pieces being made of this $194,000 design, you’ll have to work hard to get your hands on this piece of watchmaking history.
As hard as it may be to believe, Pagani has started making even more exclusive hypercars.
The Italian marque unveiled a new one-off called the Huayra Dinamica Evo last week on social media. The automaker has been unusually parsimonious with details about the bespoke build, but one thing we know for certain is that the open-top speed machine looks spectacular.
We’re used to Pagani being very forthcoming about its vehicles. Not this time, though. The only thing that the Bologna-based brand has said officially said about the open-top hypercar is that it was produced by its Grandi Complicazioni team for an unnamed customer. The company’s recently renamed special projects division focuses on one-off and few-off builds, such as last summer’s Huayra Codalunga, which are often produced in close collaboration with its clients. The marque did not respond to Robb Report‘s request for more information on Monday.
Luckily, the photos that made us aware of the Huayra Dinamica Evo’s existence have enough information to fill in most of the blanks. The lack of a roof suggests the build is based on the Huayra Roadster BC, the second open-top version of the automaker’s sophomore hypercar. Pagani announced in 2019 that it planned to build just 40 examples of the variant, of which this is presumably one.
The car’s athletic curves are finished in a rich coat of burgundy topped with a black racing stripe and gold details. The front splitter also features the colours of the Italian flag. Inside the vehicle, the steampunk-esque interior has mostly been left untouched. The steering wheel has been painted the same colours as the vehicle’s exterior, though, and the seats feature green, white, and red accents.
If the Huayra Dinamico Evo is based on the track-focused Roadster BC, that means that an AMG-sourced twin-turbocharged 6.0-litre V-12 is likely sitting in the engine bay, according to Motor1.com. The mill, which is mated to a seven-speed Xtrac sequential gearbox, can produce 791 horses and 1048 Nm of torque, both of which were improvements over the coupé version of the Huayra BC. Not too shabby, right?
Pagani is also keeping mum about how much the Huayra Dinamica Evo’s owner paid for the one-of-a-kind build. Because of its unique nature, we feel pretty safe in saying the hypercar cost well above the standard Huayra Roadster BC’s $5.6 million sticker price.
Ignore the well-worn principle that good things come in three – Baume & Mercier has proved it wrong with a striking brace of newcomers. An extension to the marque’s rightly famed Riviera Collection – born in 1973 – the incoming Riviera GMT Travel Time collection boasts two stunning arrivals. The Riviera GMT (M0A10659) launches out of the blocks with a powerful play of colour and aesthetics – the 42mm blue dial effort a match for the offered blue rubber strap. Its sibling (Riviera GMT M0A10658) means a robust and equally appealing piece of engineering, its silver dial (also detailed in a sophisticated ‘wave’ pattern) that is paired seamlessly to a steel bracelet.
Both are driven by a Swiss Made Automatic ETA 2893, as viewed via the sapphire caseback, with water resistance to 100m (10BAR) and a power reserve of 42 hours. Find further practicality via Baume & Mercier’s ‘Fast Strap’ interchangeability system — no tools needed.
Both models offer a sense of modern refinement that plays to the everyday – better still, both drive a sense of adventure as seen via the presence of an alluring and contrasting red GMT hand. As expected, this revolves every 24hrs, with subtle 24-hour markers sat around the dial edge at intervals between the 12 indices and the Roman numerals at 12 and 6 o’clock – enabling an easy and accessible dual time play for those needing to distinguish between multiple time zones.
We think that alone makes this the perfect accompaniment for any pending and stylish European summer sojourn – be it Greece or, as the name suggests, time spent soaking in the sun and ambiance of southern France
A model revered and framed by some rather fast-paced historical storytelling, TAG Heuer’s latest Carrera proved to be a rightful standout at this year’s LVMH Watch Week in Singapore.
One could, of course, put that down to this being the 60th year of the celebrated model— because very few pieces hold that kind of pedigree nor reach such a milestone.
But there’s more to it than a cake struggling to hold too many candles. This newcomer—the TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph 60th Anniversary edition, to use its full name—has announced itself as a special piece indeed.
The motorsport pedigree of the Carrera is real, the model having spent most of its life on the track. Jack Heuer devised the original concept for the watch—the first wrist-worn chronograph—to further serve his passion for racing sports cars.
When James Hunt stepped into his Hesketh and McLaren Formula 1 cars in the late ’60s and early ’70s, he did so with a Carrera strapped to his wrist. And since then the model hasn’t left the grid of the world’s elite racing series.
In more recent times, however, the Carrera has often taken on a role as TAG’s ultimate multitasker, straddling extremes of the sport-watch spectrum.
While its broad everyday appeal is clear, at the same time it’s a model equally prolific on dressier occasions, serving as a go-to TAG under a tuxedo during awards season.
Aside from the famed Monaco making the odd cameo from time to time, the Carrera is almost invariably the watch seen on the biggest stars—be it F1 driver Max Verstappen or actor Ryan Gosling.
The Carrera is a model that makes its biggest statement when stripped back to a more pure form and given room to breathe in a way that subtly embraces its original DNA.
Yes, there’s acute appeal for the model’s more sporty, carbon-fibre-clad expressions, but the Carrera 60th Anniversary edition toasts a more tasteful aesthetic without sacrificing the functionality that served its creator so well six decades ago.
It doesn’t draw directly from the very first Carrera itself either, but rather a collector’s favourite that first made its appearance in the late ’60s, after Heuer had a few years to further refine the model—the Ref 2447 SN, better known as TAG’s take on the “Panda” watch.
Arguably this modern piece possesses a certain “throwback” beauty, one grafted to a modern sense of lean athleticism. Black subdials and white hands pop froma sunburst-effect silver dial—a homage to the classic Panda colourway that’s both a contemporary statement and also rooted in raceway history (the high-contrast dial improves legibility when recording lap times at speed).
Here, the case gleams in polished steel and presents as dressy. The 2023 model also doesn’t fall into the trap of including extra features or branding purely for modernity’s sake. It’s relatively svelte at 39mm, comes stripped of all TAG branding (this is a Heuer by name and a Heuer by nature) and is paired to a simple black leather strap.
The 60th Anniversary edition is a piece designed to remind enthusiasts that the Carrera is a model worth honouring and fussing over. Perhaps more importantly, it’s a further sign that TAG Heuer is comfortable digging through its archives to inform the way it engages future collectors. Now, who’s for a piece of cake?
The TAG Heuer Carrera 60th Anniversary is available now; tagheuer.com
Cabernet Franc sure got around: It’s a parent of four of the other grapes—Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec and Carménère—used in Bordeaux wines. Utilised mainly for blending in Bordeaux and for making accessible reds in Chinon, Cabernet Franc is reclaiming its status in wine regions around the world, where it’s made into single-varietal standouts that showcase its voluptuous flavours, rich tannic structure and ageing potential.
You’d be hard-pressed to get your hands on a premium pure or high-percentage Cabernet Franc from France—just try to find a bottle of Clos Rougeard Saumur-Champigny Le Bourg from the Loire Valley. Meanwhile, the options among single-varietal or Cab Franc–dominant blends from Napa, Sonoma and elsewhere around the globe are dizzying.
One of Sonoma’s best-known is Vérité Le Désir, made by Bordeaux natives Pierre Seillan and his daughter, Hélène. According to Hélène, Cabernet Franc is “suitable for long ageing” provided it’s the product of “great terroir and the correct viticulture.” There are many fine examples from Tuscany, especially in Bolgheri, which provided inspiration for Sicily’s Planeta family over 25 years ago. “In the mid-’90s, we visited Bolgheri and saw the first experiments of Cabernet Franc in estates that later became legends in Tuscan wine production,” says winemaker Alessio Planeta. “We immediately appreciated the interaction of this variety with the climate, the environment and the landscape—in our opinion, these elements are similar in Menfi and Bolgheri.”
Cabernet Franc is known for its bold fruit flavours: Expect black cherry, blackberry, purple plum and cassis along with notes of flowers, smoke and flint. “It has a great richness and concentration of tannins without ever becoming overbearing,” Planeta adds. “Perhaps the beauty of Cabernet Franc is that, despite creating dense wines with high tannins, it’s capable of retaining balance and finesse and always remains vibrant and smooth.”
Alejandro Vigil, co-owner of and winemaker for Argentina’s El Enemigo (who is also the chief winemaking director at Argentine powerhouse Catena Zapata), likewise believes in the variety’s maturation potential, particularly those from higher, cooler areas, citing “tannin content and a natural acidity that make it highly recommended for ageing.” Christopher Carpenter, winemaker at Caladan, in Napa Valley, agrees, saying that its “naturally stable acidity and tannin component allow for the preservation of the baseline fruit characters over an extended period of time.” In short, while you wouldn’t be faulted for opening one of these beauties below and enjoying it now, we recommend laying them down for a decade—or two—for ultimate satisfaction.
Four to Store: Vérité 2019 Le Désir | $714
Made with 83 percent Cabernet Franc, Sonoma’s Le Désir offers aromas of blackberry, cherry liqueur, slate and herbes de Provence that transition seamlessly to the palate. Polished tannins, vibrant acidity and gorgeous mouthfeel make for an exquisite sipping experience.
Gran Enemigo 2017 Gualtallary Single Vineyard | $186
Hailing from a high-altitude region in the north of Argentina’s Uco Valley, in Mendoza, this wine has 15 percent Malbec in the mix. Aromas of purple plum, cigar box, violet and river rock pave the way for flavours of black currant, cherry, espresso bean and a hint of salinity in a web of luxurious tannins.
Caladan 2018 Cabernet Franc | $334
Winemaker Christopher Carpenter started this project to give some love to “Bordeaux” varieties other than Cabernet Sauvignon. Made with grapes from four vineyards, this Napa Valley wine has a nose of cherry pie and ground coffee, with plush tannins and flavours of cassis, blackberry, lavender and sage that sail to a lengthy finish.
Planeta 2017 Didacus Sicilia Menfifi | $178
From a Sicilian vineyard located 400 metres above the Mediterranean, this pure Cab Franc offers a heady bouquet of dark berries, baking spice, mocha, thyme and saddle leather. A sheath of opulent tannins and bold acidity is wrapped around flavours of black cherry, cassis, dark chocolate, eucalyptus and cigar box.
Last summer, as Paul McCartney rocked the main stage at Glastonbury, a small fleet of Land Rovers was working silently in the surrounding fields. The classic 4x4s had been converted to battery power by Electrogenic, in a joint project with Worthy Farm—home of the UK’s most famous music festival.
After the final encore of Hey Jude had faded away, Electrogenic was inundated with enquiries about its Defender EV conversion kits: one aimed at farmers, the other for road use. Now, the Oxford-based company is applying this same “plug-and-play” approach to electrifying classic sports cars.
The first two cars chosen—the Jaguar XK-E and Porsche 911—aren’t so surprising, perhaps. However, while there’s nothing too controversial about swapping a rattly old Defender engine for a smooth and quiet electric motor, removing the flat-six from a 911 seems almost sacrilegious: like remixing “Love Me Do” with a pounding EDM bass line.
Electrogenic’s all-electric conversion of a classic Porsche 911.
We’ll get to the emotive issues shortly, including what this Porsche is like to drive, but let’s examine the nuts and, well, volts of the conversion first. Suitable for any G-series 911 (built from 1974 through 1989) or 964 (from 1989 through 1994), the electric-conversion kit bolts in without any chassis modifications, so the process is fully reversible. Prices are set by the specialist doing the work—Electrogenic has a growing network of approved installers across the US –but anticipate spending around $178,000, plus the cost of a donor car.
As with the Land Rover, there are two options available. The E62 kit (fitted here) teams a 62 kwh battery with a 160 kw motor: good for 220 hp and a zero-to-100 km/h time of 4.9 seconds. The E62s package increases motor output to 240 kw, for 300 hp and the ability to propel the car from a standstill to 100 km/h in just 3.8 seconds: quicker than a new 992 Carrera.
With the Electrogenic E62s package, the motor output is bolstered to 240 kw, allowing a 300 hp charge from zero to 100 km/h in just 3.8 seconds.
With both kit options, real-world range is between 180 miles and 200 miles, while a maximum charging speed of 50 kw allows a full fill-up in one hour using a public rapid charger. With a home wallbox, charging from empty takes up to 8 hours. And no, before you ask, these aren’t recycled Tesla components: all of Electrogenic’s EV hardware (and software) is custom to the company.
This particular car is a 1985 3.2 Carrera that has been “backdated” to resemble a 1973 Carrera 2.7 RS. With Irish Green paint—a period Porsche colour—dished Fuchs wheels and the trademark RS ducktail, it looks every inch the classic Neunelfer. Only a slightly raised ride height, to compensate for the extra 265 pounds on board, hints at what lies beneath.
This 1985 3.2 Carrera has been “backdated” to resemble a 1973 Carrera 2.7 RS, complete with signature ducktail.
Aside from a retrim in tasteful tan leather, this 911’s cabin also looks near-stock. Its five-dial display is still present and correct (and still obscured by the steering wheel), although the fuel gauge has been replaced by a battery-charge indicator. The obvious difference is the absence of a gear lever: replaced by a rotary switch to select neutral, drive, or reverse. Look closely and you’ll also spot two 400-volt electric heaters under the dashboard. They warm the interior almost instantly—quite unlike the HVAC system in an air-cooled 911.
Although the interior is near-stock, including the five-dial display, the fuel gauge has been replaced with a battery-charge indicator.
This Porsche might be 10 percent heavier than Stuttgart intended, but mounting two-thirds of the batteries in the front trunk, with the remainder (plus the electric motor) beneath the engine lid, actually makes it better balanced. “Weight distribution is 49 percent at the front and 51 percent at the rear [versus 40:60 in a stock 911], which gives you more stability and confidence,” says Electrogenic engineer Alexander Bavage. “We aim to build cars that are great to drive from an engineering point of view, rather than simply from a purist’s perspective.”
Two-thirds of the battery system is mounted in the front trunk.
On the tightly coiled airfield circuit at Bicester Heritage, a former British military base, I can appreciate what he means. The 911 doesn’t squat on its haunches so readily when you apply the power, and it’s less willing to tip into oversteer. The electric drivetrain serves up instant torque, linear response, and a real shove-in-the-back turn of speed, but not such as to overwhelm the stock Carrera brakes and torsion-bar suspension. If you went for the 240 kw E62s motor, I suspect some upgrades would be in order.
The electric motor and remainder of the battery system are set under the rear engine lid.
Going fast and sideways in the electric Porsche is great fun. The vehicle blends the analog and the digital in a way that most electric cars singularly fail to do. Yet something is missing, too. Without a flat-six behind the rear axle, there’s no high-rev howl, no visceral vibrations, no sense of mechanical connection. It feels more like a 911 simulator than the real thing.
For Electrogenic’s all-electric conversion of a classic Porsche 911, anticipate spending around $120,000, plus the cost of a donor car.
I come at this from the perspective of a Porsche enthusiast, well versed in the classic 911 and its quirks, so it’s difficult to be objective. Judged in isolation, the Electrogenic revision of the 911 is an engaging sports car and a real talking point, with many notable advantages over the original: zero tailpipe emissions, improved refinement, low running costs, one-pedal driving, toll-free access to European city centres—perhaps a cleaner conscience, too.
It isn’t for me, but it might be for you. And besides, many customers will surely own a regular 911 as well. An Electrogenic E62 for weekdays and an old-school 911 for weekends? Now that’s a two-car garage I could live with.
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