Masterclasses - Friday 10 March, 2023
Schedule & wines subject to change, please revisit for latest updates
A Century of Château Haut-Brion
(Supported by Tears of Bacchus)


Host: William Kelley
Time: Fri 10 March, 2023 - 17:00 - 19:30
Duration: 150 Mins
Location: Tears of Bacchus, Steinhausen (ZG, exact address will be communicated to ticket holders)
Capacity: Limited
Join us for this very rare and intimate 10 guests only master class with Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate Deputy Editor William Kelley at the coveted Tears of Bacchus High-End Wine Storage cellar, followed by an optional dinner experience.
Château Haut-Brion has one of the longest and most interesting histories of any Bordeaux vineyard. The property derives its name from an ancient Celtic term “Briga.” Loosely translated, this means a rise or mound in the land.
Historical archives show that Johanna Faure grew vines at Haut Mont near what we now know of as Haut-Brion as far back as September 6, 1426! The vines were planted to produce wine for a local chapel that was founded in Bordeaux by the Menuts Monks to remember the recently deceased Monk, Johan d’Artiguemale.
However, the earliest known documents proving wine from the future vineyards of Haut Brion were produced on a yearly basis date back to 1521, when the estate was known as Aubrion. This makes Château Haut Brion the oldest, continuously working winery in Bordeaux.
Pessac-Léognan First Growth Château Haut Brion deserves credit for being first in many things we take for granted today; it was the first Bordeaux château to produce truly age-worthy wine which you will be able to taste with this stellar line-up.
The wine of Château Haut Brion is in a class by itself. There is no other Bordeaux wine like it. The complex aromatics with all the earthy, tar, leather, smoke, truffle, cassis, and spice are unique to Haut Brion. This is an incredibly, refined, elegant, sensuous style of wine, that is never heavy or out of balance.
Featured Wines:
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Château Haut-Brion, 1918
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Château Haut-Brion, 1934
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Château Haut-Brion, 1953
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Château Haut-Brion, 1976
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Château Haut-Brion, 1988
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Château Haut-Brion, 1993
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Château Haut-Brion, 2009
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Château Haut-Brion, 2018
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Surprise wine
Price: CHF 1,395
^Tickets sold separately and not included as a part of the Grand Walkabout ticket , wines subject to change
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*Masterclass will be held in Steinhausen (Zug) and starts at 17:00 sharp. Arrivals after this time are not able to participate. Further information will follow.
Masterclasses & Dinner - Saturday 11 March, 2023
Schedule & wines subject to change, please revisit for latest updates
Top-Rated Wines of 2022


Host: Robert Parker Wine Advocate Team
Time: Sat 11 March, 2023 - 11:30 - 13:00
Duration: 90 Mins
Location: Garden Salon
Capacity: 80 Pax
Sample some of 2022's top-rated wines! Spanning the globe from Argentina, Australia, California and South Africa, to Old World classics from Spain, Tuscany, Bordeaux, the Rhône, and the Mosel, you'll taste along with the Robert Parker team, and learn what it is about each wine that sets it apart from the thousands of others reviewed every year.
Featured Wines:
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M. Chapoutier 2019 • Ermitage l'Ermite Blanc - RP100
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Weingut Markus Molitor 2015 • Riesling Wehlener Sonnenuhr Auslese *** (White Capsule) - RP99+
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Giaconda 2018 • Chardonnay - RP99
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Sadie Family 2020 • Columella - RP98
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Poggio di Sotto 2016 • Brunello di Montalcino Riserva - RP100
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Pichon Longueville 2016 • Comtesse de Lalande - RP100
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Vérité 2019 • Le Désir - RP100
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Casa Castillo 2020 • Pie Franco - RP100
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Zuccardi 2019 • Finca Piedra Infinita Supercal - RP100
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Outpost 2019 • Cabernet Sauvignon True Vineyard - RP100
Price: CHF 290
^Tickets sold separately and not included as a part of the Grand Walkabout ticket , wines subject to change
Champagne: Past, Present & Future


Host: William Kelley
Time: Sat 11 March, 2023 - 13:30 - 14:30
Duration: 60 Mins
Location: Gallery Lounge
Capacity: 40 Pax
Champagne is one of the most dynamic wine regions in the world today. Indeed, it sometimes seems to be in a state of perpetual reinvention. This masterclass, led by our Champagne reviewer and Deputy Editor William Kelley explores the recent history of Champagne and how the grower movement has precipitated change, looking at three different generations of that movement, and also charting how the regions' best houses are increasingly acting like small vignerons. In the process, we'll taste some benchmark Champagnes and encounter some exciting new talents.
Featured Wines:
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Louis Roederer NV • Brut Collection 243 - RP92
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Bollinger NV • Brut Blanc de Noirs PN TX17 - RP92
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La Rogerie 2018 • Extra-Brut Blanc de Blancs Chemin de Chalons RP94
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Champagne Dhondt-Grellet NV • Extra-Brut Blanc de Blancs Premier Cru Les Terres Fines - RP95
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Ulysse Collin NV • Extra Brut Blanc de Noirs Les Maillons (2018) disgorged in 2022 - RP97
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Egly-Ouriet 2013 • Brut Grand Cru Millésime - RP100
Price: CHF 249
^Tickets sold separately and not included as a part of the Grand Walkabout ticket , wines subject to change
Will the Real Napa Valley Vintage of the Century
Please Stand Up?


Host: Joe Czerwinski
Time: Sat 11 March, 2023 - 15:30 - 16:30
Duration: 60 Mins
Location: Gallery Lounge
Capacity: 40 Pax
Napa’s 2018 and 2019 vintages are the region’s latest “Vintages of the Century” (soon to be joined by 2021). In this exciting tasting, we’ll compare them as seen through the lens of some of Napa’s best winemakers, including Swiss immigrant Philip Togni (2018 rated 96+, 2019 rated 95+), Celia Welch’s Stalworth (96, 94+), Philippe Melka’s Brand, made for owners Jim Bean and Christine O’Sullivan (95, 96+), and Thomas Rivers Brown’s To Kalon Vineyard Company (these ratings have not yet been published, but believe us, you’ll want to taste them…).
Featured Wines:
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Philip Togni 2018 • Cabernet Sauvignon Estate - RP96+
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Philip Togni 2019 • Cabernet Sauvignon Estate - RP95+
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Stalworth 2018 • Cabernet Sauvignon - RP96
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Stalworth 2019 • Cabernet Sauvignon - RP94+
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Brand Winery 2018 • Cabernet Sauvignon - RP95
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Brand Winery 2019 • Cabernet Sauvignon - RP96+
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To Kalon Vineyard Company 2018 • Cabernet Sauvignon HWC
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To Kalon Vineyard Company 2019 • Cabernet Sauvignon HWC
Price: CHF 289
^Tickets sold separately and not included as a part of the Grand Walkabout ticket , wines subject to change
World Class White from Swiss Rhône: Marie-Thérèse Chappaz Grain Ermitage / Grain d’Or Tasting


Host: Stephan Reinhardt & Marie-Thèrèse Chappaz
Time: Sat 11 March, 2023 - 17:30 - 18:30
Duration: 60 Mins
Location: Gallery Lounge
Capacity: 40 Pax
In this one-hour masterclass, Marie-Thèrèse Chappaz personally explains the history of her greatest white wine, predominantly based on the fruit of Marsanne vines, some of which are over a century old, and on the great terroir of Les Claives in Fully, Valais.
What makes this terroir and its wine so special for decades and how has the wine and the cultivation of vineyards changed in the last years and decades? What type of wine does Marie-Thérèse have in mind when she prunes the vines for the new vintage in winter? Is there such a thing as the 'perfect' expression or style of her Ermitage? What role does the vigneronne herself play in this interplay of vine, terroir and vintage? What are the challenges for the future? How many years should this so exceedingly rich and yet miraculously vital, complex and sustainable wine age before it is drunk? How, and with what, does Chappaz prefer to enjoy her Ermitage?
On the basis of eight vintages of the 21st century, we will explore these and other questions, including yours, with Switzerland‘s most iconic vigneronne.
Featured Wines:
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Marie Thérèse Chappaz 2021 Grain Ermitage Président Troillet
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Marie Thérèse Chappaz 2020 Grain Ermitage Président Troillet - RP95+
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Marie Thérèse Chappaz 2019 Grain Ermitage Président Troillet - RP98
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Marie Thérèse Chappaz 2014 Grain Ermitage Président Troillet
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Marie Thérèse Chappaz 2009 Grain d’Or Ermitage Président Troillet (Magnum)
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Marie Thérèse Chappaz 2003 Grain d’Or
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Marie Thérèse Chappaz 2002 Grain d’Or
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Marie Thérèse Chappaz 2013 Grain Noble Marsanne blanche (Magnum) - RP96
Price: CHF 199
^Tickets sold separately and not included as a part of the Grand Walkabout ticket , wines subject to change
The Grand Bring Your Own Bottle Dinner


Host: Robert Parker Wine Advocate Team
Time: Sat 11 March, 2023 - 19:30 - 22:30
Duration: 3 hours
Location: The Garden Salon
Capacity: 200
After a delightful day of tasting on Saturday, stay with us for great food, wines and company at the "Bring Your Own Bottle Dinner."
Many great tastings and wine events have winemakers staying behind at the end of the day, sharing bottles among fellow wine lovers over a sumptuous 4-course meal.
Featured Wines:
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Bring your own bottle
Price: CHF 249
^Tickets sold separately and not included as a part of the Grand Walkabout ticket
Masterclasses - Sunday 12 March, 2023
Schedule & wines subject to change, please revisit for latest updates
Great Pinot Noirs of the World


Host: Robert Parker Wine Advocate Team
Time: Sun 12 March, 2023 - 11:00 - 12:30
Duration: 90 Mins
Location: Garden Salon
Capacity: 80 Pax
All roads, so the saying goes, lead to Burgundy. But, for many consumers, Burgundy's most celebrated wines are increasingly becoming prohibatively expensive. This does not mean, however, that you have to do without great Pinot. Not even from Burgundy; and certainly not in other regions of the Old and New World. The Wine Advocate's reviewer team has brought ten Pinot favorites to Zurich that have never been tasted side by side. We want to find out whether, despite different origins, climates and viticultural and winemaking styles, it is possible to achieve exceptional quality even in a very contrasting tasting. We are curious ourselves. Are you, too? Attention, limited number of seats!
Featured Wines:
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St. Michael-Eppan 2010 • Alto Adige Blauburgunder Pinot Nero Sanct Valentin Late Release - RP97
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Tolpuddle 2021 • Pinot Noir - RP96+
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Litwan Wein 2019 • Thalheim Chalofe- RP95
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DuMOL 2018 • Pinot Noir Finn - RP97
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Valentin Zusslin 2018 • Pinot Noir Bollenberg Luft
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Domaine des Croix 2020 • Beaune 1er Cru Grèves - RP94-96
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R. Fürst 2018 • Spätburgunder Centgrafenberg GG - RP96
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Beaux Frères 2019 • Pinot Noir The Beaux Frères Vineyard - RP98
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Rippon 2019 • Tinker's Field Mature Vine Pinot Noir
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Weingut Markus Molitor 2018 • Pinot Noir Graacher Himmelreich *** - RP97
Price: CHF 165
^Tickets sold separately and not included as a part of the Grand Walkabout ticket, wines subject to change
Château Leoville-Las Cases & Friends


Host: William Kelley & Antoine Gimbert
Time: Sun 12 March, 2023 - 13:30 - 14:30
Duration: 60 Mins
Location: Gallery Lounge
Capacity: 40 Pax
The Delon family's Château Léoville-Las Cases is one of Bordeaux's greatest estates. Its optimally situated vineyards occupy deep gravel soils in a walled enclosure overlooking the Gironde. This vertical tasting looks at how Las Cases and its sibling properties Clos du Marquis and Château Potensac express themselves in differently styled vintages, contrasting 2009, 2015 and 2017. Led by Bordeaux reviewer and Deputy Editor William Kelley and Antoine Gimbert of Domaines Delon, we'll analyse these three vintages and explore the relationship of the Delon's three Médoc estates.
Featured Wines:
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Potensac 2017 - RP90
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Clos du Marquis 2017 - RP93
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Léoville Las Cases 2017 - RP96
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Potensac 2015 - RP89-91
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Clos du Marquis 2015 - RP93
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Léoville Las Cases 2015 - RP95
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Potensac 2009 - RP89
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Clos du Marquis 2009 - RP91
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Léoville Las Cases 2009 - RP97
Price: CHF 225
^Tickets sold separately and not included as a part of the Grand Walkabout ticket, wines subject to change
The Green Emblem Showcase: Great, Sustainable Wines


Host: Robert Parker Wine Advocate Team
Time: Sun 12 March, 2023 - 15:30 - 17:00
Duration: 90 Mins
Location: Garden Salon
Capacity: 80 Pax
Beginning in 2021, The Wine Advocate's reviewers have recognized a small number of wineries around the world with their Green Emblem award for exceptional efforts in the field of sustainability. This stunning lineup of wines features European standouts like Champagne Louis Roederer’s 2014 Cristal (96 points), Chiara Boschis’s 2016 Barolo Cannubi (98 points), and Palacios’s 2019 Moncerbal (98 points), plus an array of New World stars, including Spottswoode, Cullen, Horsepower, and more.
Featured Wines:
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Tablas Creek 2020 • Esprit de Tablas Blanc - RP94-96
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Valentin Zusslin 2013 • Cremant d’Alsace Clos Liebenberg
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Louis Roederer 2014 • Cristal - RP96
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Recaredo 2008 • Turó d'en Mota - RP97
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Raen Winery 2021 • Pinot Noir Royal St. Robert
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Descendientes de José Palacios 2019 • Moncerbal - RP98
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Horsepower Vineyards 2019 • Grenache Fiddleneck Vineyard - RP98
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Cullen Wines 2018 • Diana Madeline
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Spottswoode 2019 • Cabernet Sauvignon - RP98
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Pira e Figli - Chiara Boschis 2016 • Barolo Cannubi - RP98
Price: CHF 160
^Tickets sold separately and not included as a part of the Grand Walkabout ticket, wines subject to change
A Gaja Retrospective with Gaia Gaja


Host: Monica Larner & Gaia Gaja
Time: Sun 12 March, 2023 - 17:30 - 18:30
Duration: 60 Mins
Location: Gallery Lounge
Capacity: 40 Pax
Join Gaia Gaja and our Italian Reviewer Monica Larner for an in-depth tasting from Italy's iconic Gaja estate in Barbaresco, Piedmont. Unleashing its untapped potential for quality and meeting the demands of world markets, Angelo Gaja and his family exercise a lasting influence on Italian fine wine. A vision built on experience and innovation now guides the family into a new era with unique challenges.
This once-in-a-lifetime guided tasting will cover classic vintages and diverse wine styles, giving our guests a full understanding of the Gaja wine philosophy: past, present and future.
Featured Wines:
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Gaja 2020 Barbaresco
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Gaja 2016 Barbaresco Sori Tildin - RP97
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Gaja 2016 Barbaresco Sori San Lorenzo - RP98
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Gaja 1990 Barbaresco Sori Tildin - RP97
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Gaja 1990 Barbaresco Sori San Lorenzo - RP94
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Gaja 1993 Barolo Sperss
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Gaja 2002 Langhe Gaia & Rey
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Gaja 1992 Langhe Alteni di Brassica
Price: CHF 379
^Tickets sold separately and not included as a part of the Grand Walkabout ticket, wines subject to change
Dom Pérignon – A Legend Through Decades (Supported by Tears of Bacchus)


Host: William Kelley
Time: Sun 12 March, 2023 - 17:30 - 18:30
Duration: 60 Mins
Location: Terraza Suite, The Dolder Grand
Capacity: Limited
As a grand finale of the Matter of Taste, join us for an intimate master class with only 13 guests, hosted by Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate Deputy Editor William Kelley.​
Infamous Champagne house Dom Pérignon owes its name to the famous monk and cellar master of the Abbey of Hautvillers in 1668, Pierre Pérignon (also known as Dom Pérignon). According to legend, it was Pierre Perignon who first discovered what is now called the Champenoise method. According to this anecdote, Pérignon taught this method in 1669 to the Benedictine Thierry Ruinart, allowing Maison Ruinart, to become the first Champagne House in 1729.
Dom Pérignon is a celebrated estate, whose foundation was inspired by Pierre Pérignon's quest for the ultimate perfection in Champagne. Keeper of the estate’s prestigious brand image is the LVMH luxury group, now headed by Dom Pérignon, joined by other prestigious houses such as Krug, Ruinart, Veuve Clicquot or Moët & Chandon. The values upheld by the Champagne House today are hard work and intuition, observation and understanding, knowledge and respect –the same values embodied by iconic cellar master Richard Geoffroy, that he passed on to the new cellar master Vincent Chaperon between 2005 and 2019. In addition to its rich aromatic complexity, the wines of Dom Pérignon are distinguished by their structure and texture, which give each vintage a unique, precious, and inimitable character.
Featured Wines:
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Dom Pérignon, 2012
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Dom Pérignon, 2003
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Dom Pérignon, 1990
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Dom Pérignon, 1980
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Dom Pérignon, 1976
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Dom Pérignon, 1962
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Dom Pérignon, 1959
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Dom Pérignon, 2002 Plénitude 2
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Surprise Wine
Price: CHF 695
^Tickets sold separately and not included as a part of the Grand Walkabout ticket, wines subject to change