23rd Annual Best of the Best

History is a harsh taskmaster. With alarming regularity, it seems, we are confronted with the challenge of either making history or becoming it. Certainly the long path of civilization is littered with the cautionary wreckage of those industries, institutions, and individuals that failed to recognize developing trends and technologies poised to disrupt their comfortable existences. […]

Joshua bell is often called the rock star of classical music. Indeed, the violin virtuoso tours the world 250 days per year, bringing sellout crowds to their feet with a distinctly sweet tone and an athletic performance style that may explain his signature untucked silk shirts. At a youthful 43, Bell has recorded more than […]

Aston Martin focuses as much on the mood of motoring as it does on the mechanicals of its cars. The Vanquish, the DB9, and the DBS, for example, ride a little rough around the edges—as they should, because driving a car equipped with a V-12 engine is supposed to be a challenge for hands, feet, […]

When our judging panel of nearly 50 readers selected the Ferrari 458 Italia as the 2011 Car of the Year with a landslide vote in Robb Report’s March issue, the editors and writers who had the chance to drive the car were not surprised. While we anticipated the outcome, the 458’s accomplishment still is notable, […]

Like Hatfields taking shots at a McCoy solely because he is a McCoy, many Porsche 911 owners have been mercilessly peppering the Cayenne with verbal bird shot—and worse—since the SUV arrived on the scene in 2002. Such prejudice is unbecoming of a group that takes pride in possessing an appreciation for solid engineering and bulletproof […]

When Porsche introduced the Cayenne nearly a decade ago, purists feared that this attempt to expand the brand would only dilute it; suddenly soccer moms and other seemingly unworthy owners would be driving Porsches. Instead, by possessing unprecedented performance capabilities, the Cayenne enhanced the image of the SUV—and perhaps the images of a few soccer […]

Six years passed between the debut of the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R, in 2004, and the super sport’s first comprehensive update. But the improvements were worth the wait. The $13,800 ZX-?10R, which underwent less drastic changes in 2006 and 2008, has new bodywork, a new drivetrain, and a new chassis with a lightweight Showa Big Piston […]

Its irascible motor and unusually low weight render the Ducati Des­mosedici RR too much motorcycle for many riders. But for the Italian boutique bike builder NCR, the MotoGP race replica is only a starting point. From the Desmosedici it creates the Millona 16, or M16. Associations with the firearm of the same name may be […]

While motorcars become greener, lighter, smaller, and less expensive, Bentley clings to its heritage by offering the Mul­sanne, a supersized sedan with a carbon footprint as large as that of a South York­shire coalfield. The world of motoring—plus an estimated 10 percent of Bentley owners—is all the better for this mighty $290,000 museum piece, which […]

When Parmigiani Fleurier was asked by Bugatti Automobiles to create a special-edition watch to celebrate the final version of the automaker’s Veyron supercar, the request came with a catch: Parmigiani had to have the watch ready for release within a year—in time for the Vey­ron 16.4 Super Sport’s debut at last summer’s Pebble Beach Concours […]

When Breguet sought to add a high-level complication to its successful Reine de Naples ladies’ watch model, its development team looked to the original watch made two centuries before. Commissioned in 1810, No. 2639—which Abraham-Louis Breguet personally delivered to Caroline Murat, Queen of Naples—was a most remarkable timepiece. The first and only wristwatch Breguet himself […]

Beechcraft’s King Air line has outsold all other twin-engine turbo-prop business planes combined. This distinction speaks to the line’s longevity—47 years and counting—and its quality. Like past models, each of the three current ones—the entry-level C90GTx and the larger, more powerful 250 and 350i—is efficient, versatile, and comfortable. The King Airs also are attractive alternatives […]

When Cirrus Aircraft debuted the single-piston, parachute-equipped SR22 10 years ago, the Duluth, Minn.–based manufacturer established new standards for safety, comfort, and performance. In the decade since, Cirrus has continued to upgrade its best-selling aircraft and now offers it with features that protect against icing, boost high-altitude capabilities, and enhance stability. David Mendal, a pilot […]

Exuma marks the beginning of an era for the Perini Navi Group. The first motor yacht ever built by the 28-year-old Italian yard, the 164-foot boat offers the best of two worlds, combining the sophisticated design and superior engineering of a Perini Navi sailboat with the versatility and durability of an expedition vessel. The yacht […]

Despite its size, the 141-foot Leopard 43m remains sporty, thanks to a trio of 2,400 hp MTU diesel engines and a planing hull. Propelled across the top of the water by all that power, the yacht can achieve a remarkable top speed of 35 knots. An alternative booster engine adds even a few more knots […]

Sonus Faber’s flagship loudspeaker, known simply as the Sonus Faber, stands 5 feet, 7 inches tall and weighs an astonishing 354 pounds. This tower of power’s size, however, is dwarfed by its second-to-none sound quality. Italian manufacturer Sonus faber, which debuted its namesake speaker last June, constructs the cabinets of all its loudspeakers to enhance […]

Snaidero USA has been serving up innovative kitchen designs for more than 60 years. From the company’s futuristic showrooms to its museum-worthy collaborations with such design luminaries as Paolo Pin­infarina and Virgilio Forchiassin, it has established itself as the trendsetter of its trade. Now Snaidero is taking its cutting-edge—and comprehensive—creations to a new room altogether: […]

Established in 1969, the Italian kitchen company GD Cucine has worked for years with real estate developers in the United States to outfit high-end condominium complexes and second-home communities. However, only since Nov­ember has the manufacturer had a two-story, 8,000-square-foot showroom in New York. And only since the debut of that Manhattan space have the […]

Since 1997, Craig Van Den Brulle has guided exquisite pieces by some of the 20th century’s best designers through his namesake Man­hattan furniture gallery and into the hands of serious collectors and top interior decorators. Now he is channeling that energy and expertise into his own series of limited-edition furnishings—a blend of handcraftsmanship and technology […]

Cigar making is traditionally a family affair, with multiple generations working together in the factories and on the farms. Padrón, maker of some of the most coveted cigars in the world, is no exception: The company started in 1964, two years after José Orlando Padrón came to the United States as a 36-year-old émigré after […]

 One of the greatest and richest single-malt whiskies in existence was created against one of the world’s starkest landscapes—a remote, windswept island in the Orkney archipelago. High­land Park, Scotland’s northernmost distillery, is the birthplace of the Orcadian Limited Edi­tion Series 1968 ($3,999), a 40-year-old single malt that expresses dramatically different aromas and tastes than the […]

Muhammad Ali has always understood the value of words. In an interview before the boxing legend’s 1974 “Rumble in the Jungle,” Ali taunted George Fore­man by saying, “If you even dream of beating me, you better wake up and apologize.” During the bout, Ali’s verbal jabs were as devastating as his well-placed haymakers: Round after […]

Dinner begins with a puzzle: a square card printed with a grid of 16 words. Each is an ingredient, the waiter explains, and together they make up the menu. Choose four, and the kitchen will create a cold appetizer, a hot appetizer, a main course, and a dessert based on your selections. Choose foie gras, […]

Though Burgundy’s most fabled producer holds property in seven different grand cru vineyards, the domaine’s identity is inextricably intertwined in the minds of admirers with the 4.5 acres of earth from which it takes its name, Romanée-Conti. In the 13th century, this walled plot near Vosne-Romanée belonged to the Benedictine monks of the Abbey of […]

Though the Chapoutier family traces its roots in France’s Rhône region back more than 200 years to 1808, when the clan first settled in Tain l’Hermitage, the esteemed maison we know today was, in many respects, established in 1990, when Michel Chapoutier officially took the helm at the tender age of 26. An ancestor, the […]

Treatments at the Aman Spa at Amanfayun, in China’s lake district of Hang­zhou, begin at the Rec­eption House—a building that once served as a dormitory for plantation workers in the ancient village of Fayun. In January 2010, Aman­resorts completed its transformation of the village into a serene retreat, which is nestled amid 35 acres of […]

More golf courses closed than opened in the United States last year, and the industry experienced a significant drop in rounds played. Yet at least one Amer­ican golf institution showed signs of life in 2010, thanks in part to a man who died more than 70 years ago. Charles Blair Macdonald, the country’s first homegrown […]

When his Highness Moham­med VI, king of Morocco, decided to build a new luxury hotel in Marrakech, his demands were simple. He did not care how long it would take or how much it would cost; all he wanted was a hotel like none the world had ever seen—a showcase for his country’s traditional artistry […]

From the air of permanence in its great room, and the ease with which guests settle into the space’s couches and chairs, Park City’s newest resort seems to have always been the best place in town. And though it just opened in December, Montage Deer Valley also appears to have had the area’s first choice […]

Though few acknowledge the fact, California vintners’ reputations tend to rest on their reds, which is perhaps why Sir Peter Michael, who has made a career of taking on challenges, launched his label with Chardonnay. The founder of Quantel, a manufacturer of digital special effects for TV and film, and Classic FM, one of the […]

Success can sometimes be achieved by accident, but greatness requires deliberate effort. Certainly the late Jess Jackson understood this, though he once jokingly remarked to me that the success of his first winery was actually a happy coincidence. That project began in 1974, when Jackson, a San Francisco–based attorney, joined the burgeoning ranks of California […]