This Palm Beach Mansion Puts Most VIP Rooms to Shame
Most top-tier luxury brands court ultra high-net-worth individuals with one-of-a kind “experiences.” Krug Champagne, the grand dame of grande marques, goes one step further, serenading their top clients with “Encounters” that typically mine the connection between music and bubbles. Recent by-invitation bacchanals have included events in Chicago, Malibu, Dallas, New York City and Miami.
For the 13th edition, the most recent iteration of these blowouts, the billionaire art collectors Amy and John Phelan hosted at their new art-filled Palm Beach mansion an evening of musical performances featuring rising star Chloe Flower (the genre-bending pianist who played alongside Cardi B at last year’s Grammys), and duets with the stunning violinist Ezinma (who is sponsored by Bulgari and the subject of a short film premiering at the Tribeca Film Festival this spring).
Notable guests included Steve and Andrea Wynn, Pepe and Lourdes Fanjul, Republican Colorado Senator Cory Gardner, Jim and Cherie Flores, Karin Luter (the evening’s co-host), Earle and Carol Mack and Jeff Markus.
Of course the real stars of the night were the Champagnes on offer, ranging from Krug Grande Cuvée 161st Edition, served with canapés at the beginning of the evening, on the terrace overlooking the sparkling waters of Palm Beach, to the coveted Krug Clos du Mesnil 2004 poured at the beginning of dinner and considered by many experts to be the best of all Champagnes.
The four-course meal, prepared by Chef Neall Bailey of Eau Palm Beach Flower, was served in the sprawling garden downstairs, in a pergola featuring a table-setting as glittering as the inside of a Champagne bottle. Dressed first in a form-fitting blue Valentino dress, before changing into a floral Dolce & Gabbana tiered gown, Chloe Flower performed her hits, “Get What U Get” and “No Limit,” and even a rendition of Billie Eilish’s “Bad Guy,” each inspired by the Champagnes being poured.
Clos Du Mesnil (made from a single grape from a single year, 2004) inspired her to select a Chopin Nocturne as it reminded her of a single boat stranded in the middle of the ocean, the buoyancy of the left hand creating the perfect tension under the melancholy melody of the right to form a perfect emotional experience, with the use of one single instrument. Got it?
With the high-falutin’ musical portion of the evening over, as a storm began to brew, guests were ushered inside, past the countless Warhols, Koons, Murakamis and Hirsts, and were treated to an altogether different musical experience. Amy, the affable hostess, who over the years has variously been a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader, a lip muse to Marilyn Minter and a formidable art collector, and who had been playing the after-dinner music from her phone, opened up her private discotheque—one of the crown jewels of her new home that has been under construction for seven years.
Guests marveled at the Tom Dixon light fixtures that hung over the bar, the glittering mirrorball and state-of-the-art lasers, and the sumptuous velvet chairs that lined the room and put most VIP club sections to shame. But despite the “oohs and aahs” that could be heard when a snow machine was turned on, the hostess was not happy with the controls in the room and after apologizing to her guests said she was closing down the club until the glitches had been ironed out. That would have to wait until the next encounter.
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