ArtCrush | WineCrush Facts & Figures: Master Sommelier Jay Fletcher
Held annually every summer, ArtCrush is Aspen’s premier summer gala and the major fundraising event benefiting the Aspen Art Museum. Over the past fourteen years, ArtCrush has cumulatively raised approximately $28,000,000 in support of the AAM’s groundbreaking contemporary art programming. ArtCrush brings the AAM’s most important donors, the world’s top art collectors, wine connoisseurs, artists, gallerists, curators, celebrities, and global business leaders to Aspen, making this event an internationally recognized hub of arts and culture.
Jay Fletcher, Master Sommelier, plus a team of six top sommeliers from Aspen’s best wine restaurants (Matsuhisa, the Little Nell, 7908, Caribou Club, Cache Cache, and Jimmy’s) give patrons a taste of old and rare wines during the event’s cocktail hour, followed by a pouring of two flights of wine prior to each of the four formally plated courses served during the dinners at WineCrush and ArtCrush. Fletcher calls in favors from Southern Wine & Spirits and the SommFoundation’s Old and Rare Cellar to source the vintage and old wines from around the world. The day of the event, he unpacks the boxes, sorts and hand-numbers each bottle, and decants and chills the vast array of wine.
- 800 = The number of rare vintage wine bottles (seen only at auction) served at each event x 15 years = 12,000 bottles of wine served at ArtCrush and WineCrush.
- 65 = The temperature in Fahrenheit that Fletcher keeps all bottles of wine prior to wine service at ArtCrush and WineCrush.
- 40,000 = The dollar amount of wine in wholesale costs for 250 people at each event—approximately $150 per person in wine allocations. (To be approved.)
- 50 = The number of tables with 10 bottles each.
- 3 / 5 = Each table has 3 bottles of mixed white varietals and 5 bottles of mixed red varietals.
- 500 = Total number of glasses of wine for each course = 2,000 glasses of wine poured at each ArtCrush and WineCrush event x 15 years = 30,000 glasses of wine served.
- 11 = Master sommeliers that have helped Fletcher over the years at ArtCrush: Bobby Stuckey, Richard Betts, Fred Dame, Carton McCoy, Sabato Sagaria, Sean Razee, Jonathan Pullis, Brett Zimmerman, Doug Krenik, Jason Smith, Shayn Bjornholm.
- 15 = Number of years the following rare, vintage wines have been served at WineCrush:
Domaine De La Romanée-Conti, Richbourg 1989
1937 Dr Barolet Clos Vougeot 1037
Domaine Leroy, Chambertin 1969
Etienne Guigal, Côte-Rôtie la Mouline 1978
Château Lafite Rothschild 1990
Domaine De La Romanée-Conti, La Tache 1988
Penfolds, Grange Hermitage 1985
Aldo Conterno, Barolo Riserva Gran Bussia 1990
Jaboulet-Isnard, Côte-Rôtie 1964
Domaine Ramonet, La Montrachet 1989
Domaine De La Romanée-Conti, Romanée-Conti 1988 Six (6) Liter Format
Domaine Gros, Richebourg 1971
Château Haut-Brion 1961
Coche-Dury, Corton-Charlemagne 1995
Château Rayas 1990
Jay Fletcher, Master Sommelier, Chairman of the Court of Master Sommeliers personal by-the-numbers list:
- 23 = # of years Fletcher has held his Master Sommelier title.
- 8 = # of Master Sommeliers Fletcher has mentored in Aspen from the Little Nell’s wine program.
- 20 = # of Master Sommeliers Fletcher has mentored in the world.
- 41 = The years since Fletcher hitchhiked into Aspen from Madison, WI, to begin his career in the wine business.
- 2 = # of daughters Fletcher raised as a single father while working in the wine business in Aspen.
- 5 = Time in the morning that Fletcher has been known to skin (hike on skis) up and throw down first tracks on Aspen Mountain on most powder days.
The Aspen Art Museum is a non-collecting institution presenting the newest, most important evolutions in international contemporary art. Our innovative and timely exhibitions, education and public programs, immersive activities, and community happenings actively engage audiences in thought-provoking experiences of art, culture, and society.
AAM MUSEUM HOURS
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Closed Mondays
AAM ADMISSION IS FREE courtesy of Amy and John Phelan
Visit the AAM online: aspenartmuseum.org
