Monday, June 25, 2007, Vanderbilt Estate, Scarborough on Hudson, NY. The Maison Ruinart invited a very intimate group of friends including Valesca Guerrand-Hermés, Genevieve Jones, Antony Todd and architect/designer Campion Platt and his wife, philanthropist Tatiana Platt to “Escape the City” for an extravagant picnic featuring the Escapade picnic basket, at a private Vanderbilt Mansion in Scarborough on Hudson. The excited guests were helicoptered to and from the beautiful estate -- one helicopter stayed behind to bring Genevieve Jones, who flew in from Thailand this morning just to attend this special picnic. Despite an 18 hour sleepless flight and limo ride, Ms. Jones happily climbed into the helicopter, singing along the way and showing off gold cuffs from her new jewelry line. The helicopters landed directly on the estate grounds and guests were given a mission statement challenging them to hunt for their Escapade cases to use for the picnic. Once found, the upright cases were easily carried by the guests who followed the trail of yellow and white scattered rose petals to a green field behind the stunning mansion, where a picnic table resplendent with flowers and grapevines over the linen and yellow ribbon edged runner from the Escapade cases awaited under teak and linen sun parasols. Guests happily settled themselves into yellow cushioned chairs, withdrew engraved champagne flutes from their respective Escapade cases into which Ruinart Blanc de Blancs was poured, straight from the elegant bottles kept chilled inside the insulated compartments of the Escapade cases. The delicious picnic luncheon consisted of whole succulent lobsters and lemon tarts paired with Ruinart Blanc de Blancs. Made exclusively from chardonnay grapes, the champagne’s pure and vibrant golden colors reflected the warmth of summer light, with notes of fresh fruits and ripe citrus coming to the fore, followed by subtle secondary aromas, combining white floral and white peach notes. This blend’s burst of fresh nectarine and grapefruit flavors, made it the perfect accompaniment for a summer aperitif and luncheon that delighted all, as The Maison Ruinart hosts Stephanie Chassing and Jean-Christophe Laizeau toasted the perfect summer day and their honored guests, who wore shades of yellow, white and natural linen, echoing the colors of the Escapade case – from Poppy Harlow's chartreuse-toned yellow silk sundress to Genevieve Jones’ Etro multicolored chiffon tunic splashed with yellow to Antony Todd’s coolly elegant white and linen ensemble to Tatiana Platt’s bright yellow strapless sheath to her husband Campion’s vibrant yellow shirt and linen pants to Susan Shin’s lemon yellow silk Gustavo Arango kimono dress. Valesca Guerrand-Hermés’ adorable daughter, Clea, led the way with musical chairs and a croquet challenge against Antony Todd. Clea also started a new fashion trend it seems, transforming yellow ribbons (that were the napkins “rings”) into a bowed bracelet – guests followed suit, making their own bracelets and in the case Jada Yuan, an anklet! Ms. Chassing congratulated the women for being part of Ruinart’s trailblazing in the ART of THE PICNIC/ PICNICKING and exclaimed “picnics aren’t just for the day -- let’s have a Ruinart picnic under the stars”, to which she received a resounding “YES”! The oldest champagne house in the world was inspired by the chardonnay grape, which lies at the heart of Ruinart’s House style, to celebrate its passion for light along with its 100% chardonnay blended champagne, Ruinart Blanc de Blancs. Do not wait any longer and Escape the city with Ruinart’s stylish picnic basket! It’s easy to find but if you are inspired to own one, make sure you hurry to Sherry Lehmann Wine & Spirits because it is a limited edition and only a few are available. MEDIA CONTACTS: Susan Shin | Shin Advisors, LLC | e-mail: susan@shinadvisors.com | tel: 917.916.9009 or Nick Dietz | Shin Advisors, LLC | e-mail: nick@shinadvisors.com | tel: 917. 349.6057 or Stephanie Chassing | e-mail: Stephanie.chassing@mhusa.com PHOTO CREDIT: ©Manhattan Society.com 2007 by Gregory Partanio |tel:718.614.7740 |e-mail: PrinceGregory@manhattansociety.com