The Celebrity Gala for the Leukaemia and Lymphoma Society was a little disappointing last night. For something which had been advertised as a ‘Celebrity Gala’ I had expected a little more, and the final event I saw was really a little half hearted.

Don’t misunderstand me. The cause was great. The efforts had obviously been put in. (The room was stunning, the bar and general staff enthusiastic and the wineries pouring deserve credit for surviving the crowds!) Yet the final result was a little less then radiant, and it is for that reason I am going to be totally honest in my account of it because I feel that events like these need to be excellent so that people are prepared to spend their money on tickets and support causes like this which are so important to us all.

I’m going to tell you a story. It’s a bit like a fairy tale except that it’s not. It’s true.

So I am a food and wine writer and as often as I can I love to involve myself in charitable causes and try and raise publicity for good events supporting these charities. A few weeks ago I noticed on Facebook that there was to be a Celebrity Gala in aid of the Leukaemia and Lymphoma trust. Although the ticket price was totally out of my budget I contacted them to offer endorsement and was told that with my support I would receive two tickets to the evening so that I could report on it and of course the wines being poured. I was truly excited by this unique opportunity and even managed to drag my dear friend, Blondie, along as photographer for the event.

So began a mission to acquire a dress. (Kindly loaned by a well known designer as a favour but who wishes to remain anonymous at the current time as she doesn’t normally do this.)

A pair of shoes.

A hair appointment.

And of course the jewellery.

The shoes sorted themselves out as they became a belated birthday gift.

My hair was magically uplifted and pinned into a mesmerising myriad pattern by celebrity stylist Michelle Lyn Bechler owner of Light Studio 809. (I do love fate when you pop to a local bar, sit down next to a pretty girl strike up a conversation with her about a fetching waistcoat and discover that she is well known stylist who has worked around the world on catwalks and studios around the world.)

And the pièce de résistance?

Well a hand assembled and designed necklace from Michelle’s own collection which she is currently finishing for an e

So Lulu-ella was dressed and ready for the Gala.

Her carriage was a De Soto Taxi but that wasn’t unpleasant.

Then she arrived at the Bentley Reserve and this is where the story starts to get interesting…

It all began with chaos at the door. My name was not on the list, not on any lists they seemed to have in fact. Even though I had had several email confirmations by email with one of the event organisers. The poor girl in charge hadn’t slept in two days as there had been such confusion over lists and tickets. Finally we established that I was meant to be on a ‘list’ and I entered the main hall. It was here that things became even more confusing. The layout of the room was unobservable and so I had to plunge pretty much head first into a sea of well dressed suits and plunging necklines. (I’m very impressed with the high quality of breast implants at the moment – I’m almost tempted.)

It was amongst this heaving mass I realised I had accidentally thrown myself into a dating scene which looked worrying like an older version of the Marina crowd. (Middle aged men with young blonds but then let us add an extra ten years and a few more zeros to the end of the bank accounts.) The more refined members of the party stood to the sidelines and looked as amused and baffled as I did with the predatory nature of both sexes.

Another guest made the acute observation that we were in a room full of ‘high net-worth individuals’. Strange then, that these people were so unprepared to spend on the fantastic silent auction items up for bidding. I found this really rather sad. I would have loved to have bid on either the Chef Tomm package or some of the jewellery but had stupidly thought I would be outbid and had not filled out any of the forms or organised payment methods so eliminated my chances immediately, but at least I will know if there is a next time. (A piece of jewellery was even stolen from one of the tables during the event – do people have no ethics or morals at all these days?) And where were the celebrities who were supporting the event? Oh not there. No their support was in the form of ‘things’ and not physical presence so when at 15 minutes until close I approached another organiser and asked whether he thought any VIP’s might step out of their pen and endorse or encourage I was told there really wasn’t anyone in there who would fill that criteria. Delightful to know that over here you can still as in the UK have VIP’s who are really individuals with ‘Very Impressive Personal accounts….’ Yes, I am a die-hard believer that people should be famous for a skill or talent not just for a big bank account. Oh well. I think someone bid on the car and won it although trying to establish any confirmations with the organisers is like trying to draw blood out of a stone.

I would love to tell you about the music but the acoustics inside the Bentley Reserve made it almost impossible to hear anything clearly. Indeed to have bid you would have had to stand underneath the bidding area or been an expert lip reader.

So finally to the wine.

Or rather the highlight of my evening (other then meeting a prestigious and amusing barrister in the queue for a Basil Gimlet with VeeV an acai spirit –yes the stuff we put on our faces to stop aging, we are now drinking– sorry Doug – it had to be tried, and I will now strongly recommend).

So I was taking some photos of the auction pieces when I spotted a tall attractive man, who looked every bit like a gracefully maturing rock star and his companion who had a long snowy ponytail approach the table I was loitering next to and put down two bottles of wine. My interest peaked.

I enquired whether they had purchased them at the event as I had never tried the wine before and was told no. These were the winemakers own bottles, as this was the winemaker himself, Mr Noah Taylor and his companion ‘Uncle Billy’.

The wine was Noah’s 2007 Zinfandel and he insisted I try it. A friend of his, a delightful lady called Jennifer endorsed him so wholeheartedly I wondered if she was on the payroll! But none the less I set off to track down glasses. (Something which the event seemed worryingly short of.)

Returning with my treasure Noah poured us a taste.

Oh what uncontrolled bliss.

Noah’s Dry Creek Zinfandel 2007

Here was a truly beautifully balanced Zinfandel.

It had all the classic qualities you look for in a Zin, but had the structure so often lacking form other Zins. There were big juicy jammy red berries on the nose, strawberries and over ripe cherries and a hint of fig insides. While on the palette these flavours continued through but were then complimented by a little milk chocolate and pepper and some raspberry jam fresh from the jam making pot with a little remaining heat and almost the verge of the caramelised burned but still sweet fruit which cakes the side of the pot. The finish on this wine was its closing deal breaker. It was languorous and rich. I was mesmerized. This was a wine which had enough structure that it would keep for several years and retain its character through the strength of its original build.

Mr. Noah Taylor with some of his adoring fans.Noah was incredibly personable and answered my questions with enthusiasm and energy. It turned out that he was a donor to the auction and that he had donated a case of his wine. (At a bargain starting point as well!)

While talking to ‘Uncle Billy’  who was one of the most engaging conservationists I discovered a lot of intriguing family history and came to the conclusion that I had been pretty lucky in a room full of a couple of hundred people to have met these two men.

Uncle Billy and LuluIf you haven’t tried the 2007 Zinfandel I deeply recommend it. A treat in a glass and a wine which should hold for a good 6-9 years, if cellared well.

So I left the gala feeling happy that I had met such an interesting wine maker with such a great wine but disappointed as I felt that people hadn’t really made much of an effort to do much for the charity it was in aid of. Come on San Francisco – you can do better than this. And to the celebrities who donated things. Well, lovely thought, but your presence would of been appreciated, because really this was a ‘Celebrities-not-here Gala for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Trust’. The latter who I hope got some money out of the night because I can’t track down anyone to ask today what was raised. Everyone loves a party. Few people like the hangover.

Photography courtesy of Drew Altizer.

Hair and Jewelry courtesy of Michelle Lyn Bueller @Light Studio 809