Auction Napa Valley raises nearly $10m

Many of the top lots were sweetened by glamorous automobiles, European trips and private dinners with vintners. The largest bid was US$1.1m for three 3-liter bottles of Staglin Family Vineyard Sangiovese, a trip to Italy with the winery owners and a Maserati.

Three 3-liter bottles of Screaming Eagle with a dinner and campout in the vineyard sold for US$500,000; and US$400,000 bought an 18-liter bottle of Hundred Acre and dinner for 10.

The Napa Valley Vintners have thrown the annual summer party for 27 years, raising US$80 million dollars for healthcare, youth services and low-income housing in Napa County.

Other top lots included four 3-liter bottles of Harlan Estate and a dinner for eight people for US$380,000; a wine collection of large-format bottles from various Napa Valley wineries and a Lexus hybrid auto for US$360,000; a dinner for 10 and 15 bottles of Araujo Estate wines for US$340,000; and seven bottles of Colgin Cellars and a dinner for US$320,000.

Lately, the event’s organizers have tinkered with the event’s format in response to loyal top bidders who indicated they desired a shorter auction within a more intimate setting.

The 2007 auction, with 45 live lots, was held in the evening under a white tent at the Meadowood resort. A five-course dinner was served to 800 people during the festivities, which also included a standup routine by comedian Dana Carvey.

The dinner and auction were the culmination of three days of wining and dining, Napa Valley-style. Also featured was a barrel auction, which brought in US$1.23 million, 50% more than in 2006 with the same number of cases offered.

10 Top Live Lots

Staglin Family Vineyards, US$1.1 million

Screaming Eagle, US$500,000

Hundred Acre US$400,000

Harlan Estate, US$380,000

Napa Valley Vintners and Lexus, US$360,000

Araujo Estate Wines, US$340,000

Colgin Cellars US$320,000

Opus One, US$280,000

Shafer Vineyards, US$250,000

NVV and Departures Magazine, US$220,000

10 Top Barrel Lots

Shafer Vineyards, US$104,950

Pride Mountain Vineyards, US$36,400

Joseph Phelps Vineyards, US$35,850

D.R. Stephens Estate, US$35,000

Blackbird Vineyards, US$28,150

Jones Family Vineyards, US$24,900

Nickel and Nickel, US$22,050

William Cole Vineyards, US$22,000

HDV, US$20,750

Etude, US$20,100

2007 Top 10 E-Lots

Kongsgaard, US$21,000

Viader Vineyards, US$16,500

Domaine Chandon, US$15,100

Sherwin Family Vineyards, US$15,100

Miner Family Vineyards, US$14,500

Etude Wines, US$12,400

Franciscan Estate, US$12,100

Arietta, US$11,800

Cakebread Cellars, US$11,200

NVV and Viking Range Corporation, US$10,600