Auction Napa Valley down on last year

The 26th Auction Napa Valley made US$8.4m this weekend – down on the US$10.5m raised last year.

However, despite a drop in the money made from the auction, one record-breaking lot did make over $1m.

The lot consisted of wine journeys through France and Napa Valley and large format bottles of a new Staglin Family Vineyard meritage blend (2006 vintage). It was bought for $1.05m by Joy Craft, of Woodside, California, who was the top bidder at the 2005 auction.

The second-highest lot sold was the first complete vertical of Screaming Eagle magnums ever offered, from the 1992 to 2004 vintages, and went for $460,000.

A 3-litre vertical of Colgin Cellars wines from 2000 to 2003, provided by the winery itself, went for $380,000.

Cult wines including Harlan Estate and Dalla Valle Vineyards, and Napa old guard leaders Duckhorn Vineyards, Joseph Phelps Vineyards, and Robert Mondavi Winery were also among the top 10 lots.

Top earners in the barrel auction were (in order) Shafer Vineyards, Pride Mountain Vineyards, Jones Family Vineyards, D.R. Stephens Estate, and Joseph Phelps Vineyards.

The annual wine auction raises money for a variety of local charities including work for health care, youth services and low-income housing efforts.

For the first time, the auction featured a global E-auction, in which bidders from around the world were able to log onto their computers to bid.

Auction Napa Valley is sponsored by the 270-member trade association, Napa Valley Vintners.

The auction was begun in 1981 to showcase Napa wines and donate to local charities.

Written by Janice Fuhrman