Paddles were kept high through the afternoon. Premiere Napa Valley is always a bright time for the wine industry. The annual live auction, which supports the work of nonprofit trade association Napa Valley Vintners, is both an opportunity for retailers to pick up exclusive and elusive lots from the valley’s vintners and a meeting point for winemakers and trade partners after a long winter.
This year’s auction included 166 one-of-a-kind lots. Together, they raised over $3 million for the NVV. Sotheby’s managed the stream of bidders, both online and at St. Helena’s Culinary Institute of America campus. Registered bidders spanned 10 countries.
The strength of the Napa Valley wine region is evidenced in the bidding activity and demand for Napa Valley's prestigious Premiere Napa Valley wines. Premiere Napa Valley funds the annual operations, including marketing, education, and outreach, of the Napa Valley Vintners. The non-profit is made up of 539 member wineries across the valley.
What’s so special about Premiere lots? Vintners often reserve special fruit or offer limited-edition runs, so bottles are always extraordinary and unavailable elsewhere. This year’s festivities included a few special lots — collaborative bottlings worked on by two or more of the region’s vintners.
In a sea of Cabernet Sauvignon, three legendary winemakers decided to come together to put out a rosé. Grapes are sourced from vineyards from each producer, then blended to produce just one barrel for the auction. Another lot brought together an unparalleled group of winemakers, all who happen to be women, to craft one of the most memorable and elegant wines of the auction.
This wine weaves through all 16 of Napa’s AVAs, threading through Oakville, Howell Mountain, Diamond Mountain, then back through the heart of the valley. A who’s who of vintners had their hand in this Cabernet-based Bordeaux blend. For the first time, three historic wineries came together to produce a Cabernet Sauvignon sourced entirely from each’s estate vineyards.
Six neighboring wineries from Diamond Mountain pulled some of their favorite fruit from the region to form a singular bottling that uniquely expresses the very best lots from across the region. Steve Matthiasson also weighed in on a Chardonnay alongside Oak Knoll neighbors Trois Noix, a vibrant producer that focuses on fresh, forward-thinking Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, and Cabernet.
In a one-of-a-kind collaboration, four wineries from the Stags Leap district partnered on a wine that captures the essence of the appellation. Two intimate and highly historic Oakville wineries joined forces to create a 100% Oakville Cabernet grown out of iron-rich red soil. Also included in this year’s collaborative lots: a 100% Rutherford blend from Foley Johnson and PEJU, made with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Petite Verdot sourced from estate fruit.
From The Debate and Fiadh Ruadh, winemakers blended top wines from both estates for a 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon.
