Bidders from 12 countries around the globe raised a total of US$2.7 million in this year’s Premiere Napa Valley auction from June 1 to 5.
All together 3,700 bids were placed by bidders from Hong Kong to the US for 149 lots that were handcrafted and donated by 153 wineries.
Different from run-of-the-mill Napa wines, Premiere Napa Valley wines are offered as wine futures only to wine trade who curate and offer the wines to their top clientele.
Majority of the wines are from the 2019 vintage along with a handful of extended barrel-aged 2018 Cabernets and a sampling of white wines and Pinot Noir from 2020.
In Hong Kong, a masterclass led by wine critic James Suckling on Napa’s benchmark 2018 vintage kicked off the bidding. A large selection of 2019 barrel samples of this year’s bidding were on pour at an ensuing lunch hosted by both James Suckling and Debra Meiburg MW.
“We were blown away by the enthusiasm and generous support of our trade partners. It was the best possible way to come together again after being apart for so long. The support shown was deeply meaningful and is an extraordinary example of the shared sense of enthusiasm and optimism we all have for Napa Valley’s future. We are over the moon and couldn’t be more pleased,” said Linda Reiff, President and CEO of Napa Valley Vintners.
Among the top lots were wines donated by Shafer Vineyards, a joint lot by Corison Winery, Dyer Vineyard, Gallica and Snowden Vineyards, Memento Mori, Dana Estates, Spottswoode Estate Vineyard & Winery, Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars, ZD Wines, Favia, Silver Oak, BRAND Napa Valley and Robert Mondavi Winery.
“We were hopeful to engage more wine trade around the world and we achieved that. The team at Zachys did an amazing job of involving the bidders from both audiences,” said Stacey Dolan Capitani, Vice President of Marketing at Napa Valley Vintners.
Twenty five years in the running, this year’s auction in partnership with Zachys was originally scheduled for February but was delayed to June because of Covid-19 restrictions, with a hybrid model of combing online bidding with the traditional in-person format.
The proceeds from the auction combined with February’s NVV’s new library wine auction raised a total of US$3.7 million for the Napa Valley Vintners to promote, protect and enhance its wine region.
Nearly 250 trade accounts participated from more than 12 countries and 37 states across the U.S. Of those registered, only 60 attended in-person.
In addition, more than 1,000 wine trade and consumers joined in the virtual vintage discussions leading up to the final auction.
