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Premiere Napa Valley brings in a crowd
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If you had been at the auction in St. Helena on February 21st, you might have wondered if we were really in a recession. This legendary, and glamorous, auction was sold out weeks in advance and prompted much wheeling and dealing for the remaining tickets.
This was the first time I have been to this event and it seems that the barrel auction in the summer may comparatively be much lighter and less competitive fare. This event drew out everyone from busloads of restaurateurs from Arkansas and serious bidders from Japan. I can only conclude, that even in a recession, uniquely blended wines from top-name producers in Napa still have a strong pull.
The tireless folks at the Napa Valley Vintners Association (NVV) put on a great show for the auction's 13th anniversary. The day before the auction they held blind, multi-vintage tasting of 2004, 2005 and 2006 and vintages. I love, and hate, blind tastings and know that they are always essential in helping all of us sort out what we really enjoy drinking and separate that from the reality of what we think we should enjoy (and the labels we are supposed to be impressed by).
Even for professionals, press and reputation can matter much more than they should and can engender reactions that aren't based on honest opinions. So I am always thrilled to see someone put the "serious wine drinkers to the test." And believe me we wine writers, producers and sommeliers need this intellectual workout. This particular tasting was as educational about vintages as it was about producers. Unlike many other California-based wine writers, I have spent almost as much (unregretful) time covering the Rhône Valley in France or Tuscany and still have a lot to learn about the microcosm that is Napa Valley.
The rest of Friday was filled with parties, lunches and tastings held by dozens of producers trying to get a little down-time with overwhelmed key buyers and journalists. It seems most of us went to parties where they could sample wines from multiple producers. And I was really glad to see a lot of the enthusiastic guests rent limos. Yes, I loved the bus load of restaurant boys from Arkansas with the pretty female driver (having a blast and doing it safely).
The auction itself was overwhelming, featuring approximately 350 producers, offering a couple of old standards and fun blends made expressly for this auction. It's also event, where, if you can snag that elusive ticket before it sells out, you can see and say hello to some of Napa's biggest wine personalities. This year's event hosted close to 500 trade attendees representing 83 wine retail shops, 68 restaurants and 79 wholesalers and brokers, according to the NVV. That's in addition to almost 100 journalists.
I discovered quite a few new wines, some from producers with whom I have not been very familiar. The majority of the wines were 2007 Cabernet Sauvignons, and some producers had the verve and courage to add Cabernet Franc (have I told you recently how much I love this grape?). Some of my favorites included the O'Shaughnessy Estate 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon, the Bravante 2007 Red Table Wine (made primarily from Cabernet Franc) and the Palmaz 2007 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.
At the end of the day the auction brought in a total of $1.5 million in sales. It's a figure that's impressive on its own, but must also make us wonder if we are all sharing and living under the same economic conditions in the state of California. I am thrilled to see anyone in our business do well; I just wouldn't like to see it come at the cost of other sectors of the economy. Wine can bring a lot of joy, but at times we may also need to reflect on the greater ramifications of spending so much money on it.
Cheers,
Liza the Wine Chick
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