The exclusive charity event has returned to past glories, says Elin McCoy.
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After an unsuccessful attempt to change approach in a bid to reach a wider audience, Auction Napa Valley made a triumphant return to its original format in its new venue at Far Niente. Elin McCoy reports.
On June 1, I joined nearly 400 vintners and wine lovers at Far Niente, a historic stone winery in the Napa Valley, whose name—romantically translated—means “without a care” and is intended to inspire the art of savoring the moment.
It was one of those casually elegant al fresco evenings I associate with the Valley: a fabulous dinner, the low sun casting a golden glow over rows of green-leafed vines, the jagged mountains in the distance, and great red and white wines to sip.
But after the walk on a stone bridge over a pond to the Gazebo Lawn, the auctioneer from Sotheby’s and a huge screen reminded everyone why we were all there—to bid big at a live charity auction, the finale of a wine-soaked weekend.
After a several-year hiatus, Auction Napa Valley was back.
Though it retained some of its luxurious charm, the latest incarnation of America’s most celebrated fundraising wine auction was notably different from its shimmering, celebrity-filled predecessors. Deliberately scaled-down, the event focused more on Napa Valley itself, with fewer celebrities like Oprah and John Legend in attendance. The funds raised during the entire weekend totaled $4.8 million, approximately half of which was collected during the live auction, all designated for youth mental health initiatives within the valley. This is a stark contrast to the $12 million raised at the last Auction Napa Valley in 2019. What brought about this change?
The inaugural auction took place in 1981, orchestrated by the Napa Valley Vintners trade association and charity organization, which evolved into an essential annual gathering. By the 2000s, the event’s glitz attracted 900 to 1,000 attendees, including tech tycoons, Hollywood celebrities, elite athletes, global collectors, and even notable vintners such as Olivier Berrouet of Château Petrus.
Hosted under a massive, air-conditioned white tent at the luxurious Meadowood Resort, bids for the event’s three to four dozen auction lots sometimes soared past $1 million. In 2019, the atmosphere electrified as pop artist Katy Perry performed, making the event a true Hollywood spectacle.
Then, the 2020 COVID pandemic brought global events to a halt, prompting the Vintners to rethink their approach to this high-profile auction.
In recent years, many small wineries have voiced concerns that the live auction events did not adequately highlight Napa. Furthermore, some critics argued that the event had become overly elitist and exclusive, alienating local community members with its high ticket prices.
In response, the Vintners decided to transform the traditional auction weekend into Collective Napa Valley, a collective of smaller, more frequent fundraising events held throughout the year in and around Napa. The intention was to foster inclusivity and attract a younger audience, though the new format left many puzzled about its operations.
According to the Napa Valley Vintners, the longstanding annual June event has been discontinued. The schedule now focuses solely on the popular barrel auction, and the Auction Napa Valley branding has been retired.
This change has been met with skepticism by some, who question the decision to abandon a well-established brand that not only achieved global fame but also raised approximately $200 million for charities in the Valley over many years.
Looking ahead to 2024
While the event restored its original name and format this year, the approach to its live auction has notably evolved. With a condensed barrel auction and imaginatively hosted vintner dinners, changes were aplenty. The scaled-down live auction now took place post-dinner at a new location, emitting a relaxed, “smart-casual” atmosphere that truly resonated with the Napa community. I thoroughly enjoyed the new setup.
Nevertheless, a ticket price of $5,000 per person still categorizes it as quite exclusive.
Let’s dive into the main attractions. The inaugural day continued to be a bustling, vibrant five-hour barrel auction on Friday afternoon that blended fine wine, rock tunes, and culinary delights. Around 1,600 participants, dressed casually in shorts and t-shirts, sampled and placed bids on 80 wines still maturing in their barrels.
The venue, Hall winery located in St Helena, stood out as California’s initial LEED Gold Certified winery. Its design featured a modern blend of glass and steel, spacious interiors, and large windows quite akin to a contemporary corporate hotel, only complemented by the gleaming fermentation tanks and picturesque vineyard views. Noteworthy artworks adorned the premises. Visible from Highway 29, the enormous 35ft stainless-steel sculpture of a rabbit named Bunny Foo Foo by Lawrence Argent, a British artist, was particularly striking, its paddle numbered 24 for the event.
As I explored inside, I roamed across two floors where winemakers used barrels as makeshift stands to serve barrel samples, primarily Cabernet variations from 2020 to 2022. Each variety was split into ten consistent single-case lots. The leading ten bids for each secured a case of 12 bottles. An electronic screen above each winemaker displayed the ongoing bids, with the occasional buzz hinting at the wines to try. The highest bid reached was $4,560 for a case of a distinctive Cabernet cuvée from Chappellet.
Outside in the glaring sun, I visited various food stalls and joined the lengthy queue for a Buttermilk Fried Chicken slider with a sweet and spicy sauce, a favorite from Thomas Keller’s Ad Hoc. Accompanying my meal, I chose a crisp, chilled rosé from Gallica winery out of the 58 available wine options.
The evening transitioned to one of the 18 cozy vintner-hosted dinners, offering an opportunity to delve into the Valley’s lifestyle. Each dinner showcased diverse themes and exuded casual elegance with the involvement of prominent chefs. My choice of dinner featured an abundance of meat. Napa is renowned for its exceptional cuisine, with thematic options available like the “Feast Like a Roman” dinner that provided dishes inspired by Ancient Greece and Rome, aptly paired with Pott and Perliss wines crafted in amphorae.
But I always go for the best view, and happily ended up high on Pritchard Hill at Chappellet, where we watched the sun set over Lake Hennessy. And then we dined on oxtail ravioli and dry-aged porterhouse steaks cooked by Michelin-starred chef John Tesar of Knife & Spoon Steakhouse, alongside old vintages that showed just how well the winery’s Cabernets age.
The biggest break from the past was Saturday’s newly configured live auction. The long tradition of holding it at Meadowood was gone, since much of the resort had been destroyed by the 2020 wildfires.
The gorgeous Far Niente winery in Oakville, however, with its historic caves and lavish gardens, originally founded in 1885, reflected very well Napa’s deep history. At the Carriage House reception, we feasted on caviar in tins displayed in silver bowls of ice and drank wonderfully fresh older vintages of Schramsberg sparkling wines.
The community style of the dinner, outdoors next to the winery at long tables with vintners sharing bottles, felt like wine-country harvest dinners everywhere. But the food was strictly Napa, cooked by Michelin-starred chef Philippe Tessier of Press, a frequent recipient of awards in WFW’s World’s Best Wine Lists. Summer truffles, crisp garden salads, and trout rillettes were followed by Flannery Beef 21-day Tomahawk steaks, to go with the many Cabernets being poured.
At my table, the 2014 Robert Mondavi Stags Leap District Cabernet in magnum was clearly the standout. The discussion was politically charged—with my companion being the silver-haired Democratic Representative Mike Thompson, a local from the region who has served California’s wine country since 1998.
The attire was diverse yet fashionable. Cyril Chappellet donned a custom-made grey Kemo Sabe cowboy hat teamed with a vivid red shirt; Michel Rolland was dressed in a finely tailored blue suit without a tie, accessorized with signature black-framed spectacles; Garen Staglin wore a dark blue velvety vest adorned with elaborate silver buttons and a pocket square. Women opted for airy dresses, occasionally paired with denim or leather jackets, and some guests brought along their dogs.
I enjoyed Far Niente’s luxurious, sweet Dolce with the dessert, followed by a lively band leading us down numerous stone steps to the Gazebo Lawn for the auction. Honorary chairs Jeff Smith and Carolyn Duryea from Hourglass winery greeted everyone warmly, and the auction began. Each item was showcased on a large screen as the generously wined crowd relaxed on sofas and chairs on the grass.
Although only 15 lots were auctioned, as opposed to the dozens in previous years, the offerings retained a semblance of past opulence—a trip to Tokyo, a Paris Fashion Week experience, gold and diamond Chanel bracelets. Lot 3, courtesy of Hall Winery, promised a lavish two-week journey on the mega yacht The World, also a consistent winner in the World’s Best Wine Lists, fetched $230,000. Chappellet’s Lot 7, priced at $110,000, offered VIP seats at the National Rodeo finals and VIP passes to a Las Vegas concert featuring country music celebrities George Strait and Chris Stapleton, including large bottles of Chappellet Cabernets. The premium lot, a Staglin Super Barrel dinner with proprietors of five iconic Napa estates, collected a substantial sum resembling past figures: $750,000. Twenty couples acquired spots at $25,000 each, and one individual spent $250,000 for the privilege of sitting next to Michel Rolland at the main table. The excitement peaked as golden streamers flew, shimmering under the moonlight.
Next year’s auction weekend is scheduled for June 6–7, 2025. It is expected to be an even larger event.