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During the beginning of June every year, the Napa valley is transformed. There is a palpable feeling that descends upon the 25-mile stretch of Highway 29. It is apparent by the limousines tooling up the mountain roads and the Silverado Trail, the lack of a decent table at any local restaurant, and the excessive display of wealth seen on well-manicured ring fingers. It is, of course, the Napa Valley Auction. The Napa Valley Vintner’s Association hosts a number of auctions throughout the year, but Auction Napa Valley is THE premiere fund-raising auction in the country (apparently last year, some silly auction in Florida was a tad bigger and now there is this competition of sorts between Naples, Florida and Napa). This year’s ten million raised will be hard to beat by any one’s reckoning. For twenty-five years, the Auction “officially” started on the Wednesday evening before the weekend, with a Wine Spectator-hosted, invitation-only Magnum Party held at Tra Vigne restaurant. Who gets invited? Oh, well-established winery owners, cult winemakers, and other movers-and-shakers in the industry. The caveat? Well, you gotta bring a magnum of ‘your’ wine. Then, over the course of the next few days, leading up to The Big Night, there are various and sundry parties held all over the valley. Some are intimate, like dinner for ten with Robert and Magrit Mondavi in their home. Most tend towards glamour with the hiring of some celebrity chef (last year, there was quite a controversy when Rocco DiSpirito was in the middle of his carwreck of a reality television show, “The Restaurant” and some other chef had to replace him at the last minute). Occasionally, the events get playful like Diamond Constant’s pyjama [sic] party under the stars. But the recurring factor in all these events is the fact that only those with serious capital get to play. The cost for attending the auction? $7,500 a couple. That’s just to get your foot in the door. Bear in mind, most attending don’t live in the valley so there is the added expense of accommodations, a new wardrobe for the event, transportation, and – oh, yeah – they actually expect you to bid on an auction item or two. These are items that generally auction off in the range of a hundred-grand or more. One of the more talked-about lots in this year’s auction is the Frank Family offering of a Desperate Housewives walk-on part and dinner with television star Teri Hatcher. Oh yes, a five-year vertical Frank Family wine is thrown it for good cause (three litres of course!). The night of the auction, one woman was bidding so aggressively on that walk-on part, and upset when she lost the lot, that she was ultimately offered her own walk-on part if she agreed to match the winning bid (she did).
The table was getting crowded with more bottles and more food as I continued through more tasting, diligently attempting to make notes; 2001 Lang & Reed Cabernet Franc demonstrating fresh strawberry and oaky qualities with a dry mid-palate. 1999 Cordero Montezemolo Barolo; Bright and spicy with tantalizing pepper up front. Showed some minerality in the middle and a green herb on the end. 2001 Mongeard – Mugneret Vosne-Romanee; Sexy, sexy, sexy. Words completely escaped me and when Monty passed by me and I asked his opinion, neither of us could get past the fact that it was just amazing. Earthy aromas that were layered and stunning. Stunning mouth feel. Downright erotic. 2002 Etude Pinot Noir; Juicy, big mouthfeel with earthy raspberry entry and tantalizing smoky tease in the mid-palate.
Getting ready to make my departure, I couldn’t resist a 2001 Gregory Graham Syrah; Blackberry liqueur with heaps of spice on the mid-palate and a chewy finish that continued well into the weekend. Lastly, being intimately familiar with Frank Dotzler’s work on Howell Mountain, my final taste of the event was the 2002 Outpost Zinfandel; Perfumed with dark floral and a port-like entry. Initially quite sweet but smooth and bright that expanded to show more spice. Lovely, sweet with fruit on the finish, and a lovely ending to an amazing day.
Previously from Carolyn Tillie: Cal Co-op Tasting Rooms: Tasting on Main CAROLYN TILLIE'S HOME PAGE AND MAIN INDEX © Carolyn Tillie - 2005 |
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© Carolyn Tillie
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Having watched all this excess over the years,
Scott Tracy,
How could this intrepid reporter refuse such an
auspicious invitation? With a half bottle of
Heading to the corner table where Scott and his
boss, La Toque’s owner, Ken Franks, were holding court, a decent crowd had already gathered
and dozens of bottles were distributed on the tables. An easy-going
free-for-all was underway with no organization and no formal pourings
being arranged. I introduced myself and was told to jump in. I
immediately zeroed in on a French bottle and needed no encouragement;
2001
Then I spied an older, rare California offering as I
grasped a 1991
Noting the fact that I was the only one in this
august crowd taking tasting notes, Monty
Preiser introduced himself as a Florida-based wine writer who
was visiting for the summer. He is volunteering at the
Many of us had our eyes on a very special red box
which Scott had sequestered. He finally pulled out and displayed a
bottle he had brought back from France just twelve hours before, a
1961 Château Magdelaine. It took some
special handling in opening it. Bricky and
ascending to tawny orange in color, this was a wine that displayed
earthy and dark, musky qualities with depth of age and aromas that
never, ever gave up. Fabulous pairing with the French fries. 
I happened upon a bottle
2001 
Then, being introduced to
Robin Mitchell of
More
food arrived and more bottles and more new friends as well. I was
introduced to Jeff Morgan, a
Renaissance man in his own right who now only makes wine under
