ADVERSE WEATHER DIDN’T STOP BUYERS FROM DESCENDING ON NAPA FOR THE ANNUAL WINTER AUCTION
story by Jonathan Cristaldi / photos by Alexander Rubin
When the final gavel fell on the 2023 Premiere Napa Valley auction, the total raised from 207 wine lots landed at $3.4 million—up from last year’s $2.1 million. The average bottle price of a 2021 red wine was $295, according to the Napa Valley Vintners (NVV).
The excitement for the annual auction, which returned to in-person proceedings after last year’s virtual event, was palpable. Andy Erickson, chairman of the board of directors for the NVV and owner of Favia, summed it up nicely: “We don’t take for granted the joy that comes from this event, especially this year. It’s been really meaningful this week to spend time with friends and business partners from around the globe. We’re so appreciative of their support and are incredibly happy with the results.”
The auction portion was conducted by Sotheby’s, which guided buyers through 137 lots from the 2021 vintage and 53 smaller lots of vintage-dated wine in the Vintage Perspective Auction, offered in an array of five-, ten-, and 20-case lots. Bidding began on February 10 and culminated with the live auction on Saturday, February 25, at the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone in St. Helena, California.
Over 250 trade accounts from 18 countries swarmed Napa Valley to participate, among them buyers bringing exuberant energy and tempered grace even as heavy bouts of rain fell and snow pounded the mountain regions, with some areas receiving 6–18 inches. Geoff Pattison, estate director at Shafer Vineyards, used to attend the auction as a buyer for Wally’s Wine & Spirits in Los Angeles and reflected on the similarities between his former role and his current position: “As a buyer for Wally’s, I would never miss PNV because it provided an incredibly efficient forum to taste and catch up with people from a huge number of wineries in the span of a few days. . . . It’s also a fantastic way to get a good sense of the upcoming vintage from Napa,” he told me. “From the winery side, we enjoy a lot of similar benefits from PNV. It’s such a pleasure to have so many of our supporters come to visit the property; this year we had over 200 friends stop by our trade reception at the winery. PNV creates that week where everyone is in town so we can pull out all the stops to share our current releases, library gems, and previews of new wines. It’s all about connection, and PNV makes that happen.”
At the close of bidding, the top three lots this year included cuvées from BRAND ($108,000), crafted by Matt Johnson and Philippe Melka; TOR ($86,400) crafted by Jeff Ames; and Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars ($75,600), crafted by Marcus Notaro. (Note: All figures are courtesy of Sotheby’s and include the buyer’s premium.)
One of the most profoundly dynamic lots, which stood out for its heady floral and mineral aromatics and purity of flavor and texture, was a 2021 Matthiasson Cabernet Sauvignon from the Phoenix Vineyard in the Oak Knoll District. The 60-bottle lot sold for $15,120 to a group of buyers from Ellerbe Fine Foods out of Fort Worth, Texas.
“The Matthiasson was a personal wine I really wanted,” said Richard King, Ellerbe’s owner and general manager, “due to Steve’s belief in sustainable farming and always pushing our palates with unique varieties.” I met King at Shafer Vineyards, which held a tasting on Thursday, February 23, in the lead-up to the auction. For him, the return to normalcy was more than welcome. “Nothing is better than sharing a glass of wine with the vintners and owners to hear the stories behind the wine,” he added. “The sense of camaraderie is palpable the entire weekend. You can tell everyone there truly loves wine and is in it for the love and respect of it.” King was excited to realize “a little more diversity of varietals than [in] previous [auctions],” noting he enjoyed tasting some Cabernet Franc, red blends, and even a Chardonnay from Lee Hudson.
Producers across the board are bullish about the quality of the 2021 vintage, and buyers seem very much in line. “I wasn’t surprised how great they were but surprised that some of the samples almost tasted like a finished product,” mused King. “No doubt the ’21s are succulent and fleshy, with fine, ripe tannins that are seductive and full of charm,” said Justin Knock, MW, director of wine at OenoGroup. “And they have plenty of fruit concentration without feeling overdone or overblown. I can only put that down to a temperate growing season and more winemakers taking a lighter approach in the winery.”
Knock’s group bid won all four lots they bid on, which included Favia, Inglenook, Ovid, and Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars. “Ovid is a wine I have admired a lot, it seems to capture the richness and density of Pritchard Hill whilst always showing that hallmark, vertical prow of volcanic tannins and vibrant texture,” he said.
Speaking of the lot from Favia, the winery owned by Andy and Annie Erickson, “we work with a number of wineries where Andy is the winemaker,” explained Knock, “and I’ve always admired the care he takes in letting the site [and] the estate history and the owner to realize their natural potential without Andy showing much of his hand in the style. This is a great attribute and not commonly found.”
My own tastings revealed far too many excellent wines to list, like the previously mentioned Matthiasson lot, but another standout was Lee Hudson’s Premiere Lot 2021 Hudson Trillium Chardonnay from Los Carneros, made by Clayton Kirchhoff: a gorgeous, layered, lemony Chardonnay with the acid backbone of a super-charged Tesla battery. I was also bowled over by the Mayacamas Cabernet Franc, which was dark-fruited and chiseled, with fine-boned tannins. And on a visit to Meadowood to taste with Katie Vogt, the winemaker for Pahlmeyer, I reveled in her dynamic 2021 Pahlmeyer “Right Bank” Merlot-based wine, which harbored tremendous power with structured tannins balanced by lush, plummy dark fruit and tobacco spices. Vogt was pouring a gorgeous 2010 Pahlmeyer Merlot at the Vintage Perspective at Louis M. Martini Winery in St. Helena—that 12-bottle lot sold for over $2,000.
Between the live auction and online Vintage Perspective auction—which offers licensed members of the wine trade the chance to bid on library wines direct from winery cellars—the buyers were thrilled to be back, and they showed it by raising their paddles. The funds raised support the NVV’s efforts in promoting and protecting Napa Valley.
