2006
AUCTION NAPA VALLEY - NAPA VALLEY, CA -
American Idol's Ryan Seacrest hosted
the 26th annual Auction Napa Valley's Live Auction on Saturday June 3rd. The annual event is held on the grounds of the Meadowood
Napa Valley. Seacrest, along with auctioneers Fritz
Hatton and Ursula Hermacinski began the evening by offering
4 tickets and backstage passes to American Idol. Two successful bidders, each bidding $35,000,
brought in an immediate $70,000 in the first round, and we were off and running. Seacrest, apparently an a big wine lover and collector,
seemed quite comfortable mixing with the crowd, and despite the grueling heat and humidity, showed great composure and never lost a beat.
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Television and movie star Geena Davis was also there to help sell the
Frank Family Vineyards lot that featured a walk-on role
in Davis’ upcoming film based on her
television show, Commander in Chief. Davis, as the President in the series, tried to motivate the to continue to raise their bids with,
“I am the fake president and you must do as I say.”
Koerner Rombauer, of Rombauer Vineyards
had the winning bid, landing the walk-on part.
The top-of-the-mark, king-of-the-hill Record-breaking Lot #9, was truly THE big ticket item. Referred to as the “new French Connection,”
the Lot was provided by Staglin Family Vineyard, and featured 5 large format
bottles PLUS a trip to France, hosted by Shari and Garen
Staglin. A huge bidding war ensued that
brought the final value of the Lot to $1.05 million. As a result, bidder Joy Craft of Woodside, CA
established a new record, and described how she was proud to be in a position of philanthropy,
as she came from humble beginnings, growing up on a farm in
South Carolina. Garen Staglin commented, “We are honored
to have contributed this lot that touched a bidder to respond
so generously to our community.”
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As the event drew to a close, the Napa Valley Vintners had raised nearly $8.4
million from 60 Live, 105 Barrel and 62 E-lots
offering outstanding collections of wine, vintner-hosted
events, as well as luxury items and travel adventures donated by the
group's wineries. One lot, donated by Cakebread Cellars, Dyer Vineyards,
Lail Vineyards and Oakville Ranch Vineyards included a 2007
Chevy Suburban donated by General Motors to be given to
one of the Auction’s beneficiaries.
Winning bidders Rick Jones and Chuck McMinn won the lot, and drew the final recipient's name from a hat: the Community Action of Napa Valley’s
Shelter Project.
The chair of this year’s event was the Cakebread
Family. The family took the stage
to toast all of the bidders, vintners and nearly 900 volunteers
who made this event possible. Family spokesperson Dennis Cakebread
said: “This is terrific, just terrific. After last
year’s blow-out for the 25th anniversary, we and the
board of directors had budgeted $5 million in revenue and
had told our beneficiaries to remember that last year was
a gift, not a signpost for the future. So we are thrilled
with the results and had a great time showing off our valley’s
excellent hospitality.”
The event over, everyone adjourned to what is referred to as "The Party,"
where celebrity chefs had prepared signature dishes, and the wine flowed freely. What a time!
| Auction
Lots |
Winning
Bid |
| 2006 10 Top Live Lots |
|
Staglin Family Vineyards,
Bidder: Joy Craft of Woodside, CA
5 large format bottles and a trip to France hosted by the
Staglins
|
$1.05 million
|
Screaming Eagle,
Bidder: M.K. Koo of Hong Kong
12 magnum vertical from 1992 forward
|
$460,000 |
Colgin Cellars,
Bidder: Stratton Sclavos of Sarasota, Florida
4-3 Liter bottles, Tychson Hill Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon
and dinner for 8
|
$380,000 |
Harlan Estate,
Bidder: David Reis of Rye, NY
10 magnum vertical from 1993 forward and dinner for 8
|
$340,000 |
Frank Family Vineyards,
Bidder: Koerner Rombauer of St Helena, CA
12-750ml bottles and 5 magnums Cabernet Sauvignon and a
walk-on role in Commander in Chief,
a movie based on the TV series with Geena
Davis
|
$305,000 |
Chair’s Lot,
Bidder: Koerner Rombauer of St Helena, CA
98 bottles of Cakebread Cellars wine, plus ten cases, a
2006 Z06 Chevrolet Corvette, high performance driving school
and luxury trip to Arizona.
|
$300,000 |
Dalla Valle Vineyards,
Bidder: M.K. Koo of Hong Kong
6-750ml bottles and 1-9 liter Maya along with a dinner with
Naoko Dalla Valle.
|
$200,000 |
Duckhorn Vineyards,
Bidder: Larry Durham of Montecito, CA
Wine Country package plus 25 magnums
|
$200,000 |
Joseph Phelps Vineyards,
Bidder: M.K. Koo of Hong Kong
12-750ml bottles and 1-9 liter Insignia Proprietary Red
Wine
|
$180,000 |
Robert Mondavi Winery,
Bidder: Koerner Rombauer of St Helena, CA
Excursion to Italy to the roots of the Mondavi family along
with 43 bottles of wine from 1966 forward |
$180,000 |
Arietta Winery,
Bidder: Jess Jackson of Santa Rosa, CA
Dinner for 20 and 20 bottles of wine |
$180,000 |
| 2006 10 Top Barrel Lots |
|
| Shafer Vineyards, |
$37,500 |
|
Pride Mountain Vineyards, |
$28,000 |
| Jones Family Vineyards, |
$26,550 |
| D.R. Stephens Estate, |
$24,550 |
| Joseph Phelps Vineyards, |
$23,250 |
| HDV, |
$22,150 |
| Cliff Lede Vineyards, |
$18,200 |
| Clark-Claudon Vineyards, |
$16,550 |
| Viader Vineyards & Winery, |
$16,250 |
| Hartwell Vineyards, |
$14,950 |
| 2006 Top 10 E-Lots |
|
| Beringer Vineyards, |
$48,100 |
| Domaine Chandon, (duplicated by the donors, 2 lots
of $17,400) |
$34,800 |
| Spring Mountain District Assoc., |
$15,500 |
| Franciscan Oakville Estate, |
$12,200 |
| ZD Wines, |
$10,100 |
| Howell Mountain Vineyards, |
$8,500 |
| Sherwin Family Vineyards, |
$8,000 |
| Broman Cellars, |
$7,000 |
| Mumm Napa Valley, |
$6,400 |
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