Auction Napa Valley raises record $18.4m

Auction Napa Valley 2014 broke its record for the second year in a row this weekend raising a staggering $18.4 million.

Friday’s Barrel Lots brought in $1.7 million, a new record for Napa Valley’s top wines. Bidding for special wine and experience packages at Saturday’s Live Lot Celebration raised $12.65 million.

At the time of this writing, the E-Auction (or EX-PERIENCE) lots had brought in $400,000 with several hours of online bidding still ahead.

What is behind the excitement and willingness to spend at the Napa Valley Auction?

In addition to a healthier economy and demand for fine wines, the multi-day event is a tour de force in personal vintner experiences with welcoming dinners and special events leading up to the Friday Barrel Auction and Saturday’s Live Auction Celebration. The event is a who’s who of Napa Valley.

This year, the historic Charles Krug winery hosted the Friday Barrel Auction, bringing Napa Valley’s top wines to their chic, newly renovated Redwood Cellar. The special wine barrel lots of one hundred participating wineries snaked in rows alphabetically around the room from Acacia Vineyard to ZD Wines. providing samples of their auction wine, often along with tastes of older bottles stashed behind the barrels. Pouring their wines are renowned winemakers and owners, such as Margrit Mondavi, Philippe Melka, and Doug Shafer, who were actively engaged with guests at the Redwood Cellar.

Outside the barrel room and spread across the great lawn was the Marketplace—a spectacular walk-around food and wine tasting extravaganza. The Marketplace included five grand tented areas, each with their own line-up of Napa Valley’s top winemakers, bottled wines, and star chefs showing off their culinary prowess.

The lawn was also dotted with several Live Entertainment Stages, water stations, electronic charging areas and special tents for sponsors, such as Lexus, the official car of the Napa Valley Auction. To top it all off, the wineries showcased their Auction Lots on grandly decorated stages around the Marketplace.

Signing baseballs graciously for guests was renowned player, Rusty Staub, in front of the Staglin Family’s auction lot display. The winning bidder of this package will enjoy a whirlwind of insider baseball experiences on the two coasts with the Mets and Giants.