No “Ice Wine” at Auction Napa Valley
I am having dinner at a restaurant in ______ City (full name is being withheld to protect the guilty!). I just saw the gentleman sitting in a nearby booth take his spoon, take ice cubes out of his water glass, and put them in his glass of red wine! Oh my, oh my – what to do?? Oh, well – nothing to do but continue working to help people enjoy the beauty of wine. He has to have it his way.
Such a contrast in places. Spending a week in Napa Valley is another world. The Auction Napa Valley was a huge hit this year with record-breaking results. Over three days, the total amount raised for area charities was $16.9 Million. This was a phenomenal result.
The event got fully underway with the barrel tasting. The event was hosted at Raymond Winery, and it was a fabulous setting for the day. There were 100 barrels of wine (no connection to 100 bottles of beer on the wall). Bidders have an opportunity to purchase a case of wine from the barrel you’re tasting from. There are a total of 10 cases out of each barrel that are auctioned off to the highest ten bidders. The fun is identifying wines that you like, that you think will be good in a few years when they’re bottled, and that you want to own. The process is that you enter a bid (higher than the last one), therefore becoming one of the ten bids on the board. The barrel tasting lasts for 3 1/2 hours, and the goal is to be on the board at the end of the auction to buy one of the cases.
Frankly, one cannot taste 100 wines and remain objective. Shortly after about 10 tastes, you may like everything! I did take my cup in (a red solo cup) and diligently spit. Tasting from the barrel is different since you are not getting the “finished” product. With a very young wine, you will get a lot of fruit up front and the tannins could be massive as well. You are looking for balance. A lot of fruit with very little acid or tannins may not bode well for the future of the wine. Balance is important, along with the length of the finish. The length of time the wine remains with you after you swallow (or spit) is the one predictor of quality that most will agree on. The longer the better – as long as you enjoy the wine.
I was up on the board on five different wines when we left the barrel room. I was well positioned on Cakebread (for a new blend they made in 2012) and also well positioned on a 2010 Spelletich Family, which was recommended by a trusted friend. But my status on the board was “iffy” for a 2012 Continuum, 2011 Outpost, and 2012 Ovid. On Sunday night, the final results were announced. WOW, was I lucky! Check in next week to learn more…
Cheers!
