The six Harlan Estate bottles come from Allan Dragone, chairman of Unisource, one of our Premier Corporate Sponsors for the second year. And his wine is a premier donation —93 points from James Laube and Wine Spectator. And if Mr. Laube knows anything, he does know California Reds.
The Colgin and the 6L Certan come from Rene and Jim Nalley, early auction heroes and constant supporters over the years in many, many ways. The Colgin you know as one of our Auction’s favorite wines, just as Ann is one of our favorite founding supporters. This 2003 Herb Lamb Vineyard received 94 points from Parker, who said it will last into the next decade.

And the 6L bottle; well, Parker rated it 96 points and said it is one of the top wines of the vintage. AND he also said it should last at least two and a half to three more decades.

As our wine gnome has written of the Harlan Estate: “So, you can sit there and drool or you can go out and get it.” And of the Colgin and the Certan: “Two stunning wines. Both deserve a place in your cellar.” Or on your table. Long lasting, but who’ll have the patience?

Get us off to a great start. This is all about what we’re here for.

And words of thanks to our donors for allowing us to combine their bottles for this GREAT first lot.

One 5L 2008 Pride Mountain Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon
One 3L 2008 Pride Mountain Vineyards Merlot
One magnum 2008 Pride Mountain Vineyards Cabernet Franc
Three (750ml) 2008 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon
Three (750ml) 2008 Reserve Claret
Three (750ml) 2008 Vintner Select Cabernet Sauvignon
Three (750ml) 2008 Vintner Select Merlot

All large formats are signed by Steve Pride, Suzanne Pride Bryan and Sally Johnson, winemaker. The Reserve and Vintner Select collections are presented in handsome branded wooden boxes and are also signed.

Virtually all of these wines were rated 90–93+ points by Parker. Pride has long produced exceptional wines as noted in the lead in. You want and you need this for your cellar!

A piano — and in tune!

exclusive side of the Napa Valley far above the hustle and bustle of the valley floor.

Prior to your visit, the friendly crew at Terra Valentine will assist you in setting up visits to many small exclusive wineries located in the Spring Mountain District as well as other parts of the Napa Valley. In addition to that, they will assist in setting up dinner reservations, spa treatments, or other activities nearby. Once you arrive, you will have no worries. While you are here, be our guests at Meadowood Resort for two full days of all access to their facilities, including golf, tennis, pools, spas, and croquet.

One of the nights, Terra Valentine’s Winemaker, Sam Baxter, will show off his culinary skills by preparing an amazing feast featuring six courses paired with wines from the Terra Valentine cellar. The evening will begin with a rousing game of Petanque on the terrace before moving upstairs to enjoy the local cuisine prepared by the multi-talented Sam Baxter. This will be sure to be an evening of great food, great conversation, and of course great wine!

As a reminder of the adventure waiting to happen, the winning bidder will receive a signed three liter bottle of the 2008 Marriage.

Here’s your chance for a first-class, top notch, experience. Have a wonderful trip.

Available from April through November only. Subject to availability. Expires one year from auction date.

the critics have been remarkable — consistent ratings in the 90s from The Wine Advocate, Burghound.com, Stephen Tanzer and Wine Spectator. No ratings are available for the 2010 but Parker rated each of the three 2009 vintage wines with 94 points. We know yields are down in 2010 vs. 2009 due to the weather (Pinots by 50% and Chards by as much as 70%), but flavors are reported to be up. Josh tells us: “The Pinot Noirs going to barrel this week are very dark in color with terrific shades of magenta-purple. The aromas are fresh like crushed cherries and black raspberries. Pinot Noir people who love wines with low alcohols but great appeal and mouthwatering acidities will really love this vintage —I just wish there was more of it.” What more could we ask under the circumstances?

The tour, tasting and “open library” wine dinner in Newberg will be incredible: a casual cookout with the Bergström family and vintage treasures from their cellar. We had the pleasure of attending Josh’s winemaker dinner last year. The wines were lovely. He is very friendly and personable, and his wines speak for themselves. You will certainly be thrilled with the event.

Three big bottles from a low-yield vintage. Lucky you!

Producing world-class wines was the vision of two former aerospace engineers, Norman deLeuze and Gino Zepponi, who launched ZD Wines in 1968. At that time, there had not been a winery permit issued in Sonoma County for nearly 20 years; the permit was issued in 1969. After 10 years of producing wine as a part-time business, Norman left engineering to devote all of his time to doing what had become a full-time passion, and over the years, all of Norman and Rosa Lee’s children — Robert, Julie and Brett — have joined the winery staff. Brett deLeuze has been a constant fixture at our Auctions, year in and year out. Brett is now ZD’s president, but at our first Auction, he looked so young the APD carded him.

Your lot and journey, as the winning bidder, does not end with the excellent wine. Join the delightful deLeuze family (they’ve also won awards for their cooking) for an incredible afternoon at ZD Wines in Rutherford. Tour the winery behind the scenes, and then sit down for a Lobster Boil in the Vineyard View Room overlooking the Napa Valley. As part of this fabulous tour and Lobster Boil, you will have the chance to learn if making world-class wine truly is rocket science!
If you have trouble rounding up ten participants, let us know! We will be glad to fill in.

You are invited to participate in the vintage as much as your calendar and travel budget allow — working alongside Carroll in the vineyards during the season, returning for harvest and crush, and tasting along the way to ensure your barrel of wine finishes exactly as you want. Or, if you prefer, Carroll can handle it all for you, from vineyard to barrel, with just a bit of direction over the phone. Either way, your barrel of extraordinary wine will yield 150 standard (750ml) bottles, equivalent to 12 and a half cases.

While the cost of bottling and labeling your barrel of wine is not included in this lot (Red Car is pretty small and not that deep-pocketed!), Carroll and team can make it turnkey to create your own labels, choose your bottles, capsules, and corks, and get your barrel finished off into bottles that you will prize and enjoy sharing with family, colleagues, and friends. With wine of this impressive pedigree, you will also be greatly rewarded through carefully cellaring as much wine as you can keep from opening right away.

Footnote: Bottling costs are about $30 per case. Label design costs will vary widely depending on the winning
bidder’s preferences. Costs could rise if you want a fancy bottle or elaborate label printing technique.

Here is your chance to find out if you REALLY want to be a winemaker or a wine drinker!
It’s Priceless!

Your six-course dinner for six people will be prepared in your home by the masterful Chris Hastings of the nationally-celebrated Hot and Hot Fish Club in Birmingham, AL. The food will be paired with the excellent wines of Hirsch Vineyards and the dinner will be hosted by Jasmine Hirsch. You will have hand-written menus created by Chris, who is an award-winning artist (Garden & Gun “Made in the South” 2010 winner). Gifts for the couples attending will include a copy of Hot and Hot Fish Club Cookbook signed by Chris Hastings, and a magnum of the very limited (only 50 cases total production) 2010 Hirsch Vineyards “Old Dodge” Pinot Noir — created exclusively for Hot and Hot restaurant. (That’s three cookbooks and three magnums total.) Finally, you will receive a private tour, tasting and lunch at Hirsch Vineyards on your next trip to wine country.

Scheduling for the dinner — a Saturday in March, April, May, October or November — must be agreed upon well in advance with the chef and the winery. Chris will provide the food and arrange his travel to Atlanta; Jasmine will provide the wine and arrange her travel to Atlanta. Jasmine will provide the tour/tasting/lunch at Hirsch, which must be scheduled and agreed upon well in advance with the winery.

We’ve saved menus from grand dinners in the past, but we can’t remember one hand-written and signed by the artist-chef.

Be the envy of your friends and heroes with two other couples. Step up and bid this one in.

This just in — Chris Hastings was just pronounced the winner of Iron Chef America — congratulations, Chris!

Most of the wines come from the Hillside Estate block and some come from the original X Block, a total of twenty-two (750ml) bottles and twenty-two 1.5 liter magnums — a 1990–2009 vertical, plus extras of the 2001 and 2006 20th and 25th Anniversary bottlings. Now, where are you going to find these wines on the open market today? Oh sure, some are out there, but many of them can only be gotten from the winery today — if they had enough to sell to you. Beautiful, food-friendly, great wine.

Bob Lindquist and Qupé have been winning awards since 1982. If we had an award for loyalty, friendship and dedication to the Auction, Bob would be one of several recipients of the first batch given. Bob, thanks for all you have done and all you continue to do on our behalf!
Go Dodgers!

Your group will have time for leisure pursuits during the day and special dining experiences in the evening. On one evening, Sam and Mary Celeste will host guests in their private home paired with some very special selections from their personal cellar. A second dinner — set in Blackberry Farm’s Grand Award-winning wine cellar — will feature Chef Joseph Lenn, Blackberry’s Foothills Cuisine and a selection of Colgin wines from Ann’s library cellar as well as current releases, co-hosted by Ann Colgin herself, who will join guests at the table each night.

Colgin Cellars has a deep-rooted passion for producing wines of great concentration, purity and depth, which defines their handcrafted red wines. Coming from extraordinary hillside vineyards, the four wines Colgin produces are unique expressions of the distinct terroirs, uncompromising viticultural practices, and meticulous technique that create wines with a profound sense of place.

All of Ann Colgin’s wines have earned rave reviews in the mid to upper 90s by both Robert Parker and Wine Spectator since their first vintage in 1992. And the same can be said of reviews of Blackberry Farm, with its award-winning food, wine, country-best fly fishing programs, sporting clay course, horseback riding, hiking, etc.

Your package includes:

Two nights lodging for four couples in the Joe Pye Cottage, one of Blackberry’s most luxurious accommodations, offering private porches with rockers, indoor and outdoor wood burning fireplaces, full living space, complete kitchen and dining space, and four bedroom suites with large bathrooms featuring whirlpool tubs and heated floors.

All meals from dinner the night of arrival through lunch the day of departure, including two unique dining experiences hosted by Sam and Mary Celeste Beall and Ann Colgin and Joe Wender of Colgin Cellars.

Any time there is special; this weekend with Ann and Joe and Sam and Mary Celeste will be off the charts.

Hill. Ovid’s team will give you and your five lucky companions a chance to tour and taste the wines of this outstanding estate. Next up is David Arthur Vineyards; for over 25 years a specialist in mountain grown reds, the Long Family will host your group for a tour, tasting and lunch at their magnificent property. Finally, you will pay a call on Montagna, a single red wine estate first established in 2001 by Bob Long. Enjoy
Montagna’s wines in the afternoon light as the shadows lengthen and the Napa Valley vista unfolds far below you.

On Sunday morning, begin your day on the original Pritchard Family’s estate, now Chappellet Winery, founded in 1967 by Donn and Molly Chappellet. Enjoy an exclusive tour of this breathtaking property and a tasting of some of their rare wines. Your explorations continue when you reach Tim Mondavi’s high-elevation property Continuum Estate, overlooking Oakville. Experience a fabulous personal tour of the mountain top property followed by a comprehensive tasting of Continuum over lunch.

Each couple will receive a collection of 2009 wines, one from each featured winery, packaged in a special wooden box. The wines are: Chappellet Pritchard Hill; Continuum Proprietary Red; David Arthur Elevation 1147; Montagna Tre Vigneti; and Ovid Napa Valley Proprietary Red. We found no ratings for the Chappellet or the Montagna, but for the others, in order, Parker 94, Tanzer 91, and Parker 96+. Wow!

Visit will take place on a mutually agreeable weekend to be determined. Transportation, accommodations and other meals not provided.

Lots of great wine is made on Pritchard Hill. Here is a chance to experience and score five great ones! And, please, let us add a footnote. Molly Chappellet wrote a picture book, Gardens of the Wine Country, and if the pictures in it of her “Wild Panoramic Garden” are any indication, a visit there would be worth a trip to California.

proprietary blend with most of the fruit coming from Schramsberg’s J. Davies Vineyard, on Diamond Mountain, and, finally, six Cabernet Sauvignon selections of the Pedregal Vineyard, which has Screaming Eagle, Phelp’s Backus and Dalle Valle as its neighbors.

Instead of dinner at the winery and a trip to Healdsburg, David Fischer, winemaker Cameron Frey and winery Chef Paul Smith will all come back to Atlanta (at some mutually agreed time in the first half of 2013) and co-host an evening of great food and Ramey wines for up to 10 guests in the auction winner’s home, with bottles from the winery’s library to make the wines and the
evening extra special!

The Pedregal Vineyard Cabernet
Sauvignon wines:
2009 in 750ml and magnum
2008 in 3L
2007 in 750ml
2006 in 6L
2005 in magnum
The Annum Cabernet Sauvignon wines:
2009 in magnum
2008 in 3L
2007 in 750ml and magnum
2006 in 750ml
The Hyde Vineyard Chardonnay wines:
2007 in 750ml
2006 in 3L
2005 in magnum
2004 in 750ml
The Jericho Canyon Vineyard
Cabernet Sauvignon wines:
2005 in magnum
2004 in 6L
2003 in 750ml
2002 in magnum
2001 in 750ml
Parker has rated all of these wines except the 2009 vintage. The scores range from 93 to 96+ points, most 94 and above.

A truly fabulous lot from some truly fabulous friends!

Your trip includes Talon Lodge for two with accommodations, fishing, meals, etc. Guests will enjoy four days of luxury lodging and Alaska fishing during B Cellars 2012 Winemaker’s Dinner Series ( July 13–16 or July 17–20). Either Jim Borsack (B Cellars co-founder) or Duffy Keys (B Cellars co-founder) will be at the lodge on the aforementioned dates to share the experience and lead the winemaker series. Guests are met at the Sitka airport where they are taken by boat to Talon Lodge’s private island. Once on the island, they are in the wonderful hands of lodge owners Gwen and Phil Younger and their capable staff. This is “the luxury Alaska fishing experience.” It is B Cellars 5th year as a winemaker series host. Everything is provided for, the best gear, top notch boats, guides — you name it. This could be the fishing experience of a lifetime.

And then, there is wine. These Beckstoffer Cabernet Sauvignon To Kalon Vineyard Reserve wines are Parker rated wines (92–95); each bottle will be signed by Andy Beckstoffer and B Cellars winemaker, Kirk Venge. According to the Wall Street Journal — “Andy Beckstoffer — Perhaps Napa Valley’s Most Powerful Man”…wines from his vineyards are among the most sought after in the valley. The special box will be etched with the Wine Auction 20th anniversary logo.

Fine wine, fine food, fine fishing, and a fine time.

Enjoy two nights for up to six people at the Peay Vineyards Barn House on the remote West Sonoma Coast. The barn sits on top of a hill with breath-taking views of the surrounding ridges and the Pacific Ocean in the distance. One evening, Rob Hunter, chef of Pangaea, will cook a four-course meal paired with library wines from Peay Vineyards’ cellar that Andy says have not moved since they were bottled (though we’ll wager they were laid down). The lot includes a tour of the vineyard with Nick or Andy Peay and an afternoon spent tasting new vintages on their front porch. Lastly, the lot includes a mixed case from the highly praised 2009 vintage, all wines that received raves and high scores from the press. Everything from 2009 that Stephen Tanzer has rated falls within 91–94 points.

Date to be determined by mutual convenience.

Oh, and a few people in the audience have made the trek out to Peay Vineyards in the past. You can ask them how stunning it is! We’ve seen a picture from one of the visits; it’s what you might imagine — enchantingly rustic, like a great place to make — and drink — good wine.

This is the new Mercedes-Benz SLK-class, the third generation of Stuttgart’s folding hard top sports car. The styling is tauter and more aggressive. Your car features a new 1.8L turbo direct-injection 4-cylinder engine presenting 201 horse power and more peak torque than the previous 6-cylinder. You didn’t think they would give you less did you? This is Mercedes-Benz! It will get you from 0–60 mph in 6.5 seconds and features the same top speed as the previous 6-cylinder engine.

It offers new advances in the direct-steer system, electronic stability program, adaptive brakes, staggered width wheels and tires, and a whole lot more. In short, the latest in safety features, the latest in comfort, and the latest in style are yours if you place the winning bid. You don’t want to be on the outside looking in when the gavel comes down—own it for yourself. It’s a fantastic automobile from the preeminent producer of luxury vehicles.

A warm welcome back and hearty thanks, Mercedes-Benz, for making another super automobile available to the Auction.

A Tour de Force in Oregon Wine Country for six WITH golf PLUS Delta roundtrip, first class airfare—July 28 – August 4, 2012

We’re fortunate to be joined this year by a full force of Oregon vintners including Bill Hatcher, A to Z; David Adelsheim, Adelsheim Vineyard; Maggie Harrison, Antica Terra; Josh Bergstrom, Bergstrom Wines; Pat Dudley and Mimi Casteel, Bethel Heights; Robert and Ellen Brittan, Brittan Vineyards; Harry Peterson-Nedry, Chehalem; Pam Walden, Daedalus Cellars; Mary Belando, Dobbes; Rob Stuart, R. Stuart & Co.; Scott Nagle, Trisaetum Vineyards; and Marilynn and Carl Thoma and Tanna Massar, Van Duzer Vineyards.

Pack up your clubs and your palate—you’re on your way to Oregon, where the golf, the Pinot Noir and the weather in August couldn’t be better. You and five others will spend a week in Oregon golfing at two of the best golf courses in the US, taste and dine at some of the best wineries in Oregon with the owner/winemakers and attend the Sunday gala tasting at the International Pinot Noir Celebration, all beginning and ending in Portland with travel throughout Oregon provided.

Chehalem Glenn and Pumpkin Ridge, both located in Portland and world-renowned golf courses at which it’s impossible to get summer tee times, are yours the first week of August. You’ll prime yourself by flying in Saturday, staying at the Marsh Guest Facility and dining with winery hosts in Portland’s culinary variety-land, then wading into Pinot Noir up to your neck on Sunday, tasting Pinot Noirs from 60 of the top producers in the world at the final day of the International Pinot Noir Celebration in McMinnville in the heart of Oregon’s Willamette Valley, followed by a Plate and Pitchfork Dinner in Dundee at star Chef Daniel Mondok’s new restaurant, Paulee.

Your golf march begins on Monday at either Pumpkin Ridge or Chehalem Glenn, escorted by Wild Bill Hatcher, golf-crazy co-owner of A-to-Z/Rex Hill, and Jesse Lange, equally wild and fun-loving winemaker at Lange. Rest up and dine at a nearby winery Monday night, then get ready for Tuesday which includes a balloon ride in the Willamette Valley, an Oregon sparkling wine brunch and barrel tastings at a nearby winery. Dinners are one-ups-man-ship among a close group of winery friends, both Wednesday and Thursday nights.

Wednesday is another golf day with early morning tee times to avoid the heat, leaving enough time to visit several winery cellars before dinner. Thursday is a spa day followed by winery visits and a winery-hosted dinner. Friday is a wrap-up day, open to more cellar visits, shopping, museum going with dinner is finally on your own (we’ll provide suggestions, of course) and you relax again at The Allison before a Saturday morning flight.

Thanks to longtime auction friends Harry Peterson-Nedry, Chehalem, and Maria Stuart, R. Stuart & Co., for putting together this fabulous lot. And cheers to Delta Air Lines for adding the airfare.

Jerome is well prepared for the challenge as a master chef. He met Louise while cooking an auction dinner at her house — or so the story goes, and it’s too good to refute. If he can cook well enough to win Louise’s hand, that’s recommendation enough for anyone.

Joel and Joan’s cellars (plural, please) house some truly great wines, especially Pinots and Rhones. Louise and Jerome love Burgundy and Bordeaux and also have a nice cellar, so your wines for the evening should be extraordinary. And we haven’t even mentioned that, as you undoubtedly know, Joel is the purveyor of some of the finest seafood and meats for Atlanta’s and the Southeast’s top restaurants, and he has promised Jerome the best product/ingredients for the dinner.

What could be better? A French chef working with top ingredients, wines from two great cellars and a beautiful sommelier. Take advantage of a bribe.

In 1996 Don and Trish Stephens purchased their 35-acre property on Howell Mountain Road in the Saint Helena area of the Napa Valley, and began to attain their dream of someday creating a world-class wine. Trish, an interior designer, designed and built their French-European home on a four-acre plateau above the vineyards and indigenous olive trees. She is currently planning the addition of a wine cave with a dining hall and wine library, which will hold the Estate’s legacy wines and provide a venue for large scale entertaining. Don and Trish planted the nine-acre Moose Valley Vineyard in 1996 and had their first release of their 1999 vintage D. R. Stephens Estate Moose Valley Cabernet Sauvignon in 2002.

Your two-night stay at the fantastic Meadowood Napa Valley Resort is for three couples. While you are there you will enjoy lunch at D. R. Stephens Estate. Your lunch will be paired with Estate wines from current and library releases. Finally, the three couples will receive a tour, tasting and barrel sampling at HUNNICUTT Winery — the Stephens family’s new wine facility. Check to see, when making your plans, if Justin Stephens, who has made such a hit with our auction crowd, is available to act as your host; Hunnicutt just happens to be his middle name.

Meadowood stay available Sunday through Thursday nights, November through August.

A super lot from D. R. Stephens Estate and a big thank you to Justin and his family for their continuous support of our Auction and the High!

Crystal Bridges, founded in 2005 by the Walton Family Foundation, opened on November 11, 2011 to worldwide acclaim for both its architecture and its extraordinary permanent collection spanning five centuries of American paintings, sculpture and works on paper. The Director’s Circle members are privileged to be offering this opportunity— limited to just twenty-five participants at the request of our hosts. But our winning bidder will be even more privileged — far more. He or she and their party of three will depart and return via the luxury of a private jet. Board at your leisure at Peachtree Dekalb and return the same way. Private jet travel is the ultimate! Bubbles will be provided — let the fun begin. Thank you, Terry Stent, for securing the jet.

This is date specific: depart Saturday morning, May 12, 2012 at 10:00 am; return Sunday afternoon
about 6:00 pm.

We’ve said it before: a museum tour with Michael Shapiro as your guide is a marvelous adventure in art; just imagine adding Henri, Elizabeth and Don.

Leaving on a jet plane! Flying HIGH style!

Next, drive north to the Napa Valley and enjoy a luxurious two-night stay at Meadowood Napa Valley. Meadowood has gorgeous verdant croquet lawns, a nine-hole golf course, hiking trails, a pool, a health spa, a wine educator, quaint cottages, and a three-star Michelin restaurant. Stay at the resort the whole time, or ask Rich Frank for suggestions of his must-visit tasting rooms.

While in Napa, enjoy an exclusive tour of the winery and grounds and a tasting of Frank Family Vineyards’ limited-production wines with owner and former President of Disney Studios, Rich Frank and winemaker Todd Graff. From there, you’ll drive down the Silverado Trail and navigate up the steep dirt road that leads to Frank Family Vineyards’ crown jewel vineyard, Winston Hill. Among spectacular views of the Napa Valley you’ll enjoy a sunset toast. Dinner will follow at Rich Frank’s beautiful home on the property, hosted by none other than Atlanta’s own, Chef Scott Serpas. Serpas is known for his “true food” approach to cuisine with an edge. His restaurant, Serpas True Food, has received local and national acclaim since its January 2009 debut and was named one of the 10 “Best New Restaurants in America” in 2009 by GQ magazine.

And, there is more…Andrea Immer Robinson, Master Sommelier (one of only 14 women in the world to hold the title), author of the Wine Bible, and chef lives in St. Helena and will host a private food and wine pairing experience in her home. Plus, she will give each couple a set of her stemware, The One™ Stems. This will be a fun, instructive, and lively event — a nice addition!

Au Bon Climat
2009 California Pinot
Noir Isabelle

Barbour Family Vineyards
2008 Cabernet Sauvignon

Chateau Boswell and Jacquelynn
2006 Jacquelynn

Colgin Cellars
2008 Syrah (etched
with Colgin label)

Crocker & Starr
2009 Premier Cabnernet
Sauvignon Estate Old Vine

D.R. Stephens Estate
2006 Moose Valley
Vineyard Napa Valley
Cabernet Sauvignon

Iron Horse Vineyards
2007 Wedding Cuvee

Jordan Vineyard and Winery
2003 Cabernet Sauvignon

Kosta Browne
2009 Russian River Valley
Pinot Noir

Lambert Bridge Winery
2007 Cabernet Sauvignon,
Sonoma County

Oakville Ranch Vineyard
2008 Cabernet Sauvignon

Paul Hobbs Winery
2005 Cabernet Sauvignon
Napa Valley

Qupé
Bien Nacido X Block
“The Good Nacido”

R. Stuart & Co.
2008 Willamette Valley
Pinot Noir

Ramey Wine Cellars
2008 Ritchie Chardonnay

Realm Cellars
2008 Cabernet Sauvignon

Reynolds Family Winery
2006 Estate Cabernet
Sauvignon

Robert Mondavi Winery
2008 Cabernet Sauvignon
Reserve

Wagner Family of Wine
2010 Conundrum

ZD Wines
2010 California
Chardonnay
This is an honor roll of winery heroes to our Auction — all long-time participants, some all 20 years, and the source of soaring bids in Auctions past. We think you know all these folks and their wine well enough that we don’t need to extol the juice in these big, beautiful bottles — just look at their names. We learned early on at our Auction that the wineries don’t send us bad juice; they send their best. This is certainly true in a lot this prominent.

And while we’ve listed our honoree donors alphabetically, we must add that the first listed, Au Bon Climat, just happens to lead the list both ways. Jim Clendenen’s auction lots over the years have sold for total bids which eclipse all others. All these folks are stars, Jim just happens to have shined brightest.

What will this go for? We can honestly say that anything short of a huge sum would surprise us. Priceless, indeed!

Kentucky Derby Experience! You receive: two finish line tickets for the Kentucky Derby on
May 5, 2012; two tickets for the Kentucky Bluegrass Wine Auction and Derby on May 3, 2012;
two tickets for the Kentucky Oaks on May 4, 2012; exclusive invitations to Kentucky Bluegrass
Wine Auction Vintner Dinners on Wednesday and Friday nights; private tours of Ashford Stud
and Darley Horse Farms with lunch at the Windy Corner Café; four-night accommodations at
the Downtown Lexington Hilton; and transportation to all of the above events from the Downtown
Lexington Hilton — and more importantly, back again.

Then it’s off to Napa Valley where you’ll have overnight accommodations for three couples for
two nights in spa suites, including breakfast, at Bardessono, a contemporary hotel located in
charming Yountville, Napa Valley. While you are there, you will enjoy a private, hosted gallery
tour and tasting for six at nearby Ma(i)sonry Napa Valley. Guests who visit Ma(i)sonry can
admire or acquire art and furnishings that encompass works from 16th century European craftsmen
to contemporary artists and designers, all while savoring limited production, artisan wines.
Those who’ve been there tell us it’s fabulous.

Wait, there’s wine too! Your three-year vertical of 6L bottles of Blackbird Illustration Proprietary
Red wine in hand-etched bottles signed by winemaker Aaron Pott for you to take home.
Parker rated 91, 92, 90; this blend of mostly Merlot with Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet
Franc is completely outstanding! Parker calls them Pomerol-inspired wines from Napa Valley
that are succeeding!

The Kentucky Derby, Blackbird Wine, a stay at Bardessono in Napa Valley and a tour and
tasting at Ma(i)sonry — what an incredible lot! It’s the chance of a lifetime.

Michael Polenske goes all out with this one. We’ve skimmed the surface in our descriptions of
Bardessono and Ma(i)sonry — both could take paragraphs. And you’ll want to meet Michael,
too. Heck, he may be worth the trip.

The Napa Valley Film Festival combines the best of independent films, artisan foods and boutique wines. Attending is about joining filmmakers and other film lovers in an immersive experience around the art of cinematic story-telling. Enjoy the festival for all five days, November 7–11, 2012; access to all film screenings; access to all Festival Panel Discussions, including access to Buick Tweet House, restricted to Patrons and Media; access to all wine tasting pavilions and the Bosch Culinary demonstration stage; access to late night Napa festivities; and the WRAP PARTY on Closing Night (as of 11 pm)!

Did we hear you ask about the parties? There’s the Opening Night Gala at Robert Mondavi Winery; Tributes to Top Filmmakers and Celebrities; the Closing Night AWARDS Ceremony; and the Closing Night WRAP Party. The Gala Dinner with the directors, writers, actors, producers featured at the Napa Valley Festival 2012 will be hosted by Whetstone Wine Cellars.

In your spare time, you need to work in your three course lunch and tasting of current Whetstone wines with Michelle and Jamey Whetstone at their NEW CHATEAU! And in between the events, you can rest up at your accommodations for two nights at the White House Inn, Napa Valley.

From those who’ve been to Jamey’s new digs, we’re told it’s a neato, peachy-keen place. Now’s your chance to be part of the glitz and glamour of the film scene. Are you ready to party?

But here the focus is on David and what must be his extraordinary cellar. He has given us in this lot 19 (750ml) bottles and one magnum — twenty bottles to celebrate our 20 years. And what bottles they are. We list them below without comment, except for the Parker ratings, and except to observe that (1) the ’85 Groth, when first reviewed, was Parker’s first 100 point Napa cab, and (2) the average Parker ratings for these 20 wines is 95.35. Here they are — all together, seven Napa and thirteen Bordeaux.

And, oh yes, one more. David said this list just had to include one Ramey; so there it is. He’s added the 2004 Pedregal (Ramey’s gem of a vineyard) Cabernet.

1984 Groth Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Parker: 94
1985 Groth Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Parker: 98
2001 Harlan Estate Red Wine Parker: 100
2001 Bond Melbury Red Wine Parker: 98+
1985 Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon, magnum Parker: 92
1986 Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon Parker: 96
1987 Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon Parker: 98
1990 Chateau Leoville Las Cases Parker: 96
1982 Chateau Leoville Las Cases Parker: 95+
1990 Chateau La Mission Haut Brion Parker: 96
1990 Chateau Leoville Barton Parker: 93+
1990 Chateau L’Angelus Parker: 96
1990 Chateau L’Arrosee Parker: 90
1990 Chateau Le Bon Pasteur Parker: 91
1982 Chateau Le Bon Pasteur Parker: 96
1986 Chateau Gruaud Larose Parker: 96
1985 Chateau Gruaud Larose Parker: 91
1989 Chateau Lynch Bages Parker: 99+
1986 Chateau Talbot Parker: 96
1986 Chateau Rauza- Segla Parker: 96
2004 Ramey Pedregal Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon

Thanks to an extraordinary supporter for an extra special lot of wines.

On night two, you’ll have the privilege of 10 tickets (including parking passes) to the Yankee Owner’s Luxury Suite for the baseball game of your life. Charlie Palmer and his family have been invited and would love to join you — Charlie loves baseball and will make every effort to be in town for the game you select. Also, the folks from Aureole will join you — a form of payback for the wonderful evening you experienced the night before. We’re guessing there might be a few adult beverages and plenty of ballpark favorites to more than satisfy your cravings as you root for New York’s finest.

After you recharge from your food/wine/baseball extravaganza, Lambert Bridge invites you to chill out and relax on the West Coast with a two-night stay in their newly renovated estate guest cottage overlooking their vineyards in the heart of the Dry Creek Valley. There, you’ll enjoy a private tour and tasting with Andy Wilcox and have the chance to meet winemakers Jill Davis and Jennifer Higgins as you uncork some of their latest vintages and dabble in some of this family winery’s 37-year-old library.

One evening of your West Coast stay, you will experience Charlie Palmer’s culinary mastery at his West Coast Gem, Dry Creek Kitchen. Showcasing Sonoma’s bounty and firmly committed to the farm to fork movement, at least 85% of their fabulous menu is sourced from within seven miles of the restaurant. We promise some rare blends from Lambert Bridge (and who knows what other surprises) will make it to your table for this special night on the square in downtown Healdsburg.

AND something to help remember this trip of a lifetime — a 3L bottle of Lambert Bridge 2007 Sonoma County Cabernet Sauvignon signed by winemakers, Jill Davis and Jennifer Higgins.

Lambert Bridge Winery’s contributions to our Auction over the years have been nothing short of stupendous. Cheers to Lambert Bridge, The New York Yankees, Charlie Palmer, and Andy for pulling this all together!

Second, It’s About Place! The two winning couples will reside for three nights at the exclusive Hotel Healdsburg featuring 45 spacious rooms and 10 magnificent suites. Guest rooms are adorned with Frette linens, work desks, complimentary wireless and include a gourmet harvest breakfast and valet parking. Beautiful gardens and lawns highlight the landscaped grounds. The Dry Creek Kitchen, creation of acclaimed Chef Charlie Palmer, features a seasonal locally sourced menu of French Progressive cuisine. The Spa offers the finest beauty and body treatments, a fitness center, 60 ft garden swimming pool & Jacuzzi. It’s no wonder that Hotel Healdsburg was named one of the “Worlds Best Hotels” (2009 2011) by Travel and Leisure Magazine.

And, It’s About the Experience! You will all engage in a super unique luxury culinary foraging adventure through the Russian River Valley followed by dinner at the Paul Hobbs Winery. And, you KNOW that the dinner will be paired with Paul’s sensational wines from his various projects. The exact nature of the wine experience will vary depending on the season chosen for your extravaganza. You will need to check early with the winery to coordinate Paul’s availability to participate in your visit.

To ensure that you remember this glorious event, each couple will receive a magnum of Paul Hobbs 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley — a blend of four hallmark terroirs: Beckstoffer To Kalon, Beckstoffer Dr. Crane, Hyde, and Stagecoach. The wine received 93 points by Parker.

Please redeem by April 2013; Hotel stay and Paul Hobbs Winery dinner to be redeemed Sunday through Thursday only.

If you could catch time in a bottle, and wishes and dreams would come true?

Some years back, the Johnsons bought an auction lot with Chef Robert Gerstenecker at Park 75, The Four Seasons, and a fast friendship was formed. An award-winning chef (and all around great guy), Robert has cooked for Katie and West in their home as well as in his own restaurant’s kitchen. For your fete, he will set up an amazing spread of small bites while he does a cooking demo. Then, he and his skilled staff will exquisitely prepare your dinner. With the feast, you will enjoy wines from Bevan Cellars with surprises from Katie and West’s cellar, too. If you pick a balmy late spring or early fall evening, our bet is that you will dine al fresco and once the stars come out, you’ll retire to the wine cellar for all kinds of discovery and more merriment.

Robert Parker on Bevan Wines: “Although last year I gave superb reviews to two of Bevan Cellars’ wines, this year’s extensive portfolio was one of the revelations of my tastings. A small artisanal operation in Santa Rosa run by Russell Bevan and his partner, Victoria De Crescenzo, Bevan Cellars has assembled a stunning line-up of wines. I think the tasting notes say it all, but I can’t recommend this up-and-coming producer’s wines highly enough.” Katie and West met the folks at Bevan through friends in Napa and had a great tasting with them one afternoon in their tasting room in Napa—a picnic table behind the Oakville Grocery.

For your evening, Russell Bevan will plan to pour: 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon Bab’s Cuvée; 2009 Red Wine “EE”; 2009 Red Wine The Curmudgeon; 2009 Proprietary Red The Whitney; 2009 Ontogeny; 2011 Sauvignon Blanc; 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon; and, 2008 Proprietary Red Danger D. It is not unknown for Russell to bring extra wine, so along with whatever Katie and West produce, the wine will flow. The winning bidder also receives a magnum of 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon to keep.

We can’t thank Katie and West enough for all they do. We know this will be a wonderful time! Are you ready? Paddles way up!

Note: Blackout days do apply so please schedule in advance.

Even with all the glories of their past achievements, our co-chairs have come together again to create a stupendous lot of 28 great bottles, each one in some way memorializing their Auction. We’ve often said that knowing the winemaker or associating some special event or person with a bottle of wine really does make the wine more enjoyable. Now we have 28 bottles, each with a story behind it and a host of memories to go along with it. All of the bottles are magnums; some from the vintage of the donor co-chairs; a Mondavi from the year Bob was our guest; the two bottles from Joy Sterling for the Women of Wine year.

We need not go on about the wine; just see for yourselves:

1993 Cindy Fowler, Wanda Hopkins, and
Helen Rieser: 2000 Qupé Syrah

1994 Nena Griffith and Lee Denny Griffith:
1997 Mondavi Reserve Cabernet

1995 Nena Griffith and Margaret Perdue
Denny (see 1994 and 2002)

1996 Donna Masinter: 2003 Chateau Pavie
Macquin, Bordeaux

1997 Rene Nalley and Sharon Wiggins:
1995 Chateau Lagrange, Saint-Julien

1998 Nancy Hooff and Barbara Slick: 1998
Billecart-Salmon Champagne Brut

1999 Jerilene Slaughter and Cary Weems:
1999 Fiddlehead Cellars Oregon Pinot
Noir, Oldsville Reserve, signed

2000 Louise Bray and Sara Steinfeld: 2007
Sokol Blosser Pinot Noir Dundee Hills,
2001 Chateau Montelena Cabernet and
2002 ZD Cabernet

2001 Marsha Taylor, Laurie Willcoxon and
Dina Woodruff: 2000 Fattoria de
Pupille-Saffredi, Maremma Toscana
Red Wine

2002 Margaret Perdue Denny and Margaret
Denny Dozier: two magnums 1999 Iron
Horse Joy! Estate Bottled Brut

2003 Sarah Goodman and Karen Parker:
2003 Quintessa Rutherford Napa
Valley Red

2004 Jane Hunecke and Nancy Bryant: 2004
Flaccianello Della Pieve Dry Sangiovese

2005 Kristie Abney and Elizabeth Willett:
2005 Jacquelynn Cabernet

2006 Lorri McClain and Suzanne Salmon:
 2006 Chateau Palmer Margaux Red

2007 Robin Howell and Katie Johnson: 2007
Dominus Napa Valley and 2005 Ramey
Cabernet, signed

2008 Liz Lazarus and Joan Marmo: 2008
Beaux Freres Estate Pinot Noir

2009 Crystal Cox and Karen Hughes: 2006
Niner Fog Catcher Paso Robles, signed
and 2007 Kosta Browne Sonoma Coast
Pinot Noir, engraved

2010 Michelle Edwards Crosland and Christine
Ragland: 2002 Cos D’Estournel Saint-
Estephe Red Bordeaux

2011 Louise Sams and Michelle Sullivan:
2003 Araujo Estate Cabernet Eisele
Vineyard; 1998 Colgin Cellars Herb
Lamb Vineyard Cabernet; 2006 Merry
Edwards Pinot Noir Flax Vineyard;
and 2007 Frank Family Vineyard
Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, signed

2012 Merry McCleary and Carmen Pope:
2007 Hartford Court Arrendell Pinot
Noir and 2000 Martinelli Three Sisters
Vineyard Pinot Noir

And a vote of thanks to Sara Steinfeld for gently extracting such impressive bottles from all the others—and to Paul for gently handling these beautiful bottles.

Mike will do a pen and ink with colored felt pens, 14” x 17” and framed. He may want some photos as a guide.

When your friends see a Luckovich on your wall and realize it’s you, you can say: “Oh, Mike and I are old wine-drinking buddies.”

Mike enjoys our Auction. Say “hello” to him, and you’ll catch the mischief, and, by all means, enjoy a sip of wine with him.

1. The site should be wonderful — in the winning bidder’s home or in Cindy Fowler’s lovely abode.

2. The food should be equally wonderful or better — the best available in Atlanta on the designated night. The finest meals we have had in Atlanta have been at the hands of Gerry Klaskala, and we’ve relished them at winemaker dinners at Gerry’s Aria and also winemaker dinners in private homes with Gerry at the stove. Gerry is great all the time, but he seems to really shine when putting together special creations for a special event. And this event should be special — read on.

3. Your servers for this fabulous meal will be glamorous and well practiced, though not exactly rehearsed in events as grand as this one. Helen Rieser, Wanda Hopkins and Cindy Fowler are our Auction’s Founding Co-chairs, the gals who got us off to such a rollicking start twenty years ago. The last 20 years have been kind to them — they look, and are, as beautiful as ever, and you’ll adore them passing hors d’oeuvres, placing dishes just so — serve from the left, girls; remove from the right.

4. And for your sommeliers. Well, what could be better than the twosome who have been serving up world-class wines and world-class winemakers at our Auction for twenty years — your founding Auction Manager and our Chief Taster. Yes, Woodie Wisebram and Dick Denny will be your sommeliers, and they’ll be pouring wines from their cellars to accompany our chefs’ fare — maybe even present a challenge for accompaniment. What’s more, they’ll consult closely with our winning bidder to determine her/his preferences before breaking out their food friendly juice.

5. Not to be outdone by the HIGH profile wait staff and sommeliers, Gerry has added his own set of HIGH profile help at the stove. Can you believe Cindy’s kitchen will have room for Gerry to add Gary Donlick of Bistro Niko, Carvel Grant Gould of Canoe, Peter Kaiser of Twist and Kathryn King, pastry chef extraordinaire of his own Aria. Seeing is believing — buy this and witness the fun.

So gather a group to bid high, or just go it alone and invite up to eleven other foodies for a HIGH old time with some old HIGH friends.

Please schedule on a mutually agreeable night to accommodate our chefs, who will be the only ones of your talented team who actually do for a living what they’ll be doing for your party.

The following morning, after breakfast at the hotel, you will be driven to the winery at Curico. You will stay at the VIP guest house with a pool next to Miguel’s house. You will have lunch at Miguel Torres Restaurant in Curico and then receive a VIP tour of the winery. In the evening you will enjoy dinner prepared by a private chef at the guest house overlooking the vineyards. The following morning, you will tour the local vineyards in the Miguel Torres Land Rover and have a picnic lunch next to 100-year-old Cabernet Sauvignon vines. Afterwards, you return to the guest house and relax in the pool. Dinner will be outside overlooking the vineyards.

On day four, travel by car to beautiful Vina Del Mar and relax at the beach. Have lunch in a seaside restaurant overlooking the ocean and then return to Santiago and relax and shop and have dinner. Rest up for your two-day cruise with Skorpios Cruise Lines which begins the next day. (Please note that the cruise must be scheduled May–August due to weather.) Your cruise ends late on the sixth day and you will return to Santiago. On the seventh and final day, you will be taken to the airport and fly back to Atlanta, again courtesy of Delta Air lines. To ensure that your memories of this fantastic vacation linger long after you return home, you will receive signed magnums of Miguel Torres wines to keep.

So, there you have it. A spectacular week in one of South America’s most vibrant cities and climates — it will be a stunning vacation!

Rancho La Cuna is Jim’s “party house” place atop a hill in the heart of the Central Coast wine country, near Santa Maria. It’s convenient, comfortable and accommodating. You’ll need to get there, via directions from Jim, and then relax and enjoy California wine country lifestyle. Your tour and lunch at Au Bon Climat defies description. We’ve seen a lot of wineries but no other like Au Bon Climat. We’ve been to architectural masterpieces, warehouses, garages, caves, old houses, barns, open air structures with big steel tanks, and wineries carved in the side of a hill, but Jim’s place in the heart of Bien Nacido vineyard is different from them all. And there, after your tour, you’ll enjoy a winery lunch like no other. We’ve long loved Jim’s wines, all the multiplicity of them, but we’ve often said: “Jim’s as good a cook as he is a winemaker.” His lunch on long tables set in his winery among barrels, crates, cases and tanks — you name it — with everyone — vineyard workers, office staff, cellar rats — all in attendance and enjoying every bite and sip of what Jim has put on the table. There may be other winemakers or vineyard owners or celebrity guests — you can never tell. But we’ll promise you won’t forget the meal or the experience.

On your nights out, Jim will entertain you at the Hitching Post (prominent in the movie Sideways) with fellow winemaker Frank Ostini at the stove or directing traffic, and a place called Full of Life Flatbread in Los Olivos. We don’t know that spot, but if Jim does, it must be good. He doesn’t eat or drink except first class.

Oh, the wine. Five 5L bottles. Not just big, but great as well. One each:
2009 Isabelle
2009 Knox
2009 Nuits-Blanches
2009 Dick and Marg Denny Block
2007 Hildegard

The Isabelle, Knox, and Dick and Marg are Jim’s Pinots, the Nuit-Blanches is a huge Chardonnay, and the Hildegard is, like Jim’s winery, different and wonderful (it’s white and really good).

He means it. Let him know we do.

Start by getting there and back, from Atlanta, via a limo bus for all eight — party anyone? Maybe Jim can join you. Once there, and maybe after a short nap, Frank and Pardis have arranged for a choice of a private tour of the Birmingham Museum of Art (Frank is a close friend of Gail Andrews, the Director), private tour of the Barber Motorsports Museum (the world’s greatest motorcycle museum), or golf at Old Overton Club. For nourishment, and additional entertainment, you can lunch at Chez Fonfon, have dinner at Highlands Bar and Grill, and lunch or dinner at Bottega, all with Jim Clendenen providing the wines and his critique of Frank’s cooking.

Your overnight accommodations will be at the convenient Hotel Highland, arranged by Frank. We know you know Jim Clendenen and his wines, and we know you’ll be impressed with Pardis and Frank Stitt and how they and their four restaurants have taken Birmingham by storm. Pardis takes care of creating an inviting, warm and cozy atmosphere, and Frank presents food of varying dimensions — French, Italian, Mediterranean, with a Southern touch from local and only the freshest ingredients. While his cooking is great, he thinks the atmosphere and staff managed by Pardis have been an important part of what brings people back — again and again. Alabama roots and international flavors — a great combination.

And let us assure you, probably unnecessarily, Jim has Au Bon Climat wines that will match beautifully any dandy dish.
Oh, wow!

You and your guests will begin at the Staglin’s Tuscan-designed villa with a tour of their home, scene of the classic Disney Movie “The Parent Trap 2” and numerous other magazine and television documentaries. Hear the stories behind their fine art collection, and play a friendly game of Bocce ball overlooking their terraced, landscaped gardens while enjoying a glass of limited production Italian-inspired Stagliano Rosato de Sangiovese or their Salus Chardonnay. While you work up an appetite, one of Napa Valley’s local celebrity chefs will be in the Steckter House kitchen preparing to engage you in a cooking class where you’ll have a hand in preparing and learning how to create your own three-course meal.

Following the cooking demonstration, venture into the Staglin’s 24,000 square foot underground caves with a glass of Estate Chardonnay while Chef finishes the preparation of your meal. Shari and Garen will serve a selection of Staglin Family Vineyard wines from their library to complement the meal and you can even take a trip with Garen into the cellar to help with the selection. After dinner, sit back and relax on the loggia, under the stars, with port and cigars before retiring to your guest suites. Awaken the next morning for a walk with Garen and Shari through the historic vineyards of the Rutherford Bench on your way to a piping hot beverage and pastry of your choice at the Oakville Grocery. If you’re visiting during harvest, plan on participating as much or as little as you’d like. Did you ever want to harvest your own basket of grapes or be part of the team on the sorting line? Well now you can!

There’s more! David Abreu, Staglin’s vineyard manager for all of their 27 years, will have arranged visits to some of the other properties he manages in Napa Valley. You’ll be treated as a VIP guest at some amazing Estates.

And, that’s not all! Your second evening’s dinner will be with long time High Museum supporters and former Atlanta residents Greg Gregory and Jeff Murray, where you will be wined and dined in their restored 1923 Dutch Colonial feasting on Napa Valley cuisine and vintage and cult CA wines, including the first magnum of wine Greg ever purchased, a 1995 Staglin Estate Cabernet Sauvignon.

The winning bidder will also receive a very rare 3L etched bottle of 2008 Staglin Family Vineyard Estate Cabernet Sauvignon (94 pts WS, 96 pts and Top Ten wines of the year in The Connoisseurs Guide to CA Wines) to complement even the most serious wine collectors cellar.

Restrictions: Mutually agreeable date and time. Lot must be completed one year from purchase date.

WOW! What a deal! Our good friends Chris, Ryan and Todd would like to host a party for 20 at Local Three in the Bushwood private room. They will present a legendary spread — and you know that means unbelievably fabulous! Local Three’s Business Philosophy is: “People Matter Most, Local Is Priority, Seasonal Makes Sense, Authenticity Rules, Quality Governs, Delicious Trumps, Pretense Stinks, Comfort Feels Good, Appreciation Tastes Better, Prudence Sustains It All.” If you have ever been to Local Three, you know that philosophy shines through in everything they do.

But did the Wine Donations Committee come up with juice good enough to match food and ambiance at Local Three? To start things off, there’s Pierre Peters Brut Champagne Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Cuvée de Reserve — Parker (RP) 92. For whites, we offer 1999 Au Bon Climat Estate Chardonnay Nuits Blanches — Wine Spectator (WS) 93 and 2000 Au Bon Climat Chardonnay Santa Maria Valley XX Anniversary Passant des Nuits-Blanches au Bouge — WS 92. And then, there are the reds: 2006 Paul Hobbs Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard — RP 96+; 2007 Crocker & Starr Stone Place Proprietary Red Wine — RP 95+; 1997 Chateau Montelena Estate Cabernet Sauvignon — RP 98; 1998 Viader Proprietary Red Wine — WS 95; 2005 Shafer Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select — RP 97; 2007 Frank Family Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve — RP 95; 2002 Martinelli Russian River Pinot Noir Reserve — RP 91; 2006 Williams Selyem Pinot Noir Westside Road Neighbors — Tanzer (ST) 93; 2007 Sea Smoke “Southing” Pinot Noir — ST 90; 2008 Halleck Pinot Noir Three Sons Cuvée — not rated; and Red Car 2002 Amour Fou Russian River Valley Pinot Noir — WS 90. Did we mention that all of these are in magnums? And we might add — the ratings average 94!!!

To top off this fantastic lot, Tracy Hartley has agreed to do a painting to go along with your Magnum Force party. He will customize it to include the theme, the bottles, the party itself, whatever the winners would like to have included in his whimsical creation.

Many, many thanks to Chris, Ryan and Todd, and to Tracy. A huge salute to your Wine Donations Committee for the wine donations and all of the work they do: Scott Dozier — Chair, Charles Abney — Co-chair, West Johnson — Co-chair, Alan Cattier, Brian Corbett, Scott Creasman, Dick Denny, Bob Fleming, Kevin Hill, Glenn Irwin, Joel Knox, Tim Moore, Chris Soluri and Penn Wells. Another note: Even better than their bottles’ ratings were the members’ comments when they sent their donations.

Let’s get ready to rumble!!!

We asked Eliza for a lot which we could pair against another for a real Auction smack down. She came up with this collection which is so outstanding we had to set it against the mighty duo of Joan and Joel. Here is a vertical celebrating our Auction, with several bottles in their original wooden cases (owc), including a big bottle for Eliza’s first year with us, 2005.

1993 Tenuta dell’Ornellaia Masseto
1994 Caymus Vineyards Special Selection Cabernet Sauvignon
1995 Chateau Mouton Rothschild
1996 Shafer Vineyards Hillside Select Cabernet Sauvignon
1997 Antinori Solaia, owc
1998 Chateau L’Évangile
1999 Chateau Lafite Rothschild
2000 Hundred Acre Cabernet Sauvignon, owc
2001 Sloan Estate Proprietary Red
2002 Verite La Muse
2003 Chateau Cos d’Estournel, owc
2004 Saxum Vineyards James Berry Vineyard
2005 Chapoutier Ermitage le Meal Blanc — 6L, owc
2006 Peter Michael Les Pavots
2007 Harlan Estate Proprietary Red
2008 Tenuta San Guido Sassicaia
2009 TOR Kenward Family Vineyards Beckstoffer To Kalon Cabernet Sauvignon
Clone 337
Taittinger 25th Anniversary

Here’s what Eliza says about this lot: “I realize that it is a mish mash, however, Brian and I do drink all of these wine labels routinely, so it really is a small selection/reflection of our tastes.”

Way to go, Eliza. Beat this, Joel!

There are none of those unintended purchases in this lot. These are some of Joan and Joel’s prize selections bought over the years after careful study. Just read the list.

From Burgundy, all 1993, all 750ml:
Two bottles Domaine Dujac, Charmes-Chambertin
Two bottles Domaine Ponsot Griotte-Chambertin
Two bottles Domaine Leroy Les Beaux Monts, Vosne-Romanee
Two bottles Domaine Armand Rousseau Clos De La Roche
Two bottles Louis Jadot Beaune Clos des Ursules Premier Cru
Two bottles Domaine du Comte Senard Corton En Charlemagne Grand Cru
From the Rhone, all 1993, all 750ml:
Two bottles Château Rayas Reserve Chateauneuf Du Pape
Two bottles Guigal Cote Rotie, La Turque

We all know what a Burgundy hound Joel is, and we won’t prolong this review with critiques or ratings on all his bottles, but Robert Parker’s comments on the Domaine Leroy are a must
He wrote:

“I will keep my tasting notes brief, recognizing that in this situation it is almost criminal to try and describe wines that may be the greatest red Burgundies I will taste in my life. As even the immodest Lalou Bize-Leroy says, these wines are “an accident of nature.” Tasting them, with their extraordinary ripeness, unctuosity, and opulence, with no hard tannin to be found, makes one think that 1993 was a completely different vintage for Domaine Leroy than it was for other Burgundians. Yes, Mama, low yields do translate into physiologically ripe fruit, concentrated wines, and exquisite quality. It goes without saying that everything in this cellar was aged in 100% new French oak (you cannot detect any
oak in the wines because of their concentration), and bottled without fining or filtration — as usual. No, Cindy Crawford wasn’t sitting on my lap as I was tasting through Leroy’s 1993s, nor was I under the influence of either the effusive and persuasive Lalou Bize-Leroy or any chemical substance. My notes are mostly of academic interest since the quantities of wine produced at Domaine Leroy in 1993 are so preposterously low that only cases of certain wines are available.”

My, oh my, oh my!

Joel and Joan have been two of our Museum’s top supporters over the years; she’s on our High Board of Directors.

We have challenged Joel to come up with something that will outdo Eliza. That’s a tall order. What do you think? Who rates the bigger bid? Just try to be the under bidder.

And Joel thinks great Burgundies and Rhones have been unappreciated at our Auction in the past. So we’re challenged to bid it up.

Second, the winning bidder will enjoy a two-night stay at the fabulous Silverado Spa & Resort. The package is for three rooms. It includes six rounds of golf at the Silverado Resort. This package is valid for one year with no blackout dates as long as the stay occurs during a Sunday through Thursday, based on availability.

Third, there are tastings and tours galore with three superstars of female wine fame. Partake in a memorable tastings at Crocker & Starr with Pam Starr; at Corra with Celia Welch; and at Keplinger with Helen Keplinger. That lineup is hard to beat! And, fourth, while you are there, the six of you will have dinner paired with wines with Helen, Celia, and Pam prepared by a female chef at a location to be determined.

Fifth, there is wine to keep! There will be three (750ml) bottles of wine each from Crocker & Starr, Keplinger and Corra to be taken home by the winners. The nine bottles total will result in each couple receiving a bottle from each winery.

Our thanks to Kevin Hill for putting this package together and making it available to the Auction. Now your job is to bid it up and enjoy this glamorous package.

Beat the drums, would-be bidders for these Women Rockstars of Wine and Song.

The evening will feature a private dinner under the oak trees at Antica Terra with Master Sommelier Nate Ready and Chef Daniel Mondok. Chef Mondok is one of the rising star chefs in the Portland area. After training in prestigious bay area restaurants like the “French Laundry” and “Elizabeth Daniel,” Chef exploded onto the Portland scene as the Executive Chef at “The Carlyle.” That was followed by great success at “Sel Gris,” “Foster Burger” and “Genoa.”

Nate Ready’s background includes long stints as sommelier at the “French Laundry” and Wine Director at the iconic Friulano-inspired restaurant “Frasca” in Boulder. He moved to Oregon to find a vineyard of his own where he met Maggie Harrison at Antica Terra with whom he has worked since 2009.

Chef Daniel will cook a five course dinner and Nate will present the wines that most inspire the winemaking process at Antica Terra; Champagnes from Jacques Selosse and Jerome Prevost, Chablis from Francois Raveneau, the very rare white wine from Grange des Peres, Red Burgundy from Comte Liger Belair, Galardi’s Terra di Lavori, and a selection of world-class sweet wines accompanied by a selection of cheese from Steve of “Cheese Bar” in Portland.

The next day will be a culinary tour of Portland. The day will start with a tour of local coffee roasters: Coava, Heart, Barista and Stumptown. That will be followed by Lunch at Olympic Provisions in the Northwest. Following lunch you will visit Portland’s best artisan brewery “Upright” and make a visit to “Distillery Row.” The day will end with a dinner at Gabriel Rucker’s “Little Bird.” That dinner will be paired with a selection of small production, “Natural Wines” from the Jura and Loire Valley.

What a great trip this is! A stunning and eclectic food and wine experience!

The Villa is not only a beautiful and historic property on its own, it’s ideally situated for visiting the great sites of Veneto–Vicenza, a UNESCO protected architectural site and cradle of Palladio; Padova, home to Europe’s second oldest university, second largest Piazza and Giotto’s worldrenowned frescos in the Scrovegni Chapel; Verona, one of Italy’s most beautiful cities and its unbelievable amphitheatre; unique Venice; and the charming Euganean Hills.

As we’ve written often, Ellie is one of the best cooks we’ve ever known, and her grandmother was Italian — she’s at home with the local fare. Dennis is a wine man and an architecture buff. He’s from Ohio, Ellie from Maryland, and they’ve lived in Burgundy now for twenty-five years. Jamie’s full-time job, when not with Papillon, is as a Rick Steve’s guide, and he is an extraordinary historian and gifted storyteller.

Once you get yourself to Venice on Sunday afternoon, you’ll be met and in Papillon’s good hands until your return the following Saturday morning. All meals, except three lunches while on excursions, are included, and Ellie’s four dinners and two lunches will live in your memory of great meals. Dennis and Jamie have two vans so your party can elect to go separate ways if they please. All you’ll have to do is relax, be pampered, and enjoy your educational, food and wine adventure. The itinerary may include a tour of the estate by The Contessa Francesca dei Carraresi whose family has owned Frassanelle since the 1200’s; she’s related to the original Lords of Padova. You can sit back and relax or tour to your heart’s content with Jamie and Dennis, or explore the natural setting on your own, all the while wining and dining.

Papillon in Veneto, what could be more glorious?

Papillon’s Veneto weeks are sold out for all of 2012 and 2013. This week has been set aside for our Auction as a tribute to our twentieth year. The last there is — dates certain, cannot be changed. And, we might add, the twenty Veneto weeks were all booked within days of Dennis sending his email months ago to his prior Papillon visitors. Look around you and there’ll be a bunch of old auction hands who have enjoyed Papillon trips, and not just one, some more than ten.

In addition to this night of indulgence, each of the four couples will receive a selection of eight magnums that will highlight the wines of the evening. Each couple will receive one magnum each of the following 2010 vintage wines:

Château Boswell Ritchie Vineyard Chardonnay
Château Boswell Dutton Ranch “Sebastopol Vineyard” Chardonnay
Château Boswell The Voyage Russian River Chardonnay
Château Boswell Estate Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon
Jacquelynn Cuvee Blanc, Sonoma County — Parker Rating: 92
Jacquelynn Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Cabernet Sauvignon — Parker rating: 93–95
Jacquelynn Beckstoffer To Kalon Cabernet Sauvignon — Parker rating: 94–96
Jacquelynn Cabernet Sauvignon, Oakville

The other wines have not been rated since they are only now being released, but both Château Boswell and Jacquelynn consistently score in the 90’s with both Parker and Wine Spectator.

Josh has been supplying the Auction with outstanding lots of Château Boswell and Jacquelynn wines for years. A special thanks goes to Ashley, who is chef at a Winemaker Dinner this year.
What a wonderful auction lot!

Last year was Arkenstone winemaker Sam Kaplan’s first visit to our Auction. Arkenstone Ranch is located on the Western Shoulder of Howell Mountain. The views looking down over St. Helena and northwestward down the Napa Valley are spectacular. The state-of-the-art winery is partially housed in winery caves deep underground, which allows the winery to move the fruit, during harvest, from the crush pad above to tanks below using gravity. Arkenstone produces three wines for the market: Obsidian (a Cabernet Blend), a barrel aged Sauvignon Blanc and a Syrah. All are Estate Wines. Arkenstone is providing a tour of their extensive winery caves and a walk through the vineyards. Following this there will be a sumptuous lunch paired with Arkenstone’s wines. Last year, Sam Kaplan was elated that his Sauvignon Blanc had
just been designated “Best Sauvignon Blanc of 2010” by Wine & Spirits. Here are six of ’em!

Rounding out this wonderful trip is a lunch at the Oakville Ranch Vineyards followed by a special cooking class. Lunch will be served in the vineyard with general manager Paula Kornell, winemaker Anne Vawter and “all the creatures.” We are sure that this lunch will be paired with some of Oakville Ranch’s great wines like their excellent Chardonnay and don’t forget their Cabernet and red blends! After lunch, you’ll journey to the home of Charles Gautreaux, former proprietor of Vanderbilt and Co., a wonderful home store that was based in St. Helena. Charles will treat you and your group to a cooking class with Paula. This will be an event you simply don’t want to miss!

So, three nights, three tours, tastings and lunches AND wine to keep. You can’t really ask for more than that.

The Yeatman, part of the Relais & Châteaux group, with its breathtaking views over the Douro River and historic city of Oporto, combines understated luxury and stylish comfort to provide a haven for food and wine lovers and is THE place to stay for the discerning luxury traveler. Located high on the south bank of the River Douro in the historic heart of Vila Nova de Gaia, the hotel is surrounded by ancient Port lodges where Port houses such as Taylor Fladgate have stored their Port wine for over three centuries.

Our Special Guest Robert Bower, 8th generation family member, will take you up to the Douro wine region by car for a tour of the wineries, finishing with a lunch at one the vineyards. You may elect to enjoy a romantic massage treatment for couples in the Yeatman’s Vinothérapie® Spa by Caudalie. In the evening the senses will be taken to new levels with a four course tasting dinner hosted by Robert at the Yeatman’s Michelin starred restaurant paired with wines chosen by chef Ricardo Costa that will finish will a classic Vintage Port.

What more could you want? Delta Air Lines has supplied two round-trip business elite tickets for this flight. So, you have the tickets, the Yeatman, the tour, the lunch, the dinner, is there anything more?

Well, then there is WINE! Not just any wine, mind you. The winner will receive a bottle of the world’s oldest and rarest Port — TAYLOR FLADGATE SCION. This 100 Point (Parker) very (very, very) old Tawny port dates back to 1855 when Abraham Lincoln was writing his election speeches and was made before phylloxera devastated the European wine regions requiring all vines to be grafted onto the American root stock. Think about it, the grapes were grown prior to the Civil War and the port was cask aged for more than 150 years! The precious Port was held in one family’s cellar in Portugal’s Douro Valley, with only a small quantity sold to Sir Winston Churchill. Unlike most Tawny ports which are a blend of multiple vintages, this comes from the single vintage. Scion is bottled into a hand-blown crystal decanter and presented in a handmade, 19th century-style wooden box along with a limited-edition, illustrated leather-bound book detailing the wine’s history. Only a few bottles were imported into the US. This is a wine that any wine lover would fight over to have part of their cellar.

The four all-weekend passes to the West of West (WOW!) Festival on August 3–5, 2012 include (1) the Saturday morning Seminars, (2) the Grand tasting of over 30 member and grower wines — many are hard to find gems, and (3) the Saturday evening dinner extravaganza where guests have unprecedented access to member winemakers and owners. If you are still able to function after this bacchanalia, you will be hosted at private tours and tastings at the WSCV member wineries who have provided the magnums listed below. (Tours and tastings to be scheduled on mutually agreed upon dates and times.)
The twelve limited-edition magnums are:

2009 Fort Ross Vineyard Pinot Noir — 92 points, Wine Enthusiast
2010 Red Car Winery The Aphorist Pinot Noir
2009 Hirsch Vineyards “San Andreas Fault” Estate Pinot Noir
2007 Flowers Winery “Frances Thompson” Estate Pinot Noir
2009 Peay Vineyards Ama Estate Pinot Noir — 93 points, Tanzer
2009 Freestone Vineyards Chardonnay Sonoma Coast — 90 points, Tanzer
2006 Small Vines MK Vineyard Pinot Noir (signed-etched Limited Edition)
90 points, Tanzer
2007 Martinelli Winery Three Sisters Vineyard Chardonnay
2009 Littorai Winery Platt Vineyard Pinot Noir — 92 points, Wine Spectator
2010 Freeman Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir
2010 Failla Vineyards Chardonnay Sonoma Coast
2009 Patz & Hall Jenkins Ranch Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir — 91 points, Wine Spectator

If you’ve met any of the folks behind these wineries at previous Auctions, you know they are a rare and entertaining bunch.

Transportation not included.

location of the restaurant is at the corner of 5th and Spring in the old Globe space. “The Spence” will feature the magnificent cooking talents of Richard Blais. The restaurant concept is Richard’s take on American Classics. He will work out of a full display kitchen and cook out of wood burning ovens and a wood burning grill.

Your evening begins with a reception that includes a tequila tasting and margaritas with Karma Tequila owner Ray McBride. Before the vino gets flowing and in true CA style, Ray, the special guest with great “Karma”….yes a tequila warm up before dinner at the bar with the owner of Karma tequila to cleanse your palate Cali style.

Andy Wilcox from Lambert Bridge and Steve Reynolds from Reynolds Family will be there to pour their best wines and share great vineyard tales. Heaven only knows what great wines they will bring to showcase the occasion! If that is not enough, Andy and Steve will include a special 3L from each winery to sign at the dinner and have the guests decorate the bottles as well. The Reynolds Family 3L bottle is 2007 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon and the Lambert Bridge 3L is 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon Sonoma County.

Dates to be mutually determined by all parties; however, Concentrics respectfully asks that the date not be set within 90 days of opening the restaurant to give them a chance to fine tune your experience for you and be at their absolute best.

While that was a thrill and great for Kosta Browne, the wine had long been sold out and was unavailable when the announcement came. BUT, KB is going to fix that for one lucky bidder! Please remember that Kosta Browne does not sell large format bottles — you can only get these extremely rare bottles in an Auction like ours. Your grand piano consists of:

One 5L of the Wine of the Year
One 3L of the Wine of the Year
Six magnums of the Wine of the Year
Twelve 750ml of the Wine of the Year
Twelve 375ml of the Wine of the Year
One 3L of 2009 Cap’s Crown Pinot Noir

The 5L and the two 3L come with custom wooden boxes. The Kosta Browne 2009 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir was rated 95 points by Laube, the Crown’s Gap (one of the main vineyards used in the Sonoma Coast blend) was rated 92. Kosta Browne had three wines rated at 95 points or higher from the 2009 vintage, and everything they released garnered at least 91 points, most 93 or more.

And if that’s not enough, “Wait, there’s more!” KB has included a private, VIP “personally crafted” experience with Michael Browne. You can enjoy a day at the new winery! Or, spend your day visiting vineyards, or barrel tasting, and enjoy a wonderful winemaker lunch or dinner for eight with Michael Browne and the gang! The location for your unique wine experience will be the newly constructed winery in Sebastopol. The winery will work with the winning bidder to develop an unforgettable experience.

And even more again, our top lucky bidder will receive three — count ’em three — exclusive spots on the Kosta Browne mailing list (you’ll move ahead of 18,000 people on the waiting list).

You and seven guests are bidding on the unobtainable! Thousands of requests have been made over the last few months to acquire one bottle of the 2009 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir. This is truly a one-of-a-kind lot. Additionally, spending time with Michael and the boys in California will be nothing short of sensational. Let’s raise the roof for Michael and the Kosta Browne team.

\Going great guns for our Twentieth — PADDLES UP!

Your special day will begin with an intimate wine tasting at the farm led by Brian focusing on the art of making vineyard designate wines. This will be followed by a walk around the farm: feed an apple to a cow, pet one of Clare’s draft horses and watch the grass grow.

This lazy afternoon will flow into the evening with special guest chef David Padberg, the executive chef at Park Kitchen and a close friend of Big Table Farm. David’s long resume includes cooking at the James Beard House and holding the title of chef de cuisine for one of the top restaurants in Portland. While having several restaurants of the year awards under his belt, he also manages to stay deeply connected to his local farm community. Clare writes: “We can’t think of a more perfect chef to prepare a truly special meal from our farm. David will source your meal from our pasture, garden, woods, trees and hives. You will have a true farm to table experience thoughtfully prepared by a great chef and paired with our wines and served at our table.”

Oh yes, and there is wine! In addition to the dinner, a dozen magnums of Big Table Fame wine will accompany this auction lot. We aren’t sure which wines they will be, but all of their wine snags ratings in the 90’s from Parker.

If you don’t know them, check these new folks out. They are down to earth High fliers!

centuries by making innovative, sometimes courageous choices, always with unwavering respect for tradition and the land. As well as the family’s traditional heritage of estates in Tuscany and Umbria, investments have been made in Napa Valley where their Antica Napa Valley winery is located.

Start celebrating today by taking home a case of Antica’s 2010 Chardonnay and a Cabernet Sauvignon vertical (2003–2009) of Antica Napa Valley magnums (6) and to top it all off — a 3L of 2009 Townsend Vineyard, the single vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon from Antica!

Antinori then invites two couples to spend the afternoon at their Napa Valley wine estate, Antica. You will participate in a Tuscan inspired hands-on cooking lesson with Antica Winery Chef Kim Wiss and then enjoy the fruits of your labor while sipping the wines of Antica. Kim Wiss is a graduate of the Napa Valley Culinary School and trained in Florence at the Buca Lapi restaurant with Chef Luciano Ghinassi learning authentic Tuscan Cuisine. She also worked for the Antinori Family at their Procacci restaurant in Florence and is currently the Antica estate chef where traditional Tuscan cuisine is featured.

Not only will you learn the tricks of the Tuscan culinary trade, you will also enjoy a winery tour and wine class hosted by Estate Director Glenn Salva. He will take you through a tasting of Antica Napa Valley wines from the 2001 through the 2009 vintages. And now that you have spent the day becoming certified Tuscan chefs, enjoy a relaxing evening at a luxurious Napa Valley Hotel which will be your NV home for two days and two nights. (Two rooms — two nights each).

And, what’s more, catch this: Antica Chef Kim will prepare a multi-course Tuscan dinner for you and your nine friends in your home, featuring dishes created around the recipes of the Antinori Family that have been passed down from generation to generation. The cuisine will be accompanied by the wines from the Antinori’s Antica Napa Valley estate, as well as several wines from the Antinori’s Umbrian and Tuscan estates, such as Cervaro, Tignanello and Pian della Vigne. What a feast! To be held at a mutually agreed upon time.

What a deal! You know you don’t want to miss out on this! THIS IS A GREAT LOT!

Upon arrival on the evening of your event, you’ll be greeted with a special guest appearance by Rolls-Royce’s incredible “Ghost,” an exquisite modern day luxury automobile. You can “tour” the car, and then climb behind the wheel and head out for a test drive. A true work of art, this modern marvel of machinery is made completely by hand with the exception its paint — which is robotic. Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Atlanta friend Greg Williams will be on hand to answer any questions and tempt you with the ultimate in automobile luxury.

After your high life ride, you’ll return to the Gallery for a bacchanal feast prepared by six of Atlanta’s most revered chefs. The combination as a team has probably never occurred—yet another original in this night of art! Each chef will prepare a course to pair with the equally artistic array of wines—all in magnum, these rare bottles were hand-selected to pair with amazing cuisine.

Chefs for your dinner:
Brent Banda — La Tavola
Chris Hall — Local Three
Gerry Klaskala — Aria
Todd Mussman — Muss & Turner’s
Kirk Parks — Rathbun’s Restaurants
Jay Swift — 4th & Swift

Wines for dinner (en magnum):

Andrew Geoffrey Vineyards; Arkenstone Vineyards (one of the last inaugural magnums of 2006 Obsidian, Cabernet blend); Chateau Boswell (2010 Jacquelynn Cuvée Blanc); D.R. Stephens Estate; David Arthur Vineyards Hourglass Vineyard; Martinelli Winery (2008 Zio Tony Pinot Noir); Realm Cellars; Relic Wine Cellars (2009 Avion Pinot Noir); and definitely a few surprises.

And last, but far from least—the winner of this auction lot will enjoy a $5000 shopping spree at Vinings Gallery. Select from artists like Thomas Arvid, Michael Flohr, Henry Asencio, Jaline Pol or Josef Cote. Suggestion: have a look at the Gallery’s online home (viningsgallery.com) before raising your paddle.

The fine print: Your evening must be booked well in advance and within one year of the date of the Auction. If booked early enough, it’s possible that one of the Gallery’s artists might be on hand to attend your dinner!

Your package has four Platinum Seats to all eleven sessions of the 2012 Atlanta Tennis Championships. The Platinum Seats come with exclusive access into the VIP Lounge. In addition, you will receive four invitations to participate in a tennis clinic with a local professional as well as an ATP World Tour Player. Finally, one member of the group will individually perform a pre-match coin toss on Center Court. You not only get to see world championship caliber tennis, but you get to improve your game, too!

The courts that will host the clinic with an ATP Player appearance will be the practice courts located walking distance from Center Court in Atlantic Station. The VIP Lounge will be conveniently located in between Center Court and Courts 1 and 2.

“July summer nights in the middle of Atlanta with the skyline lights towering above along with the supportive tennis fans that always turn out here will make for one of the best stops on tour.” — Andy Roddick. Ensure that you are part of the fun and excitement. Paddles up! Thanks to Atlantic Station, our Site Sponsor, for helping secure this donation.

Your wine:
Four bottles of Arietta “On the White Keys”: one (750ml) and a magnum each
2006 and 2007
Three bottles of Scholium La Severita Di Bruto 2007: two (750ml) and one 3L
Four bottles of Spottswoode Sauvignon Blanc: a (750ml) and magnum each
of 2009 and 2010
Four bottles of Tres Sabores Sauvignon Blanc: a (750ml) and magnum each
of 2009 and 2010

The four wineries use somewhat different approaches for their wines. Andy Erickson of Fritz Hatton’s Arietta bottles some of his barrel fermented wine at nine months after harvest and the extended aging in magnums 20 months after harvest. Abe Schoener of Scholium Project uses huge bladder presses and oak barrels (and you should visit his website and enjoy deciphering his techniques. Spottswoode’s Sauvignon Blanc is a blend of grapes from a number of different vineyards, including their estate vineyard and Farina Vineyard. Tres Sabores (Three Friends) SB is fermented in stainless steel and previously inspired Siruge barrels then aged sur lies for six months. What wonderful and varied tasting experiences with one of the world’s great food-wine-grapes.

Moreover, to better show off their ware, your four winery compatriots will add experiences on their own or together. For Arietta, you’re invited to the Hatton Victorian in St. Helena for a wide-ranging tasting of lots of Arietta wines (red included). At Spottswoode, you’re invited for a private tour and tasting. Then, Julie Johnson of Tres Sabores and Abe Schoener of Scholium, with their significant others, will host you for dinner in the ancient olive grove at Julie’s ranch with all sorts of wines over the course of the evening. Farina Vineyards will get in the act with a picnic in the vineyard with vineyard folk, including manager Joe Votek and special box lunches by Chef Carlo Farina and his parents, Theresa and Guido Farina of San Rafael Joe’s Restaurant, with Abe and Julie in attendance.

Oh, yes, your Silverado Resort stay needs to be for two weeknights; it’ll be in two junior fireplace suites, with a round of golf for four included. And transportation between all venues will also be included.

Julie is fun, Abe is brilliant, the Spottswoode ladies lovely, and Fritz Hatton — well, see for yourself. Joe Votek, the Farinas, report back.

They’ve done it. Now, you do it! All within a year from now, please.

One memorable day touring and tasting with Luc Morlet, Winemaker and Proprietor of Morlet Family Vineyards. This memorable day will start with an exclusive tour of Peter Michael Winery followed by a picnic lunch at the Morlet Family Vineyard in Knights Valley, overlooking majestic Mt. St. Helena. You will then enjoy a private tasting of Morlet Family Vineyards wines at the historic Morlet Family Winery in St. Helena. The day will culminate with a special five-course dinner at the fabulous Terra Restaurant to include a selection of wines from Luc and Jodie’s private cellar. While we aren’t exactly sure what comprises that cellar, we do know that Luc and Jodie don’t believe in drinking mediocre wine. How do we know, just taste the wines he makes.

As souvenirs from this wonderful day, you will take home two signed double-magnums of Morlet Family Vineyards: 2009 ‘Passionnément’ (Oakville, Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon) and 2009 ‘La Proportion Doree’ (Sonoma County Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc and Muscadelle). Both of these wines were barrel sampled by Parker and received 93–96 ratings. “One of northern California’s most talented wine producers is Frenchman Luc Morlet, who is also a consultant at Peter Michael Winery. The 2009s appear to be among the most promising wines of the vintage.” Do you really need more of a recommendation than that?

Fine Print: Mutually agreed upon date (excluding the months of harvest: September, October and November). Expiration Date: March 2013. Party of six maximum.

You will attend a Vintner/Top Chef Dinner at the Allen Longboat Key Beach House. Two of Tampa’s most talented French Chefs, Chef Guillome de Provence and Chef Bryce Whitlessley will go toe-to-toe a la Top Chef for your seven course pairing dinner, and the pairings will be with Keplinger and Carte Blanche wines, including the 2007 Keplinger Red Slope (Wine Spectator 93 points) and the 2008 Carte Blanche Cabernet Sauvignon (Wine Spectator 96 points).

As if all this weren’t enough, each couple will receive a pair of signed magnums. There is the 2008 Carte Blanche Proprietary Red Wine, Wine Spectator 96 rated, which is made by Luc Morlet of Morlet Family Vineyards and Vineyard 7 & 8; and, there is the 2007 Keplinger Kingpin Rows Syrah, Wine Spectator 93 rated, which is made by winemaker Helen Keplinger, also of Bryant Family Vineyards.

Suggested time of year to arrange — November 15–May 15.

Due south — same time zone — great party — don’t miss it!

In addition to this rare 3L bottle of Copain Pinot Noir, you’re invited to join Copain at the winery with four reserved seats at one of Copain’s All-Star Supper Clubs in 2012, featuring either the talents of New York City’s David Chang of Momofuku Ko on December 14 or James Beard award-winning chef Corey Lee of San Francisco’s benu on September 2.

You’ll also be treated to two rooms for one night at the luxurious Farmhouse Inn, just minutes from the winery. Plus, during your trip, Copain will host you for a private tasting plus lunch at the winery.

Chef David Chang of Momofuku is one of the most highly rated chefs in all of New York City, and the same can be said about Corey Lee of benu in San Francisco. You simply can’t go wrong with either one. A terrific dilemma presented by Copain—easily resolved by a bottle or two of their wine.

Show Wells what fans we are!

The lot includes lunch prepared by estate Chef Amy Schaefers featuring produce from the estate’s sprawling organic culinary gardens. There will be a private tour and tasting at the estate as well as barrel tasting at the Skipstone production facility at Vineyard 29. There will be two wooden three pack verticals for the winners. Skipstone’s winemaker is the renowned winemaker Philippe Melka. We know the wines will match the rest of this fabulous experience.

But wait, there is much more to this fantastic lot. Vineyard 29 owners Anne and Chuck McMinn hosted our annual Cultivation Trip party there a few years ago. It’s an ultra modern winemaking facility on Highway 29 just north of St. Helena, where Vineyard 29’s own great Cabernets are made, as well as other top-end wines by enterprising winemakers who’ve not yet built their own wineries. What a place for Philippe Melka to make great wine.

And Chef Austin Gallion has his kitchen there. He’s a graduate of Johnson and Wales University, with a BA in Culinary Arts and Food Writing, and he came to Napa Valley to work at La Toque before joining Vineyard 29. Vineyard 29 offers a unique package for anyone buying 10 cases or more of their wines—Chef Gallion will come to your home, anywhere in the U.S., and prepare a four-course tasting menu paired with Vineyard 29 wines for up to 20 guests. That’s not our lot here, but we mention it to give you an idea of how popular Chef Gallion is. The McMinns, Chuck and Anne, joined us for our Auction a couple of years ago. Now they invite you to join them for this really special cooking class. AND, there are two magnums of Vineyard 29’s excellent Cabernet, rated 92 and 91 points by Parker.

This is a fantastic time with two fantastic groups of people! It just doesn’t get better than this.

The package includes a certificate for a three-night and four-day stay, double occupancy, at the St. Regis Bahia Beach Resort in Puerto Rico, subject to the usual blackout periods and to availability at time of reservation. Additionally, you will receive a certificate for a one-night stay at the Sheraton Convention Center in San Juan, double occupancy: the Sheraton stay is so you can have a convenient one day stay in the San Juan metro area from which to explore Old San Juan, the Bacardi Rum Plant and the Puerto Rico Museum of Art, among others, plus having the opportunity to dine at one of San Juan’s top restaurants. This is wise because Bahia Beach is 45 minutes away by car from San Juan.

While at the St. Regis Bahia Beach, you will enjoy one dinner at Fern Restaurant in the Resort. The St. Regis will add at least three very good bottles of wine from their personal cellar to make your meal extra special and memorable.

Working with Angelica, you can receive other certificates for VIP guided tours to visit the Puerto Rican Parrot Recovery Program, the Bacardi Rum plant and Old San Juan. Additional tours such as conducted visits to the Ponce Museum or the Puerto Rico Museum of Art can be provided according to the experiences the winner would like to have during their visit. The Puerto Rican Parrot Recovery Program is a very special visit. This important program was initiated after Hurricane Hugo destroyed a significant part of the Parrots’ habitat in the Rain Forest and drove many out to sea and death. Only 14 Parrots were left in the wild at that time. Today approximately 400 parrots exist thanks in great part to this program. The Puerto Rican Parrot is considered one of the 10 rarest birds in the world. The Parrot tour must take place on a weekday (Monday–Friday) that is not a holiday.

But, truly, the choice is yours. The trip can be customized, too. If you like coffee, you can take a tour of a coffee hacienda. If you like cigars, they know the top cigar maker in Puerto Rico and can arrange a tour of the factory. If you like scuba diving, that can be arranged, too. Or golf? How about a round of golf at the Robert Trent Jones, Jr. Signature Golf Course? The options are only limited by your imagination! All that is necessary is to plan ahead and work with Angelica to make it happen.

What a fabulous opportunity to tour Puerto Rico in total luxury and elegance!

Here’s our outline:

Accommodations. The Mattapoisett Inn, a quaint bed and breakfast across from the beach — the breakfast is amazing, a beautiful spread on the porch each morning.

Food. One night at a local favorite restaurant; seafood and wine. A party with locals; lobster will abound. Dinner at the Bay Club’s lovely clubhouse. Chowder and lobster roll lunch on the beach. Lunch at the famous Black Pearl restaurant on the harbor.

Wine. Two cases provided by Merry McCleary and John Carlos for wherever you go; at lunch, on the beach, at the Inn, at dinner, on your wine cruise. If any is left over, it’ll be delivered to you at home.

Outings. Golf at the Bay Club; two Breakers Plus passes for two tours, one for The Breakers, the largest mansion, the other for another house of your choice — no blackout dates or restrictions or advance registration required; two passes to the Tennis Hall of Fame; a private beach with chairs, umbrellas, beach towels — all arranged by your butler, and kayaks at the water’s edge (wine, of course); a boat will pick you up on the beach for a harbor wine cruise; kayaking adjoining ponds and marshes; even a cliff walk if you’re up to it.

Merry will be there on your weekend, helped by her brother Mitch Suzan, to see to all the details so that you can make MERRY to your heart’s content.

You get to Providence where you’ll be met, and from then on, everything will be taken care of for you with no worries. Ask Merry the dress code and schedule well ahead to accommodate the players and then let it happen.

A delightfully different and appealing lot — an adventure! Thank you, Merry!

come enjoy a fun-filled long weekend (Thursday to Sunday) in Oregon Wine Country.

You will be greeted upon arrival in Portland — your airfare is included — and transported to the small town of Dundee, in the heart of wine country, where stylish accommodations for two couples are reserved at The Inn at Red Hills. After settling in, stroll downstairs to enjoy the culinary creativity of renowned Portland chef, Daniel Mondok, at the Inn’s Farm to Fork restaurant, paired with a decadent selection of wines from J. Christopher and Dr. Loosen. Day two will begin with a tour of some of the most stunning vineyard sites in the region. You’ll visit a handful of exceptional small wineries for private tastings and grand views. For dinner you’ll join Jay Somers and a few friends at Paley’s Place, one of Portland’s finest restaurants. The third day will be spent at J. Christopher Wines. Jay will take you on a personal tour of the property, the vineyards and the winery. In the cellar, you’ll taste Pinot Noirs from the barrel, in a special comparison of vineyard sites, clones and barrel makers. As the culmination of your wine country visit, you’ll enjoy a magnificent tasting of vintage wines and a delicious gourmet meal of Oregon specialties, specially prepared by a local private chef, and served in the cellars of J. Christopher Wines.

On Sunday you’ll be transported to the airport for your return home—refreshed, relaxed, and totally in love with Oregon and its wines.

This sounds wonderful — just show up and let it happen!

To be arranged on a mutually agreed weekend in summer 2012. Available weekends: June 21–24; June 28–July 1; July 12–15; August 2–5; August 13–26; and September 6–9.

In addition to this historic vertical of wine, the winning bidder and five guests are invited to celebrate the winning of this lot at the restaurant of your choice in Atlanta for a dinner featuring several vintages of Hundred Acre and hosted by Jill and Kevin Hill and Chris Radomski, co-owner Hundred Acre. Well, it should be a place that knows how to handle meat. We think Rathbun’s Steak, New York Prime, Chops, Canoe, Bacchanalia, 4th & Swift, Local Three, Aria, BLT Steak — heck the options are truly endless. But, it is YOUR choice.

In addition to this incredible vertical of wine and dinner, the winning bidder and five guests are invited to visit the estate to join the Hundred Acre winemaking team for a tasting of Hundred Acre wines sometime in the near future.

This is a rare opportunity to acquire and bond with Hundred Acre — unless you already have, in which case we know you will be bidding anyway.

Dinner in Atlanta as well as the tour and tasting should be scheduled well in advance and when mutually agreeable with all the parties involved.

Vongerichten customized meal with wine pairings by Ramey Wine Cellars — and we all know Ramey’s great wines. All the while, a cutting edge Whiskey Park DJ will set the tone by spinning tunes especially chosen for your big night. (Complimentary valet will be provided for all guests.)

Electric views. Remixed events. Welcome to a new way to celebrate with the W Atlanta Midtown, where style is amplified and expectations are upturned. We can even help you figure out the guest list, if you really need the help!

Our donor estimate for the value of this huge party — for the food and wine, tax and gratuity, at $160 per ($16,000); the décor by Your Event Solutions at $7,000; the complimentary valet, Whiskey Park DJ and the Altitude space at $2,000 — hey, that’s a total of WOW! What a party.

and Old Battersea House in London, England, among others. Kip has generously offered trips to both for past High Museum Wine Auctions, drawing big bids and dollars for the High. For our 20th, Kip offers a really exclusive lot, this time closer to home. You and nine of your fortunate friends are invited for an exclusive dinner in the FORBES Galleries in the beautiful Forbes Building at 60 Fifth Avenue.

The FORBES building, the last work by Thomas Hastings, architect of the New York Public Library, and completed by Shreve and Lamb, designers of the Empire State Building, houses the FORBES Galleries, as well as Club 60 Fifth. Your special evening begins with a wine tasting for ten conducted by Forbes’ sommelier, Eirik Wurst, in Club 60 Fifth, originally designed by John Blatteau, architect of the Benjamin Franklin State Dining Room in the State Dept. in Washington, and recently reinvented by Ralph Lauren interior decorator, Ally Coulter. It is home to some of the Forbes family’s collection of modern art including works by folk like Salvador Dali and Alex Katz. After your wine tasting, you and your guests will repair to the FORBES Galleries for a dinner prepared by Forbes’ Executive Chef, Jeff Lamperti.

And who can travel to New York without taking in some art? You and your party will have the privilege of a personalized visit to museums and galleries with a High Museum curator based on your tastes. Think European Art at the Met with David Brenneman; or Modern and Contemporary with Michael Rooks at MoMA or American Art with Stephanie Heydt, Photography with Brett Abbott — you get the picture!

This is a rare opportunity — once-in-a-lifetime! Take advantage of it and show Kip and the High your appreciation.

We list them here with Parker (P) or Wine Spectator (WS) ratings:

California Cabernets:
1994 Chateau Montelena — Estate P 95
1994 Silver Oak — Alexander Valley P 93
1992 Paul Hobbs Liparita Vineyard WS 86
1987 Robert Mondavi Winery — Napa Valley (50th Anniversary bottle) WS 90
1986 Chateau Montelena — Estate P 96
2006 Caymus Vineyards — Special Selection WS 94

Italian Wines:
1997 Poggio Rosso Chianti Classico Reserva WS 90
1998 Allegrini Amarone Della Valpolicella Classico WS 93
1998 Moris Farms Avvotore P 88
1999 Fattoia di Felsina Chianti Classico Berardenga WS 90
1997 Ceretto Barolo Zonchera P 91
1998 Moris Farms Morellino di Scansano Reserva WS 85

Rhone Wines:
1999 Guigal Cote Rotie Brune et Blonde WS 90
1994 Domaine du Pegau Chateauneuf de Pape P 92
2009 Clos du Papes Chateauneuf de Pape WS 96
2009 Domaine Pierre Usseglio & Fils Chateauneuf de Pape Cuvee de Mon Aieul P 92+
2009 Cuvee du Vatican Chateauneuf de Pape Reserve Sixtine P 93
2009 Domaine Boissan Gigondas Vieilles Vignes P 87

Vintage Port:
1985 Graham’s Vintage Port P 96
1977 Dow’s Vintage Port P 93

Note: We’ve always been impressed with Nat’s — and Jerilene’s — tasting abilities and we know we can enjoy what they select with confidence.

Second note: It’s no surprise that the average of the above listed ratings is 91.5.

Red Rock Terrace — 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005
Volcanic Hill — 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005
Gravelly Meadow — 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005

Now, if you have been counting, that is only 19 bottles. The twentieth bottle is a rare 1999 Diamond Creek Lake MicroClimate. The last bottle of Lake MicroClimate we had a couple of years ago was still youthful and packed a dynamite punch. Here is an instant Diamond Creek collection for a discerning bidder.

An added note: your Chief Taster and this year’s Honorary Chair sat at Al and Boots’ table at the 1991 Napa Valley Auction. When the band played Shake, Rattle and Roll, Al quipped: “They’re playing my song.” Boots was and probably still is a light-footed dancer and pure joie de vie! Even then, Diamond Creek had the reputation of being a huge, long-lived CULT Cab.

We’ve gone on about Glenn as your catalog’s co-author in our Louise and Jerome lot description; he’s a true auction stalwart.

The story of Troplong-Mondot is a modern one, a tale of how one generation took the reins and turned an adequate family business into a highly successful one; and how that success was rewarded with elevation in the 2006 reclassification of St Emilion, from Grand Cru Classé to Premier Grand Cru Classé. It is the quality of what is in the glass that counts, and Troplong- Mondot has benefited greatly from the work of its modern-day proprietor Christine Valette, her husband Xavier Pariente, and increasingly, with the help of their eldest daughter, Margaux.

In May 2011, Robert Parker bestowed 96 points: “A wine of the vintage candidate in 2008, Troplong Mondot’s offering achieved 14.5% natural alcohol. A classic blend of 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, it offers copious quantities of blue and black fruits, a full-bodied opulence, sweet tannin and a fabulous texture as well as finish. Already drinking beautifully, it will be even better in 2-5 years and should last for 20 years. A great effort for the vintage, it couldn’t happen to a more deserving proprietor, Christine Valette. Bravo!”

A great wine from a dear and fabulous friend!

Château Pavie Premier Grand Cru Classé —St. Emilion — RP 95
Château Angelus Premier Grand Cru Classé —St. Emilion — WS 92
Château Canon La Gaffeliere Grand Cru Classé — St. Emilion — RP 92
Château Clos de l’Oratorie Grand Cru
Classé — St. Emilion — RP 91
Château Grand Mayne Grand Cru Classé —
St. Emilion — RP 90
Château La Couspaude Grand Cru Classé —
St. Emilion — WS 88
Château Bellefont-Belcier Grand Cru Classé —
St. Emilion — RP 87
Château Clinet — Pomerol — WS 91
Château La Croix de Gay — Pomerol — RP 88
Château LaFleur de Bouard — Lalande
de Pomerol — RP 88
Château Jean de Gue — Lalande de Pomerol —
RP 87
Château d’Aiguilhe — Côtes de Castillon —
WS 87
Château Gigault Cuvée Viva Premieres
Côte de Blaye — WS 86
Château Belegrave Medoc Grand Cru
Classé — Haut-Medo (Cinquièmes Cru — 5th
Growth) — WS 86
Château D’Issan Grand Cru Classé — Margaux
(Troisièmes Cru — 3rd Growth) — RP 89
Château Paveil de Luze — Margaux Not rated
by either RP or WS
Château Grand Puy Lacoste Cru Classé —
Pauillac (Cinquièmes Cru — 5th Growth) — RP 89
Château Pape Clement Grand Cru Classé
de Graves — Pessac-Léognan — RP 91
Château de Fieuzal Grand Cru Classé de
Graves — Pessac-Léognan — RP 87
Château Les Carmes Haut Brion Grand Vin
de Graves — Pessac-Léognan — RP 89
Château Lafon Rochet Grand Cru Classé — St.
Estèphe (Quatrièmes Cru — 4th Growth) — WS 88
Château Leoville Poyferre Grand Cru Classé —
St. Julien (Deuxièmes Cru — 2nd Growth) — RP 89
Château Lagrange Cru Classé — St. Julien
(Troisièmes Cru — 3rd Growth) — RP 86
Château Branaire Ducru Grand Cru
Classé — St. Julien (Quatrièmes Cru — 4th
Growth) — RP 89
Our guru catalog co-author researched all these wines; there are 13 right bank, 11 left bank.
The right banks rate slightly higher; the overall average 89. They tasted good to Louise in 2002;
they out to be superb and just about at their optimum right about now.
Glenn Irwin, who has co-authored this year’s catalog with your Chief Taster, has done the real
heavy lifting part of our catalog. His resources for ratings and wine critic descriptions, plus his
own encyclopedic memory of wines tasted, have provided the background for most of our blather
about the wines. The parts about the people have come mostly from the people themselves or our
past experiences with them.
As for Louise and Jerome, their story is well-known. Louise has been an important part of our
Auction for years — top benefactor, top corporate sponsor, top bidder, tops at just about everything,
as well as co-chair and now High Board chair. Jerome thrilled and surprised us all when
he and Louise eloped just before our 2009 Auction and celebrated their marriage with us all.
What a great lot — the wine, too!

And allow your donors a mention of their introduction to these wines. They visited Ann Colgin in Napa Valley for the 1991, 1992 and 1994 Napa Valley wine auctions, and it was during this time that Colgin Cellars came into being. It was on one of those visits that they met Daphne Araujo in her lovely home and winery overlooking the valley and enjoyed her beautiful wine. And they also relaxed and partied with Fritz Hatton, one of the Napa Valley auctioneers and his winemaker for the ’96 vintage (if memory serves them correctly) Jon Kongsgaard. They have enjoyed these wines recently and they are all drinking beautifully.
Lots of fun tasting and drinking — no spitting, please.
And now a word on our sponsors, er donors. It is safe to say that Atlanta has a Wine Auction because of Marg and Dick Denny. Yes, there have been a lot of talented contributors that helped to start and sustain the Auction over the years, and we acknowledge and appreciate them. However, Marg and Dick are the face of the Auction to the public — not just in Atlanta and on the West Coast, but everywhere. The Chief Taster and our 20th Anniversary Honorary Chair have touted, cajoled, sought, planned, marketed and supported this effort for all twenty years of our existence. Better yet, they even passed their passion for this event to daughter Margaret and Scott, and son Dallas and Margaret. Because of the Denny’s dedication to the High and this event, it has long since become the largest fund-raising event for the Museum, the largest wine auction in the country supporting the Arts, and one of the top five wine auctions in the country!

What else can we say but a huge, heart-felt THANK YOU! and WELL DONE! We love you both. All rise and provide a well-deserved round of appreciation for Dick and Marg. Then, paddles high into the air! There simply isn’t a better way to recognize them and to end this year’s Live Auction!