It’s not uncommon to see men in sharp pants and shiny dress shoes and women in colorful dresses and sun hats parked on the side of Highway 29 in St. Louis. Helena. Many visitors to Napa Valley rent cars or tour buses to visit the tasting rooms and wineries that line this main drag, especially given how hot the first weekend in June wine country is. But as traffic lighted up just outside Robert Mondavi’s newly converted winery, it became clear why some of this weekend’s attendees chose to walk—to get to the Napa Valley Barrel Auction when it mattered most.
Around the world, Napa Valley has helped define America’s best wines—most notably cabernet sauvignon—and, at times, rare luxury. But here, in the area itself, the community comes out every year just to hang out. The people who live here are first and foremost farmers, growing fruit and vegetables against the same conditions of pests, weather and market conditions, and many of them have been doing it for generations. Every year at the Napa Valley Barrel Auction, a community-oriented event that is part of Auction Napa Valley, winemakers bring the still-maturing wine from their latest vintage, a sample of hand-poured glasses with their curved “thief” tools that dip directly into the hole at the top of each barrel.
Guests can taste more than 100 samples from across the valley, and bid on just 10 cases at each winery, with all profits from the issues going directly to charity. Some of the barrels are special blends or completely unique offerings only available at auction, while others are a sign of what’s to come that year for a great harvest; all give attendees an insight into the abundance of excellent wine made, year after year, in the heart of California’s iconic region. Those who fear that the region is being marked will have those concerns addressed at this packed event, and tickets sold out before it happened this past weekend.
“Even if I don’t have a barrel, I come every year because it’s a great community event,” said winemaker Andy Erickson. Favia Wineswho founded the label in 2003 with his wife, viticulturist Annie Favia. “Everyone is here—and if you want to support the cause, can you buy a case of wine for R2 000? It’s a great way to support the community and meet a lot of people.” Favia’s 100 percent cabernet franc barrel stands out in a sea of cabernet sauvignon, and the 2025 vintage that was available for tasting won’t be released until the fall of 2028. Taken from the cab franc winery’s favorite blocks on their 86-hectare estate sold for the highest Oak’s price, $35 in Oakville,35 The highest bids tend to be slightly higher than the price per bottle, which is around $225 for Favia on average, and since everything goes directly to helping the poor, giving is rare.
Along with the tasting of barrels and the drama of the ever-changing bids, a large number of local food vendors happily represent the abundance of restaurants that thrive in the valley, and many other producers have poured regular wine offerings for a general sampling experience. With plenty of space to spread out in the stunning Mondavi area, which has just happened. a multi-million dollar transformationlive jazz band and popular burgers and fries Gott’s Roadside are interspersed between indoor and outdoor areas for guests to mix and mingle.
Of course, most of the action is focused on barrel tasting as the auction heats up throughout the afternoon. From noon until 4 p.m., the winemakers and their teams are animated as the day progresses, although everything is done in the spirit of friendly competition. “We’ve done auctions for over 20 years,” said Stephanie Barnett Rehrmann, a second-generation employee of her family’s company. Barnett Vineyardshe told the Observer. “I see people I grew up with since kindergarten here.”
Despite spending more than a decade in corporate America, Barnett Rehrmann recently returned to business development at his family’s winery in the Spring Mountain District. Their barrel at auction was another rarity: a 2024 merlot that will be released next fall. “We’re known for our cabernet, like most of the wineries here, but the merlot from Spring Mountain is a really unique place to grow it, and it stands out among all the cabernet,” he explained.
Newcomers are always entering the Napa scene, and the auction is a great place to get on the radar. Winemaker Tim Bacino since Gen 7 Winea first-time visitor, he thinks this event is the best way to get his wine in front of people who might not get to visit their tasting room. “To get my wine out to the general public, if they don’t visit my tasting room, this is the best way to do it,” Bacino said. “Here you get all different types of customers, I decided to do an auction because we are under the radar, then it will be fun to drink wines that are under the radar and introduce them to consumers who don’t know about us, so they can find us again.”
Bacino showcased the 2024 vintage of Gen 7’s Vaché Estate Double Barrel cabernet sauvignon, 95% cabernet sauvignon with a blend of 2% merlot, 1% petit verdot and 2% négrette, a rare French grape variety that his ancestors brought to California. “When I started Gen 7, I met the family that owns the land where my grandfather first planted this grape, and that’s how I learned about négrette,” said Bacino. “Every other year or so, I can get close to a ton of family fruit, and I’ve been buying it whenever I can. It’s a wonderful variety, it reminds me of malbec or syrah—very dark and inky but very smooth.”
Since all proceeds from the event go to nonprofit organizations throughout Napa, winning the highest bid isn’t the focus, but it’s still a nice feather in the cap for the award-winning winemaker.
This year, the honor went to Chris Carpenter at Cardinalwho brought a 2024 blend of cabernet sauvignon and merlot. “This place was a tradition,” Carpenter told the Observer. “It honors two of my favorite vineyards: Veeder Peak Vineyard on Mount Veeder and WS Keyes Vineyard on Howell Mountain. These are two of my favorite and most desirable vineyards.”
The blend, a combination of the best of the lot from the cabernet sauvignon vineyard at Mount Veeder and the merlot grown at Howell Mountain, will not be released until September of next year. The winner paid $10,000 per case, several thousand dollars more than any other lot. “Yes, I was happy with that request,” Carpenter said. “A lot of heart and soul goes into the wines we make at Cardinale, and to have someone see that and donate to the auction like that is an honor. It’s a great event because I get to interact with my colleagues in the wine world here in Napa, and everyone is in a happy, happy mood. What’s not to love?”
