Four imperials of Opus One and masked ball experience sell for $1.4m

Auction Napa Valley, which this year netted US$13.6 million for charity (£10.2m), included an impromptu doubling of lot 11 to include four six-litre imperials of Opus One and an experience for two couples to attend a masked ball at Versailles which sold for a total of $1.4 million.

Four Mondavi sisters, honorary co-chairs of the 38th annual Auction Napa Valley, take selfies during opening ceremonies. (From left – Riana, Giovanna, Alycia and Angelina Mondavi). Photo Credit: Alexander Rubin for Napa Valley Vintners.

Napa Valley Vintner’s annual Auction Napa Valley, now in its 38^th year, collected more than $13.6 million for two dozen health and education nonprofit organisations during live and online bidding this past weekend at Meadowood Napa Valley. The 250 auction lots included wines already produced by NVV members, barrel auction wine futures and an imaginative array of other mostly non-wine offerings, including many travel adventures.

This year’s honorary chairs were four Mondavi sisters – Angelina, Alycia, Riana and Giovanna, all fourth-generation vintners – who kicked off the live auction by taking selfies from the main stage.

Other highlights included:

• A new fundraising record for the barrel auction segment, which had attendees vying with online bidders for 110 lots of Napa Valley wine futures.
• Vintner Samantha Rudd of Rudd Oakville Estate announcing a $1 million contribution from the Rudd Foundation following Lot Two bidding
• An impromptu doubling of Lot 11, featuring four six-litre Imperials of Opus One paired with an experience for two couples to attend France’s Masked Ball at Versailles in 2019, that sold to two successful bidders for a total $1.4 million.
• A $1 million successful bid for Lot 20, donated by the Napa Valley Vintners and Lexus, featuring 18 bottles of Napa Valley wine and an experience at the 2019 U.S. Open Golf Tournament at Pebble Beach.

Since 1981, NNV has channeled $180 million from the auction into its group of charities, including $68 million in the last five years.

The auction proceeds come on top of an outpouring of donations in the wake of last fall’s devastating wildfires. “The world has been incredibly generous to our community the past nine months and that amazing spirit continued this weekend,” said NVV Board of Directors chair David Pearson of Opus One Winery. More than 20,000 individuals and organisations have collectively contributed more than $15 million to the Napa Valley Community Disaster Relief Fund which handled the fire-related gifts.

Next year will mark the 75^th anniversary of The Napa Valley Vintners, a nonprofit trade association founded in 1944 and currently consisting of 550 members.