“This medium body Cabernet Sauvignon with great fruit flavors and smooth structured tannins. Has aromas of black cherry, cassis, plum, slight blueberry, vanilla, oak and chocolate. It is a fruit forward wine with lush flavors, nice balance and a long silky finish.”
The Auctioneer wine is a tribute to Michael Broadbent, the auctioneer, for
his presence in Napa and contributing a validity to the Valley. Michael led
the first auction devoted to wine as the Head of Christie’s Wine Department
in 1966, and after this, developed wine auctions all over the world. Michael
was an enormous fan of Napa Valley’s early wines; he partnered with Robert
Mondavi to start the Napa Valley Wine Auction in 1981. The Auctioneer
strives to bring back the elegance, restraint, sophistication and harmony
of those early Napa wines. It is made in the style which made Napa Valley
famous and appreciated by connoisseurs all over the world.
The Reserve 2020, from a private vineyard in Howell Mountain, is the first
bottling and will not be produced every year, nor from the same vineyard.
The Reserve representes only the very best years using small batches
of wine from Auctioneer’s finest vineyards. Most vineyards in the Howell
Mountain AVA are planted well above the elevations in Napa Valley, where
they are most affected by the cool fog and winds from San Pablo Bay.
Harvest began on October 16th 2020, it was a warm year experiencing a
drought. Grapes from vines in volcanic soils were picked and oak barrel
fermented with cultured yeast. Wine was aged in the same French oak
barrels for 20 months before being bottled on December 2nd 2022.