St. Helena winery follows Jarvis as main off-site venue By Paul Franson Returning attendees at this year’s Auction Napa Valley will encounter many welcome changes, but few will match the enhancements they’ll find at Friday’s Barrel Auction. It will be held this year at Raymond Vineyards in the heart of Napa Valley for the first time, and owner Jean-Charles Boisset is going all out to work with Auction chairs the Staglin family to make it an unforgettable event. “The Auction Napa Valley is like our United Way,” notes Garen Staglin. “It’s what makes the Boys and Girls Clubs, and Wolfe Center and Clinic Ole possible.” “The Staglins are really leading the effort to enhance the visibility of Napa,” says Boisset. He has been a big supporter of the auction already, helping raise more than $600,000 in bids since he acquired the venerable property in 2010, but this is a huge commitment. The site for the barrel auction is an important part of the equation. The Staglins looked at a number of possible sites, and two items were critical— adequate space and the willingness to move barrels out of the way. To start with, the Raymond site is central—and accessible. Last year’s event was at Jarvis Winery, a beautiful site, but far up a winding mountain road. Raymond doesn’t require any immediate turns onto 16 www.nAPAVA L L E Y L I F Emagaz ine. c om Last year's Barrel Auction was held at Jarvis Winery's wine caves (shown in all photos). This photo: Wesley Steffens of Vineyard 7 & 8 (right) talks with a guest at last year's event. (All photos by Jason Tinacci)
NVLife_MayJune_2013
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