busy Highway 29 or Silverado Trail, either. Much parking will be at the nearby Ranch, which is also on Zinfandel Lane, simplifying shuttling guests from their cars. Once at Raymond, everything will be on one level, and flow naturally from the Wine and Food Marketplace to the lot previews. Stacks of barrels in Raymond’s large chai, linen and thirty-six donated olive trees (which will be for sale after the auction) will screen the working parts of the winery from the fun. Forty local chefs will offer tastes in tents and among the trees at Raymond, and musicians and comedians will appear at three locations to enliven things. Among the big changes in the auctions this year are that previews of the live lots will be on display Friday for the first time. The barrel lots won’t close Friday, either, giving people a chance to bid until an hour after the live auction closes Saturday. This lets someone who didn’t get his or her bid at the live auction a chance to take something special home anyway – and encourages even those primarily interested in barrel lots to attend Saturday. The barrels themselves won’t be at Meadowood, however, though some wine samples may be. Due to universal demand, the wood and washboard signs for barrel auction bids are back; people loved the clank when another bid was made. For the first time, the live lots and barrel auction will both be open to online bidding, allowing fans to bid even if they can’t make it to Napa Valley. In the past, only the e-auction lots were available online. The e-auction will be in Raymond’s glamorous Crystal Room, and for the first time, will include a complete display of the lots. The Staglins also wanted to make the beneficiaries of the auction a bigger part of the effort so they connect with the bidders; they will have booths at the Friday Barrel Auction. For Boisset, it’s a chance for Raymond to show off his vision for the reborn Raymond. It’s bound to have a big impact. Getting the right bidders here In addition to enhancing the auction itself, the Staglins and others have worked hard to get the right bidders here. The Vintners invited prime candidates to preview parties with teaser lots in prime spots in the U.S. like Naples, Florida, Houston and Los Angeles, as well as here—and in Asia. One result: Registration for full packages at the auction sold to big bidders very quickly to an all-time high. Once here, the guests will find irresistible treasures. Expect about 50 lots. “Almost all will include an experience money can’t buy,” said Garen Staglin, who should know: he put one together. His lot includes time playing golf at Silverado Country Club with Tiger Woods’ coach—plus clubs—and golf and more top Scottish clubs, time in London and dinner at its famous Dorchester, plus plenty of Staglin wine. Jean-Charles Boisset will take winners of the Raymond to Cannes Film Festival for his first time there, then to his Burgundy estates and a banquet at a private estate in Napa Valley. (Remember that his firm is one of the largest wine companies in France.) Marchese Piero Antinori and Baroness Philippine de Rothchild combine visits to Mouton Rothschild and Tignanello in Tuscany and festivities here at Opus One and Antinori’s estate on Atlas Peak. Naoka Dalla Valle will lead an art visit to Japan, Dana Estates offers a luxurious trip to South Korea, Ann Coglin and Joe Wender will take you to Paris to see the top houses of haute couture. Maybe a journey to Argentina with native Delia Viader and Mithra Winery appeals, or to South Africa with Andy Erickson and Annie Favia. Perhaps a car is more your speed: Pick up a quartermillion dollar McLaren MP4-12C dream car at the factory. Of course, there’s wine galore in most lots. A few lots are strictly wine: The first 12-liter bottle of Screaming Eagle ever produced, for example. David Abreu offers a decade of magnums of his wine. And Joseph Phelps shares forty bottles of his favorites. All are treasures beyond dreams to most of us, but these lots await the generous bidders during Auction Napa Valley. And we in Napa Valley ultimately benefit from their largesse. They’re welcome to their dreams. MAy / june 2 0 1 3 1 7
NVLife_MayJune_2013
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