It’s unusual to see men in sharp pants and shiny shoes and women in colorful dresses and sun hats walking on the side of Highway 29 in St. Helena. Most Napa Valley visitors rent cars or book tour buses to visit the tasting rooms and wineries that line this main thoroughfare, especially considering how hot the weather is on early weekends in wine country in June. But as traffic builds outside Robert Mondavi’s newly converted winery, it becomes clear why some attendees of this weekend’s event chose to walk — arriving at the Napa Valley Barrel Auction on time is so important.
Around the world, Napa Valley has come to represent the best of American wine—particularly its premium Cabernet Sauvignon—and also, at times, an occasional exotic luxury. But here, in the same place, the community comes every year to hang out with each other. The people who live here are primarily farmers, growing fruit and battling the same dilemmas of pests, weather and market conditions, and many have been doing so for generations. Every year at the Napa Valley Barrel Auction, a community-focused event that is part of Auction Napa Valley, winemakers bring still-maturing wines from their newest vintage glasses that are hand-poured using curved “thief” tools that plunge directly into the hole at the top of each barrel.
Guests can taste more than 100 samples from across the valley, bidding on just 10 boxes per winery, with all proceeds from sales going directly to local charities. Some barrels are special blends or completely unique offerings that are only available at auction, while others are a sign of the promising vintage to come that year; Each of them gives attendees insight into the plethora of excellent wines that are made, year after year, in the heart of California’s most prominent region. Those who feared the area was declining will have their fears allayed at the crowded event, with tickets sold out well in advance of last weekend.
“Even if I don’t have a barrel, I come every year because it’s just a great community event,” says winemaker Andy Erickson. Favia winewho co-founded the label in 2003 with his wife, Annie Favia, a viticulturist. “Everyone is here — and if you want to support the cause, you can buy a case of wine for $2,000? It’s a great way to support the community and get to know more people.” Favia’s 100 percent Cabernet Franc barrel emerged from 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 winery’s favorite Cab Franc blocks on their 86-acre Oakville estate, the top bid sold for $3,350. High bids tend to run slightly higher than the price per bottle, which is around $225 for Favia on average, and since everything goes directly to charity, generosity is not uncommon.
Along with barrel tastings and the ever-changing drama of bidding, a plethora of local food vendors cheerfully represented the bounty of the valley’s thriving restaurants, and plenty of other producers poured their standard wine offerings for a more traditional sampling experience. With plenty of room to spread out on the sprawling Mondavi prime estate, which recently underwent a slump Million dollar transformationa live jazz band and their signature burgers and fries Got on the side of the road They were interspersed with indoor and outdoor areas for guests to mix and mingle.
Of course, most of the action focuses on the barrel tasting with auction tension building throughout the afternoon. Starting at noon and running until 4 p.m., the winemakers and their teams become livelier as the day goes on, although everything is done in the spirit of friendly competition. “We’ve been auctioning for over 20 years,” says Stephanie Barnett Rearman, a second-generation employee of her family brand. Barnett Vineyards“I see people I grew up with since kindergarten here,” says the observer.
Although she spent more than a decade in corporate America, Barnett Rearman recently returned to work in business development at her family’s winery in the Spring Mountain region. Their barrel at the auction was another rarity: a 2024 Merlot to be released next fall. “We’re very well known for our Cabernet, like a lot of the wineries here, but the Merlot coming from Spring Mountain is a really unique place to grow it, and it stands out among all the wineries,” she explained.
Newcomers are always entering the Napa scene, and an auction is a good place to attract attention. Winemaker Tim Passino of Wine Gen 7a first-time attendee, believes the event is the best way to showcase his wines to people who might not find them by simply visiting their tasting room. “For me, to get my wines out to the general public, if they don’t visit my tasting room, this is the best way to do it,” Passino says. “You get all different types of customers here. I decided to do the auction because we’re under the radar, and then it’s fun to drink under-the-radar wines and introduce them to consumers who don’t know about us yet, and let them discover us.”
Passino offered a 2024 vintage of seventh-generation Vaché Estate Double Barrel cabernet sauvignon, 95 percent Cabernet Sauvignon with a blend of 2 percent Merlot, 1 percent Petit Verdot and 2 percent Negrete, a rare French grape whose ancestors were the first to bring it to California. “When I started the Gen 7 project, I met the family that owned the property where my grandfather first grew these grapes, and that’s how I learned about negretes,” Passino says. “Every two years or so, I can get close to a ton of fruit from the family, and I buy it whenever I can. It’s an amazing variety, it reminds me of Malbec or Syrah – it’s very dark and inky but very smooth.”
Since all proceeds from the event go to nonprofits throughout Napa, getting the highest bid isn’t necessarily the focus, but it’s still a nice feather in the cap of the winemaker who takes home the award.
This year, the honor goes to Chris Carpenter cardinalWhich brought a 2024 blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. “It was a tradition,” Carpenter tells the Observer. “It pays tribute to 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 sought-after vineyard sites.”
The blend, a blend of the best cuts from the vineyard’s Cabernet Sauvignon on Mount Veeder and Merlot grown on Howell Mountain, will not be released until September of next year. The winning bidder paid $10,000 for the case, several thousand dollars higher than any other payment. “Of course, I was happy with the offer,” Carpenter says. “A lot of heart and soul goes into the wines we produce at Cardinale, and I’m honored that someone recognizes that and contributes to the auction in this way. 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 festive, happy mood. What’s not to like?”