Auction Napa Valley smashes record

(Decanter) - Auction Napa Valley, the annual charity auction, has raised US$16.9m, far exceeding the previous record of US$10.5m set in 2005.

In three-and-a-half hours of intense bidding on Saturday at the Meadowood hotel in St Helena, the 33rd edition of the event raised a record US$14.3m, bringing the total — combined with the online auction and the barrel auction — to US$16.9m.

Exclusive experiences, expensive cars and travel-oriented lots dominated the offerings and drove sales skyward.

The highest-earning single lot was from Korean-owned Dana Estates. When the bidding, fuelled by fist-pumping and pompom-waving, reached US$500,000 Dana doubled the package—which included three double magnums and a seven-day trip for four to South Korea – bringing the total to over US$1m.

Bill and Deborah Harlan, whose lot stayed focused on their wine — a 20-vintage retrospective tasting of Harlan Estate for eight people— came in second at US$800,000 with fellow Napa cult winery Screaming Eagle not far behind, offering a single 12-litre bottle of vintage 2010 that went for US$500k.