Harlan Estate to DRC: Lavish Lots Push the Bar to $33 Million at Naples Winter Wine Festival
The annual charity event brought some heavy hitting magnums and thirsty collectors together. What were some of the best wines of the event?
This year, Wine Club Miami got exclusive access to Naples Winter Wine Festival (NWWF), the nation’s top wine charity auction. For the past 24 years, the southwest Florida event has raised nearly $302 million for children’s charities, and on Jan. 27th, broke a record for most money raised in its history: $33 million.
Prior to the live auction, patrons and winemakers gathered together to share some wine and chat. A brand new electric 2024 Rolls Royce Spectre was parked just outside the giant auction tent, already setting the stage for luxury experiences to be sold to the highest bidder (that Rolls went for $1.4 million btw).
Wrapped around black rectangle tables were endless bottles of incredible wines: 2009 Lynch Bages, 2009 Chateau Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande, 2014 Calon Segur, 1991 Beringer, 2019 Rochioli, 2019 Continuum, old vintages of Tuscan legends, and a breathtaking 6-liter bottle of Colgin IX Estate.
The warm up was REAL. Just a few steps away, the auction lots stood on display in a large ball room. DRC? Yep. La Tache 1996 and Romanee Conti 1997. Petrus? Most of the 90s lined up neatly ready for lift off. A 6-liter of 2006 Mouton also stood tall, along with a group of signed magnums including a 2016 Opus One.
But the best lot on the grounds at the Ritz Carlton Tiburon was on a table without much distraction. Simply three magnums in their respective cases, in front of black and white images of Oakville vineyards captured by Olaf Beckman. HARLAN ESTATE 1993, 2001 and 2019.
“This year, Harlan Estate is celebrating its 40th anniversary and for our landmark year in Naples, we had the opportunity to stretch ourselves and elevate the human spirit with the most lavish lot we’ve ever offered,” said Harlan Estate Director Don Weaver. “The 2019 vintage is an inflection point for us, showing the vineyard at its prime after 35-plus years. The 2001 vintage is one of our pillars due to a classic growing season and its maturity at this point. And 1993 is Bill Harlan’s favorite vintage so we’re honored to offer it here in Naples. The 6-liter format also guarantees that these wines have a long life ahead.”
The lot, titled ‘Uncorking a California First Growth’, went for $520,000.
As the energy roared under the tent, bottles of RARE Champagne 2008 and 2013 were popping off. All of that fueled the highest selling wine lot of the day: ‘Rarest of the Rare’ which included magnums of the legendary Champagne plus an insane visit to the region. $650,000 was the winning bid.
"This year was better than any of the years I've been here,” said RARE Champagne Ambassador Alex Montague. “Between the quality of the sound, the immense stage, and the talented auctioneers who did a fantastic job working the crowd, we were very happy with the live auction. The energy under the tent was huge and we all felt the same excitement as bids climbed higher and higher to support local children's charities. This year was RARE's first time participating in the Naples auction and we couldn't be happier with the final result of our lot."
Nicolas Glumineau, winemaker of Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande, echoed the same sentiment. “Naples Winter Wine Festival seems to get bigger every time I’ve been here and it’s amazing seeing winemakers and consumers come together to reinforce the relationship between France and the U.S. for a good cause.”
Auctioneers Humphrey Butler and Lydia Fenet have to get a lot of the credit for getting patrons amped up. Lots went flying for hundreds of thousands, and one blew the hinges off the door. Guess how much. Just guess!
$2.7 million. A fierce battle pushed to the limit. As Logan Roy says, “Money wins.”
In the end, the real winners were the Naples Children and Education Foundation (NCEF) and Collier County, who have once again proved the power of community here in Naples.
“This is our eighth year at Naples and it’s so interesting to see what this organization does,” Catena Zapata Managing Director Laura Catena said. “It’s a perfect scenario because donors get the satisfaction of lifting a community plus the unforgettable experience that is the festival. Right now, there is a critical need for mental health services and lots of money here goes to those services in the local area. Without funding from NWWF, there wouldn’t be mental health services for kids here. It’s an incredible experience for everyone because vintners get celebrated internationally, the community gets resources and donors bid on the greatest experiences.”