2004 Napa Valley Wine Auction Makes History

For the first time in the history of the NVWA, ownership of a vehicle is included in a Vintners Lot and will go to the highest bidder at Saturday's Live Auction charity event. The vehicle selected for this historic occasion is the 2004 Cadillac XLR luxury roadster.

NVWA Vintners Lot 75, a vast collection of premium items and experiences, is anticipated to set a new auction record. Items include:

• One luxury roadster
• Eight private Napa Valley vintner-hosted dinner celebrations
• 13 3L bottles of Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
• Eight nights accommodations for two in the Valley's newest, most exclusive resort
• Eight (each) hand-blown Sommelier Bordeaux and Burgundy Grand Crus crystal glasses
• One of a kind Dominus jeroboam crystal decanter
• 96 750ml bottles (eight cases) of Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
• Custom-designed, portable "trunk" cooler that carries two 3L bottles

Replete with a dynamic design, advanced technology and a unique blend of luxury and performance, the Cadillac XLR brings a striking new presence to the elite luxury roadster class. The vehicle underscores its vibrant visual statement with a performance-oriented chassis and structure, and an all-new 4.6L Northstar V-8 VVT (variable valve timing) rear-wheel-drive engine. This combination makes it the lightest, most powerful vehicle in its class.

"The Cadillac XLR is the perfect vehicle for this premium lot," said Mike Jackson, General Manager, General Motors Western Region. "Much like the spectacular offerings each of our partners are contributing to Lot 75, the XLR is a finely crafted balance of style and grace with luxury performance and power."

The Cadillac XLR luxury roadster includes:

• Retractable hard top
• Patented performance car architecture
• Next generation Northstar 4.6 V-8 VVT (variable valve timing) engine in rear-wheel drive configuration
• Rear-mounted Hydra-Matic 5L50-E five-speed automatic transmission with Driver Shift Control
• Magnetic Ride Control, electronically controlled, magnetic fluid-based real-time damping system
• Magnasteer variable effort steering system
• StabiliTrak vehicle stability enhancement system
• Adaptive cruise control
• Head-up display
• Keyless Access with push button start
• Heated and cooled seats
• Advanced DVD navigation & entertainment system, OnStar, XM Satellite Radio (continental U.S. only) and Bose premium sound system

• One Cadillac XLR luxury Roadster

Perched 1200 feet above the floor of the Napa Valley, the atmosphere at the Chappellet family's winery and Pritchard Hill estate vineyards is serene and peaceful. As quoted by Wine Spectator, "It is their romance with the land that makes the Chappellet story so appealing."

The family has been crafting world class wines from the Pritchard Hill estate vineyards since 1967. They were the first to plant vineyards exclusively on high elevation hillsides and the second winery to be established in the Napa Valley after Prohibition. For three decades Chappellet wines have received high praise from wine critics and have been sought after by the world's premier collectors.

• 1 3L Chappellet Vineyard 1999 Pritchard Hill Estate Cabernet Sauvignon
• 1 3L Chappellet Vineyard 2000 Pritchard Hill Estate Cabernet Sauvignon
• 1 3L Chappellet Vineyard 2001 Pritchard Hill Estate Cabernet Sauvignon
• One private dinner or lunch for eight guests on Pritchard Hill with the Chappellet family

Nestled in the eastern slopes of the Napa Valley near the Oak Knoll and Stag's Leap appellations, the Darioush Winery's unwavering vision is to craft elegant, complex, world-class wines in the finest Old-World style yet reflective of the expressive fruit of one of the Napa Valley's finest Estates.

The new facility, currently under constructed and slated to open August of this year, will be comprised of a 22,000 square-foot state-of-the-art winery with a classical design which was inspired by the Persepolis, the ancient Persian city founded by Darius I, the first king of Persia.

• 1 3L Darioush 2001 Signature Cabernet Sauvignon
• Eight guests will be of the first to enjoy an exclusive dinner or lunch at the new Darioush Winery

Founded in 1972, the winery and home vineyards of Joseph Phelps are located in Spring Valley near St. Helena, on a 600-acre ranch that is characterized by rolling hills, California native oaks, and 160 acres of meticulously tended vines.

The first Phelps wine, 1973 Johannisberg Riesling, was introduced in the fall of 1974. Since then, production has grown to 100,000 cases annually, with Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Merlot serving as the winery's core varietals. In years when weather conditions permit, the Phelps portfolio also includes luscious dessert wines made from Johannisberg Riesling Scheurebe, Semillon and Muscat.

• 1 3L Backus Vineyard 2001 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
• 1 3L Insignia 2001 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
• Exclusive dinner or lunch for eight guests on the Joseph Phelps property

Nickel & Nickel is located on 42 acres that were originally settled as a farmstead in the 1880s. The winery's collection of classic barns along with the site's original Queen Anne home brings the historic farmstead back to life, while housing a cutting-edge winery capable of hand crafting up to 25 single-vineyard wines.

• 1 3L Sullenger Oakville 2001 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
• 1 3L Stelling Oakville 2001 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
• Eight guests will enjoy and exclusive meal with the Nickel's at their farmstead winery.

The 75-acre Oakville Ranch vineyard, which Bob and Mary Miner purchased in 1989, is the backbone of Miner Family wines. The vineyard lies in the eastern Oakville hills in what is indisputably Cabernet territory, home to some of California's greatest reds including Dalla Valle, Maya and Joseph Phelps Backus.

Presently Oakville Ranch is also home to some of the few remaining Chardonnay vines in Oakville, and like the fabled mountain grown Cabs, the wines yield extraordinary depth, concentration and complexity. Whole cluster pressed and aged, our reserve style Chardonnay is explosively rich with layers of butterscotch, melon and pear flavors.

• 1 3L 2000 Reserve Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
• 1 3L 2000 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
• Exclusive dinner or lunch for eight guests on the Joseph Phelps property

Ron and Teri Kuhn bought their 23-acre vineyard estate in 1995 with the dream of producing a world class Cabernet Sauvignon. The inspiration of their home's unique "rock pillars" coupled with the myths and breathtaking views of Stags Leap, helped create the image of Pillar Rock.

Their viticulture focus is low production per vine so that each vine can reveal the combination of site, soil and weather. Picked fully ripe, the grapes crushed and then aged in custom French oak barrels from the Nevers and Allier forests. The Wine Spectator says, "While the flavors are concentrated and the wine is well-structured, it offers a sense of finesse and complexity."

• 1 3L Barbara Olsen Memorial 2000 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
• Exclusive dinner or lunch for eight guests at Pillar Rock with the Kuhn's.

A twisting twenty-minute drive from St. Helena to the west, or Santa Rosa to the east, rewards Pride Mountain visitors with a stunning vista of the rugged St. Helena Mountain to the northeast and verdant vineyards rising to the sky in all directions.

Pride Mountain Vineyards is a 170-acre estate with a wooden-beamed, modest-sized winery that blends into its mountainous surroundings and California heritage.

• 1 3L Reserve 2000 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
• An exclusive mountain-top dinner or lunch for eight guests at Pride Mountain Vineyards.

Shafer Vineyards began in 1972 after John Shafer left a 23-year publishing career and moved his family to the Napa Valley. Purchasing a 210-acre estate in the Stags Leap District, the Shafer's were dedicated to the arduous task of replanting the 1920's-era vineyards and terracing the steep, rocky hillsides.

The first Shafer Cabernet set the benchmark, winning the acclaimed San Francisco Vintners Club taste-off upon release and, over a decade later taking first place in an international blind tasting held in Germany, where it outranked such wines as Chateau Margaux, Chateau Latour and Chateau Palmer.

• 1 3L Hillside Select 1999 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
• Eight guests will enjoy an exclusive dinner or lunch on the Shafer Vineyards property.

Calistoga Ranch is a private 157-acre hideaway offering an elite group of guests a rare glimpse into the hidden Napa. This vineyard retreat features an exclusive luxury resort surrounded by vast green forests and majestic hills.

The lodges at Calistoga Ranch are individually arranged among 30 acres of native gardens and stone pathways. In this peaceful enclave, 47 separate Guest Lodges and 27 Owner Lodges bow to the romantic beauty of their unique environs, with an innovative indoor/outdoor architecture created specifically for this vineyard retreat.

Within this extremely beautiful and sensitive natural setting, creating a resort that respects and celebrates the land was of the utmost importance. Calistoga Ranch has been treated as a sanctuary, with the vast majority of its acreage feeling as if man has barely set foot here. Developed land takes up only 30 acres...the remainder is wild, untouched and beckoning your discovery.

• Eight nights luxury lodging in a private guest lodge

Professor Claus J. Riedel was the first designer to recognize that bouquet, taste, balance and finish of wines are affected by the shape of the glass from which they are drunk. In the late '50s, Riedel produced glasses that were a design revolution - thin-blown, unadorned, reducing the wine to its essence: bowl, stem, base. Both revolutionary and beautiful, Riedel was the first and only stemware placed on permanent display in New York City's Museum of Modern Art.

By 1961 Riedel furthered his concept and introduced the first line of wine glasses created in different sizes and shapes. Later perfected with the introduction of the Sommeliers collection, a glass was born that turns a sip into a celebration: a wine's best friend, fine-tuned to match the grape.

Riedel has been known for over four decades for designing the most finely tuned instruments for every level of wine sophistication. While a glass cannot alter a fine wine or spirit, it can and does dramatically alter our perception of it.

• Eight Riedel hand-blown Sommelier Bordeaux Grand Cru glasses
• Eight Riedel hand-blown Sommelier Burgundy Grand Cru glasses
• One of a kind "Lot 75" Riedel Dominus jeroboam decanter

Completing the celebrated Napa Valley Cabernet collection for Lot 75, 750ml bottles of their finest Cabernet Sauvignon were donated by a bevy of vintners including:

• Eight cases (96 bottle total) of 750ml bottles of Cabernet Sauvignon from wide variety of Napa Valley vintners

This one-of-a-kind, portable cooler, hand-made by metal craftsman Danny Thompson, is a welcome addition to any aficionado's collection. Complete with temperature control, the portable cellar holds two 3L bottles and is customized to commemorate Napa Valley Wine Auction Vintners Lot 75.

• Portable custom cooler with user-controlled temperature gauges; carries two 3L bottles; adapter for vehicle plug-in included.

The Napa Valley Vintners, a non-profit, professional trade organization representing 245 Napa Valley wineries, is the host of the Napa Valley Wine Auction. Since its inception in 1981, the Napa Valley Wine Auction has contributed over $48 million to local organizations. Now the world's largest and most successful wine charity event, the Auction attracts nearly 1,800 attendees from around the world and is annually supported by more than 1,000 community volunteers. The primary focus of the Auction donations is to help support agencies working collaboratively to assist the underserved in Napa County.