The Auctioneer wine is a tribute to Michael Broadbent, the auctioneer, for his presence in Napa and contributing a validity to the Valley. Michael led the first auction devoted to wine as the Head of Christie’s Wine Department in 1966, and after this, developed wine auctions all over the world. Michael was an enormous fan of Napa Valley’s early wines; he partnered with Robert Mondavi to start the Napa Valley Wine Auction in 1981. The Auctioneer strives to bring back the elegance, restraint, sophistication and harmony of those early Napa wines. It is made in the style which made Napa Valley famous and appreciated by connoisseurs all over the world.

The Reserve 2020, from a private vineyard in Howell Mountain, is the first bottling and will not be produced every year, nor from the same vineyard. It represents only the very best years using small batches of wine from Auctioneer’s finest vineyards. Most vineyards in the Howell Mountain AVA are planted well above the elevations in Napa Valley, where they are most affected by the cool fog and winds from San Pablo Bay. Harvest began on October 16th 2020, it was a warm year experiencing a drought. Grapes from vines in volcanic soils were picked and oak barrel fermented with cultured yeast. Wine was aged in the same French oak barrels for 20 months before being bottled on December 2nd 2022.