Napa Valley, CA – February 27, 2024 – Lawrence Wine Estates is pleased to announce that their wine specially crafted for Premiere Napa Valley 2024 – a collaboration between historic Napa Valley wineries Burgess, Heitz Cellar, and Stony Hill – was among the top-selling lots from the esteemed auction. These wineries are a part of the Lawrence Wine Estates portfolio and represented by fine wine importer Demeine Estates.
For the first time in history, these three legendary Napa Valley producers have become one with the 2022 Founder’s Cuvée. Crafted from the finest Cabernet Sauvignon and produced from estate vineyards at Heitz Cellar, Stony Hill and Burgess, this limited-edition wine honors the relationships the founders forged during the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. Their shared dream was to transform Napa Valley into a world class wine region, a dream that has been championed and realized by future generations. Winemakers Meghan Zobeck (Burgess), Brittany Sherwood (Heitz Cellar) and Reid Griggs (Stony Hill) collaborated to create this unique wine, organically produced. This is truly a one-of-a-kind lot that is impossible to replicate, with only 20 cases produced.
“We are very pleased to see such a positive reception at Premiere Napa Valley 2024 for the Founder’s Cuvée,” said Lawrence Wine Estates CEO Carlton McCoy, MS. “Relationships were the foundation of success for Napa Valley’s earliest wines and it’s a pillar that we still deeply value today. Our winemakers were eager to work closely together and craft this cuvée to seamlessly intermingle the nuances of the vineyard sites they each work with to create an elegant, ageworthy wine that defines the Lawrence Wine Estates philosophy.”
Premiere Napa Valley 2024 was also a special opportunity to spotlight the 2022 vintage. The lot showcased at this year’s event speak to the agility and skill level of the winemakers at Lawrence Wine Estates. Sherwood, Griggs, and Zobeck are thrilled with the finesse, polished tannin and lift of the Founder’s Cuvée, and like McCoy, they believe this is an elegant wine that will only become more beautiful with age.
According to the non-profit trade association Napa Valley Vintners, the organizers for this event, this year’s auction showcased 166 unique wines that were handcrafted specifically for Premiere Napa Valley. Of special note were 12 collaboration lots in which 59 member wineries took part. More than 1,000 trade members came to bid on the wines from Feb 9 to Feb 24, and Sotheby’s engaged with bidders in Napa Valley along with those online in Europe and Asia. This year $3 million was raised, with proceeds going directly to Napa Valley programs that promote and protect the region.
About Lawrence Wine Estates
Lawrence Wine Estates is the global leading portfolio of historical and multi-generational fine wine estates. The portfolio that Napa Valley needed, their iconic producers include Heitz Cellar, Stony Hill, Burgess, Haynes Vineyard, Ink Grade, and Brendel. The treasured history of each estate prioritizes traditional winemaking philosophies and biodynamic farming techniques to create pure and balanced wines of the highest quality. With six estates in the Napa Valley and one in Bordeaux, a visit to each property provides guests with world-class, luxury experiences. Lawrence Wine Estates is led by Master Sommelier and Chief Executive Officer Carlton McCoy, Jr.
