Santa Rosa, CA (May 6, 2019) – National and international trade buyers convened on Friday, May 3 in the heart of Sonoma County’s Russian River Valley at the spectacular MacMurray Estate Vineyards for the Fifth Annual Sonoma County Barrel Auction. Eighty-five “Never Before, Never Again” wine lots handcrafted for this year’s auction raised a total of $645,000. The Sonoma County Barrel Auction has generated over $3.4 million since its inception in 2015. This year’s auction was attended by over 450 guests and featured rare small lot wines ranging from 5 to 20 cases.
These unique wines from Sonoma County’s top vintners and growers were made exclusively for the auction. Each lot was crafted to showcase the region’s highest quality and to express the story of Sonoma County’s diverse grape growing and winemaking styles. Selections included unique single vineyard bottlings, specific clonal selections, blends, wines aged using special barrel regimes and joint lot wines produced by collaborating vintners and AVA groups.
Auctioneer John Curley’s unique style and dynamic energy engaged and entertained the crowd throughout the event. Trade bidders vied for top lots which included Silver Oak Cellars’ “First of Its Kind” 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon which sold for $40,000 and Williams Selyem’s “The West Side” 2018 Pinot Noir at $33,000.
Top lots by case from returning vintners included Benovia Winery, CIRQ Estate, Kosta Browne Winery, Pride Mountain Vineyards, Silver Oak Cellars, Twomey Wine Cellars and Westwood Wines; and from newcomers Chappellet and Crescere; as well as two collaboration lots, one from DuMOL & Laurel Glen Vineyard and the other from Kanzler Family Vineyards, MacRostie Winery & Three Sticks Wines.
“The auction promotes the quality of Sonoma County wines globally, and builds long-term relationships with trade buyers,” said Sonoma County Vintners Executive Director Michael Haney. “We are extremely grateful to the visiting trade and media, our vintner members, AVA and corporate partners, Sonoma County Winegrowers and Sonoma County Tourism for their incredible support of the Sonoma County Barrel Auction over the last five years, and we look forward to welcoming them back for years to come.”
Each year the Sonoma County Barrel Auction gives trade buyers the opportunity to visit Sonoma County, discover new collectibles and hidden gems, and purchase these wines for resale to their clients. Following the event, many of the participating vintners include market visits to winning accounts to showcase the wines to their key customers and collectors.
Next year’s Sonoma County Barrel Auction will be held Friday, May 1, 2020. For more information or to request a ticket, visit: barrelauction.sonomawine.com.
Proceeds raised from the auction support the marketing initiatives of Sonoma County Vintners and its AVA partners.
Thank you to our 2019 Sonoma County Barrel Auction Sponsors: MacMurray Estate Vineyards, American AgCredit, Butterfly Aviation, Tonnellerie Cadus, G3 Enterprises/DIAM, Silicon Valley Bank, MacRostie Winery & Vineyards, Grand Cru Custom Crush, and Seghesio Family Vineyards. Supporting Sponsors included: TricorBraun Winepak, ETS Laboratories and Tonnellerie Tremeaux, as well as Debbie Douglas Designs, Pack n’ Ship Direct, Paragon Label, Out the Bottle, and our Celebration Sparkling Wine Sponsor, J Vineyards & Winery.
Click here for images from the 2019 Sonoma County Barrel Auction.
About Sonoma County Vintners
Sonoma County Vintners is the leading voice of Sonoma County wine, dedicated to raising awareness of Sonoma County as one of the world’s premier wine regions. Sonoma County Vintners represents over 200 wineries throughout the county. We actively promote Sonoma County through our educational programming; advocate for our vintners at local, state and federal levels; and contribute to our local communities through our charitable foundation, Sonoma County Vintners Foundation. Sonoma County Wine Auction, our annual fundraiser, has raised over $30 million benefiting non-profit organizations throughout the region. To learn more about Sonoma County Vintners, visit sonomawine.com.
