Inside Premiere Napa Valley 2007

St. Helena, Calif.

Hinsdale Cellars’ insiders were on site for last Saturday’s 11th Annual Premiere Napa Valley barrel auction, which set another record by surpassing $2.6 million in bids in a single — albeit showery — afternoon.

Our delegation was comprised of: head trip organizer Troy Clements, president of Chicago-area Pure Wine Co., one of the midwest’s most important distributors; HinsdaleCellars.com co-founder Sean Chaudhry, proprietor of two highly regarded wine retail locations in the western suburbs of Chicago; and HinsdaleCellars.com Advisory Board member Bryan Freel, a collector and connoisseur. In addition to the auction, they attended a number of private events surrounding the 2007 Premiere Napa Valley gathering.

Troy bid successfully and acquired one lot of 2005 Seavey Cabernet Sauvignon, which is due for release this September. This exclusive blend is 1o% Petite Verdot. Sean and Bryan scored with two winning bids, claiming one lot of the Astrale e Terra 2004 Castle Peak Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon and a lot of Larkmead’s ‘Harvest 111′ 2005 Bordeaux Blend.

(Those who periodically travel to the legendary Graycliff resort in the Bahamas will be pleased to learn that Graycliff’s Alan Arora secured four exquisite lots, including a special blend of Robert Foley and Switchback Ridge).

The average case price for the 2007 auction was $1,781. The Petroleum Club of Oklahoma City, Okla., placed the day’s top bid — $50,000 for five cases of a proprietary Rombauer Cabernet Sauvignon.

While Hollywood’s elite assembled to the south in L.A. for the Academy Awards, the cream of the crop of the wine world gathered up north. Sean and Troy were Betty O’Shaughnessy’s guests in Oakville for her Premiere party, where the O’Shaughnessy Estate Cabs and other revered Napa Valley reds were poured in O’Shaughnessy’s gorgeous home for hundreds of grateful (we hope) guests. There was fierce socialzing as well, later, at chef Thomas Keller’s Bouchon, the French bistro in Yountville. Our sociable duo visited the home of the Martin Estate owner Greg Martin after Saturday’s auction, joining Greg and his spouse for dinner later at a popular Italian eatery. Then it was off to an invitation-only oyster party hosted by a local winemaker.

 

Inside Sea Smoke: 2005 Botella

Steve Woodward in Lompoc, Calif.

The non-descript facility where coveted Sea Smoke Pinot Noirs are produced in Santa Barbara County was abuzz with activity when we arrived after a vineyard tour with general manager Victor Gallegos. Inside, winemaker Kris Curran (see photo under full post) supervised as 2005 Botella was bottled in preparation for its release later this year.

We barrel tasted all three 2005 releases — Botella, Southing and Ten. The layers of foggy “sea smoke” that roll in daily off the Pacific have worked their magic again.

Then we were off to lunch at the bustling Sissy’s, where sandwiches are supreme.

To acquire the supreme 2005 Southing, visit us online or call us (866.543.2006). 

Kris Curran (rear center) and crew bottle Botella, Feb. 23, 2007.

 

Luxury Living for Well-Bred Wine

We were fortunate to hear about a guy in St. Louis, Marc Lazar, as we awaited the birth last summer of HinsdaleCellars.com. A member of our Advisory Board advised us (that’s what they’re supposed to do, no?) that Lazar’s Cellar Advisors, specializing in collection management, was attracting positive attention from high-end consumers.

Lazar (at left) has written eloquently under our Vintelligence banner ever since, and he also opened our eyes to the landmark debut of CellarSensor technology, which we reported on a few weeks ago as we introduced our site’s readers to innovator Chris Womack.

This week, there is more news from Cellar Advisors to share. Cellar – Private Wine Storage, the sister company to Cellar Advisors, recently opened a new facility in St. Louis designed to house private collections in an environment specifically tailored to the long-term care of fine wines.

“For several years, we have been getting requests from clients for a secure and well-appointed wine storage facility,” Lazar said.  “With our facility, we provide a superior storage solution that can accommodate collections of almost any size.” 

The Cellar Storage facility features approximately 4,000 square feet of entirely below-grade storage cellars.  An additional 4,000 square-feet of main floor area provides more storage, administrative facilities, a kitchen and comfortable tasting room with seating for up to 20 people. Lazar points out that he is geographically close to a number of population centers where connoisseurs dwell, including Chicago. From the Chicago area, for example, collectors can ship wine in just one day using the highly economical UPS Ground option. 

Design features unique to Cellar Storage include: Custom-designed redundant commercial refrigeration equipment and special insulation systems calibrated to keep the facility at 55 degrees at all times; zoned humidity sensors and equipment to keep humidity at an optimal 60 to 75 percent to keep corks moist but prevent mildew and mold; vibration mitigation measures, including custom stair construction and isolated, insulated elevator design; backup generator and redundant mechanical systems designed to maintain optimal cellar conditions even in the event of power outages; wireless internet available throughout the building so clients may work on inventory, tasting notes or wine research from lockers or tasting room; and, layered security doors and redundant alarm sensors.

Lazar’s will be among the first facilities in the country to offer CellarTracker-based inventory management, accessible anywhere in the world through a web interface, and the first facility in the country to employ CellarSensor for real-time environmental monitoring and temperature history logging, including on the Cellar Storage website.

We encourage collectors of any level to visit www.cellarstorage.com.  Or call Mark at 314-667-5328. He might be tough to track down on Thursday, however. That’s his grand opening day for the new facility.

 

Next Page »