Pinot Noir Auction Slam Dunk
Two days to taste 81 lots of the Willamette Valley’s best 2016 Pinot noir is a big job for anyone, but buyers (and writers) rose to the challenge. April 6-7, 2018 marked the third annual Pinot Noir Auction at the Allison Inn & Spa in Newberg, OR. Producers brought their A-game, generating over $800,000 in revenue to benefit the marketing and educational initiatives of the Willamette Valley Wineries Association.
The auction presented 78 lots of one-of-a-kind Pinot noir wines and three collaborative lots of Chardonnay from the 2016 vintage. Each wine was produced in quantities of five, 10 or 20 cases, and will only be available to the public through resale by the winning bidder.
Veteran wine auctioneer Fritz Hatton ran the show. Opening bids throughout the auction were greeted by a flurry of raised paddles, resulting in frequent bidding wars and rapid price escalation.
Not surprising, the top selling Pinot noir came from winemaker Maggie Harrison of Antica Terra (watch the video of the action below). The five-case lot produced entirely from the Antica Terra Vineyard, sold for a whopping $33,000.
Reflecting what is clearly a stellar vintage, the top five auction lots were:
• Lot 26: Five cases of Antica Terra “Alder Creek” Pinot noir: $33,000
• Lot 82: Five cases of Zena Crown Vineyard “Barrel and Foot” Pinot noir: $24,000
• Lot 11:Five cases of Alexana Estate Winery “By A Landslide” Pinot noir: $20,000
• Lot 83: 10 cases of Hyland Estates “The Perfect Pair” Pinot noir: $20,000
• Lot 75: Five cases of Bethel Heights “Vesper Bell” Pinot noir: $19,000
According to 2018 auction chair Laurent Montelieu (owner/winemaker for Solena Estate and Hyand Estate), “The 2018 auction exceeded our highest expectations. There was tremendous enthusiasm among the trade for the Willamette Valley region, as well as for the 2016 vintage, which we expect to go down in history as a benchmark year for Oregon.”
Dick Erath and Laurent Montelieu
7 Comments
That must have been such fun excitement watching all that bidding!! What a great way to also support the wine community too beyond enjoying stellar wines ?.
So, if a winery is not a member of the WVWA are they not considered as best?
Excellent point Todd, I can see how you could read it that way. I simply meant that the 81 lots that were there brought their best wines. Not that those 81 were the best of everything in the Valley.
That is a LOT of wine! But I’m sure it was all amazing… What a fun event!
Are you up for the challenge Erin? 🙂
$33K for 5 cases? Wow! I do love this event though and think it’s so wonderful how the whole wine community comes together for this auction.
Yeah, but Antica Terra, who’s wines are apparently worth more than gold! Yes, the community is united though, and the celebration of the vintage was palpable. Thanks Marlynn!