Thursday, June 12, 2008
First-time jitters, Oprah sightings at Auction Napa Valley
It's not hard to imagine the butterflies faced by a first-time host at Auction Napa Valley. Just ask Gretchen Lieff.
Lieff and her husband, Robert, showcased their new winery, Lieff Wines, with dinner for a dozen guests Friday at their Rutherford home. Robert Lieff, a prominent San Francisco attorney who describes himself as an early partner in the Far Niente Winery, recalled auctions past and wanted to offer something different.
Their theme - a feast in the forest - featured wild game, prepared by chef Gloria Ciccarone-Nehls of San Francisco's Big 4 Restaurant, including wild boar carnitas and saddle of antelope, grilled peaches, and corn and goat cheese blintzes. The house, designed by architect Scott Johnson, better known for the Opus One Winery, had to be spotless, its infinity pool stretching to the edge of the encroaching black oaks.
Any worries about whether elk chops would go over paled in comparison to the guest list. Because the Napa Valley Vintners group manages lists for each of 30-plus dinners throughout the valley, Friday's events were a wide-scale game of "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner," a touch unnerving to the newly initiated.
Maybe more than a touch.
"That's a little terrifying," Gretchen said, "to suddenly have 12 people show up for this intimate experience."
In the end, there was little to fear - especially with attendees like Nancy and Peter Lang, owners of the Safari West animal preserve in Santa Rosa (presumably not there to wrangle the main course).
But the small-scale settings for the Friday dinners - most were 20 people or fewer - echoed a toned-down weekend. The tail-spinning economy might have explained crimps in the extravagance, fewer wars for top lots and seeming notes of caution among bidders.
The auction raised $10.35 million, a jump from last year but short of its $10.5 million record in 2005 and not quite at the level of the $14 million raised by the Naples Winter Wine Festival in Florida in January. It was a solid showing but proof that even a few months has made the wealthy hesitant to dip into their wallets in what even the Napa Valley Vintners termed "a challenging economic climate." The ticket prices, which held steady at $2,500 apiece, ensured that those who made it through the door could afford to spend big. But those on stage had to work extra hard for the cash.
– Jon Bonné, San Francisco Chronicle Wine Editor
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