This is a departure from the usual format of this column. With Auction Napa Valley upon us, I thought I’d like to share one of my fondest memories of the several auctions I’ve attended. 

It was the 2000 auction, and I sat at a table toward the back of the huge tent that had been set up at Meadowood. A few minutes later a young couple (let’s call them Bob and Mary) came over and asked if they could join me. They were from Ohio and explained that they were wine enthusiasts and had saved for several years to be able to attend the auction. (The cost then was $2,500 per couple.)

That was the year that a 6-liter bottle of Screaming Eagle went for $500,000 and a 10-bottle vertical of magnums of Harlan Estate (1987-1996) went for $700,000.

As the auction got under way and the prices escalated, Bob turned to me and admitted, “I think this is going to be out of my league.”

When the auction was over, everyone moved to the area where a family-style dinner was to be served. I joined Bob and Mary at a table, and a few moments later Bill Harlan came up and asked if the other seats were taken. He and his party sat down and after we congratulated him on the $700,000 bid, he left the table and returned a few moments later with a bottle of Harlan Estate.

I looked at the couple, and their eyes popped. Harlan poured some in each person’s glass (there were about 10 at the table) and we raised a toast to Harlan Estates’ success.

I watched as the Ohioans tasted and savored the wine. It was obvious that they knew what they had, and Bob turned to me and said something to the effect that “this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for us.” I admitted it was the first time I had ever tasted Harlan Estate also, and when he seemed surprised, I explained that it’s not among those wines poured at the tastings that I cover. It’s in a league of its own.

Harlan left to “work the crowd,” but his winemaker, Bob Levy, also was present at the table, and the smile on his face was a mile wide as he answered questions about the wine. After all, how many winemakers anywhere in the world have seen someone spend $700,000 for 10 magnums of their wine?

The meal continued and the mood escalated with more and more wine from perhaps a dozen producers, and then Levy excused himself. He returned a bit later with another bottle of Harlan Estate, then walked around the table and poured some for each person.

At this point Bob leaned over to me, looked at his glass, and said, “I wish I could take this home with me.” Grinning, he held out his shirt pocket and simulated tipping his glass into it.

He and Mary continued to savor the wine, and after the dinner was completed, one by one the people left the table, leaving just the three of us.

While they sat there in awe, fully aware of the incredible experience they just had, I did some mental math and figured that with 10 magnums of Harlan Estate selling for $700,000, the equivalent of a 750 ml bottle would be worth $35,000. Two bottles were brought to the table, and we each had two glasses. With 10 people there, that meant that we each had wine that was worth $7,000.

I explained my math to Bob and Mary. That helped to describe the magnitude of their own experience, as well as putting a perspective on the $700,000 price tag.

We left, and I never saw them again.

They probably never returned to the auction. They were young and raising a family, and it was evident from the conversation that they had saved money for a long time to buy the auction ticket, pay for their airfare and hotel and eat in some of Napa Valley’s top restaurants.

I suspect they figured there would be some auction lots that would be within their price range, and I imagine they were quite disappointed to find none, especially that year. At that time the auction included a silent auction of wine provided by private donors, and Bob and Mary did make a successful bid on one of those. But it wasn’t the same as being able to raise your paddle in front of hundreds of other wine lovers; it was almost like buying the wine.

The price of admission to the auction has increased, and so have all other expenses. And the price of successful bids has continued to skyrocket, a evidenced by last year’s $1 million-plus for a European trip. So I doubt that Bob and Mary have returned for the auction.

But I am certain that for the rest of that year, and probably every time they get together with friends over a good bottle of wine, Bob and Mary recall their opportunity to taste $7,000 worth of wine.

I’ve told the story perhaps a hundred times, and each time I can just see their faces as they tasted that Harlan Estate. What a great memory!