Since 1944, the Napa Valley Vintners (NVV) nonprofit trade association, has been cultivating excellence by inspiring its 550 members to consistently produce wines of the highest quality, to provide environmental leadership and to care for the extraordinary place called Napa Valley.  Premiere Napa Valley is THE opportunity to become the sole proprietor of one of Napa Valley’s most creative wines. Premiere Week is typically the time leading up to the barrel tasting and auction. The week is known worldwide and is considered “The Best Week in Napa Valley” for the wine trade.

Each year, more than 150 Napa Valley winemakers create remarkable lots of wine for Premiere Napa Valley. These micro-lot wines (as few as 60 and no more than 240 bottles) can be procured from select purveyors of Premiere Napa Valley wines around the globe.

The limited-edition nature of the wines allows the winemakers the leeway to be highly creative, and often vary from the winery’s traditional offerings. They may focus on a special part of their vineyard, an unusual grape variety or even a collaborative effort between winemakers. The resulting wines are one-of-a-kind and showcase Napa Valley’s sense of exploration in fine winemaking.

And, sadly, the format has changed since last year! My invitations to multiple parties from the Rutherford Dust Society tasting at St. Supéry Estate Vineyards & Winery, to the Blind Barrel Vintage Perspective Tasting hosted at the magnificent Ingelnook Estate Chateau in Rutherford to the fabulous after-party soiree hosted at Alpha Omega Winery, are no more, for 2020.

Pictured left: Citypeek.com's Patti Neumann and Castle di Amorosa's Jim Sullivan from 2019 Blind Barrel Vintage Perspective Tasting at PNV.

Premiere Napa Valley (PNV)  wines are offered at auction only to restaurateurs and wine retailers who curate and offer the wines to their top clientele. You'll find them in a variety of places: a private club, an intimate wine bar, your local retailer or nationwide wine stores. Although due to COVID, Premiere Napa Valley WILL be hosting an online auction in 2021. And although, a different format, NVV is celebrating the newest releases of Napa Valley’s most coveted wines during it's annual Premiere Napa Valley Release Week beginning this week, November 9. Buy link is now live and you can shop by vintage, varietal, appelation and by winery.

Here is the 2020 Premiere Napa Valley Event Lineup. Also follow their realtime twitter feed for excellent coverage from the multitude of wineries participating--Twitter hashtag #PNV20 https://twitter.com/hashtag/pnv20

 LIVE WEBINARS: NAPA VALLEY SESSIONS:

Join us as we explore a wine buyer's quest to procure Premiere Napa Valley lots. The conversation will delve into the wines, the passion, the people, and the relationships that bring these wines from the vineyard to the market to a cellar like yours.

Online Events:

Napa Valley Sessions: A Quest for Premiere Napa Valley
Night 1: Tuesday, November 10, 2020 at  5:30 P.M. PT

The essence of Premiere Napa Valley is the pursuit for some of Napa Valley’s rarest and most valuable wines. Join Alder Yarrow, author of the Vinography wine blog, Peggy Perry of Willow Park Wines & Spirits in Canada, Ted Edwards of Freemark Abbey and Brooke Shenk of St. Supéry Estate Vineyards & Winery as they discuss Premiere Napa Valley wines and Peggy's quest to acquire these wines for her customers.

Napa Valley Sessions: A Quest for Premiere Napa Valley
Night 2: Wednesday, November 11, 2020 at 5:30 P.M. PT

For the second night, Alder Yarrow is joined by Gary Fisch of Gary's Wine & Marketplace in New Jersey and California, Aaron Pott of Saint Helena Winery, and Katie Leonardini of Whitehall Lane. Gary has procured Premiere Napa Valley wines since its inception to provide his customers access to Napa Valley’s rarest wines. The panel will discuss why wine connoisseurs should seek out Premiere Napa Valley wines.

 Napa Valley Sessions: A Quest for Premiere Napa Valley (Night 1)
Tue, Nov 10, 5:30–6:30 p.m. PSThttp://www.instagram.com/winecountrymuse

Join Alder Yarrow, author of the Vinography wine blog, Peggy Perry of Willow Park Wines & Spirits, Ted Edwards of Freemark Abbey and Brooke Shenk of St. Supéry Estate Vineyards & Winery in a conversation that will delve into the wines, the passion, the people and the relationships that bring these wines from the vineyard, to the market, to a cellar like yours.
Gary's Wine & Marketplace Online Event
Gary's Wine & Marketplace

Wed, Nov 11, 4–5 p.m. PST

Gary's Wine & Marketplace is kicking off a Premiere Napa Valley Night with Gary Fisch and special guests Jeff Ames Nemerever and Wesley Steffens  of Vineyard 7&8. They will discuss the quality of their wines and innovation behind the process that produces some of Napa Valley's rarest wines. Don't miss your opportunity to learn about their curated selection of the most exciting, highly allocated wines.
Napa Valley Sessions: A Quest for Premiere Napa Valley (Night 2) Online Event
Napa Valley Sessions: A Quest for Premiere Napa Valley (Night 2)

Wed, Nov 11, 5:30–6:30 p.m. PST
For the second night of "A Quest for Premiere Napa Valley", Alder Yarrow is joined by Gary Fisch of Gary's Wine & Marketplace in New Jersey and California, Aaron Pott of Saint Helena Winery and Katie Leonardini of Whitehall Lane.
Holbrook Liquors Online Event
Holbrook Liquors

Thu, Nov 12, 3:30–4:30 p.m. PST
Join Jeff Degner, CSW and Wine Influencer Maryam Ahmed for an online event discussing the Napa Valley region and the wines of Premiere Napa Valley.

These lots are purchased as futures, sometimes two years before the final wine is ready, making their release that much more special. You'll find the wines in a variety of places: a private club, an intimate wine bar, your local retailer or a nationwide wine store. This year’s online “Build Your Collection” listing connects wine enthusiasts to the limited locations around the world in which these wines can be purchased.

Remember to Twitter hashtag #PNV20

As for 2021, there will be new beginnings. In the spirit of innovation, the Napa Valley Vintners and Auction Napa Valley Boards of Directors have unanimously determined that is it time wrap up Auction Napa Valley in its current format and redefine how a world-class wine region fundraises for the good of its community 

“Pausing our Auction due to the global pandemic allowed us time to reflect on all we have achieved and gave us the space to envision what our future might look like.” said Robin Baggett, Chairman of the NVV Board of Directors.   

In June 2021, the organization will not be hosting Auction Napa Valley, and will instead take the next year to dream up and create a completely new platform for giving, one that may inspire others for the next 40 years.   

“Auction Napa Valley set the standard for world-class wine events, and we’re humbled to have inspired others to create countless events that have raised funds for many other worthy causes,” said Jack Bittner, Vice-Chair of the NVV Board. 

For forty years the Napa Valley wine community, our vintners, bidders, volunteers and partners have supported Auction Napa Valley with boundless generosity. Through Auction Napa Valley proceeds the NVV has given more than $200 million to care for the Napa Valley community.  While this coming year will be dedicated to re-imagining Auction Napa Valley, NVV will continue its commitment to the community in 2021 by utilizing reserve funds set aside in previous years for this purpose.  

The NVV and its boards of directors remain dedicated to Auction Napa Valley’s mission: to leverage Napa Valley’s world-class wines to care for the community, and they are welcoming vintners and volunteers to the table to be part of the conversation and planning.   

“When enjoying your next bottle of Napa Valley wine, we hope you will join us in raising a glass to 40 great years of success and to the great things to come in the next 40 years,” said Beth Novak Milliken, Secretary/Treasurer of the NVV Board.

Mark your calendars for Premiere Napa Valley on February 20, 2021 with a new twist with virtual events held all during the week leading up to the online Premiere Auction finale.

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