Collectors: Where to Find Rare Wines from the Premiere Napa Valley Portfolio

ST. HELENA, CA--(Marketwired - February 28, 2017) - Wines from the high quality but low yielding 2015 Napa Valley harvest took center stage at Saturday's 21^st annual Premiere Napa Valley barrel tasting and futures auction. Wine purveyors from 32 states and six countries gathered at the Culinary Institute of America in Napa Valley to acquire these micro-production offerings for their customers through energetic bidding that saw $4.2 million in sales.

Premiere Napa Valley wines are produced by member winemakers of the Napa Valley Vintners (NVV) trade association in quantities as small as 60 and never more than 240 bottles. The Premiere portfolio showcases some of Napa Valley's rarest and highest quality commercially available wines. Upon release, every bottle is hand-signed and individually numbered by the winemaker, like a limited-edition work of art.

"I have been purchasing Premiere Napa Valley wines for 14 years and have learned so much about how Napa Valley winemakers go out of their way to create extraordinary wines that are above and beyond their already high standards," noted Tom Fickinger, a division executive for Merrill Lynch Wealth Management and avid wine collector. "The rarity of these wines and the stories behind them have marked special occasions with friends and family and acted as great conversation starters when entertaining clients who have a similar passion for wine."

Following the weekend sale, NVV has published the list of locations where collectors can read descriptions and find these rare Napa Valley wines at premierenapavalley.com. Although the wines were sold as futures and won't be released for several months, collectors are encouraged to contact the purveyors now before the limited offerings sell out.

The uniqueness of each Premiere Napa Valley wine is composed from many facets of Napa Valley winemaking passions, including:

• Specific vineyard, block and even grapevine row selections
• Blends of wine not otherwise available
• A particular fermentation or aging protocol
• Novel collaborations between noted winemakers

Bidding at Premiere Napa Valley is open only to licensed members of the wine trade, like retailers, restaurateurs, hoteliers, private club managers and wholesalers, who buy these coveted Napa Valley wines for their top customers.

Proceeds from Premiere Napa Valley support the NVV's mission to promote, protect and enhance the Napa Valley wine region.

About the Napa Valley Vintners
The Napa Valley Vintners nonprofit trade association has been cultivating excellence since 1944 by inspiring its more than 525 members to consistently produce wines of the highest quality, to provide environmental leadership and to care for the extraordinary place they call home. Learn more at napavintners.com.

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