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he Napa Valley Vintners (NVV), who puts on Auction Napa Valley, will be celebrating its 75th anniversary in 2019. To mark this significant milestone, 30 past board of director chairs who have provided leadership and support over the decades are coming together to serve as the honorary co-chairs of Auction Napa Valley. This group of dedicated vintners has been working to plan refinements and changes that will position Auction Napa Valley for continued future success. Like the NVV, the historic Louis M. Martini Winery has also been looking forward, investing significantly in restoring the original winery and building a world-class visitor experience. The Friday Barrel Auction, the first major event of Auction Napa Valley, will be held at the newly restored Louis M. Martini Winery. As one of the seven founding members of the NVV in 1944, Louis M. Martini served as the first Chairman of the Board and played a significant role in shaping the NVV’s history and establishing Napa Valley’s reputation as a worldrenowned winegrowing region. The Martini family was also deeply involved with another NVV milestone as Louis P. Martini was the Chair of the first Auction Napa Valley in 1981. Louis M. Martini passed the responsibility of crafting complex, varietal expressive Cabernet Sauvignon to his son, Louis P. Martini, in 1954. By then, Louis P. had already demonstrated his ingenuity in viticulture by introducing wind machines to the vineyards to
Photo courtesy of E&J Gall Winery
2019 Honorary Chairs combat frost. His contributions to the California wine industry were honored in 2008 with his posthumous induction into the Vintners Hall of Fame. In 1977, Louis P. Martini’s son, Mike Martini, took the helm and set an even higher level of winemaking standards. He created Cellar No. 254, an “artist’s studio” winery where the Martini team continues to experiment with limited-production wines. The winery’s most sought-after releases, like the Monte Rosso Collection and Lot No. 1 Cabernet Sauvignon, are meticulously crafted in this small-lot winery. Today, Michael Eddy continues the legacy of craftsmanship after spending more than a decade under the tutelage of Mike Martini. As Director of Winemaking, Michael leads a team that consistently produces wines of international acclaim. So, in many ways being hosted at the new Louis M. Martini Winery feels like a homecoming. As Auction Napa Valley enters its 39th year, more than $185 million has been invested in children's education and community health. When the NVV was founded, a small group of original members just wanted the quality of the wines they were crafting to be recognized. Today, the excellence cultivated in the Napa Valley is changing and saving lives. Auction Napa Valley 2019 takes place from May 30th -June 2nd. FOR MORE INFORMATION
visit www.napavalleylife.com for updates on Auction Napa Valley’s culinary experience and schedule of events as the event gets closer.
Joel Aiken Aiken Wines Dennis Cakebread Cakebread Cellars Bruce Cakebread Cakebread Cellars Hugh Davies Davies Vineyards and Schramsberg Vineyards Greg Deluca Dan Duckhorn David Duncan Silver Oak and Twomey Dawnine Dyer Dyer Vineyard Clay Gregory Visit Napa Valley Michael Honig Honig Vineyard & Winery Reverdy Johnson Rick Jones Jones Family Vineyards Guy Kay Walt Klenz Paula Kornell Dick Maher Mike Martini Beth Novak Milliken Spottswoode Estate Vineyards & Winery Michael Mondavi Michael Mondavi Family Estate David Pearson Opus One John Skupny Lang and Reed Wine Company Bob Steinhauer Pat Stotesbery Ladera Vineyards Jack Stuart Emma Swain St. Supéry Estate Vineyards and Winery John Trefethen Trefethen Family Vineyards Bob Trinchero Russ Weis Silverado Vineyards SPRING 2019
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