maybe we have the same source =P. He also said everything else is half off tho haha.
Scarecrow?!!
BT
Seriously, was that in any way for Charity?
wow
Of course it is all for Charity. Several years ago that price was more the norm than the exception. A Screagle lot went for many time this amount. In this economy it seems shocking. To a Billionarie who could use a little write off for his taxes, not a big deal.
Not really charity. Into the Napa Valley Vintners’ marketing warchest.
The Premier is trade-only. I believe you must hold a wholesale license to bid.
There was quite a bidding war between two individuals for the Scarecrow. Most everyone else bowed out at ~$30K. IIRC.
Two people who have interest in Scarecrow?
Two people who have interest in Scarecrow?
I highly doubt it, but have never met the proprietors, so wouldn’t know?
I take it you guys have a hard time stomaching this one? I guess someone thinks they can make some money reselling it, either at retail or in their restaurant. The brand’s obviously got some legs and, to be honest, those sorts of prices were not so uncommon in years past for the current next big thing.
This year the second-highest lot went for about 60% of the first (Ovid). And there was another pretty serious drop-off to the rest.
I’ve participated in this as a consumer for a few years (from Gary’s Wine, the top bidder for a few years in a row). Last year’s prices were not so good from my perspective and I was hoping this year would be better. Guess I’ll find out.
Btw, the trend for Scarecrow is a $25 bump per year. Steadily from the initial $100.
Sounds like a sword fight a’la Skin Deep
Actually it’s not true that this year’s Scarecrow price was more the norm. Last year, which was the biggest year for PNV and the first year that bottom-feeder me didn’t feel like I got my money’s worth due to the inflated prices, the top lot was the Shafer (best of the HSS barrels) which garnered $62,000.
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In fact, only the Rombauer lot in 2006 has exceeded the Scarecrow price at $85,000 - so this year’s Scarecrow seems to be the second-highest winning bid in PNV history.
That said, the Shafer bid last year was generated by one individual. I wouldn’t be surprised if the situation was similar with the Scarecrow.
I’m just hoping there are some good bargains for the bottom-feeders this year.
Nate - I don’t know about other retailers, but I’m pretty sure that for Gary’s, almost all, if not all, is dedicated money from people like me. Not much, if any, will even be sold at retail.
Steve- I think Jack was referring to the SE lot that went a few years back at Auction NV, which is a charity event and, while also sponsored by the NVV, is completely separate and unrelated.
Word on the street was that $10K for the 5 cs lots and $20K for the 10 cs lots would be considered a pretty good average (a little >$150/btl). The average from the 2009 PNV will be well below that, even with the Scarecrow and Ovid pulling it up. Still, it raised $1.5M, which is more than I think anyone expected. I think a lot of wines were going for < retail for the equivalent or sister retail bottling. (ours went for ~167% of retail; Scarecrow for 7,600% of retail ![[wow.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/7/7d450e9830889c8943b674446a21b7254cad657e.gif "wow"){kind=small}
).
I wasn’t aware that some of these guys (Gary was again one with his paddle up quite a bit) were buying on behalf of individuals. I have seen PNV lots on wine lists occasionally. Really, it makes no difference to me, nor should it. We all blend them up for people to enjoy, after all! I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised with the value you got this year.
FYI, Scarecrow and Ovid were both purchased by Nakagawa Wine Co from Tokyo.
Actually, Gary’s not getting the “big ticket” items is the best news for me. That means he probably was pretty active in the lower end - which is where I live. 
Like I said, his paddle was up a lot. Enjoy!!
Also met a few of the contingent who traveled with him. Pretty fun group!
Tough call on this one, the 2005 was great. But the offering coming up, the 2006 is surely not that level from what i hear.
So, question is, do they get enough pushback on pricing? Probably not, they most likely will not change pricing though they should…like everyone else I am pissed they went back on their promise,but with 2007 looming in the distance-how many of us will risk being dropped down some notches on the list if we pass on 2006?