Lot 1
By Magnumanimous Decision

1 – 1.5 Liter 2005 Aida Cabernet Sauvignon
1 – 1.5 Liter 2004 Antucura
1 – 1.5 Liter 1998 Araujo Estate “Eisele Vineyard” Cabernet Sauvignon
1 – 1.5 Liter 2002 Arietta Red Wine “H Block Hudson”
1 – 1.5 Liter 2004 Clos Erasmus Priorat
1 – 1.5 Liter 1999 Colgin “Cariad” Napa Valley Red Wine, etched
1 – 1.5 Liter 2005 Continuum
1 – 1.5 Liter 2003 Corton “Clos des Corton Faiveley” Grand Cru
1 – 1.5 Liter 2004 Domaine Serene “Evenstad Reserve” Pinot Noir
1 – 1.5 Liter 1997 Fontodi Flaccianello della Pieve
1 – 1.5 Liter 2005 Gargiulo Vineyards 575 OVX Cabernet Sauvignon
1 – 1.5 Liter 2005 Grace Family Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon
1 – 1.5 Liter 2003 Harlan Estate
1 – 1.5 Liter 1999 M. Chapoutier Le Pavillon
1 – 1.5 Liter 1982 Château Palmer
1 – 1.5 Liter 2005 Paul Hobbs Lindsay Estate Vineyard Pinot Noir
1 – 1.5 Liter 2003 Château Pichon Longueville
1 – 1.5 Liter 1996 Perrier-Jouët Fleur de Champagne
1 – 1.5 Liter 2004 Revana Family Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon
1 – 1.5 Liter 2004 Screaming Eagle
1 – 1.5 Liter 1999 Shafer Vineyards Hillside Select Cabernet Sauvignon
1 – 1.5 Liter 2002 Sine Qua Non “Just For the Love of It” Syrah
1 – 1.5 Liter 2003 Sloan Estate Napa Valley Red
1 – 1.5 Liter 2000 Château Smith-Haut-Lafitte Grand Cru Classé de Graves
1 – 1.5 Liter 2003 Staglin Family Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, etched
1 – 1.5 Liter 2004 Swanson Estate Alexis
1 – 1.5 Liter 2002 Torbreck Run Rig Barossa Valley
1 – 1.5 Liter 2001 Valdicava Brunello Riserva “Madonna del Piano”
1 – 1.5 Liter 1991 Vega Sicilia Unico
1 – 1.5 Liter 2003 Vérité La Joie
1 – 1.5 Liter 2004 Viader “V” Petit Verdot Blend
One (1) custom wood wine case

Round One: As the bell rings, come out swinging, paddle firmly in hand. Eye your opponents. Many will vie to possess these 31 priceless trophies, all magnums from the world’s finest estates.

Round Two: Concentrate on what’s important. Winning! Recall that initial resistance of the cork to the opener – inevitably, it surrenders to the corkscrew twisting ever deeper into the bottle, until, with one powerful tug, the cork is released and the wine is liberated! Which will you open first… the full-bodied, velvety Valdicava, perhaps? Wine Spectator said it “develops wonderfully in the glass, becoming more and more rich with air.” One of the greatest Brunellos James Suckling has ever tasted. What about the chocolatey, ripe Pichon Baron? Robert Parker, Jr. declared it “one of the most powerful efforts this château has ever made.”

Round Three: Imagine how it will pour, the ruby red nectar of the gods dancing up in the glass, just as your paddle dances ever higher.

Round Four: The smell of victory is as redolent as the graphite, blackberry and crème de cassis nose of the Screaming Eagle Cabernet. Stare down the other bidders. Let them know who’s taking those magnums home.

Round Five: Contemplate the magnitude of what you’re about achieve. Possession of the 1999 Shafer Hillside Select. The Cabernet Sauvignon The Wine Advocate described as “combining an extraordinary elegance, delineation and purity with a tremendously layered, thick opulence that coats the palate with exceptional purity as well as precision.”

Round Six: Your bidding war reaches maturity… and victory is as ready to drink as the 2002 Torbreck Run Rig, one of the most remarkable wines in either hemisphere.

Round Seven: You grin smugly, knowing already how much you’ll savor that 2004 Clos Erasmus. Robert Parker, Jr. said: “Think of your wildest fantasy coming true and you may be able to conjure up the pleasure this wine delivers now and will continue to deliver over the next 12 to 15 years.”

Round Eight: No one deserves that 2003 Harlan Estate more than you. Bid like you mean it!

Round Nine: Punching your bidding arm high in the air, you win the lot with an immediate knockout number no one else can match.

The only worthy way to display the ultimate prize – a custom-made wine cabinet, designed and built to your personal specifications and preferences by the master artisans at Naples’s own Thomas Riley Artisans’ Guild. The Artisans’ Guild began in Naples and now creates monumental quality woodwork and furniture for the finest homes around the world. Your one-of-a-kind wine cabinet by the Artisans’ Guild will be a family heirloom for generations. It’s in your corner now, by magnumanimous decision!

DONORS: 2008 NWWF Participating Vintners and Thomas Riley Artisans’ Guild