2023 Auction Lots

1 – 1.5 Liter 2017 Secret Door Hirondelle Vineyard Stags Leap District Cabernet Sauvignon
1 – 1.5 Liter 2018 Secret Door Hirondelle Vineyard Stags Leap District Cabernet Sauvignon
1 – 1.5 Liter 2019 Secret Door Hirondelle Vineyard Stags Leap District Cabernet Sauvignon
6 – 750ml 2014 Secret Door Lot: Secret1X Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
6 – 750ml 2014 Secret Door Lot: Secret1Z Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
6 – 750ml 2017 Secret Door Hirondelle Vineyard Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
6 – 750ml 2018 Secret Door Hirondelle Vineyard Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
6 – 750ml 2019 Secret Door Hirondelle Vineyard Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
6 – 750ml 2017 Secret Door Sage Ridge Vineyard Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
6 – 750ml 2018 Secret Door Sage Ridge Vineyard Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
6 – 750ml 2019 Secret Door Sage Ridge Vineyard Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
6 – 750ml 2018 JML by Secret Door Lot: No. 2 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Six (6) night intimate insider experience into the California wine business with Secret Door Winery in California for two (2) couples

San Francisco, California:
Two (2) nights’ accommodations in One-Bedroom Metropolitan Suites at The St. Regis San Francisco for two (2) couples
Full day tour of Toluma Farms & Tomales Farmstead Creamery with the Herd Manager and visit to McEvoy Ranch
Tour includes fresh farmstead cheese sampling and charcuterie, lunch prepared by Chef Kim Lavere served with Champagne, tour of the McEvoy Ranch olive groves, followed by a Tuscan-style wine and olive oil tasting

Calistoga, California:
Four (4) nights’ accommodations at Solage Resort & Spa for two (2) couples
Private tour and tasting at Secret Door Winery with proprietor Donald Patz
Private wine paired dinner with Donald Patz and his wife, Jung Min Lee, paired with wines from their personal collection
Private dinner with Donald Patz at a top local restaurant in Napa
Private lunch with local grape growers
Additional winery tours and experiences tailored to winning bidders’ interest

Attention Cabernet Sauvignon lovers: This lot is for you!

Most wine connoisseurs associate Donald Patz with the stellar Pinot Noir and Chardonnay he produced at Patz & Hall. He has now branched out on his own and founded the Donald Patz Wine Group, and Secret Door is his love letter to Cabernet Sauvignon: small batches of wine from designated vineyards in Donald’s favorite parts of the Napa Valley, site-specific and unblended with Merlot or Cabernet Franc.

Secret Door is also a love story of another kind. When Donald met his wife Jung Min Lee during his days at Patz & Hall, she told him that her real preference was for Bordeaux-styled Cabernet wines. He promised her that if she moved from Virginia to California to be with him, he would someday make a Cabernet Sauvignon wine for her. Promise kept.

Before your journey to Napa, your party will spend two days in San Francisco at The St. Regis hotel in the city’s trendy SoMa district. You’ll stay in newly renovated, 700 square foot Metropolitan Suites, complete with butler service.

The highlight of your time in the city by the bay will be a full day at Toluma Farms & Tomales Farmstead Creamery in Marin County. The 160-acre dairy and educational farm is home to 80 sheep and 200 goats, the source for eight varieties of artisanal cheeses. Your private tour will culminate in a chef-prepared lunch of local cheese and charcuterie, accompanied by Champagne and finished with a Tuscan-style wine and olive oil tasting at McEvoy Ranch.

From San Francisco, you’ll travel north to Calistoga for a four-night stay at Solage Resort & Spa, part of the Auberge Resorts Collection. A century ago, Calistoga was a small town centered around its natural, bubbling hot springs; today, it’s a bucket-list destination for wine lovers, foodies and wellness seekers.

Your immersion into the world of small-batch Napa Cabernet will include a private tour and tasting at Secret Door with Donald Patz, as well as a dinner with Donald and his wife, Sung Min Lee, accompanied by wines from their personal cellar.

During your visit, you’ll become familiar with Secret Door’s two designated vineyards: Hirondelle in the Stags Leap District, known for wines that exhibit complexity, supple tannins and ripe fruit, and Sage Ridge Vineyard to the east of St. Helena, yielding powerful and intense Cabernet with the ability to age gracefully for decades.

Secret Door purchases fruit from these sites, grown with the full collaboration of the farming teams. You’ll have the opportunity to share a meal with the grape growers and gain insight into their practices. Secret Door will be happy to arrange additional winery visits for you as well.

Donald Patz will spend two days showing you around Napa and collaborate with you about which local vineyards and vintners you would like to meet. The itinerary will be completely customized based on the winners’ interests and preferences. The next two days, the winners will explore Napa at their leisure.

In addition, your party will receive a collection of Secret Door wines, including verticals of the 2017-2019 vintages of both Sage Ridge Vineyard (in 750ml) and Hirondelle (in both 750ml and Magnum sizes). These wines are only sold on allocation and are not usually available for retail purchase.

Raise your paddle for an inside look at the California wine business and the crafting of memorable Cabernet Sauvignon. It’s ALL for the kids!

Insider's Info

Airfare and airport transfers are not included and are the responsibility of the winning bidders. Ground transportation to Toluma Farms and to planned activities with Donald Patz is included. All other ground transportation is not included and is the responsibility of the winning bidders. Winning bidders will stay in a Calistoga King Studio or Valley Two Queen Studio at Solage Resort & Spa. The activities during the stay in Calistoga will be tailored to the winning bidders’ interests. In Calistoga, two days will be planned activities with Donald Patz, including lunches and dinners with non-alcoholic beverages and paired wines and two days will be at the winning bidders’ leisure. Gratuities for meals with Donald Patz are included. Any additional gratuities are at the discretion of the winning bidders. Trip to be planned for mutually agreeable dates and based on availability. Blackout dates may apply.

Donor

Donald Patz & Jung Min Lee, proprietors of Secret Door Winery and the Donald Patz Wine Group

with special thanks to Martha Good Luxury Travel