NASHVILLE, TN (August 2, 2024) — The Nashville Wine Auction raised over $2.3 million at the 45th Annual l’Eté du Vin, which was held July 27 at the JW Marriott Nashville. This year’s event featured wines emblematic of the 45th Parallel to celebrate 45 years. Guests of honor included: Michael G. Etzel of Beaux Frères; Olivier Bernard of Domaine de Chevalier; Niccoló Maltinti of Prunotto; Jacob Gragg of Ca’ del Bosco; Shane Moore of Zena Crown Vineyard; and Alix Romec of M. Chapoutier.
The 45th Annual l’Eté du Vin Live Auction was the final wine event in a 3-day series, which included the Vintners’ Tasting on Thursday evening and the Patrons’ Dinner on Friday evening, both held at Four Seasons Nashville.
Proceeds from l’Eté du Vin, the country’s longest running charity wine auction, help fund the fight against cancer by supporting twelve local nonprofit organizations whose purpose is directly related to cancer research, innovative patient treatment and caregiver/patient support.
“[This was] my first time in Nashville and now I understand what is meant by Southern Hospitality. From the moment of arrival to the moment of departure, my experiences were all truly memorable,” founder of Beaux Frères Michael G. Etzel says. “[It was] five days of non-stop fun. The music scene was beyond my expectation, the food was amazing, and the auction events exposed Beaux Frères to new wine collectors.”
“It was one of the top events I’ve attended so far. [Nashville Wine Auction] made all the vintners welcome and helped us build connections with the chairs, trade, collectors, and passionate people,” US Brand Ambassador for M. Chapoutier Alix Romec says. “I loved presenting the Rhone Valley to a large audience, especially the white wines, as I guessed it surprised many people. [The team] was awesome and made everything perfect. Merci!”
In addition to wines shared by the six esteemed Guests of Honor, our featured vintners, who provided wines for the Patrons’ Dinner on Friday and the reception on Saturday evening, were Alpha Omega, Chappellet and Mayacamas.
The top lots sold at the l’Eté du Vin Live Auction include:
- The Enviable Bordeaux Itinerary Luxury Wine Tour for 8 people features visits and access to some of the biggest names in the region, including a special evening with Guest of Honor Olivier Bernard at Domaine de This unforgettable 7-day adventure sold for $110,000.
- The Exclusively Grand Cru Domaine De La Romanée-Conti Dinner featuring a lineup of wines that hails from coveted 80s and 90s vintages in the six historic DRC vineyards was donated by hosts Cynthia and Elliot Himmelfarb and sold for $105,000.
- Le Dîner Entriément au Vin Blanc is an evening en blanc—both wine and wardrobe—hosted by donors Rahel Klapheke Sloan, Jim Sloan, Loren Chumley, and Scott Peterson for 15 It sold for $70,000.
- Buongiorno Northern Italy! Ultra Luxe Tour For 3 Couples, a dream 7-day adventure of Northern Italy with stops at two of our Guests of Honor, Ca’ del Bosco and This trip sold twice for $60,000.
- The Morgan French Open hosted and donated by Janice and David Morgan, the Maître for the Nashville Chapter of the Commanderie de Bordeaux sold for $52,500.
- A Tribute to Terry Murray, a lot of 45 bottles and 8 magnums in memory of a long-time Nashville Wine Auction patron sold for $50,000.
- Festival Napa Valley Experience with Alpha Omega donated by Michelle and Robin Baggett with a custom patron package for the opening weekend sold for $50,000.
- Sewanee Saturday Matinée, Lunch On The Mountain For 11 Couples, hosted by Pam and Steve Taylor, features a West Coast versus France lineup with stunning views from their home in Sewanee sold for $48,000.
“As always, we are overwhelmed by the generosity of our donors and bidders, and we are so grateful to everyone who joined us for the 45th l’Eté du Vin,” President and CEO of the Nashville Wine Auction Loren Chumley says. “It was an honor to have six Guests of Honor and three Featured Vintners share their wines with us. These events truly are the most fun you will ever have funding the fight against cancer.”
Long-time Nashville Wine Auction supporters Marc Goldstone & Nancy Allen and Rahel Klapheke Sloan & Jim Sloan were co-chairs of l’Eté du Vin.
“Nancy and I were honored and humbled to co-chair the Tennessee wine community’s premier fundraising event with our dear friends Rahel and Jim,” co-chair Marc Goldstone says. “Working with our dream team of vintners, volunteers, Nashville Wine Auction staff, donors, and, of course 3-400 of our friends Saturday night, we could not be more proud to have raised more than $2.3 million dollars to fund the fight against cancer. It was surely one of the best nights of our lives.”
The Nashville Wine Auction is proud to have the following sponsors for this event:
JW Marriott, Clinical Solutions Pharmacy, Parker’s Paws Animal Hospital, Tennessee Oncology, The Wilson Group, Buchalter, Frugal MacDoogal, Gilead Oncology, The Hearn Foundation, Husch Blackwell, D. Cummins Community Betterment Fund, Lipman Brothers, Polsinelli Law Firm, Four Seasons Hotel Nashville, Mercedes Benz of Music City, Hub International, King & Spalding, Avison Young, Gary Musick Productions, Kopka Pinkus Dolan, Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP, Encore, Seyfarth Shaw LLP, Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani, Genmab, Serpe Andrews, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Loden Vision, and Diamond Cellar.
ABOUT THE NASHVILLE WINE AUCTION
Nashville Wine Auction’s mission is to unite the wine community to fund the fight against cancer. In 2024, Nashville Wine Auction will celebrate Pairings: Nashville’s Ultimate Wine and Food Weekend on February 22-24
and the 45th Annual l’Eté du Vin on July 25-27 at JW Marriott. Established in 1980, the Nashville Wine Auction has raised more than $40 million for organizations whose purpose is directly related to cutting-edge research, innovative treatment, and family/patient/caregiver support. www.NashvilleWineAuction.com
NASHVILLE WINE AUCTION BENEFICIARIES
American Cancer Society’s Hope Lodge, Ascension Saint Thomas Foundation, Gilda’s Club Middle Tennessee, The Heimerdinger Foundation, HopeKids, Inc., Leukemia Lymphoma Society, Nashville General Hospital Foundation, Make-A-Wish Foundation® of Middle Tennessee, Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt, Survivor Fitness Foundation, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
