Fontanafredda winemaker Danilo Drocco compares Barolo to "a lovely person who needs to be discovered little by little. Every time you open a bottle of Barolo, it gives off unique emotions and sensations." Now it is your turn to experience the crowning glory of the wines of Piedmont!

Rated over 90 points by both Wine Enthusiast and Wine Spectator, these two bottles are beautiful examples of the stellar vintages being crafted using the Nebbiolo grape. With scents of wild berries, violets, grilled herbs and white pepper, this structured wine tastes of succulent red berry, clove, cooking spice and licorice, balanced by firm tannic structure. Wine Enthusiast opined that this vintage will be at its best when drank between 2018 and 2031; the winning bidder can enjoy one now, and keep one cellared for the future.

This lot is proof positive that wine doesn't need to have a big price tag to deliver great taste! The wines in this case all cost less than $30-many less than $20!-but all have received stellar ratings of 90 points or higher.

• Podere Il Palazzino, Chianti Classico, Argentina, 2015 (Vinious Media: 92 points)
• Georges Duboeuf, Morgan Flower Label, 2015 (James Suckling: 93 points)
• Joel Gott, GOTT 14, Cabernet Sauvignon, 2014 (Wine Advocate: 90 points)
• Carol Shelton, Zinfandel Old Vines, 2016 (Wine Spectator: 92 points)
• Wines of Substance, Super Substance Merlot Stoneridge, 2013 (Wine Advocate: 93 points)
• Durigutti, Carmela Reserva Malbec, 2014 (Wine Spectator: 93 points)
• Vasse Felix, Filius Chardonnay, 2017 (Wine Spectator: 92 points)
• Three Brooms, Sauvignon Blanc, 2018 (Wine Spectator: 90 points)
• La Cana, Albarino, 2018 (James Suckling: 92 points)
• Elk Cove, Pinot Gris, Willamette Valley, 2017 (Wine Advocate: 90 points)
• Daou, Reserve Chardonnay, Paso Robles, 2017 (Wine Enthusiast: 92 points)
• Arnaldo Caprai, Grechetto Colli Martani Grecante, 2017 (James Suckling: 90 points)

This bottle is hand-selected from the private cellar of Laurent Chapuis, proprietor of The Princeton Corkscrew Wine Shop, located in Princeton, NJ. There, for over twenty years, Mr. Chapuis has presented a highly-curated selection of hand-crafted, artisanal wines drawn from family-owned estates. This lot is your opportunity to put his highly-lauded palate to work in your cellar!

Established in 1908, Domaine Chaintreuil is a small, family-owned estate that in just over 100 years has expanded to six times its original size. The six-hectare La Madone vineyard is run by oenologist Gilles Chaintreuil, who represents the family's fourth generation. Gilles stays true to the century-old traditions passed down to him from his ancestors, while also implementing new-age techniques in both the vineyard and cellar.

The Fleurie La Madone is named for the small chapel situated atop the hill that has overlooked the cities of Lyon and Macon since 1866. The Madonna perched above the chapel is said to watch over the people below, as well as the region's 800 hectares of vineyards. Fleurie is a very unique and special terroir, with southeastern exposure at an altitude of 350 meters. The granitic soils produce wines with good structure and power, which also have the capacity to be aged for a long time.

The Domaine Chaintreuil Fleurie La Madone-made from 100% Gamay-pours a deep purple with a brilliant ruby rim. Aromas of cherries and raspberries alongside floral notes of peonies and violets dance from the glass, complemented by underlying hints of light spice. On the palate, this gorgeous Cru Beaujolais is round and concentrated with full-bodied, yet soft, silky tannins, zesty acidity, and lively fruit intensity that drift over the palate during the long, refreshing finish. It is a powerful southern Burgundy-style red, perfectly balanced with the soft sensuality for which Fleurie is known. This wine can be aged up to 10 years and is the perfect pairing for grilled meats, small game, or soft and creamy cheeses.

1982 was a legendary vintage for Bordeaux. Both the wines-and the fervor with which they were received-changed the very landscape for wine production, critique, and consumption for the region and the world. The hot, dry growing season yielded rich, opulent vintages that are only now coming into their full maturity.

The winning bidder will enjoy a unique opportunity to explore the ways in which different vineyards captured this marvelous vintage, taking home one bottle each of:

• Château Lynch Bages, Grand Cru Classé, Pauillac (95 points: James Suckling)
• Château Batailley, Grand Cru Classé, Pauillac (89 points: Wine Spectator)
• Château La Lagune, Grand Cru Classé, Haut-Médoc (92 points: Robert Parker's Wine Advocate)
• Château Canon, Grand Cru Classé, St. Émilion (97 points: James Suckling)

Astor Wines & Spirits has been a fixture in New York's Greenwich Village since 1946. Now you can take advantage of their 70+ years of experience when you sample their September 2019 mixed case of the month. Full of new discoveries, all of which are delicious values, this case includes:

• Norfolk Rise, Pinot Noir, 2017 Red | Australia, South Australia 750mL
• Norfolk Rise, Sauvignon Blanc, 2017 White | Australia, South Australia 750mL
• Alkoomi, Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot, 2016 Red | Australia, Western Australia, Lower Great Southern 750mL
• Point Ormond, "Pyrenees" Nebbiolo, 2015 Red Australia, Victoria 750ml
• Tokaji Furmint, Evolúció, 2017 White | Hungary, Tokaji 750mL
• L.A. Cetto, Petite Sirah, 2016 Red | Mexico, Baja California 750mL
• Bergerac Blanc, Château le Payral, 2017 White | France, Southwest, Bergerac 750mL
• Château du Champs des Treilles, "Vin de Passion," Bordeaux Blanc, 2018 White | France, Bordeaux 750mL
• Sauvignon Blanc, Domaine de la Rablais, 2018 White, France, Loire, 750mL
• Medievo Rioja Blanco, Bodegas del Medievo, 2017 White | Spain, Rioja 750mL
• Rosé, Domaine Valjulius, 2018 Rosé | France, Languedoc-Roussillon 750mL
• Montepulciano d'Abruzzo, Sirio, 2017 Red | Italy, Abruzzi 750m

Astor Wines & Spirits has been a fixture in New York's Greenwich Village since 1946. Now you can take advantage of their 70+ years of experience when you sample their Wines of Tuscany selection. This lot includes:

• Vernaccia "Tradizionale," Montenidoli, 2018 White | Italy, Tuscany, San Gimignano 750mL
• Governo All'Uso Sangiovese, Vignaioli Morellino Scansano, 2017 Red | Italy, Tuscany, Morellino di Scansano 750mL
• Vernaccia di San Gimignano, Massimo Daldin, 2017 White | Italy, Tuscany, San Gimignano 750mL
• Rosso Piceno, Tenuta Santori, 2016 Red | Italy, Marches 750mL
• Tintero, Rosso Toscana, Guicciardini, 2018 Red | Italy, Tuscany 1L
• Rosso di Montalcino, Pian delle Querci, 2016 Red | Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino 750mL

We are going to make you an offer you can't refuse-a wonderful gift basket from the renowned Francis Ford Coppola Winery! This basket includes everything you need for an amazing film binge, including one bottle each of:

• Bees Box Chardonnay
• Bees Box Pinot Noir
• Director's Cut Chardonnay
• Director's Cut Pinot Noir

This is all packaged in Francis Ford Coppola Winery's signature wine bucket, with two glasses, wine key, and champagne stopper, along with a pizza cutter to slice up dishes best served cold.

There are few names more synonymous with innate elegance than Grace Kelly. This beautiful rosé, produced by Kelly-family-owned vineyards, is a marvelous reflection on its namesake's legacy.

Using the Saignée method of "bleeding" the juice before color from the skins is imparted, Grace Rosé pops with notes of white peaches, Fuji apples, and light strawberries. It has a lighter, mineral-like mouthfeel and finishes with grapefruit-like tartness. This bright, refreshing wine shines when paired with crab, cod, halibut, chicken, prosciutto wrapped melon, salad niçoise, hummus or fresh fruit.

Ensure that your enjoyment of this evening extends beyond tonight with this fantastic basket! Perfect for a quiet evening, you can now experience the delights of great wine paired with a great book on art and artists. Highlighting wine featured at this year's Vintner's Reception, this basket contains one bottle each:

• Frank Family Vineyards, Cabernet Sauvignon, 2015
• Stag's Leap Wine Cellars, Sauvignon Blanc, 2017
• Rombauer Vineyards, Merlot, 2016
• Louis Jadot, Saint-Romain, 2016

To drink alongside of four books about the art world and the Impressionists:

The Judgment of Paris: The Revolutionary Decade That Gave the World Impressionism, by Ross King: the definitive history of the first decade of Impressionism.

The Private Lives of the Impressionists, by Sue Roe, which features vivid accounts of Paris's leading artists, working separately and together, challenging and inspiring one another.

The Collector's Apprentice: A Novel, by B. A. Shapiro, a "noirish page turner" set against the backdrop of 1920s Paris, with characters inspired by famed museum founder, Albert Barnes.

The Art Forger: A Novel, by B. A. Shapiro, a contemporary thriller based on the thefts of 13 masterpieces from Boston's Isabella Stewart Gardener Museum.

The world's most popular red wine grape, Cabernet Sauvignon, is the result of a natural crossing between Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc. First developed in the seventeenth century in Bordeaux, France, this grape is beloved for its high concentration and age worthiness. Today, it is the most widely cultivated varietal, grown in nearly every major wine producing country in the world.

Terroir has an enormous impact on the overall flavor and mouthfeel of the finished wine. The winner of this lot will have the opportunity to taste two bottles each of three different Cabernet Sauvignons, including both French and American expressions of the varietal. The half case includes:

• Two bottles of Château Pontet Canet, Pauillac, 2015 (97 points: Wine Enthusiast)
• Two bottles of Sinegal "Estate" St. Helena, Cabernet Sauvignon, 2016 (95 points: Robert Parker's Wine Advocate)
• Two bottles of Grand Napa Vineyards, Rutherford, Cabernet Sauvignon, 2016 (90 points: Wine Enthusiast)

The oldest continuously operating winery in Carneros, a region located on the southern tip of Napa Valley, Bouchaine was first planted as a vineyard in the late 1880s. An Italian winemaker named Johnny Garetto bought the land in 1927 and farmed it until 1961, when he sold to Beringer. After 20 years as a storage facility, the dilapidated winery buildings were purchased by Gerret and Tatiana Copeland, along with 30 acres of the surrounding land. They set to work revitalizing the property with new vineyards, winery improvements, and a renewed sense of purpose. Today, they have grown into a sustainable, family-owned estate, focused on crafting vibrant, exciting wines with the elegance of Burgundy, the exuberance of California, and the terroir of Carneros.

The winning bidder will receive six delectable bottles drawn from Bouchaine's portfolio, including:

• Four bottles of Dijon Clone, Estate Pinot Noir, 2016 (91 points: Wine Enthusiast)
• One bottle of Chêne d'Argent, Chardonnay, 2016 (92 points: Wine Enthusiast)
• One bottle of Vin Gris of Pinot Noir, 2018 (91 points: Wine Enthusiast)

For five centuries, Château Margaux has helped set the standard as one of only five First Growth châteaux in Bordeaux. And the 2000 vintage marked the beginning of a fantastic new millennium! Receiving ratings of 98 points and above from most major outlets, the 2000 vintage was given 100 points by Robert Parker, who hailed it as, "Absolutely compelling in two tastings of this vintage, the 2000 Margaux is composed of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Merlot. The extraordinary seductiveness, complex aromatics, and purity it exhibits lead me to believe it has reached its window of full maturity. Medium-bodied, with layers of concentration, stunning blue, red, and black fruits intermixed with spring flowers, a subtle dosage of new oak, and a distinctive personality that is elegant while at the same time powerful and substantial, this is a multi-dimensional wine that was extremely approachable and drinkable in both tastings I had of it. The color remains a healthy, even opaque bluish/purple, but there is no reason to hesitate to drink it. It should evolve for another 30-40 years, so there is no hurry either."

This stellar offering from one of the country's preeminent producers of Chardonnay has received 90+ point ratings across the board. According to Vinious, "Fogarty's 2013 Chardonnay Santa Cruz Mountains is delicate and beautifully layered in the glass. Sweet floral notes meld into apricot, yellow peach and chamomile. This is an especially understated Chardonnay from Fogarty, not to mention a gorgeous appellation-level Chardonnay and a real overachiever. The Santa Cruz Mountains Chardonnay is mostly Langley Hill and Damiana, with a touch of Portola Springs. Thomas Fogarty remains the single most exciting estate in the Santa Cruz Mountain people have likely never heard about."

Quintessential Wines knows: in wine and life, it's all about family. A family owned-and-operated import, marketing, and sales company, Quintessential is dedicated to representing wineries that hold fast to the same ideals: multi-generational, family-run vineyards whose wines reflect the best, most authentic expression of their terroir. With a global portfolio, Quintessential has evolved into one of the leading import and marketing companies of fine wine in the United States.

The winning bidder will take home four bottles drawn from Argentinian producer, Pascual Toso, that Quintessential highlighted at the Art of Wine Vintners' Reception this evening, including:

• Pascual Toso, Alta Cabernet Sauvignon, 2014
• Pascual Toso, Finca Pedregal, 2014
• Pascaul Toso, Magdalena, 2010
• Pascual Toso, Magdalena, 2013

Origin | Veneto, Italy
Varietal Content | 80% Corvina Veronese, 20% Rondinella
Viticulture and Cooperage | Grapes are dried for 120 days on bamboo racks prior to crushing. Cold macerated for 20 days prior to fermentation for 30 days. Aged in Slavonian oak barrels for 6 years; 12 months in bottle to mature.

Bertani's impact on Veneto wine making, particularly in Amarone production, is so considerable that "Bertani" and "Amarone" are nearly synonymous. While remaining mindful of their rich history reaching back over 150 years, Bertani strives towards innovation, using progressive techniques and equipment allied with extensive experience and a deeply felt respect for tradition to provide wines of uncompromising quality.

Their 2009 vintage was particularly delicious, rating 95 points from James Suckling. When enjoying, one will first experience notes of plum, cherry and morello cherry on the nose, but the bouquet will open to present a greater variety of tones: nuts, tea leaves, licorice, and spices. On the palate there are hints of red berry fruits, softened by plush vanilla notes, in perfect harmony with the acidity and tannins. It can be drunk with red meat, game, and mature cheeses, but it is also perfect as a meditation wine at the end of a meal.

Sometimes you just have to go big or go home. This lot of four delicious magnums is perfect for entertaining and includes two bottles of luscious dessert wines to bring any meal to a beautiful conclusion. The winning bidder will receive one 1.5L bottle of each of the following:

Bodegas y Vinedos Alión, Ribera Del Duero, 1994

Inspired by the "modern classic" style of top Bordeaux, owner Pablo Alvarez launched Alión with the 1991 vintage, adapting Bordeaux-style wine to the unique climate and soils in the western Ribera del Duero. Alión is an opulent and seductive 100% Tempranillo aged for 14 months in new French oak barrels, but remains restrained: neither overextracted nor overoaked, it is all about elegance, harmony, class...and sheer hedonistic pleasure. Rich and full-bodied, the spice, dark fruit and smoky flavors in a bold Ribera del Duero will pair well with roasted and grilled meats, Mexican food and tomato-based sauces.

2000 Pillar Rock Cabernet Sauvignon, Stags Leap District

2000 was a "dream season" in the Napa Valley: a cool, even growing season despite three days of record-breaking heat in June, which resulted in slow steady ripening, to develop good flavor and deep color. The Pillar Rock Vineyard 2000 Cabernet Sauvignon has the elegance, style and body of a great red wine from the Stags Leap District, that surely will age well for decades.

2009 Château Climens, Barsac

96-98 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, "The aromatics display pure honey, minerals, occasionally a faint scent of spearmint and white peach, most with spellbinding precision. On the palate, Berenice Lurton has some stupendous lots at her disposal, with ample botrytis, ethereal definition, one or two more powerful, quite spicy lots and others that are shorter and will undoubtedly lend the blend an acidic cut. It will be a joy to taste this after bottling."

1997 Vau Vintage Port, Sandeman

92 points Wine Spectator, "Dark purple in color, with wonderful violet, berry and cherry aromas. Full-bodied, medium-sweet, with a solid core of fruit and tannins. Long finish. Subtle. Best Sandeman since the 1960s. Best after 2008."