Barbara Banke, vintner of Kendall-Jackson, joked that she has no spending limit today at Auction Napa Valley but hopes she won't be biggest spender of the day.
Banke is among 1,000 bidders at the 33rd annual event listening to New Orleans jazz and grazing on a range of high caloric foods, from shrimp scampi soup to Colorado lamb sliders to butter soup with shellfish, caviar and honey.
Margot and Mark Armbruster said they don't mind the sultry weather because they're regulars who have been coming to the event since 1989 and they've contributed about $75,000-plus over the years.
The couple calls themselves "bi-state" residents because they have a home in Los Angeles and one in Calistoga.
Margot said she has her eye on Lot 4, a joint venture between the Antinori Family Wine Estate and Opus One. It features a whirlwind trip through Europe, with stops in Paris, Bordeaux, Florence and Chianti before a stay in San Francisco and Napa Valley.
"I'm interested, but I think it will go past my budget," Margot joked.
With the auction now underway, bidders will spend the rest of the afternoon vying for 46 lots.
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