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A Texas-based wine lover and collector paid $17,250 on Saturday, 24 September, 2005 for a large-format bottle of an extraordinary wine from Pride Mountain Vineyards. Auctioneers Bonhams & Butterfields offered and sold a 9-liter bottle of 2001 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon on behalf of the winemakers, the proceeds to be donated to support relief efforts in the Gulf.

Pride Mountain Vineyards has never before sold a 9-liter of their Reserve Cuvees in any vintage. Bidding for the lot topped off at $15,000 and included several clients seated in the auction room, absentee bids submitted from all over the country and bidders on telephones. The successful client was bidding from his Texas home and is delighted to be able to help those within the region impacted by the recent storms.

The auctioneers are donating all additional proceeds related to this lot (buyer’s premium/fees) to total the $17,250 figure. These funds will be shared evenly between the American Red Cross and The Baton Rouge Area Foundation.

In a statement released after Katrina hit the Gulf, Pride family and staff stated:

"People donate to charity to help others, but also to feel that they are part of a solution. It is so easy to be overwhelmed by the images we see and the stories we read of the suffering of the people whose lives have been torn apart by this catastrophe. Obviously, we hope to raise as much money as we can for the relief effort by putting this rare bottle up for auction, but it is also enlivening to all of us at Pride to be able to do something that will help."

Bonhams & Butterfields, the West Coast’s leading fine arts auctioneers, offered more than 900 lots of fine wines to collectors and enthusiasts on Saturday, the auction totaling nearly $740,000. The prized consignment of the very rare and first-ever Salamanzar (9-liter) was lot 6375, the auction simulcast between salesrooms in San Francisco and Los Angeles.

The 2001 Reserve Cabernet was scored 99 points by Robert Parker. “This wine is one of the greatest in California and indeed the world,” says Bonhams & Butterfields’ Fine Wine Dept. Director Frank Martell. “The offering is remarkable to say the least, and a wonderful gesture in support of an on-going tragedy in the Southern US.”