Bidding for the best

One-of-a-kind wines are not something Marcus Graziano takes lightly.And Graziano puts his money where his palette is.Graziano, owner of Capitol Cellars in Roseville, was the second-highest bidder at the recent Premiere Napa Valley invitation-only auction, which included more than 200 of the top commercial retail wine sellers and restaurateurs worldwide."It's one of the top auctions in trade worldwide," said Graziano, who moved Capitol Cellars from Gold River near Rancho Cordova to the building next door to La Provence Restaurant in Roseville last year. "Bidders come from all over the world, from as far away as Japan and London."Graziano, who spent $131,000 on 10 lots of on one-of-a-kind Napa wines at the auction, has been attending the exclusive event since its inception in 1997."Marcus had a great year for himself at the auction," said Andrew Hoxsey, owner of Napa Wine Company and 2005 chairman of Premiere Napa Valley. "He obviously gets what the event is all about. Capitol Cellars is one of the premier retail sellers in the Sacramento area."Graziano's highest-priced purchase was 10 cases of Lewis Cellars Cabernet for $23,000."The richness and depth of this wine is so amazing," said Graziano, who first opened Capitol Cellars in downtown Sacramento in 1986.Graziano explained that he sampled the Lewis Cellars offering from the event's morning barrel tasting."If it was that great in the barrel, just imagine how good it will be after it gets some bottle time," he said.Graziano's winning bid for Lewis Cellars was the seventh highest at the auction. The surprise of the day was delivered when Petroleum Club from Oklahoma City offered a staggering $50,000 for a five-case lot of Rombauer 2003 Stages Leap District Cabernet Sauvignon."There are always those lots that command extraordinary prices," said auctioneer Fritz Hatton, who led the three-hour auction. "But we also saw a lot of spirited action in the $4,000-$8,000 range, and successful bidders seemed excited to be able to pick up unique wines without having to pay astronomical prices."Graziano said one of the lasting thrills of attending the auction is discovering a comer, usually from a newer winery yet to be discovered by the world. One of Graziano's diamonds in the rough at this year's auction was his purchase of five cases of the 2003 vintage Clark-Claudon Cabernet Sauvignon."We've had the 2001 Clark-Claudon in the store and it's one of the best 2001s I've ever tasted," he said. "The best thing about it is you don't have to wait to drink it. It already has extraordinary richness and amazing elegance."Graziano said he was especially pleased with his purchase of "the new kid on the block," a cabernet from Husic Family Estate. Julie and Frank Husic's 2002 Cab stunned the crowd at its Premiere Napa debut. This classically styled cabernet is chosen from the single best barrel of the 2003 vintage, as selected by winemaker Celia Masyczek.Before his annual trek to the Premiere Napa Valley auction, Graziano said he tries to study books with all the listings for the various wines available."There are 160 lots available for tasting," Graziano said. "It's important to strategize and have a plan for certain wines you are going to bid before arriving. If you tried to taste them all, you'd definitely suffer from palette fatigue."Graziano's auction purchases will be delivered to Capitol Cellars in the next six to 12 months. But he stresses Capitol Cellars is hardly a shop specializing in only unique, pricey one-of-a-kind wines."It's all about value," said Graziano, who grew up on a vineyard in Mendocino and now resides in Fair Oaks with his wife Kathy. "We have two racks on the floor, 43 cases of very good wines all under $20 a bottle."Capitol Cellars, located at 110 Diamond Creek Place, has a wine tasting bar and is open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday and from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. For more information, call 786-9030. Visit the wine shop's Web site at www.capitolcellars.com.- Tim Menicutch can be reached at timm@goldcountrymedia.com.