I hit a winemaker’s dinner last night at Harris’ in San Francisco.  The steaks were fine but the wines, the wines were spectacular. The 2005 Benziger Tribute Sonoma Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon was extraordinary, and still on my mind: clean with soft tannins, a lingering chalkiness in the mouth and a full and luscious bouquet of grapes and soil.

Yes, you’re not going to get a flowery list of berries out of me on this one. The fifth installment of the winery’s biodynamic Bordeaux blend tastes the way it should. Like fermented grape juice nurtured from a vineyard that is treated like a unique, living, breathing organism, where the roots are a nervous system that is soothed by valerian and chamomile, not antidepressants.

Well worth the $80 for tasting older than its time; for easily lasting five days when I recork it and leave it on my counter, ungassed; for a pleasure that is consistent velvet from entry to finish. And for not singeing my nose hairs.

A Cabernet Sauvignon of note from the Stag’s Leap District Winegrowers tasting on Feb. 22 was the Baldacci Family Vineyards 2004 Brenda’s Vineyard. This is the winery’s current release and retails for $85. Did I mention the Baldaccis are from Danville? Pretty cool.

Winemaker Rolando Herrera used to makes wines at Stags Leap Wine Cellars, which is next door, and then for Paul Hobbs Wines. He understands the velvet texture that Stag’s Leap fruit is capable of producing, and doesn’t interfere.

The 2004 Brenda’s Vineyard Cabernet is  dark eggplant in color and quite concentrated with lots of black cherry and coffee flavors. I think the wine, which was aged in new French oak for 20 months, will show its true potential, particularly in the finish, five to 10 years from now.

Ok, everyone.  Here are the top bidders and top lots from yesterday’s trade auction at Premiere Napa Valley, which feature a total of 191 lots from more than 200 wineries. Remember, the reason these 5-, 10-, or 20-case lots of wine go for so much is because they are one of a kind, made especially for this event.

Despite the poor economy, people still believe in Napa futures, I guess.

The Premiere auction brought in $2.2 million for the Napa Valley Vintners, the non profit trade association that promotes and protects the Napa Valley Appellation, and drew a sold-out crowd of 600 from the wine trade, business and media.

Here goes:

Top Lots

$62,000
Lot #62 Shafer Vineyards

$55,000
Lot # 15 Joseph Phelps Vineyards

$45,000
Lot # 1 Silver Oak Cellars

$40,000
Lot # 121 Switchback Ridge & Robert Foley Vineyards
Lot # 175 BOND

$38,000
Lot # 52 Rubicon Estate

$36,000
Lot #7 Lewis Cellars

$35,000
Lot # 164 Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars

$34,000
Lot # 13 Amuse Bouche Winery

$32,000
Lot # 168 Beringer Vineyards

$30,000
Lot # 194 Hourglass
Lot # 19 Saintsbury
Lot 87 Cliff Lede Vineyards

Top 10 Bidders

1. Gary’s Wine & Marketplace, Madison, NJ
2. Bounty Hunter, Napa, CA
3. The Wine House, Los Angeles, CA
4. Willow Park Wine & Spirits, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
5. Nakagawa Wine Company, Ltd., Tokyo, Japan
6. Ultimate Distributors, Atlanta, GA
7. Hi-Time Cellars, Costa Mesa, CA
8. Capitol Cellars, Roseville, CA
9. Kensington Riverside Inn, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
10.Central Liquor Co., Oklahoma City, OK

Thanks to Chip Ferguson’s comment, we know to get our tickets to the winemaker’s dinner at Bridges in Danville on Jan. 29. It’s a four-course dinner and two of the courses will be served with Twomey wines, fyi. But if you’re a fan of Silver Oak’s luscious Cabs and semi-annual release parties, it’ll no doubt be worth your $125. You’ll taste two 2003 Cabs (Napa and Alexander Valley, respectively) against chef Kevin Gin’s delicious creations.

Here’s the menu. Reception starts at 6:30 p.m.; dinner at 7 p.m. Bridges is located at 44 Church St. Call for ressies at 925-820-7200.