Bottle Of Napa Valley Wine Fetches $225K At Auction

NAPA VALLEY, CA—A 2021 Markham Vineyards Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon recently fetched $225,000 at an auction.

Earning the highest bid at the 22nd annual Champions Wine Auction and Dinner held March 2 in Houston, the 9L bottle was acquired by J Alan Kent Development, a group of bidders comprised of Julie and Alan Kent, Randa and Ray Gilliam, Andrea and Scott Fish, and recording artist Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson.

The auction featured 518 award-winning wines from the Rodeo Uncorked! International Wine Competition. The event was held in November and included almost 3,000 entries from 30 countries, with 314 wines from Napa County— the featured region for 2025.

The 2021 Markham Vineyards Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon earned the second-highest honor at the competition and was selected as Reserve Grand Champion Best in Show.

Proceeds from the auction support the Houston Rodeo Education Fund, which provides scholarships, grants, and educational programs for Texas youth. In total, the Houston Rodeo Education Fund, will award more than $28 million in grants, educational programs and scholarship in 2025. Since its inception in 1932, the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo has raised over $630 million for the cause.

"As a winery that believes in the power of building strong communities, we are passionate supporters of the Houston Rodeo’s mission to create educational opportunities for the youth of Texas," said Markham Vineyards Winemaker Kimberlee Nicholls. "While winning Reserve Grand Champion is an incredible honor, as a winemaker it means even more to me that our Markham Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon is going to change lives, enabling numerous youths in Texas, who might not otherwise be able to afford it, to attend university."

The Markham Vineyards Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon retails for $49 and is available nationally.