Collective Napa Valley’s Together Again Weekend Raises $3.8 Million for Youth Mental Health
The Napa Valley Register’s Mira Advani Honeycutt captured something genuine in her coverage of the inaugural Collective Napa Valley Together Again Weekend: the quiet, enduring truth that Napa Valley’s vintners give not because it is expected, but because it is who they are. You can read her full account here at the Napa Valley Register.
On June 2 and 3, 2023, the Napa Valley Vintners gathered the community for a reimagined weekend of barrel auctions, al fresco dining, and spirited bidding. The result was $3.8 million raised for youth mental health services across Napa Valley. It was a powerful reminder that the generosity woven into the fabric of this valley runs as deep as the Rutherford dust itself.
A New Format, the Same Generous Spirit
The Collective Napa Valley grew from reflection. After the pandemic canceled Auction Napa Valley in 2020, Napa Valley Vintners took the pause as an invitation. They reimagined what a community fundraising event could look like at a more human scale.
The result was Together Again Weekend: a barrel auction held at Louis M. Martini Winery on Friday, followed by a family-style live auction at Silver Oak Cellars on Saturday. Sotheby’s managed the auction proceedings. Meanwhile, the Fund-a-Bright Future campaign extended the giving window online through the end of June.
The energy was precisely what Napa does best: elegant without pretension, generous without ceremony. A 216-foot community table flanked by vineyards and divided by the names of Napa’s 16 appellations set the tone at the Silver Oak live auction. Culinary pioneer Cindy Pawlcyn created the menu. The evening’s top lot, an eight-day journey to Singita Kruger National Forest and Cape Town, sold for $500,000.
Above all, it was the final moment of the live auction that left the deepest impression. A dozen local high school students took the stage. Several shared their own experiences with mental health. One stood at the microphone and said, simply: “Fifteen percent of youth in this society have contemplated suicide. Bear that in mind and give generously.” The room responded.
Robin and Michelle Baggett: Engaged and Optimistic
For Robin and Michelle Baggett, founders and vintners of Alpha Omega, the weekend was both familiar and full of possibility. Robin has long understood the rhythm of Napa’s philanthropic calendar. He noted that Together Again Weekend has claimed the first weekend of June as its own. Moreover, he was encouraged by the format’s ambition to extend engagement across all twelve months.
“It keeps people engaged with smaller-scale experiences right through the year,” Robin observed. That perspective reflects something central to who Robin and Michelle are. For them, philanthropy is not a weekend. It is a posture toward community held year-round.
Indeed, that posture was on full display at Alpha Omega on Saturday. Winemaker Matt Brain led guests through a blending session, drawing on Cabernet Sauvignons from different Napa appellations. The session offered a rare and intimate look at how place shapes a wine’s character, from the volcanic soils of Atlas Peak to the sun-warmed benchlands of Rutherford. Robin and Michelle then welcomed guests to an al fresco lakeside lunch in Alpha Omega’s shaded gardens.
The spread was generous and unhurried: spring greens, ravioli, steak, Petrale sole, and a dense chocolate block cake. It was paired with the ERA Napa Valley 2018, a richly textured barrel-fermented Reserve Cabernet that showed beautifully against the afternoon light and the warmth of the company. That is Alpha Omega at its most authentic: the estate as a place of welcome, the wines as the language of hospitality.
Why Youth Mental Health, and Why Now
The Together Again Weekend directed every dollar raised toward expanding youth access to mental health services across Napa Valley. The cause is urgent. As one student said from the stage at Silver Oak, the numbers demand attention and they demand action.
For the Baggetts, this kind of giving is an extension of a long-held commitment to the communities that surround this valley. Alpha Omega’s philanthropic work spans Auction Napa Valley, the annual Season of Giving Toy Drive, the V Foundation Wine Celebration for cancer research, Festival Napa Valley, and more. Each commitment reflects the same conviction: that a winery’s responsibility extends well beyond its vineyard gates.
Garen Staglin, a Napa pioneer who has given decades to this cause, said it plainly at the close of the live auction: “It’s all about the mental health charities of Napa Valley. Every dollar we raise, these charities will have.” That clarity of purpose is what drew 1,300 guests to the barrel auction and 200 to the live auction. It is also what will bring them back.
The Barrel Auction and the 2021 Vintage
At Louis M. Martini’s barrel room on Friday, 80 lots were offered, the majority of them 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon. The 2021 vintage has earned its reputation. Shafer Vineyards’ winemaker Elias Fernandez compared it to Bordeaux’s legendary 1961, saying: “After I’m dead and gone, it will be enjoyed for many years to come.” Philippe Melka, offering one of the few 2022 lots, described that vintage as more approachable, while reserving his highest praise for the 2021: “It’s very rare to have amazing structure with minerality, powerful but on its feet.”
These are the kinds of wines that belong in a thoughtfully curated cellar. They reward patience. They repay attention. They are, in every sense, collector’s wines. For those who seek that level of access to single vineyard and allocated expressions from Alpha Omega’s own portfolio, ERA Elite membership offers exactly that: futures pricing, library releases, and priority access to our most limited single vineyard wines before they reach the broader market.
A Valley That Knows How to Give
Honeycutt closed her piece with a conclusion that resonates deeply: “Napa Valley’s history of philanthropy continues to be unmatched.” That observation is not hyperbole. It is a measured reflection of what this community does, quietly and consistently, year after year.
Together Again Weekend raised $3.8 million in its very first year. Beyond the number, it demonstrated that Napa’s vintners know how to begin again with grace. They know how to gather people around a long table, pour something beautiful, and direct the generosity that follows toward something that matters.
Alpha Omega is proud to be part of that story. It is a privilege we do not take lightly.
Visit Alpha Omega and Experience the Estate
Alpha Omega’s Rutherford estate sits along Highway 29 between Rutherford and St. Helena, surrounded by landmark fountains, a tranquil pond, and views of the Mayacamas Mountains that stop visitors mid-sentence. The estate is dog-friendly and welcomes families. Walk-ins are always welcome when availability allows.
If you would like to explore what makes this place so distinctive, from the terroir of the Rutherford Bench to the range of Cabernet Sauvignons sourced from across Napa’s most celebrated sub-appellations, we invite you to spend an afternoon with us. Our tasting flights are fully customizable, and every visit is unhurried.
Additionally, our AVA Series Cabernets offer one of the most compelling terroir explorations in Napa Valley, wines from Atlas Peak, Mount Veeder, Spring Mountain, Oakville, and Oak Knoll, each reflecting the distinct personality of its appellation with remarkable clarity.