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| Castello di Amorosa | ||
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Rising above the hills in the Napa Valley is Castello di Amorosa, which translates to the “castle of love” in Italian. Castello di Amorosa, an authentic-styled, 12th century Tuscan castle-winery complete with high walls and five defensive towers and over 30 acres of estate vineyards. It was built over a 15-year period by Dario Sattui, a fourth generation winemaker and owner of V. Sattui Winery in St. Helena, California. The Wall Street Journal cited Castello di Amorosa as a “must-see destination,” and more recently, the Contra Costa Times included Castello di Amorosa as one of the top destination wineries in the country. After decades of research, planning and studying medieval castles in Italy and Europe, Sattui commenced building in 1994. The Castello evolved to include 121,000 square feet, 107 rooms, (of which 95 are used for winemaking or wine storage) 8,000 tons of hand-squared stone, 8 levels (4 above ground, 4 below) 900 linear feet of caves, a great hall with two-story Italian frescoes, a drawbridge and a moat. |
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| Frank Family Vineyards | ||
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Approximately 20 acres of vines were planted on Winston Hill starting in1991. Cabernet Sauvignon is the primary variety, along with small amounts of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Sangiovese. Through site specific vineyard management, several clonal selections are matched with the appropriate rootstocks. Extensive hand labor balances the vine canopy and maintains the yields to produce rich and concentrated wines. The soil consists of well-drained, volcanic deposits and sandstone. Due to its southwest exposure, Winston Hill has a high radiant value. Typical warm summer days give way to cool nights with soft mountain breezes. The vineyard has an average rainfall of 24-36 inches per year. |
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| Madrigal Vineyards | ||
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The Madrigal family originally came to California via Numarin Mexico in 1932. My grandparents boarded a train bound, or so they thought, for California. On a cold and snowy day the conductor told them it was time to get off and that they were in California. They were actually in Kansas and it was the middle of a cold and windy winter. My grandfather ended up having to work for the railroad for a few years until they saved enough money to continue on to California. When they arrived in California, they originally stopped in Azusa, a suburb of Los Angeles. My grandfather, not satisfied with his prospects in Azusa in '37, traveled north to join a cousin in a town called Calistoga. Convinced that a better life could be had here, he sent for his family and settled in a cabin that's a stone's throw from what is now Madrigal Estate. |
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| Schramsberg | ||
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Hugh Davies, President and Winemaker of Schramsberg, is devoted to carrying on his parent's vision: to create America's premier sparkling wines. His passion for constant refinement of vineyard sources and winemaking techniques is captured in each bottle. Our small winery spares no effort to create the complex bouquet, refreshing acidity and depth of flavors found in the finest of sparkling wines. Schramsberg grapes are sourced from 80 cool-climate vineyards located in four counties. In a century-old tradition rarely practiced today, the winemakers use barrel fermentation and barrel aging in the creation of our sparkling wines. After bottling, the wines are hand-stacked and hand-riddled in our historic Diamond Mountain caves. Our releases have been heralded as some of the best sparkling wines available in the world. |
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| von Strasser Winery | ||
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Von Strasser Winery is located in the Diamond Mountain region of the Napa Valley nestled between the towns of St. Helena and Calistoga. Diamond Mountain is situated in the Valley's western Mayacamas mountain range. Althought outwardly an inhospitable place for agriculture to take root, Diamond Mountain has long been known for producing some of the Napa Valley's most concentrated red wine. In fact, viticulture and wine making in the region dates back to at least the 1860's. As a champion of this rich heritage, in 1999 Rudy von Strasser spearheaded a committee of fellow property owners to petition the BATF to acknowledge Diamond Mountain as an official American Viticultural Area. In May 2001, Rudy's efforts came to fruition: "Diamond Mountain District" was declared as a unique AVA. |
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| Storybook Mountain Vineyards | ||
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Climate - in the broad context of temperature, precipitation, prevailing wind and storm patterns as well as exposure to the sun - is of crucial importance for optimum fruit development and thus the quality of a vineyard. Storybook Mountain is located at the top of the Napa Valley, on an eastern slope of the Mayacamas Range whose ridges separate Napa from Sonoma. This gives us the desired eastern exposure, an orientation we share with many of the greatest vineyards in Bordeaux and Burgundy. Adequately warm weather for ripening is rarely a problem in the Napa Valley - and certainly not for us. Open to the morning sun and providing an oblique angle to the hot afternoon sun for a growing day of even temperature, an easterly exposure helps avoid both the heat spikes and heat accumulation that can occur on a late summer afternoon. |
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Rising above the hills in the Napa Valley is Castello di Amorosa, which translates to the “castle of love” in Italian. Castello di Amorosa, an authentic-styled, 12th century Tuscan castle-winery complete with high walls and five defensive towers and over 30 acres of estate vineyards. It was built over a 15-year period by Dario Sattui, a fourth generation winemaker and owner of V. Sattui Winery in St. Helena, California. The Wall Street Journal cited Castello di Amorosa as a “must-see destination,” and more recently, the Contra Costa Times included Castello di Amorosa as one of the top destination wineries in the country. After decades of research, planning and studying medieval castles in Italy and Europe, Sattui commenced building in 1994. The Castello evolved to include 121,000 square feet, 107 rooms, (of which 95 are used for winemaking or wine storage) 8,000 tons of hand-squared stone, 8 levels (4 above ground, 4 below) 900 linear feet of caves, a great hall with two-story Italian frescoes, a drawbridge and a moat.
Approximately 20 acres of vines were planted on Winston Hill starting in1991. Cabernet Sauvignon is the primary variety, along with small amounts of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Sangiovese. Through site specific vineyard management, several clonal selections are matched with the appropriate rootstocks. Extensive hand labor balances the vine canopy and maintains the yields to produce rich and concentrated wines. The soil consists of well-drained, volcanic deposits and sandstone. Due to its southwest exposure, Winston Hill has a high radiant value. Typical warm summer days give way to cool nights with soft mountain breezes. The vineyard has an average rainfall of 24-36 inches per year.
The Madrigal family originally came to California via Numarin Mexico in 1932. My grandparents boarded a train bound, or so they thought, for California. On a cold and snowy day the conductor told them it was time to get off and that they were in California. They were actually in Kansas and it was the middle of a cold and windy winter. My grandfather ended up having to work for the railroad for a few years until they saved enough money to continue on to California. When they arrived in California, they originally stopped in Azusa, a suburb of Los Angeles. My grandfather, not satisfied with his prospects in Azusa in '37, traveled north to join a cousin in a town called Calistoga. Convinced that a better life could be had here, he sent for his family and settled in a cabin that's a stone's throw from what is now Madrigal Estate.
Hugh Davies, President and Winemaker of Schramsberg, is devoted to carrying on his parent's vision: to create America's premier sparkling wines. His passion for constant refinement of vineyard sources and winemaking techniques is captured in each bottle. Our small winery spares no effort to create the complex bouquet, refreshing acidity and depth of flavors found in the finest of sparkling wines. Schramsberg grapes are sourced from 80 cool-climate vineyards located in four counties. In a century-old tradition rarely practiced today, the winemakers use barrel fermentation and barrel aging in the creation of our sparkling wines. After bottling, the wines are hand-stacked and hand-riddled in our historic Diamond Mountain caves. Our releases have been heralded as some of the best sparkling wines available in the world.
Von Strasser Winery is located in the Diamond Mountain region of the Napa Valley nestled between the towns of St. Helena and Calistoga. Diamond Mountain is situated in the Valley's western Mayacamas mountain range. Althought outwardly an inhospitable place for agriculture to take root, Diamond Mountain has long been known for producing some of the Napa Valley's most concentrated red wine. In fact, viticulture and wine making in the region dates back to at least the 1860's. As a champion of this rich heritage, in 1999 Rudy von Strasser spearheaded a committee of fellow property owners to petition the BATF to acknowledge Diamond Mountain as an official American Viticultural Area. In May 2001, Rudy's efforts came to fruition: "Diamond Mountain District" was declared as a unique AVA.
Climate - in the broad context of temperature, precipitation, prevailing wind and storm patterns as well as exposure to the sun - is of crucial importance for optimum fruit development and thus the quality of a vineyard. Storybook Mountain is located at the top of the Napa Valley, on an eastern slope of the Mayacamas Range whose ridges separate Napa from Sonoma. This gives us the desired eastern exposure, an orientation we share with many of the greatest vineyards in Bordeaux and Burgundy. Adequately warm weather for ripening is rarely a problem in the Napa Valley - and certainly not for us. Open to the morning sun and providing an oblique angle to the hot afternoon sun for a growing day of even temperature, an easterly exposure helps avoid both the heat spikes and heat accumulation that can occur on a late summer afternoon.



