napavalley

Live Video Feed from Frank Gehry's Hall Winery Project

Filed under: Wine

You can now monitor progress on Frank Gehry's amazing Hall Winery project in the Napa Valley via a live video feed. Last year my colleague Deidre Woollard told you about the ambitious plan for the new facility built around the original 1885 winery south of St. Helena. Progress is proceeding apace on the project, which artfully blends avant-garde architecture with existing historic structures. The live cam is the latest addition to the Gehry plan web features, which include a project gallery and time-lapse camera showing progress to date. Hall's new 110,000-square-foot complex of six buildings, which broke ground last summer, is slated to open in 2010. Pictured above is Gehry (center) and associate Edwin Chan (left) with winery owners Kathryn and Craig Hall (right) discussing the architect's model for a new Visitor's Center, an all-glass structure supported by a "floating" trellis overhang. See the gallery for more.

Gallery: Frank Gehry & Hall Wines

Gehry and his team with Kathryn Hall in front of the trellis mock-up.

Tags: Architecture, Frank Gehry, FrankGehry, hall winery, HallWinery, Napa Valley, NapaValley, Vineyards

Pennywise Wine

by Laura Malesich (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine

There is a new fancy label in Napa Valley with a not so expensive title. Pennywise, released under Don Sebastiani & Sons, is offering two luxury line wines, Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon and Napa Valley Petite Syrah priced between $25 and $30 per bottle. Although the exact requirements of a wine to be considered at the luxury end of the spectrum are a bit hazy in my mind it seems the combination of early drinkability combined with aged character in its Cabernet makes Pennywise an affordable label with distinction. And the power and rustic beauty of the Petite Syrah is equally compelling. Don Sebastiani & Sons which markets Pennywise through The Other Guy division has certainly shown it can grow an upscale product as witnessed by the 200% increase in sales last year... sounds like Pennywise should have a more expensive nickname.

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Tags: caberent sauvignon, CaberentSauvignon, don sebastiani sons, DonSebastianiSons, napa valley, NapaValley, Pennywise, pennywise-wine, petite syrah, PetiteSyrah, the other guy, TheOtherGuy

David Beckham Buys Victoria A Vineyard

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine, Celebrity Shopping

David and Victoria Beckham are notoriously generous with each other on their birthdays, splashing out on jewels, watches, cars and lavish vacations. Now The Sun reports that David Beckham bought Victoria her own winery in Napa and the pair will be making their own wine. Last month, the paparazzi spotted the pair along with celebrity pals, Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes, Seal, Heidi Klum, Kate Beckinsale and Len Wiseman, touring a winery. It was assumed they were just going wine tasting but apparently while winetasting, David presented Victoria with a bottle with her name on it. The couple isn't planning to go into the wine business, they will just be making their vintage for family and friends.

Gallery: Celebrity Wine Projects

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Tags: david beckham, napa valley, NapaValley, victoria beckham, VictoriaBeckham, wine

Auction Napa Valley Online Auction Begins

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine, Auctions, Charity

Auction Napa Valley 2008, The American Wine Classic, is here and you can be a part of it even if you're nowhere near Napa Valley. The "granddaddy of charity wine auctions" is offering 88 lots for bidding online, including one-of-a-kind bottles and collections, various luxury items, tickets to private events, and even weekend getaways hosted by Napa Valley vitners.

And bidding online will not only indulge your wine habit but it will also support various charities local to the Napa Valley area. The auction opened May 23rd and will run through June 6th.

Via Avenue Vine

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Tags: american wine classic, AmericanWineClassic, auction, auction napa valley, auction napa valley 2008, AuctionNapaValley, AuctionNapaValley2008, charity, charity auction, CharityAuction, napa, napa valley, NapaValley, wine

2005 Brother Timothy Mont La Salle Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine

This week will mark the release of the 2005 edition of the Brother Timothy Mont La Salle Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley. The wine benefits the Lasallian Education Fund (LEF), the West Coast Educational Foundation of the De La Salle Christian Brothers. This is the second release of this wine created to honor a grand icon of California's wine industry. The collectible wine is crafted by The Hess Collection Winery and for the first time, this wine was made from a tiny, single vineyard using the Mont La Salle Vineyard estate grapes grown at the site of the original Christian Brothers winery where Brother Timothy worked as cellar master for more than 50 years. The wine is a blend of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Malbec and 5% Petit Verdot and has rich cherry and plum flavors. It was aged for 18 months in French oak.

The 2005 Brother Timothy Mont La Salle Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon will release on May 15, 2008 at a reception held at Wilson Daniels Ltd. and retails for $94 per 750-mL ($194 per 1.5 liter).Approximately 100 cases were made, including a number of large-format bottles. Pre-sale orders, which will receive a 10% pre-release discount, will be taken by phone and by mail May 1 – June 15, 2008. All proceeds benefit the Lasallian Education Fund, the fundraising arm of Lasallian schools located in the District of San Francisco, which exists to serve low-income families who do not have access to a quality education. Currently, some 10,000 students in four western states are benefiting from education in the tradition of the De La Salle Christian Brothers.

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Tags: cabernet sauvignon, CabernetSauvignon, napa valley, NapaValley, wine

CLIF Bar Wines

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine

CLIF Bar & Company, mostly known for organic and healthful CLIF bars and LUNA bars, is now in the wine business too. Based in Napa Valley their aim is to make high quality wines that remind people to slow down and enjoy life in a way that respects the earth. Sarah Gott joined their team last year as the resident winemaker, and all of their wines are sourced from Napa Valley and the North Coast with an eye towards organic and sustainable farming practices. Prices range from $12.50-$35.

Gallery: CLIF Bar Wine Labels

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Tags: clif, clif bar, clif bar wine, clif bar wines, ClifBar, ClifBarWine, ClifBarWines, napa valley, NapaValley, wine, wines

Pillar Rock Vineyard, 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine

I recently had a chance to sample the 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon from Pillar Rock Vineyard. Pillar Rock is a small (22 acres) estate in the heart of the Stags Leap District. The 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon is a blend of 91.2% Cabernet Sauvignon and 8.8% Merlot. The wine is exactly what you expect when you think of a Stags Leap Cab, a dark and fleshy wine with that is a velvet hammer, rich and powerful but kissed with a gentle finish. It's not for those who like a big fruit-forward push; it's more subtle, spicy and dark. They producers say it can be aged for two decades and I suspect that it will be even more amazing after some cellar time. There has been some discussion online as to whether or not Pillar Rock is worthy of the rather steep price and it faced a little TCA controversy with the last vintage , but it seems to be right on track with this one. The vineyard sells cases of six bottles of the 2004 for $848 ($125 each) or a 1.5 liter magnum in a wooden box for $333.

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Tags: cabernet sauvignon, napa valley, NapaValley, pillar rock, PillarRock, red wine, RedWine, stag's leap, Stag'sLeap, wine

The Orchard At Carneros Inn

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates, Luxury Travel & Hotels

The San Francisco Chronicle recently covered one of the latest fractional residences. If you want a piece of Napa life you might want to check out the Orchard at Carneros Inn. The new offering is 17 cottages with 10 owners each. Each share costs $275,000 each.

The Carneros Inn is a 27-acre resort in Napa that has 86 guest cottages, million dollar homes, three restaurants, a spa, pools, fitness center, boutiques and even a deli. It is basically a small village unto itself. The cottages will have a rustic feel but with all the requisite amenities like stainless steel appliances and flatscreen TVs as well as access to all the Carneros amenities. Your $275,000 buys you three weeks a year plus additional time as available. The cottages will also be in a rental pool where they are expected to bring in $1,200 to $1,800. owners also have to pay dues of $8,100 plus a property tax that works out to around 1% of the purchase price each year. The first six cottages will be ready in August; the remaining ones will be finished in November.

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Tags: fractional ownership, fractional real estate, napa valley, NapaValley, orchard at carneros, second home, vacation home

Amici Cellars Wine Week Package

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Wine

How about a vacation where your souvenir is 288 bottles of wine (or rather, the promise of those bottles of wine). That's the offer from Amici Cellars. John and Sharon Harris of Amici Cellars rent out two villas, one in St. Emilion in Bordeaux and one in Napa Valley. Both are available for rent for $25,000 to $36,000 a month rent, depending on the season. They also offer a special package during harvest season (usually September and October). Their seven-day package in Napa includes seven nights at the Domaine Beau Soleil villa (check out the view from the pool above), hands-on wine making instruction, harvesting, private winery tours, food and wine pairing lessons and even spa treatments. At the end of your week, you leave and your Amici Cellars, Single-Designated Hillside Jericho Canyon Cabernet stays for 18-24 months where it rests in French oak barrels. Once your wine is ready it will be specially labeled and bottled with your name on it. The package sells for $32,000.

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Tags: amici cellars, AmiciCellars, cabernet, calistoga, napa valley, NapaValley, wine, wine harvest, WineHarvest, winemaking

Festival del Sole

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine, Events

Festival del Sole, a ten-day arts festival is returning to the Napa Valley for a second season July 13-22. The festival lures top talent in the opera and classical music fields to wine country including mezzo-soprano Frederica von Stade, violinists Joshua Bell and Nikolaj Znaider, sopranos Danielle de Niese and Lisa Delan, countertenor David Daniels, pianists Jean-Yves Thibaudet and Fabio Bidini and violinist Dmitry Sitkovetsky. Performances will be at the Lincoln Theater, Napa Valley Opera House and the Castello di Amorosa wine castle in Calistoga.

Also on the agenda are special lunches featuring local vinters and esteemed chefs such as Cat Cora and Gary Danko as well as winery dinners at places such as the Clos Pegase Winery, Darioush Winery and Far Niente. A festival pass to the entire event costs $6,000 per person ($2200 tax-deductible) but you can also buy weekend and day passes or tickets to individual concerts and winery events. The Napa festival is the companion to a similar event in Cortona, Italy on August 4-16.

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Tags: events, festival del sole, music, napa valley, NapaValley, wine

The Meritage and Vino Bello Resorts

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Wine

Napa needs another luxury getaway like we need another 100-degree day here in Los Angeles but we are getting not one but two new luxury resorts in the region. The Meritage Resort and the Vino Bello resorts were launched this weeks with a private event featuring Meritage wines. The resorts are next to each other and offer a combined 274 guestrooms and villa suites. Other details include swimming pools, fitness centers and a wedding chapel. The resort will also include a wine cave and an underground spa, they call a spa-cave which will be open next year. The overall feel of both resorts is Tuscan of course with the now mandatory large plasma TVs and a bottle of wine at check-in. Rates at the Meritage start at around $215 per night.

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Tags: napa valley, NapaValley, travel, wine, resort

Auction Napa Valley

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine, Auctions

It's time once again for Napa's annual big wine auction, Auction Napa Valley. Last year's auction brought in over $10 million with items like a walk-on part in Desperate Housewives and a chance to purchase the final collaboration of the Mondavi brothers. This year's main event is scheduled for June 3 but for the first time, you don't have to be there to take part in the fun. There are a variety of lots online. Want five liters of the 2003 Amuse Bouche? How about a package from Larry Bird and Mitch Cosentino that includes autographed bottles of their Legends Meritage Red, a signed Larry Bird basketball and tickets to an Indiana Pacers game? There are all sorts of lots for wine lovers whether you are looking to increase your cellar or experience life as a winemaker for the day.

Of course if you bid online you miss out on one fabulous party hosted by the one-and-only Ryan Seacrest as well as the more blockbuster lots which tie together wine with events like a private concert from Alan Parsons, being read to by Isabel Allende or a walk-on part in the Geena Davis show "Commander In Chief." The full weekend package which starts Thursday with a hospitality event and includes the Friday auction and festival, the Saturday Good Morning Napa event, all of Saturday night's events and the Sunday open houses at wineries throughout the area as well as a catalog and bidding paddle. The package costs $7,500.

[via Napa Valley Register]

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Tags: amuse bouche, duckhorn, far niente, geena davis, napa valley, NapaValley, ryan seacrest, wine, wine auction

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