Castello di Amorosa

Last updated

Castello di Amorosa
LocationCalistoga, California, USA
Coordinates 38°33′30″N122°32′34″W / 38.5584°N 122.5427°W / 38.5584; -122.5427
Appellation Napa Valley
Founded2007
First  vintage 2001
Key peopleDario Sattui
Cases/yr16,000 [1]
Known forIl Barone Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon
Varietals Cabernet Sauvignon , Sangiovese , Pinot Noir , Chardonnay , Gewürztraminer , Pinot grigio , Pinot bianco , Muscato , Gioia- Rosato di Sangiovese, Merlot , Barbera , La Fantasia
Tasting Open to the public
Website castellodiamorosa.com

Castello di Amorosa is a winery located near Calistoga, California. The winery opened to the public in April 2007, as the project of a fourth-generation vintner, Dario Sattui, who also owns and operates the V. Sattui Winery named after his great-grandfather, Vittorio Sattui, who originally established a winery in San Francisco in 1885 after emigrating from Italy to California. [2] [3]

Contents

The winery property was once part of an estate owned by Edward Turner Bale. [4] In 1993, Sattui purchased 171 acres (69 ha) for $3.2 million, then spent another $40 million to construct the castle, outbuildings, and the winery inside the castle; construction work began in 1995. [5]

During the Glass Fire that began on September 27, 2020, the farmhouse suffered major damage, [6] the entire 2020 vintage of the wine Fantasia was lost, [7] but the castle was left unharmed. [8]

Inspiration

After graduating with an MBA from the University of California, Berkeley in 1969, Dario Sattui spent two years traveling in Europe, during which time he developed an interest in medieval architecture. He took photos and made sketches of various buildings he would visit including medieval castles, monasteries, palaces, farmhouses and wineries. [9]

Castle

Main entrance Castello-di-Amorosa-front-2015.jpg
Main entrance

The castle interiors, which include 107 rooms on 8 levels above and below ground, were approximately 121,000 square feet (11,200 m2) when opened in 2007; it has since been expanded to 141,000 square feet. [5]

Key details and building techniques are architecturally faithful to the 12th and 13th century time period. [10] Among many other features, it includes a moat; a drawbridge, defensive towers, an interior courtyard, a torture chamber, a chapel/church, a knights' chamber, and a 72 by 30 feet (9.1 m) great hall with a 22-foot (6.7 m)-high coffered ceiling.

The torture chamber has an iron maiden said to be from the late Renaissance, [11] which Sattui states he bought for $13,000 in Pienza, Italy; a replica rack; and other torture devices. [1] [12] The great hall features frescoes painted by two Italian artists, who took about a year and a half to complete, and showcases a 500-year-old fireplace.

The masonry, ironwork, and woodwork were fashioned by hand using old world crafting techniques. Building materials included 8,000 tons of locally quarried stone, paving stones, terra cotta roofing tiles, and 850,000 bricks imported from Europe. [1] [13] [14] Extending into the hillside adjacent to the castle is a labyrinth of caves some 900 feet (270 m) in length. Beneath the castle are a 2-acre (8,100 m2) barrel cellar and tasting rooms where visitors can sample the wines, all sold only at the Castle or through the winery's wine club.

Due to Napa County restrictions, the castle and grounds cannot be rented for weddings or receptions, but are available to rent for corporate gatherings and fund raisers. In May 2012 the county ordered the winery to cease holding a weekly Catholic Mass in the chapel located on the grounds due to lack of use permits. [15]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Napa County, California</span> County in California, United States

Napa County is a county north of San Pablo Bay located in the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 138,019. The county seat is the City of Napa. Napa County was one of the original counties of California, created in 1850 at the time of statehood. Parts of the county's territory were given to Lake County in 1861.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Mondavi</span> American winemaker

Robert Gerald Mondavi was an American winemaker. His technical and marketing strategies brought worldwide recognition for the wines of the Napa Valley in California. From an early period, Mondavi promoted labeling wines varietally rather than generically, which became the standard for New World wines. The Robert Mondavi Institute (RMI) for Wine and Food Science at the University of California, Davis opened in October 2008 in his honor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Napa Valley Wine Train</span>

The Napa Valley Wine Train is a privately operated excursion train that runs between Napa and St. Helena, California. Much of the rail line parallels State Route 29 after leaving the City of Napa and passes the towns of Yountville, Rutherford and Oakville. The route passes by many of the region's vineyards and wineries located in Napa County.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sterling Vineyards</span>

Sterling Vineyards is a winery near Calistoga, California, owned by Treasury Wine Estates. The winery achieved international recognition when its wine won first place in the Ottawa Wine Tasting of 1981.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of California wine</span>

California wine has a long and continuing history, and in the late twentieth century became recognized as producing some of the world's finest wine. While wine is made in all fifty U.S. states, up to 90% of American wine is produced in the state. California would be the fourth largest producer of wine in the world if it were an independent nation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gustave Niebaum</span> Finnish-American sea captain and winemaker

Gustave Ferdinand Niebaum was a Finnish-American sea captain and winemaker.

Napa Valley is an American Viticultural Area (AVA) located in Napa County in California's Wine Country. It was established by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) on January 27, 1981. Napa Valley is considered one of the premier wine regions in the world. Records of commercial wine production in the region date back to the nineteenth century, but premium wine production dates back only to the 1960s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Markham Vineyards</span>

Markham Vineyards is a US winery founded in Napa Valley, California, in 1874. Markham has operated continuously since its founding, making it the fourth oldest continuously operating winery in Napa County.

James L. Barrett was an American businessman and the owner of Chateau Montelena which won the Chardonnay competition of the 1976 Judgment of Paris wine tasting.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sonoma County wine</span> Wine made in Sonoma County, California

Sonoma County wine is wine made in Sonoma County, California, in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Festival Napa Valley</span> Music, food, wine and lifestyle festival held in California

Festival Napa Valley is a music, food, wine and lifestyle festival held in Napa Valley, California. It is presented by Napa Valley Festival Association, a nonprofit corporation governed by a board of vintners and local leaders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Calistoga AVA</span> Designated wine grape-growing region in the United States

The Calistoga AVA is an American Viticultural Area located in the northern portion of California's Napa Valley AVA. The appellation is distinguished by its volcanic soil, high temperatures up to 100 °F (38 °C) during the day, and cool nights during the growing season due to breezes from the Russian River, causing the highest diurnal temperature variation in the Napa Valley—up to 50 °F (28 °C).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles Krug</span> American winemaker

Charles Krug (1825–1892) was among the pioneers of winemaking in the Napa Valley, California, and was the founder of the Charles Krug Winery.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">V. Sattui Winery</span>

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Silver Oak Cellars</span>

Silver Oak Cellars is a family-owned, California winery dedicated to producing only Cabernet Sauvignon. Silver Oak was established in 1972 by Ray Duncan and Justin Meyer. It is currently operated by Ray's sons David Duncan, who serves as the President and CEO, and his brother, Tim Duncan, who serves as Executive Vice President. Silver Oak has two wineries; one in Oakville in the Napa Valley and one in Healdsburg in the Alexander Valley. The Duncan Family also established Twomey Cellars in 1999, which has wineries in Calistoga and Healdsburg.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Duncan (vintner)</span> American vintner and entrepreneur

David Duncan is an American vintner and entrepreneur. The President and Chief Executive Officer of Duncan Oil, he is also the President and Chief Executive Officer of Silver Oak Cellars and Managing Partner of Twomey Cellars, successful wineries in northern California, operating in the Napa, Alexander and Russian River Valleys. He is the son of late Raymond Twomey Duncan, an oil and wine entrepreneur who co-founded Silver Oak in 1972 with Justin Meyer. Silver Oak is a family-run and owned business, and his brother Tim Duncan is Executive Vice President of the company. ColoradoBiz says that David Duncan is "as much a hands-on winery president as he can be", as president of a winery that has "reached cult status" for its Cabernet Sauvignon production.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baldacci Family Vineyards</span>

Baldacci Family Vineyards is a California winery located in the Stags Leap District AVA of Napa Valley. Founded in 1998, Thomas and Brenda Baldacci were entranced by the beauty of the Napa Valley and the timeless heritage of the Stags Leap District. The generations before had left a deep and abiding affinity for the land from which came not only their livelihood, but their legacy. For the Baldacci’s, family is everything. When they purchased the Stags Leap property, over 18 years ago, Thomas and Brenda knew that they had found a place for their clan to stay connected through the generations. As each new vintage unfolds, they look forward to sharing their wines and their story, with you.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cakebread Cellars</span>

Cakebread Cellars is a Napa Valley winery known for its Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc wines, which are internationally distributed. Founded in 1973 by Jack and Dolores Cakebread in Rutherford, California, the winery produces approximately 200,000 cases of wine per year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glass Fire</span> Wildfire in the Napa Valley

The Glass Fire was a wildfire in Northern California, that started on September 27, 2020, at 3:48 AM (PDT) from an undetermined cause and was active for 23 days. It was part of the 2020 California Wildfires and the 2020 Western United States wildfire season. The fire was named due to its origin nearby Glass Mountain Road in Deer Park, Napa County, and it extended also into Sonoma County. Initially a single 20-acre brush fire, it rapidly grew and merged with two smaller fires that expanded to 11,000 acres during the night of September 27 into September 28.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Calistoga Depot</span> Former railway station in California

Calistoga Depot is a former train station in Calistoga, California.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Locke, Michelle (August 26, 2007). "California vintner builds wine castle on hill". The Oklahoman . Archived from the original on October 12, 2020. Retrieved October 12, 2020.
  2. ↑ Nolte, Carl (March 28, 2010). "V. Sattui's humble beginnings in North Beach". San Francisco Chronicle . San Francisco, CA. Retrieved April 12, 2010.
  3. ↑ Davis, Kip (September 24, 2010). "Reviving a century-old dream". Napa Valley Register . Napa, CA: Lee Enterprises, Inc. Retrieved September 25, 2010.
  4. ↑ Indardonato, John (January 29, 2004). "Sattui castle combines art, wine and the old world". Napa Valley Register . Napa, CA: Lee Enterprises . Retrieved November 1, 2010.
  5. 1 2 McLaughlin, Katy (September 19, 2013). "Dario Sattui Built a Castle to House His California Winery". Wall Street Journal. ISSN   0099-9660 . Retrieved August 18, 2019.
  6. ↑ Glass Fire turns 120 thousand bottles of wine to ash at a Napa winery. KGTV (Newscast). September 29, 2020. Event occurs at 1:03. Archived from the original on December 12, 2021. Retrieved October 12, 2020.
  7. ↑ Hernandez, Jodi (September 28, 2020). Flames Damage Napa Valley's Famed Castle Winery Castello di Amarosa. KNTV (Newscast). Event occurs at 0:01. Archived from the original on December 12, 2021. Retrieved October 12, 2020.
  8. ↑ Zavoral, Linda; Angst, Maggie (September 30, 2020). "Glass Fire: Napa Valley's Castello di Amorosa winery loses $5 million worth of wine — but $30 million castle unscathed". The Mercury News . Retrieved October 12, 2020.
  9. ↑ "Bios: Dario Sattui". March 30, 2019. Retrieved August 20, 2019.
  10. ↑ Dowd, Katie (September 28, 2020). "Napa Valley's famed castle, Castello di Amorosa, loses building containing all of its bottled wine". SFGate. Archived from the original on September 29, 2020. Retrieved September 29, 2020.
  11. ↑ "History Archives". Castello di Amorosa. Retrieved August 18, 2019.
  12. ↑ Engle, Jane (February 27, 2007). "Napa Valley medieval: Sattui's Castello di Amorosa". Los Angeles Times . Napa, CA. Retrieved April 12, 2010.
  13. ↑ Peter Jensen (July 13, 2013). "Mining Napa's eastern hills". Napa Valley Register . Napa Valley Publishing.
  14. ↑ "Castello di Amorosa". The Press Democrat . September 12, 2007. Archived from the original on October 7, 2007. Retrieved October 12, 2020.
  15. ↑ Scully, Shane (May 23, 2012). "County orders Sattui's 'Castle' to stop church services". The Weekly Calistogan . Calistoga, CA: Lee Enterprises . Retrieved May 29, 2012.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.