Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Japan; he hung around the land of the rising
sun long enough to raise a fortune, and
then promptly retired to Bordeaux to study
winemaking. But 30 years of art collecting
left Jan and Shrem with a problem: Where
to put it? They ended up indulging both pas-
sions by building this art gallery-cum-
concept winery on 450 acres (182 hectares)
of vineyards a couple of miles south of Cali-
stoga. Building the winery into the side of
the hill, they installed 20,000 feet (6,000m)
of cave cellars and a visitor center.
Because the winery is at the northern
end of the Napa wine circuit, it does not
get too crowded. You can sit and eat in an
elegant dining room with crystal chande-
liers, marble floors, and mahogany panel-
ing; in the bright tasting room, there are
tall windows and arresting pieces of art.
The wine is arresting too—a nice, dry,
oaky Chardonnay served along with an
interesting port called
hommage
. Often
cheese and other nibbles are available.
The lawn, lined with Italian cypress trees,
just begs to be picnicked on.
Clos Pegase,
1060 Dunaweal Lane,
Calistoga (
&
707/942-4981;
www.clos
pegase.com).
(
San Francisco International Airport
(84 miles/135km).
L
$$$
Hideaway Cottages,
1412 Fair
Way, Calistoga (
&
707/942-4108
). $$$
Cottage Grove Inn,
1711 Lincoln Ave.,
Calistoga (
&
707/942-8400;
www.cottage
grove.com).
West Coast U.S.
286
Arrowood Vineyards
The Perfectionists
Sonoma, California
When Richard Arrowood wrote off 60% of
his 1989 vintage, it was like committing
commercial suicide. In business only 3
years, he could not have created a bigger
setback for his winery if he had doused his
barrel room in gasoline and put a match to
it. Yet the fact was, his “vintage from hell”
had produced an inferior fruit, and he was
loath to put his name to it. That's the sort
of integrity that has made Arrowood one
of California's most renowned and vener-
able winemakers today, with his classic
varietal wines coveted by the most fanati-
cal and knowledgeable oenophiles.
Arrowood first made his name during
his 40-year career at Chateau St. Jean,
where he created seven different Char-
donnays in 1 year and became a pioneer
of single-vineyard wines. He then started
his own winery in 1986 with his wife, Alis.
The couple's approach is very hands-on—
the Arrowoods are not afraid to push
up their shirt sleeves and personally over-
see the entire process, from the hand-
picked harvest to the crush and the
fermentation. They're great believers in
winemaking restraint, always choosing
methods that simply let the wine express
its own
terroir
.
The winery is in the eastern hills of
Sonoma County, a beautiful wine-growing
region in the northern San Francisco Bay
area, to the west of Napa Valley. Sonoma
tends to attract wine lovers eager to avoid
the madness of Napa; Sonoma is more laid
back, rural, and casual, with less traffic
(and the added bonus of beaches). The
Arrowoods's winery consists of two New
England-style farmhouses set at the end
of a short driveway on a gentle slope. One
is the production facility and the other a
bright and airy visitor's center, graced by a
wraparound veranda. The tasting room
has a country-kitchen feel and a welcoming
