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Dear Wellness Seekers,
Charles Krug Winery Celebrates Newly Renovated Redwood Cellar and Spanista happily joins the festivities with hubby and friends. I thought it would be fun to go from the newest winery experience in Napa Castello di Amorosa to the oldest. Charles Krug Winery is the oldest in Napa Valley and is famous for its bordeaux style winemaking. I have enjoyed some of the yummiest reds by winery – some even extraordinary over the years.
Charles is a legend here as a visionary, revolutionary entrepreneur. After his passing and prohibition the Robert Mondavi Family purchased the estate and retained the reputable Charles Krug name. Then Peter Mondavi Sr. brought his tremendous enological, viticultural and marketing innovations to nurture and grow the name over six decades.
Much to our delight we could enjoy the new Redwood Cellar experience just opened to the public thereby continuing a historic legacy. Even the recent earthquake seemed to spare it out of respect. Built in 1872, this newly restored Tasting Room and Hospitality Center is a warm, inviting space blending heritage with contemporary design. This National Historical Landmark features reclaimed clear heart redwood from the family’s original wine tanks, stone and open beam construction, windows on the working Family Reserve cellar, and a large welcoming bar and lounge. It also offers Cucina di Rosa – The trattoria named after the winery’s matriarch Rosa Mondavi, and launched to commemorate the 100 th birthday of her son, Peter, brings the renovation of the historic winery and property full circle. The menu design is by Napa’s celebrity chef Richard Haake.
The very concept of a Tasting Room is part of our continuing legacy. Charles Krug opened the first tasting room in California and Napa Valley’s fascinating history is everywhere on the property, from Charles Krug’s original cider press, to train tracks that bisect the property recalling an era when Napa Valley fruit was shipped to the East Coast for home winemakers during Prohibition, to state-of-the-art barrel room for Family Reserve wines. Behind the cellar lies the Carriage House (circa 1881) built for Charles Krug’s wife, Carolina, to house her beloved horses. Today, the space houses a spectacular second story event center and the Great Lawn adjacent to it is the home to our annual Tastings on the Lawn.
The Celebratory Tour and Tasting as part of the Lawn Event was just getting started. It is commemorating Peter Mondavi’s 100th Birthday so everything felt larger than life. You can see the Event Agenda on the marquee poster in my pics. We were invited to join the tour of the new structure which is chic, modern and sexy – unlike anything in Napa Valley that I have seen. A major change from the little humble tasting room I once experienced a few years ago to a large, event focused modern environment.
We sampled one wine – a Charles Krug Sauvignon Blanc to toast the start of the event and went of the first portion of the tour – by then a large crowd gathered and the experience began to take on a scale we did not have a taste for joining. The intimate tasting routine we wanted was not on the winery’s agenda this day so we determined it was time to push on to the next stop as the day was fast slipping by. As the party grew even larger we turned in the opposite direction to our SUV but as we walked the edge of the vineyard come into view so we took a moment to revel in the view of these spectacular grapes on the vine – glowing in the Autumn sunlight as the rush to ripen for the harvest just w few short weeks away.
The Spanista Takeaway: Amidst the graceful vines flush with fruit , it was apropos to whisper a prayer of thanks for todays gifts of the grape, this luscious valley, the beautiful weather and memory making moments with friends. Happy 100th Birthday PM!
This is indeed contributes to the Spanista Self Care Journey To Joy.
More tomorrow on California Wine Country – won’t you join me?
