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Medieval castle, circa 2007
There are many reasons to make the trek up to Napa Valley, and most of them involve wine. And while there’s dozens of possible wineries to choose from in any wine country itinerary, most visitors look for something extra beyond the swirl and spit of the typical tasting tour. Does it have a world-class art collection (Hess), stunning views of the Carneros region (Artesa), a tram ride up the side of a hill (Sterling)?
Those are all well and good, but what if you want more. Does the winery have a torture room for prisoners? A moat and drawbridge to keep out enemies? A turret from whence to rain down arrows and boiling oil? The answer - and thankfully so for the renaissance minded - is a resounding thumbs-up yes, or better yet - yea.
And you can find all these things at the newly minted-to-look-old Castello di Amorosa in the hills just south of Calistoga, compliments of Darryl Sattui, owner of V. Sattui Winery in St. Helena. Modeled after a 12th century Tuscan castle, Castello di Amorosa was conceived by Sattui over years of many travels to the Italian countryside of his forebears, began building in earnest in 1993 and recently completed after 15 years of painstaking construction.
Grand fireplace in the great room
Sattui’s intention from the beginning was for authenticity, and not a mere Disney-esque façade. He imported bricks and stones and other material from the old country, and had locally quarried stones (8,000 tons worth) hand-squared by imported Italian craftsmen. In all, the castle consists of eight levels (four subterranean), 107 rooms, 900 feet of caves, and 121,000 square feet of total space, including a 500 year old fireplace in a festively frescoed great hall, a medieval church, state of the art winemaking area and extensive barrel rooms with Romanesque cross-vaulted ceilings.
But even more impressive (in a Sarah Winchester sort of way), are the added touches for that extra reach toward the actual look and substance of a 500 year old castle that has been added to and altered over its long life. There’s the crumbling watch tower, walls that are both carefully squared in one area and of random field stones in another (to reflect different eras of construction and affluence) and doorways built then immediately bricked-up. In fact, I was hard pressed to find an anachronism in the entire place, save for the ultra modern wine vats. Even the light fixtures and other iron works were locally smelted and shaped the old fashioned way: by hammer-wielding blacksmiths.
And while Napa Valley has always been our little slice of Tuscany to the north; thanks to Castello di Amorosa, it’s now possible to experience Tuscany as it used to be, as long as you make it past the guy in the suit of armor with the battle axe.
Pull my chain - original ironwork
Whatever you make of the castle, Sattui knows wines, and the appellations from the surrounding vineyard are every bit as good as his V. Sattui wines. But don’t take my word for it, taste away as either part of a tour or tasting, or plunk down $99 ($89 club members) for the Harvest Celebration on Friday, Oct. 25, 6:30pm-9:30pm. The evening includes wine and food pairings, barrel tastings of the 2008 wines, tours and a 20 percent discount on all case purchases. Castello di Amorosa is located at 4045 North St. Helena Hwy, just over 5 miles north of St. Helena off Hwy 29. www.castellodiamorosa.com
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