Landmark Calistoga winery marks milestone
Calistoga, Napa Valley, April 7, 2022 – It’s all about 15! After 15 years in the making, on April 7 – Castello di Amorosa, Dario Sattui’s authentically built Tuscan castle and winery in the Napa Valley, has been open to the public for 15 years. With a passionate, all-consuming desire to create something that honored his Italian heritage, his love for medieval architecture and a driving commitment to make wines in a magnificent setting, Sattui commenced construction of the Castello in 1994 and opened the winery April 7, 2007, 2 years before he finished construction.
“I am extremely pleased with the Castello’s contributions to the world of wine and wine tourism,” said Sattui. “I set out attempting to create an extraordinary winery and today it is extremely rewarding to see so many customers enjoying the Castello and our wines,” he added.” Sattui is a committed philanthropist who has supported numerous causes in the Napa Valley and beyond—from endowing a new school and Boys & Girls Club in Calistoga, funding heart research to donating land to the Land Trust in Sonoma County.
Castello di Amorosa has been recognized as one of the most visited wineries in the world. Among its many honors, it was chosen as The Best Tasting Room in America by USA Today in 2020 and in March of this year it was identified as the most Instagrammed winery in the world, according to research by TheThinkingTraveller travel company.
Other accolades include being recognized as one of “Napa’s Most Beautiful Wine Tasting Rooms” by Food & Wine Magazine, as “Best Wine Tasting Room” by North Bay Bohemian, as “Best Place to take visitors” by KVON Radio, as one of the “Top 5 Romantic Spots in the Napa Valley” and as one of “Ten Most Intriguing Architectural Wineries in Napa” by Napa Valley Life Magazine, in addition to receiving several Certificates of Excellence from Trip Advisor.
The Castello suffered an enormous setback in October of 2020, when a detached building of the Castle was destroyed by the Glass Fire: Sattui and his team are bent on restoring it just the way it was. Estimated completion of the restored wing is late 2023.
Castello di Amorosa used materials such as antique, handmade bricks and roof tiles, hand-hewn timbers, hand-forged iron gates, lamps and hardware and medieval construction techniques and over 8,000 tons of hand-chiseled local stone to create this architectural gem. Sattui designed most of the winery himself; it is not a replica of a medieval castle but rather a uniquely conceived one-of-a-kind building. The 150,000 square-foot castle / winery consists of four floors above ground and five floors below ground. It encompasses five defensive towers with battlements, 1,000-pound hand-hewn doors from Italy, a Great Hall with a 22-foot coffered ceiling featuring hand-painted frescoes inspired by medieval Italian frescoes. The castle’s 12,000 square foot Grand Barrel Room features 40 Roman cross-vaults in its brick ceiling. All of the ironwork was hand-forged by Italian artisans over open flames on site during the construction. Over 170 containers of handmade antique bricks, roof tiles and antique furniture were brought from Italy for the building. Additional authentic features include multiple courtyards, a chapel, the drawbridge, a watch tower, a torture chamber and secret passageways.
The winery itself is a modern contrast to the Castello as a whole. It contains advanced crushing and fermentation facilities, five underground levels and 24,000 square feet of caves all for barrel aging. Winemakers Brooks Painter and Peter Velleno have a wide range of equipment available to them, ranging from custom-designed triple-jacketed cooling fermentation tanks to concrete/ceramic eggs.
The winery owns 119 acres of estate vineyards throughout Napa Valley, Mendocino and Sonoma County, ranging from its home estate in the Diamond Mountain District to Coombsville, Rutherford, Russian River Valley and Anderson Valley.
Castello di Amorosa sells its entire production of wine exclusively at the winery and on its website.
Castello di Amorosa is open seven days a week for tours and tastings from 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.by reservation, at http://www.castellodiamorosa.com/Visit-Us.
