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LEGACY PROJECT

Clos Pegase Winery

Calistoga, Napa Valley, California

The agrarian architecture of Tuscany and engagement with the landscape became inspirations for the project design.

Creating architectural terroir

The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and Jan Shrem, the owner of the Clos Pegase Winery commissioned several pairs of architects and artists to conceive of a new winery in the Napa Valley. Visiting the site on the eve of the competition, Michael Graves was struck by the forms and colors of the natural landscape, the geometric rhythms of vineyard plantings, and the exceptional natural light, which reminded him of Tuscany, his favorite place in the world. The agrarian architecture of Tuscany and engagement with the landscape became inspirations for the project design.

Telling stories: the competition

Clos Pegase was named after a famous Odilon Redon painting of the mythical horse Pegasus in Shrem’s extensive art collection. The Pegasus myth says that when Pegasus’s hooves touched down on Mount Helicon, the spring of the Muses burst forth, symbolizing the founding of the arts as well as winemaking. Since the competition required a wine tasting room, Michael proposed an aqueduct descending the natural hillock on the site that would feed fountains in a circular tasting pavilion containing a Ted Schmidt painting of the stories of Pegasus throughout the seasons of the year. While the tasting pavilion was not constructed, the integration of art and architecture endured through the display of Jan Shrem’s collections throughout the site.

Project Lead

Michael Graves, FAIA

 

Professional Credits

Associate Architect: Hildegard Richardson, Artist: Edward Schmidt

 

Location

Calistoga, Napa Valley, California

 

Size

16,400 SF

 

Completion date

1987

 

Awards

AIA National; Honor Award, AIA New Jersey Awards (Unbuilt and Built)

The winery and the vintner’s residence

The gentle agrarian architecture of Tuscany and the way that the buildings could form courtyards, and axial relationships between the structures informed the layout of the winery. The final program included a working winery, with the wine storage built into the natural hill, wine tasting areas and offices, and the vintner’s residence on the top of the hill.