NAPA VALLEY, LOS CARNEROS, Calif. – May 25, 2021 – Cuvaison winery is excited to announce that it will be breaking ground this month on an ambitious new construction project to enhance the visitor experience at Cuvaison’s beautiful estate vineyard and winery in Napa Valley’s Los Carneros AVA. Constructed in two phases, the first part of the project will focus on the Cuvaison Tasting Room, where a floor-to-ceiling sliding glass wall will be added, along with an expanded terrace. The second phase of the project will include the installation of beautiful open-air pavilions for VIP tastings and special events, which will be cantilevered above the south shore of the property’s scenic pond, and will offer idyllic views of the lower vineyard, as well as local flora and fauna surrounding the pond. To support the pavilions, Cuvaison will also be building an outdoor service area, additional restrooms and expanded wheelchair-accessible parking. During construction, Cuvaison will remain open for tastings, and will be hosting guests outside on a dedicated portion of the crush pad, and indoors in the winery’s beautiful barrel room, which will serve as Cuvaison’s interim tasting room.
While the project was originally planned before the pandemic, President and CEO, Dan Zepponi, not only greenlit moving forward with the construction, but he also worked closely with acclaimed wine country architect Douglas Thornley to integrate new elements into the project to create the most safe and welcoming environment possible for future guests. This includes the installation of an upgraded ventilation system with hospital-grade filtration and unobtrusive hand-sanitizer stations elegantly built into the redesigned tasting room. As part of the overall project, Cuvaison will also be moving its powerlines underground to ensure unobstructed views for its guests and a fire-safe transfer of power to the winery. The first stage of construction is scheduled for completion in late summer of 2021, with the second phase scheduled for completion in summer of 2022.
“Breaking ground during a pandemic may seem like a bold decision, but based on conversations with customers and club members around the country, we believe that wine lovers are eager and excited to return to Napa Valley,” says Zepponi. “When they do, we want to ensure that Cuvaison is ready and better than ever. This estate has been our home for more than 40 years. It’s a magical spot. Our goal with this project is to highlight the natural beauty of our sustainably managed estate, while creating thoughtful new venues that are every bit as engaging and exceptional as our wines.”
Since Zepponi was named CEO of Two Estates Wine Collective (formerly Cuvaison Estate Wines) in 2016, the famed 50+ year-old winery has been actively reinvesting in its estate, including replanting older blocks of its 200-acre vineyard. As the culmination of these efforts, the new renovations and expansions are designed to create a seamless union between Cuvaison’s certified-sustainable estate vineyard and the guest experience at Cuvaison. Santa Rosa-based Nordby Construction will be responsible for realizing the designs created by renowned wine country architect Douglas Thornley, who designed the original Cuvaison Tasting Room, and as a partner at Goring & Straja Studio is the principal architect overseeing the expansion. Landscaping for the new project will be overseen by Sonoma’s acclaimed Roche + Roche Landscape Architecture.
“As a long-time Cuvaison wine club member, when Dan Zepponi challenged me to enhance the venues for both indoor and outdoor guest experiences, I immediately began to envision how we could grow this unique space, while maintaining the serenity that makes Cuvaison so enchanting,” says Douglas Thornley. “In collaboration with Dan and Roche + Roche, we have designed new venues that bring the natural beauty of this historic estate to the forefront of the guest experience, while at the same time intertwining the sustainability practices that have always been at the heart of Cuvaison.”
ABOUT TWO ESTATES WINE COLLECTIVE
Two Estates Wine Collective is an independent, family-owned Napa Valley wine company. Established in 1969, with the founding of Cuvaison winery in Napa Valley, today Two Estates Wine Collective also includes Brandlin Estate on Mount Veeder. With an estate program that includes Cuvaison’s historic Los Carneros vineyard, which features over 200 planted acres largely devoted to Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, and the 49-acre Brandlin Vineyard on Mount Veeder, which is primarily planted to Cabernet Sauvignon and other red Bordeaux varieties, Two Estates Wine Collective focuses on ultra-premium, estate-grown wines. For more information, visit cuvaison.com and brandlinestate.com.
