The problem is no one is willing to loan me the money I need to scale up and build the commercial units. Through 1912, the Sattui family experiences great success and wealth. Shortly thereafter, seven men arrived and moved into my house along with Lars. Along the way we kept referring back to source materials and photos, making sure that every minute detail was done properly. He died at the age of 94. But I loved it. I kept changing and enlarging the plan, carried away with this obsession to build ever better and ever more. Nearly 200 containers of old, hand made materials were shipped from Europe to lend authenticity. Praying for you, your employees and your families. You can be hope for the lost. If you would like to customise your choices, click 'Manage privacy settings'. We so deeply appreciate you, Dario, for your commitment to excellence and determination to persevere. [9], The castle interiors, which include 107 rooms on 8 levels above and below ground, were approximately 121,000 square feet (11,200m2) when opened in 2007; it has since been expanded to 141,000 square feet.[5]. Construction of the Drawbridge steps. But through a friend, I found an Italian builder, Paolo Ardito from Bologna. Sattui owns almost 1,000 acres of land, 350 of which are vineyards mostly in pricey Napa Valley. Thank you for sharing your story, your architecture and your wines! It was during this period his fascination for medieval architecture began to take shape. The Napa Valley is so gorgeous and you have certainly added to its glory with Castello Amorosa. The response to both the Castle and our wines was overwhelmingly positive. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact We erected archways, a big kitchen, a Great Hall that took one and a half years to completely fresco. "It will be just like old Italy," he claims. CASTELLO DI AMOROSA Michael Horns Whats Cookin on Wine with Nicole Nielson, December, 2022 (Interview Starts at 38:00) V. Sattui named Best Winery in the Western U.S. at Critics Challenge Wine Competition. We would remark on the passion for authenticity and the struggles to fund. We either used construction methods and materials that would have been used 1,000 years ago, or we used very old hand-made materials that had survived up to modern times. Sattui's largest holding is the historic 526-acre Henry Ranch in upper Carneros Valley north of Artesa Winery and Domaine Carneros. But I always kept building. One that uplift many from your business acumen. V Sattui Winery, St. Helena, California, USA History of the V Sattui Winery : Dario Sattui remembers visiting Vittorio, his great-grandfather, who continued to live upstairs at the long dormant Bryant Street winery until his death at age 94. He also had an option to purchase the property for $72,500. He's put the majority of it in the Napa County Land Trust to keep it natural and in agriculture, as he's done with parts of other vineyards. A man leaves this earth only better than how he found it by gifting us with the treasures he leaves behind for everyone to enjoy, wine and castles are sure as hell some of those. If you do not want us and our partners to use cookies and personal data for these additional purposes, click 'Reject all'. Sattui's perfectionism and drive are undoubtedly vital parts of the winery's success. Tickets on sale now for Napa Valley's most sensational event of the fall season - V. Sattui's Annual Harvest Ball. The winery also offers customers a large yard with picnic tables under a giant oak. Every nail, every chain link, every hinge and lock was hand-done by the Marianis. I have great memories there. Armed with his vault of medieval architectural renderings and another passionate dream, Dario purchased a 171-acre vineyard property in Calistoga in 1993 and began construction of Castello di Amorosa in 1994. Dario was born in San Francisco in 1941 and raised in San Francisco and Marin County. Building materials included 8,000 tons of locally quarried stone, paving stones, terra cotta roofing tiles, and 850,000 bricks imported from Europe. He started various businesses in grammar school, high school and college and gained valuable experience in the basics of business. The disbarred lawyer and scion of one of South Carolinas most powerful families was convicted of murdering his wife and son, capping a trial that captivated the nation. In 1989, Sattui met Georg Salzner in Italy. June 10, 2022; By: Author buddle findlay partners As the years of building continued on, I divorced, lost my hair, became more wrinkled, was struck by a car crossing a San Francisco street, and endured a major flood and a slowdown of my energy. After a trip to Europe, he was inspired to design and build a medieval castle . The 21st Amendment is ratified, repealing Prohibition. (Photo: Pat Daniels). It blew my mind! The empire that Sattui built / A tourist's dream or a winemaker's folly? Dario Sattui, owner of V. Sattui Winery and Castello di Amorosa, was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. Throughout the Napa Valley, vintner Dario Sattui is best known as the proprietor of a castle: the 142,000-square-foot, $40 million medieval-style structure that is the site of his second winery, Castello di Amorosa near Calistoga, Calif. The square footage of the underground rooms alone, built on four separate levels, was nearly 80,000, or two acres. His wines, even his Cabernets, are made to be consumed young. The winery had the feel of a small European village, with picnic grounds, a deli, and a direct to consumer sales model that was unprecedented at the time. My home had been turned into a boarding house. [1][12] The great hall features frescoes painted by two Italian artists, who took about a year and a half to complete, and showcases a 500-year-old fireplace. The original V Sattui Winery was founded in 1885 by Vittorio Sattui in San Francisco. Modern era V. Sattui (V. Sattui 2.0) was founded by Vittorio and Katerina's great grandson, Dario Sattui, in St. Helena, Napa Valley, in 1976 - essentially re-founding the old V. Sattui family wine business. Armed with his vault of medieval architectural renderings and another passionate dream, Sattui purchased a 171-acre vineyard property in Calistoga in 1993 and began construction of Castello di Amorosa Winery in 1994. have tested my prototypes and agree that it will work in large scale fires. At least, that's what Dario Sattui did in Calistoga, California. "We do the wines no one else does," Sattui says. Dario Sattui net worth is $20 Million Dario Sattui Wiki: Salary, Married, Wedding, Spouse, Family . But he wasnt sure he understood how to run a business. A wrought iron dragon from the times of Napoleon hovers over the massive main door. If the castle is geographically out of place, Sattui is nevertheless trying to make it authentic. Exterior of V. Sattui Winery in St. Helena. Maritza Garca Dear Mr. Sattui, As Vittorio lived to be 94 years old, Dario got to know him and was fascinated by his stories and photos of the old winery, above which the Sattui family continued to live even after Prohibition had shut it down. Dario, Not even Walt Disney himself could rival your vision, passion, and creativity. In 2020, winery namesake and longtime vintner, Dario Sattui, saw his prized Castello di Amorosa resembling a Tuscan castle in Calistoga sustain damage when the massive Glass Fire jumped Highway 29 . 707.967.6272, HOLIDAY HOURS We are so inspired! We hired a firm that used a Welsh mining bore which excavated horizontally into the hillside at a rate of 15 feet per day. I thought of hiring an American contractor, but those whom I had met lacked the knowledge of medieval construction and were intimidated by the project with no idea how to build it. Young Russian technocrats with deep knowledge of the West are vaulting to the Kremlins upper echelons of power. As a child, Dario would play among the barrels and tanks in the underground cellars while dreaming of reviving the winery when he grew up. I couldnt wait to get started. You should be proud. And I had my first paying customers, Peter Thomas. Oct. 2, 2020 But objective criticism of the wines may be missing the point. The winery opened to the public in April 2007, as the project of a fourth-generation vintner, Dario Sattui, who also owns and operates the V. Sattui Winery named after his great-grandfather, Vittorio Sattui, who originally established a winery in San Francisco in 1885 after emigrating from Italy to California. He and his wife have a son, who is thirteen years old. Your wines were delicious! My reaction at the time was that this was more a show piece than a place that made good wines. Dario Sattui, owner of Castello di Amorosa in Calistoga, California, and great-grandson of San Francisco, California pioneer vintner, Vittorio Sattui, was born in San Francisco in 1941 and raised in San Francisco and Fairfax in Marin County. March 28, 2010. Yet we waited to make the wines until we had older vines to produce the highest quality. V. Sattui purchases historic 556-acre Henry Ranch in Carneros, begins planting 120+ acres of vines. Sattui asked Salzner to run his winery. TaxID#26-4008029. Let us be your passport to Laos and much more. V. Sattui Preston Vineyard Cabernet is named Best Cabernet in California at California State Fair. But Lars was very capable and, by observing for three months, figured out how to do it. Ive been there so many times. He earned an M.B.A from the University of California, Berkeley. The problem was we now had a mountain of excavated, poor-quality soil we didnt know what to do with. We constructed a dry moat, high defensive fortified walls, five towers, courtyards and loggias, a Tuscan farmhouse and other outbuildings. The castle, which opened to the public six years ago, was built with a team that included a European vaulted-ceiling expert, stone masons and fresco artists to help ensure its historical accuracy. Dario Sattui is the grandson of Vittorio Sattui, a former Italian immigrant who founded V. Sattui Winery in San Francisco in 1885. Wow Daryl, you are certainly a King now! Last September, a wildfire tore through one of Dario Sattui's Napa Valley wineries, destroying millions of dollars in property and equipment, along with 9,000 cases of wine. Ready for a unique experience? Wishing you all the best and praying for better days ahead. "As a small child, my first recollection was the aroma of wine emanating from the old building as soon as I entered," he says. My brothers and I escaped the Bell Canyon fire in Agoura, Ca. If the success is apparent, the reasons for that success are controversial locally. In the process, he purchased a medieval monastery in Italy and is currently renovating an old castle in Sienna, which he hopes to transform into a hotel. Tall and young-looking at 60, he's intense about everything he does, and passionate about his business. He took photos and made sketches of various buildings he would visit including medieval castles, monasteries, palaces, farmhouses and wineries. His great grandfather Vittorio Sattui, an Italian immigrant, founded V. Sattui Winery in 1885 in San Francisco. The 18th Amendment, national Prohibition, becomes law on January 16th. Dario Sattui, owner of Castello di Amorosa in Calistoga, California, and great-grandson of San Francisco, California pioneer vintner, Vittorio Sattui, was born in San Francisco in 1941 and raised in San Francisco and Fairfax in Marin County. A fireplace predating Christopher Columbus adorns the Great Hall, and Iron Maiden from the late Renaissance dominates the torture chamber. Interested in newsletters, promotions, and wine club events? We have everything you need for a wine country picnic. They love the Napa Valley. My wife and I have been every Italy places you mentioned in your story and more. His business was gone. "There's a cross section of customers coming up the road, and if other people choose to leave a void in their offerings, we'll fill it. Enter Wells Fargo Bank from which I secured a large loan. He has studied castles and monasteries throughout Europe. In 1972, Sattui returned to the U.S. with the intent of re-establishing his great grandfathers original V. Sattui winery which had been dormant for more than 50 years. He attended Drake High School and then the College of Marin. Instead of semi-retiring to Italy in 1994 as I had envisioned doing, I was working harder than ever at both V. Sattui, my original winery, and on building Castello di Amorosa. Sincerely, "It's my fantasy," he admits, "a way to restore my family's wine tradition.". Meanwhile, Russia and China blocked an effort to condemn the war. On January 5th, 1995, we began construction of 900 linear feet of caves. Working as a substitute teacher, Dario became, "known as the Enforcer, because I kept the kids quiet so I could work on my business plan." "As a small child, my first recollection was the aroma of wine emanating from the old building as soon as I entered," he says. Im so glad my husband and I were able to visit back in September of 2019 before all travel stopped. In Buco il lupo to all the families who suffer from these fires. We have visited Castillo di Amorosa ever since it opened in 2007 and enjoyed it each and every time we visited it. To attract visitors, employees parked their cars in the front lot and his father sat outside eating at a picnic table to give the appearance that the winery was popular. Would love to hear from you. We bring in a lot of neophytes, and they're often turned off by Cabernet and Chardonnay.". With $8,000 and a novel approach to the wine business he re-opened V. Sattui winery in St. Helena and turned a profit in the first year of operation. . to dive deeper into Dario Sattuis vision. There were problems, from containers full of materials not arriving on time to the County making us re-grout virtually all the walkways and rebuild all the stairs, as they didnt quite comply with local codes. We hired a firm that used a Welsh mining bore which excavated horizontally into the hillside at a rate of 15 feet per day. Thanks so much! I will never forget my first visit to Castello di Amarosa in 2017. We spent years sourcing old materials. Weekday: 10:00am 5:00pm "Why fault me for that?" From a modest monastery, the project has evolved into a castle 10 times the size. Great Hall on the left, Upper Terrace on the right. His Cabernet came from Robert Mondavi, his Riesling from Peter Becker. He apprentices for 3 years at various Napa wineries to gain background. We as Americans have a responsibility to support the endeavors of people such as Mr. Sattui who although might be successful as a financial enterprise is now suffering the same pains as someone watching the destruction of the Mona Lisa. authenticate users, apply security measures, and prevent spam and abuse, and, display personalised ads and content based on interest profiles, measure the effectiveness of personalised ads and content, and, develop and improve our products and services. View from the South Tower. is samuel sooleymon, a real person is samuel sooleymon, a real person. Dario Sattui remembers visiting Vittorio, his great-grandfather, who continued to live upstairs at the long dormant Bryant Street winery until his death at age 94. (Photo: Pat Daniels) On January 5th, 1995, we began construction of 900 linear feet of caves. -- V. Sattui Winery, 1111 White Lane, St. Helena; (707) 963-7774. Then please sign up for our mailing list. Many wineries resume production, but Vittorio settles into retirement. By mid-2006, I was nearly in a panic about going bankrupt and losing my entire property. | ChateauxEscapesFrance.com. Website design by Compass Marketing, website development by StoryWorkz. The first year in business, Sattui made a profit. CALISTOGA (CBS SF) -- It was a labor love for winemaker Dario Sattui, building and expanding his unique medieval castle inspired winery Castello di Amorosa. Raymond Burger. Dario Sattui In a reminder as to why many people prefer to remain anonymous in posting comments, particularly those criticizing public servants, a Napa Valley winery has become the target of an. I am glad I read this blog before my visit to your castle with my family and friends on July 18th. The bank said it was at risk of being less than well-capitalized.. CASTELLO DI AMOROSA Dario & Irina Sattui Contact host Property # 1917323 Report this property View all Calistoga properties Not sure about this one? document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Your email address will not be published. Stay safe! Sattui surveyed his grounds off St. Helena Highway near where the now 42,560-acre fire roared between Deer Park and Bothe Napa Valley State Park and discovered he lost 15,000 square feet in. He didn't, ending up making a profit the first year -- $2,400, but a profit. in the mid 1980s and bearly escaped with our lives. So far, three cellars are complete, and are being used for wine aging, but when the castle -- replete with moats and towers -- is done in five to seven years it will be a full winery with a tasting room and extensive visitor facilities. Sattui estimates he's spent $7 or $8 million on the project to date and anticipates spending much more. Dario Sattui returns from Europe determined to re-start the familys wine business. Open 9 a. m. to 6 p.m. daily. We had three more underground levels (originally one level until I expanded the building) of cellars to excavate and then build. (Photo: Alison Hernandez 2017), Ramparts, towers, the guard tower and a variety of Castle defensive positions overlook the Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Sangiovese and Primitivo vineyards. Sons Mario and Romeo join the business. I enjoy visiting Castello di Amorosa with family and friends, learning about its history, thank you for sharing your story and dreamwhat a gift! While real estate speculators snap up fixer-uppers in trendy retro metros, Sattui turns his attention to medieval architecture in centuries-old villages but not to make his fortune; his moneymaking ventures are in wine. My family went through a similar situation in 1968. Timothy Moxley, Heartbroken. We, Yahoo, are part of the Yahoo family of brands. For the next two years I believe every American should at least devote one vacation to visiting an area of the country that has been devastated by either floods, fires, Hurricanes and this Pandemic to show that the only way America rebounds is because of the conscience of its citizens to invest not only their Sweat Equity into building a nation, but also its appreciation for what men like Mr. Sattui have given us because of his success. He brought over seven master masons whom I quickly sent back to Italy upon discovering that master builders they were not. It was amazing and reminded me of many places in Italy that I have visited!! Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. The original V. Sattui Winery was founded in San Francisco 1885 by newly-arrived immigrants from Italy, Vittorio and Katerina Sattui. Castello di Amorosa is a castle and a winery located near Calistoga, California. You can change your choices at any time by clicking on the 'Privacy dashboard' links on our sites and apps. Throughout the Napa Valley, vintner Dario Sattui is best known as the proprietor of a castle: the 142,000-square-foot, $40 million medieval-style structure that is the site of his second winery . The operation was strictly bare bones. I was sure that with my savings coupled with current earnings I could manage financially if I were prudent in other areas. I am a long time fan of Dario Sattui, his wineries, and his wines. 4045 St Helena Hwy Our 8,000 sq ft house burned to the ground with a lightening strike. Sattui is the owner of Castello di Amorosa Winery in Calistoga, California. Dario Sattui, great grandson of winery founder Vittorio Sattui Everyone, including his future ex-wife, predicted failure for Dario, but he believed in himself. The winery is celebrating its 125th . And the excavating was just starting. I didnt know about Castle di Amorosa, the vineyard, its origins or its magnificent provenance until someone sent me something regarding the horrific fire on Facebook. Visited your beautiful winery last August, when I saw the news I just cried. I kept declaring larger dividends than I normally would have from V. Sattui to keep afloat. Within a short time of acquiring property on which I would build, Lars Nimskov, the naval architect from Denmark, came from Italy and we began working on plans which were submitted and approved by Napa County a year later. Brooks Painter named Winemaker of the Year by the American Fine Wine Competition. Michael Horns Whats Cookin on Wine with Nicole Nielson. A devoted environmentalist and preservationist, Sattuis commitment to the land trust has garnered attention from both sides of the political aisle. Ironically, Sattui didn't appreciate the importance of that permit at first. Read more about the story of Castello di Amorosa in Dario Sattuis book, Castello di Amorosa: A Labor of Love. "California vintner builds wine castle on hill", "V. Sattui's humble beginnings in North Beach", "Sattui castle combines art, wine and the old world", "Dario Sattui Built a Castle to House His California Winery", "Glass Fire: Napa Valley's Castello di Amorosa winery loses $5 million worth of wine but $30 million castle unscathed", "Napa Valley's famed castle, Castello di Amorosa, loses building containing all of its bottled wine", "Napa Valley medieval: Sattui's Castello di Amorosa", "County orders Sattui's 'Castle' to stop church services", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Castello_di_Amorosa&oldid=1070901256, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 9 February 2022, at 21:43. Fritz Gruber, the master builder from Austria and one of the few persons in the world who knew medieval building techniques, agreed to come for three months with six men. It will also surely attract hundreds of thousands of patrons when it's complete. Its hand-planed doors were made with hand-forged nails; its bricks and tiles were salvaged from Austria, Italy and Romania; its dungeon is stocked with carefully reproduced medieval torture equipment. Being a builder /contractor myself, I can fully appreciate & marvel at your magnificent labor of love its truly awesome. Dario Sattui is one of the Napa Valleys most visible philanthropists. We have visited the castle many times and always recommend people to go as one of our favorites. Most of all, however, V. Sattui is also the only Napa County winery other than Domaine Chandon that serves food to the public, and Chandon's restaurant is a fancy, expensive operation. As a child, Dario would play among the barrels and tanks in the underground cellars while dreaming of reviving the winery when he grew up. You probably dont remember me but I used to work at California Growers many years ago. You will rebuild and it will be even better. The house on the property was so dilapidated his wife wouldn't move in, so they lived in their VW Microbus. He rented the 4-acre parcel for $500 per month, including an option to buy it for $72,500. There were many others, mostly from Italy, too numerous to name, who lent a hand to create the only real medieval castle in the United States. [9] Our roots in the soils from which are forefathers originated become an important part of what we have become. For that reason, we have been to Italy many times, loving each visit, inspired by the beauty and romance of the architecture, food, culture, and people. When Dario Sattui was a child, he dreamed of reviving his grandfather's winery.