Clos Pegase
1060 Dunaweal Ln, Calistoga, CA 94515
Website: http://clospegase.com/
Clos Pegase is an interesting stop for anyone who is into art. The winery is located in Calistoga just up the road from Sterling Vineyards. It is difficult to miss the pink sign and architecture of the winery as you approach.
Fountain outside of Clos Pegase
The original owners, Jan Shrem and his wife Mitsuko, built the winery as a celebration of art and wine. They meshed modern and ancient architecture with winemaking. The name “Pegase” represents the winged-horse Pegasus from Greek mythology. Jan Shrem who made his fortune in the Japanese publishing industry may not seem like the most likely originator of a winery in Napa Valley. While Jan was in Japan running his publishing business, he met his future wife Mitsuko who introduced him to the joy of wine. Wine soon became a passion for Jan and he decided to devote his life to winemaking in California. With the help of famed winemaker André Tchelistcheff, the Shrems created a wine estate where they could also show off their art collection.
Thumb sculpture at Clos Pegase
There is an interesting story behind the design of the winery. When the Shrems set out to build a winery they wanted to create a world-class destination that would express wine as an art form. In association with the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, they hosted an architectural design competition in 1984 to determine who would design the facility. The winning designer was Michael Graves. I have been to several wineries in Napa that have sections of the winery dedicated to art – The Hess Collection, Mumm Napa, and Turnbull. In comparison, Clos Pegase was truly unique. There was artwork strewn throughout the property, some of it seemed very random, and there was a mix of ancient and modern art. One of the most popular art sculptures was a large bronze thumb that sat in the middle of the vineyards. Outside of the entrance to the winery were several modern sculptures. Some non-art aficionados like myself might call them bizarre.
The tasting room here is open to the public, but I think it’s worth splurging a little and making a reservation for the guided cave tour offered a few times a day. When I went on the tour it included a walk through the property where the guide explained the art and architecture on the property. We then walked through the caves and finished up with a tasting. There were more than a hundred pieces of art to see throughout the property, both inside the Visitor’s Center and outside. There were also artists in the Visitor’s Center creating their own paintings. Within the caves, there is a theatre where the cave tour ends with a seated tasting of current and library wines paired with cheese and charcuterie.
Jan Shrem, at the age of 83, sold the winery to Vintage Wine Estates who own other properties in Napa, such as Girard and Cosentino, as well as some other wineries in Sonoma. When the sale occurred in August 2013 he donated much of the artwork to UC Davis. Some of the artwork has stayed. The artwork is what stands out vividly in my mind any time I hear or read about Clos Pegase and made the winery truly different from its neighbors. I have not returned since the sale to see what remains.