Clos Pegase is located in the northern part of the Napa Valley just off the Silverado Trail near Calistoga. The owner, Jan Shrem built a successful publishing business in Japan and during this time married a Japanese woman named Mitsuko. She introduced Jan to wine and after 25 years in the publishing business he entered the enology program at the University of Bordeaux. Eventually he moved to Napa and enlisted the help of Andre Tchelistcheff, a winemaker of international renown and a seminal figure in the modern California wine industry, who guided Clos Pegase through its early years. Shaun Richardson has been the primary winemaker since 2002. His approach embraces simplicity – using natural yeasts, gentle handling and minimal filtration to produce wines of understated elegance. Clos Pegase owns more than 450 acres in the Napa Valley, with 286 planted to grapes. The vineyards are entirely estate owned and operated and one third of the grapes produced are sold to other wineries, including Duckhorn, Acacia, and Schramsberg.

Producer

What defines the "Clos Pegase" style? We like to talk about balance, harmony and symmetry. About true varietal intensity with balanced tannins and acids. And, most of all, about the balance of sophisticated elegance and inviting food-friendliness. Our whites -- Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc -- display the fresh fruit qualities of these varieties. Our reds -- Pinot Noir, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon among others -- offer fruitiness and accessibility at an early age by using the old technique of extended maceration, which creates softer tannins through polymerization. In all instances, the wine ages gracefully in our natural caves hewn out of the stone, as in antiquity, free of air conditioner vibration and enjoying ideal year-round temperature and humidity.