Friends & Family Page

We are pleased to announce our 16^th anniversary here at Castello di Amorosa. To our loyal Amici del Barone Wine members and those of you that enjoy our wines as a part of your celebrations, we offer our sincere thanks for your support throughout the years. Many of you know that Castello di Amorosa was a 30-year labor of love; a culmination of my life’s dream to build an authentically styled Tuscan castle in the Napa Valley where I could make outstanding Italian-style wine.Thanks to you, my dreams have come true. Both the Castello and the wines have received great reviews. I encourage everyone to come visit and celebrate our 16th year in business. Thank you again for your continued support.

In 1993, I purchased the spectacular property upon which I built Castello di Amorosa. It sat on a hundred-seventy beautiful acres of forest and hills with a stream, a lake, one of the first houses built in Napa County and a great Victorian home where I chose to live. It was my dream property, culminating a search of many years. The purchase also came with a great building permit for a large winery building which had taken the previous owner thirteen years to obtain.

My initial intent was to build an 8,500 square-foot building without cellars. (Gradually it morphed into 121,000 square feet with 107 rooms with four separate levels underground and four levels above!) After more than 15 years of research, I was ready to build my castle in the Napa Valley.

I had accumulated a wealth of knowledge on medieval architecture, a huge library of books, photos, plans and detailed sketches. I couldn’t wait to get started. The renovation of my historic Victorian at the bottom of the hill on the same property would have to wait. I was going to build my castle first.

Dario Sattui Standing in Front of Castle

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.

Castello di Amorosa appears to be an authentic castle for one reason only: it is an authentic castle, though fancified. 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. A fireplace predating Christopher Columbus adorns the Great Hall, and Iron Maiden from the late Renaissance dominates the torture chamber. A wrought iron dragon from the times of Napoleon hovers over the massive main door. More than 8,000 tons of stone were chiseled, not sawed, by hand to be absolutely authentic. Nearly 200 containers of old, hand made materials were shipped from Europe to lend authenticity.

Finally, we were able to open on April 7, 2007. I had no idea if the project would be well-received or not. Would I be laughed at or would people respond positively? The first few days after opening gave me hope. The response to both the Castle and our wines was overwhelmingly positive.

When we opened the doors sixteen years ago, I wondered how my castle would be received, as it was so unorthodox a concept. Today we have a collection of superb estate vineyards and highly acclaimed wines. Just recently our Morisoli-Borges Cabernet Sauvignon received 98 points from Jeb Dunnuck and our single-vineyard Melanson Cabernet Sauvignon received 97 points from The Wine Advocate. Our wonderful guests respect and enjoy the fact that our wines are only available at the winery or can be shipped directly to your home or business.

Throughout our time at The Castle we have had many amazing moments, see below some of the best.

♦ Solar Grid Installed

We invested $1.4 million in a 450-kilowatt solar power array.

♦ Disney Films The Quest

During Covid-19 The Quest was filmed on location at Castello di Amorosa.

♦ Manley Estate Vineyard Acquired

Located in the Rutherford AVA of Napa Valley, we hope to get our first Manley Estate vintage in 2025.

♦ Castello Closed for 1st Time

Covid 19 & The Glass Fire forced us to close the Castello for the first time.

♦ Named Best Tasting Room in America

Voted Best Tasting Room in America by USA Today’s 10 Best.

♦ The Castle Hosts Festival Napa Valley

Breathtaking performances in iconic wine country, are paired with Napa Valley’s unparalleled food, wine and hospitality. Festival Napa Valley offers programs that uplift and inspire, and attract artists and audiences from around the world. The annual July celebration raised $2.6 million, a new record.

♦ We Celebrated Our 10th Anniversary

In 2017 we celebrated our 10th year in business.

♦ Highest Scoring Wine to Date

Our 2017 Melanson was scored 98 by Wine Enthusiast Magazine.

♦ Our Popular Butala Estate Club Established

2016 was the year we purchased Butala vineyard from Letterman star headman Tony Butala. Our estate club of the same name was established the same year.

♦ Brooks Painter Named Winemaker of The Year

Our head winemaker Brooks Painter was named head winemaker of the year in 2014 by The American Fine Wine Competition.

♦ 1st Vintage of our Acclaimed Cabernet Sinalunga

2012 marked the first year that we made our ultra premium Cabernet Sauvignon Sinalunga, inspired by the abandoned Castles from the Sinalunga countryside.

♦ Pixar Movie Brave Premier at The Castle

The event saw a total of 2,400 people attend a screening of Brave.

♦ Named Best Restroom in America

Winners of the 10th annual Best Restroom in America contest.

♦ Grape Juice Program Starts

We wanted to do something special and offer something to the non-alcohol drinkers & children that come visit Castello di Amorosa each and every year.

♦ Bachelor TV Show is Filmed

The popular television show The Bachelor was filmed at the Castle in 2008.

♦ Our Beloved Goat Giacomo Rescued

“This is dense and intense with a beautiful velvety texture and ripe fruit, but it remains fresh and clean. Full body. Textured finish. Better in 2016.”