The underground stream was discovered while digging out the cave, and John says that rather than fighting to contain or reroute it, the engineers decided to work with it, and incorporated it right into the design. With the winery finished, William Jarvis decided to take a few viticulture classes at UC Davis, where he met renowned winemaker Dimitri Tchelistcheff, who offered some guidance when Jarvis made his first bottle of wine in 1989.īut that’s enough about history - let’s go spelunking!Īs John pulled open the door to the heart of the winery, the magic began with the sound of rushing waterfalls tumbling into streams that wind throughout the entire facility. John notes that it was the first completely underground winery built in the United States, with a mile of underground caves. The winery was finished in 1995, and tours were offered the following year. “Wine likes it cold, dark and humid,” says John.Ĭurtis John discusses the history of Jarvis Winery and the Jarvis grounds before beginning each tour. Besides preserving the land, the underground facility was a constant 61 degrees, year round - perfect for wine. In 1991, the digging of the tunnel began, ultimately creating a 45,000 square foot cave, complete with fermentation tanks, a lab, a bottling line, offices, a tasting room and a grand ballroom. Instead of putting the winery on top of the land, he decided to put it underneath. Although he had no background in making wine, he nonetheless wanted to build a winery, but couldn’t bring himself to clutter up the gorgeous property with industrial buildings. Engineer William Jarvis decided to retire and sold his Silicon Valley business, and purchased the 1,300 acre Napa Valley property to relocate there with his wife Leticia. Our tour guide, Curtis John, greeted us and provided background on Jarvis Winery came to be. The quiet, still comfort of Mother Earth cushions and calms everything, and a sign says “Welcome into the Earth.”
You can feel the difference as soon as you step inside. The walk up the path to the hill brings you upon a massive door that leads right inside a mountain - the entire winery, from front office to bottling line, is literally underground.
We pulled up to the big iron gate at Jarvis, and they buzzed us through, instructing us to park in the meadow - an expanse of green hills, ponds, and native trees and bushes. The first thing you see upon entering Jarvis Winery is a sign that says “Welcome into the earth.”
Me, I’d rather be tasting wine than parked on Jamieson Canyon Road in the midst of the ongoing road repair hell.
Or, you could sit stop-and-go style and stare at the red taillights on Jamieson Canyon Road and Highway 29. And what a road - wild turkeys and deer grazing on the roadsides, and wooded green hills lined in valley oak trees draped with Spanish moss. We topped the tank at Pisani’s Service Station, grabbed some muffins and coffee at Lester Farms Bakery, and hit the road. tour appointment at Jarvis Winery, so we couldn’t linger over a leisurely breakfast. That’s just what me and my wine adventure companions, fellow iPinion writers Jesse Loren and Spring Warren, did one recent sunny morning. Finding it is easy: get on Highway 128, head west, turn left at Highway 121. You simply won’t believe what’s just 45 minutes west of Winters, California - the eastern entrance to the Napa Valley: An entire winery inside a mountain, complete with an underground stream running through it.