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TECHNICAL SPOTLIGHT WINEMAKING May 2015 WINES&VINES 43 of water. A large pump is connected to the tank and supplies the winery's fire suppression sys- tem. Blackwood said because of the proximity to the creek the winery couldn't install a typical water tank, so the cave provides needed stor- age to support the hospitality center as well as the required additional water supply. Blackwood said in addition to the increased water supply all of the necessary infrastructure like power, heating and air conditioning had to be upgraded as well to support both a winery and visitors center. Buena Vista is currently hosting 50,000 visitors per year, but Blackwood is confident that can be doubled soon. "We hope to see that," he said. "Historically that's where we were at one time, and we want to get back to that, and I think we will." The Boisset flair Part of the reason why the Boissets have found success in the United States has come from incorporating Jean-Charles' flamboyant per- sonal style. A recent "Napa Gras" party at his Raymond Vineyards this year featured bur- lesque dancers, circus acrobats, and Boisset greeted guests by pouring them glasses of JCB Champagne while suspended from the winery ceiling by a harness. The Boisset flair is on display at Buena Vista in the new Bubble Lounge. Art Deco theme de- signed to evoke a sense of The Great Gatsby as well as the Champagne-fueled exuberance of post-World War I Europe and the United States. After walking through the painstakingly restored winery, stepping into the decadent room decorated with all-white furniture and gold, chrome and crystal accents and a player piano is a bemusing, almost jarring experience. Blackwood says that's the intention: to provide an experience that, while in juxtaposition to the historic winery, still fits with an overriding theme of sparkling wine and celebration. When Boisset purchased Buena Vista, he also announced he was bringing back a Buena Vista sparkling wine. The wine is fermented at the winery, but the riddling and disgorging happens at another facility. The room also serves as a venue for Boisset's personal JCB brand, which includes wines from Champagne as well as California sparkling wines. "What we feel is very important is to bring you through the past 150 years," Boisset says. The tasting room in the Press House is deco- rated in a way to evoke how Haraszthy may have lived on the estate. As visitors progress through the winery and get a better under- standing of the history of California wine, the experience eventually leads to the Bubble Lounge, which expresses how the 1920s were a time when the United States arrived on the world stage. "We wanted it to be very reminis- cent of the era." The room will also eventually include a "Cabinet of Curiosities," which will feature StaVın Inc, P.O.Box 1693, Sausalito,CA 94966 (415) 331-7849 f (415) 331-0516 stavin.com In the beginning our craft was considered a forbidden thing; a break with tradition some called cheating, or a shortcut. Winemaking methods were like religious doctrines, and alternative ageing tools were straight up blasphemy. Things have changed and many winemakers now agree, dogmatic traditions aren't as important as having precise control over making wine one desires. ® © 2015 StaVin Inc. DAVID WAKELEY —continued on page 46