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MANA GEMENT The Morlets source fruit from several vineyards to make their wine. At their home vineyard, they tend to 2 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon, the exclu- sive fruit source for their Morlet Estate label. The couple also owns 6 acres in Knights Valley near Calistoga, Calif. the equipment needed, which he used at Boswell. Meanwhile, his wines gained acclaim, including 98-point ratings from Robert Parker. Morlet also started importing high-quality barrels, which served his own needs and provided cash as he sold them to other win- eries. He imports barrels from Tonnellerie Vincent Darnajou in Montagne-St. Emilion in Bordeaux and Tonnellerie Gauthier Frères in Menetou-Salon in Burgundy, which he supplements with other French oak barrels. Creating an estate In 2010, the Morlets sold their house and bought two adjacent parcels totaling almost 12 acres north of St. Helena. The property was home to an 1880 stone winery built by German immigrant William Castner. Originally it was a 51-acre plot with 35 acres planted to vines and a tunnel built for wine storage and aging, with a capacity for 70,000 gallons. Only clarets and white wines were produced. During Prohibition, the winery went bankrupt. The property was subdivided and sold after being idle for a number of years. The original stone building was converted into a residence in 1920, during Prohibition. A Victorian farmhouse and 2 acres of Cabernet vines also are on the 12-acre property, on the bench just west of High- way 29, which also contains Grace Fam- ily, Vineyard 29 and Colgin's Tychson Hill Vineyard—a rare neighborhood indeed. They bought the winery from Bryant Morris, who had the Flying Horse Winery brand and was working on restoring the ghost winery. The Morlets set out to return the old winery to its original use, renovating it for structural integrity and modern needs while maintaining the historic character. Today the first floor of the two-story building houses the small (500-600 liter) wooden open-topped fermentation puncheons as well as small (250-1,900 gallon) open-top stainless steel versions. For now, the crush pad is outside, and the upstairs contains offices. Restoring the property As might be expected, there were many complications in restoring the old winery. It had been adapted by adding a kitchen and internal partitions, which were re- Wines & Vines APRiL 2012 41