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TECHNICAL SPOTLIGHT WINEMAKING July 2018 WINES&VINES 29 of St. Helena. "They are not easy," Crocker said, "and that's a euphemism for being damned difficult." With progress stalled, Starr continued to make the wine at the Napa Wine Company while in 2009 opening a tasting room on the vineyard property that allowed a few visitors per day by appointment only. Crocker and Starr continued to strategize about getting the needed city approval until, as Crocker put it, "We finally found a city council that understood what we wanted to do," which was largely to convert the estate-owned grapes into wine without trucking them off the property. The winery takes shape The city granted their permit in August 2014, and construction began in 2015. The winery was ready for the harvest of 2016, in time for Crocker & Starr's 20th vintage. Taylor Lombardo Architects designed a building that pays homage to Italian 16th- century architect Andrea Palladio, whose buildings in the Veneto region Crocker had admired. He said they typically have a cen- tral, large stone section with a balcony on the second floor, and two wings extending out on either side, and that's the general layout of the winery. "The exterior is meant to have what I call a tie to the great classics," he said. Crocker & Starr Winery uses 70-gallon steel fermentation tanks by Mueller and tanks by Criveller. HOW A 20-YEAR PARTNERSHIP BEGAN The partnership that Charlie Crocker and Pam Starr struck in 1997 is a straightforward one. Crocker — from a prominent San Francisco family whose business ventures had included building a railroad and founding a bank — brought his land and his existing vines to the deal, and Starr, with a fermentation-science degree and 18 years working in wineries, brought the winemaking skills. The two are co-owners of Crocker & Starr, and Starr is the winemaker and general manager. Crocker had bought the property in 1971 and planted Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon from 1978 to 1980. The property already had a long history in grapes and wine dating from 1872, when James Dowdell purchased 25 acres here, later adding at least 36 more adjacent acres and planted Zinfandel, Riesling and hops, according to the winery's research. The Dowdell brandy house and winery opened in 1886 and produced 50,000 gallons of wine. In 1997 Starr was winemaker for Spottswoode Vineyard and Winery but was thinking about starting a wine-consulting business when she visited the Crocker vineyard and liked the site and soils. Crocker and Starr soon met, had several discussions about making wine and later that year reached the agreement during a meeting in San Francisco at 1 Post Street. The first Sauvignon Blanc vines went in during 1998. The winery released its first Cabernet Franc (1997) in 1999, its first Cabernet Sauvignon (1997) in 2000 and its first Sauvignon Blanc (2001) in 2002. In 2017, to commemorate the partnership they began 20 years earlier, Crocker & Starr released the inaugural vintage of 1 Post Cabernet Sauvignon, made from the estate's heirloom selections and priced at $200 per bottle.