CLOS PEGASE: Winery Overview

The Creation of a Temple: Where ArtMeets Wine
In 1983, Jan Shrem and his late beloved wife, Mitsuko, purchased a 50-acre vineyard with a rock knoll. They soon decided to create an unprecedented wine estate in Napa Valley, combining their love of art and architecture.

The Shrems hosted an architectural competition sponsored by the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art in 1984, in which 96 architects participated in the challenge to build both a “temple to wine” at the base of the Calistoga knoll and the Shrems’ home at its summit. The spectacular structures, created by contest winner Michael Graves and completed in 1987, have won international awards and generated great excitement in the worlds of wine and architecture.

In the ensuing years, Clos Pegase has been described by the press as “a place of pilgrimage” and “America’s first monument to wine as art.” It remains a destination for art and architecture lovers from around the world.

Inspired by AncientMyth
The Shrems named their estate “Clos Pegase,” the French terms for an “enclosed vineyard,” and “Pegasus.” The former, “Clos” is in reference to the Shrems’ producing wines solely from their estate vineyards. The latter is a nod to the winged horse of Greek mythology. Pegasus was believed to have given birth to wine and to art when his hooves unleashed the sacred spring of the Muses. The water from the spring irrigated the vines and wine was born; the Nine Muses drank from it, giving birth to art. Reproduced on the winery’s label is the famous “Pegasus” by Odilon Redon (c.1890) from the Shrems’ private collection.

2009 Chardonnay

CLOS PEGASE

2009 Chardonnay

Mitsuko’s Vineyard

See tasting notes

The ancient Celtic country of Wales, famous for its beauty and musical heritage, has produced high quality cheese for hundreds of years. Taste and value were always the main criteria and never has this been more apparent as with Collier's Powerful Welsh Cheddar. Good value, nutritious and an extraordinary taste define this cheddar. Collier's is made to one recipe, matured and packed in Denbighshire. Throughout the maturation period the cheese undergoes a thorough and highly demanding grading regime, which results in amazing consistency throughout the year.

Pairs With ~ Collier’s Cheddar

Collier's Powerful Welsh Cheddar was developed from the mining traditions of South Wales. As a boy, the founder of the brand watched his grandfather's tough existence as a miner and noticed the camaraderie and strength of the community in which they lived.

Cheese had always been a staple part of the diet of miners, their wives appreciated the nutritious nature of cheese and the fact that it was simple to pack, with no waste. It was the ideal food to sustain miners as they worked below ground for many hours at a time. Years later the opportunity arose to create a cheese brand and childhood memories came flooding back.

Following intensive research Collier's Powerful Welsh Cheddar was launched, a tribute to mining communities throughout Britain and a modern day reflection of a distinctive taste. (Made from pasteurized cow's milk). 2008 Pinot Noir

CLOS PEGASE

2008 Pinot Noir

Mitsuko’s Vineyard

See tasting notes

This cheese is from the Pays Basque region of Aquitaine (French Pyrenees). Its milk comes from red-nosed Manech ewes raised on farms adjacent to the Abbaye de Notre Dame de Belloc. The Abbey has profited from milder climates and the rise of pastoral civilizations. Monks of this Benedictine Monastery continue to teach the art of cheese-making to local shepherds. Its rind is naturally gray with patches of red, orange, and yellow. This cheese has a fine, closed texture and it is rich with butter-fat. The lingering flavor, like caramelized brown sugar, is the result of six months of maturation. Made from unpasteurized sheep's milk.

Pairs With ~ Abbaye de Belloc

2007 Cabernet Souvignon CLOS PEGASE

2007 Cabernet Souvignon

Napa Valley

See tasting notes

Experience a moment of culinary divinity when you sample this double-aged Gouda. Aged for 26-months this gouda has a delicate, brittle texture with the flavor of butterscotch that permeates the palate followed by alternating waves of whiskey and pecan. Made from pasteurized cow's milk.

Pairs With ~ Beemster X.O. Extra DOUBLE Aged Gouda