Tag: castle

As Steve Ledson tells it, he began building his breathtaking Gothic winery, now fondly referred to worldwide as the Castle, as a family home. "The contractor and designer in me took control and I kept coming up with one more fantastic idea," Steve says. When he was finished, the 16,000-square-foot French Normandy castle, proudly entrenched amongst the vineyards, was deemed too grand for day-to-day family living. Instead, it became a magnificent hospitality center—a fitting place to discover and explore Ledson’s impeccable wines.

Inspired to build an authentic Medieval castle to honor his Italian heritage and showcase his exceptional wines, Dario Sattui studied architecture for 30 years before he created Castello di Amorosa. The 121,000-square-foot fortress took 14 years to build, stone by stone in Calistoga, California.

The Castello has 107 rooms, 95 of which are used for winemaking and wine storage. It stands four stories high, with an equal number of levels underground.

Steve Ledson, fifth generation farmer, winemaker, and owner of Ledson Winery & Vineyards in Kenwood, California and Ledson Hotel & Centre du Vin in Sonoma, California, has an uncanny knack for realizing his visions. When he was 13, his first soapbox derby car won the prize for its construction. He grew up and founded Ledson Construction in the heart of Sonoma Valley wine country. He pursued a successful career, but with wine growing in his blood, it’s no surprise that Steve wanted to plant his own vineyard. He purchased a 21-acre property, planted 17 acres of Merlot, and started building a house for his family.