AUGUST 2014
Shopping for homes Schools play vital role in real estate market
Big, bold and beautiful wine cellars of distinction Granite Bay High grad at home with Sac Republic FC
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BY ROXANNE LANGER
hey’re big and bold and beautiful. I’m not talking about Napa Valley Cabernets, but rather wine cellars in Granite Bay homes. Since most of my career has been spent living amongst winemakers and visiting wine connoisseurs around the globe, I’ve become used to being wined and dined in spectacular wine settings. But I never grow tired of it and I am always impressed by the unique designs created to showcase wine. Cellars, however, serve a specific purpose so they have to be more than just unique or beautiful. Time and effort is needed when considering exactly how a cellar will be utilized. For instance, how many bottles will it store? Will there be room for small and large formats (half-bottles, magnums or three-liter)? Is there going to be a bar for wine tasting? A sink to clean the glassware? A dining table? Answers to these questions will determine the size and scope of the wine room. Recently, I toured three outstanding cellars in Granite Bay homes, each with its own personality and ambience and all amazing!
PHILIP WOOD • GRANITE BAY VIEW
Darold and Josephine Mark have their wine collection in what was once the dining room of their Wexford home. An architect, Josephine designed a room with the dining table in the center and wine racks along the perimeter of the fully enclosed and temperature controlled area.
Darold Mark Darold Mark’s wine cellar is really more of a beautiful wine room. His wife, Josephine, is an architect so when the Marks decided to remodel and add on to their home in Wexford, Josephine transformed the then dining room into a truly spectacular large and airy wine room with a dining table in the middle and wine racks along the perimeter of a fully enclosed and temperature controlled room. When you enter this house, the wine room is immediately on your left and is incredibly inviting. If a room had a voice, this one would call to you to come and dine within – a totally intentional vibe created by the couple as they believe wine is an integral part of a meal. Darold, a financial planner, purports to both clients and friends that wine is part of living the life that you deserve, so
entertaining with wine is a natural byproduct. When the Marks entertain, they frequently enjoy the first course in the wine room, then move to the backyard for the next two courses and serve the final course back in the wine room — bringing the experience full circle. Darold’s most expensive wine purchase is a 1973 Chateau Mouton Rothschild, which he purchased in 1995. His collection includes other varieties of Bordeaux and Burgundy as well as several wines from the Napa Valley. The couple owns a second home in Yountville (within the Napa Valley), so they have the opportunity to regularly taste new releases. Heidi Barrett is one of Darold’s favorite winemakers. He finds that recommendations by Robert Parker are more to his liking than other wine commentators. • CONTINUED ON PAGE 26
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AUGUST • GRANITE BAY VIEW
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Renee Nash Easily one of the best stocked wine cellars in Northern California, Renee Nash’s cellar is built to hold 2,500 to 3,000 bottles of wine. One of the most interesting aspects of this cellar, besides the “to-die-for” collection of Napa Valley Cabernets and California Cult selections, is the space created for large format bottles. A true oenophile, Nash collects magnums from the top California wine producers because magnums, A true oenophile, Renee Nash collects magnums which hold the equivalent of two botfrom top California wine producers. One of her tles of wine, will preserve the wine longer than if bottled in two regular most unusual purchases are several bottles (with white tags courtesy of the FBI) purchased size wine bottles (750 ml.). Large format bottles can be difficult to store during an auction of items seized by the and, although many collectors will Federal government following the conviction have one or two magnums in their of Ponzi scheme mastermind Bernie Madoff.
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AUGUST • GRANITE BAY VIEW
cellar, this cellar is unique in that the wine racks were built specifically to store copious quantities of this larger format. She credits Perry Sims, a wellrespected local wine cellar designer and builder for creating the wine racks to hold her magnum collection. When asked what her most unusual wine purchase has been, Nash quickly pointed to several bottles that had little white tags on them courtesy of the FBI. She explained that she had seen a Wall Street Journal article reporting that wines owned by convicted Ponzi scheme mastermind Bernie Madoff were going to be sold at auction with the proceeds given as restitution to his victims. So, being both a wine
collector and a humanitarian, Nash purchased several bottles. I also wanted to know what had been her most exciting wine purchase. “The 2003 inaugural vintage of Scarecrow,” she enthusiastically responded. As a Sommelier, I understood her excitement as this wine received 98 points from wine guru Robert Parker. More importantly, it has been applauded by most every winemaker I know — a wine prize, indeed. I intend to be present when this bottle is opened. Nash’s go-to winemakers include Celia Welch, the wine maker at Scarecrow, along with Heidi Barrett (Screaming Eagle, La Sirena, Paradigm) and Philippe Melka (Melka Wines, Vineyard 29, Bryant Family). • CONTINUED ON PAGE 28
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Kelly Resendez Kelly Resendez, who resides in Los Lagos, had to rebuild her dining room in 2008 after it was damaged in a fire. With the expertise and craftsmanship of Landmark Builders, Resendez was able to create a room with a wine cellar as the backdrop. The cellar, inspired by a restaurant in San Francisco, sits at the far end of the dining room so as your eyes sweep along her long, beautiful dining room table, they eventually come to rest on the glass-paneled wine cellar. What also catches your eye is a striking painting of wine glasses by Penelope Moore, a well-known Napa Valley painter.
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Resendez’s cellar has some very interesting artistic features, such as the small wine label tiles interspersed among larger floor tiles. The cellar can hold 700 wine bottles and currently has quite a few CinqCepage from Chateau St. Jean. She has been a member of their wine club for 15 years. Since wine is growing in popularity, I have no doubt there are other amazing wine cellars in Granite Bay. Roxanne Langer is a Sommelier, an international wine judge and often a featured speaker on wines. She can be reached at
[email protected].
AUGUST • GRANITE BAY VIEW
Kelly Resendez’s wine cellar, inspired by a restaurant in San Francisco, sits at the far end of the dining room. Among the interesting artistic designs are the small wine label tiles interspersed among larger floor tiles. PHOTOS BY KEITH SUTTE • SPECIAL TO GRANITE BAY VIEW