Latest news with #Elysian
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Yahoo
The 9 Most Beautiful Wineries in Napa and Sonoma
All products featured on Architectural Digest are independently selected by Architectural Digest editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, Condé Nast may earn an affiliate commission. Photo: Courtesy of The Donum Estate Common sense says otherwise, but it's tempting to believe that the more gorgeous the winery, the more incredible the juice produced there. Of course, grapes don't know how grand or modest a vineyard they're growing in, though surely the winemakers working magic across the fields, tanks, and cellars are inspired and informed by their surroundings, both natural and built. In Northern California's Elysian wine country, mainly comprising Napa and Sonoma counties, it's easy to be wowed when pulling up to an estate surrounded by bountiful rows of vines, graceful trees filtering the sunlight, and tasting rooms that invite an immediate smile. But some properties go beyond 'wow' to the magnificent or truly sublime—think architecture by the likes of Herzog & de Meuron and Studio Other Spaces. Here, nine of the most beautiful wineries in Napa and Sonoma that each, for their own special reason, may very well leave their visitors floored—and not only because of their intoxicating varietals. Equal parts terroir-driven, single vineyard–only wine producer and monumental sculpture art collection, The Donum Estate is Sonoma's most jaw-dropping and sensorial vino mecca. There's no sip-and-go option here; instead guided tastings are immersive tours through not only the oft-awarded Chardonnay and Pinot Noirs (bearing artwork by Ai Weiwei), paired with seasonal canapés, but also the vast regenerative estate with pieces and commissions from the likes of Weiwei, Yayoi Kusama, Louise Bourgeois, El Anatsui, Jaume Plensa, Keith Haring and, added most recently, a tremendous bronze by Sanford Biggers. Visual stimulation is as much the M.O. as taste, with the hospitality center originally designed by Matt Hollis then chicly reimagined by David Thulstrup, and a prismatic microclimate-inspired conical tasting pavilion by Olafur Eliasson's and Sebastian Behmann's Studio Other Spaces. 24500 Ramal Road, Sonoma; open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily; reservation required. Meaning is imbued in the very architecture of Aperture Cellars' estate, which was imagined by Juancarlos Fernandez of Signum Architecture as a deconstruction of the aperture of a camera lens—a reference to its winemaker founder Jesse Katz's father, photographer Andy Katz, who brought his son on work projects around the world. The striking vintage galvanized metal–clad building with 180-degree panoramas of vineyard and mountain has a central oculus skylight, angular rooflines, and walls that splay outward echoing lens blades, with plenty of glass but also hefty mass grounding it. The gallery-like private tasting rooms, with impressive vistas, feature the elder Katz's photography and are the place to taste the winemaking artist's latest best of the best of 300-plus lots release, Collage. 12291 Old Redwood Hwy., Healdsburg; open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday through Monday; tasting reservations by appointment 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. It's impossible to miss Ashes & Diamonds, a Napa winery that's as fun and funky as anything one could find in a destination that tends to take itself rather seriously. The place is an ode to the circa-1960s California Dream, with plenty of references to midcentury modern design, paired with a Palm Springs-y vibe. Almost entirely white on the exterior, save for a few pops of saturated yellow and green, the winery's zig-zag roof and porthole windows designed by Barbara Bestor help it stand out as a playful, airy place to sip organic Bordeaux varietals made with a light-touch Burgundian approach. 4130 Howard Lane, Napa; open 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. daily; reservation highly recommended. This storied Calistoga wine destination looks just like what one would expect when they hear the word 'winery.' Its castle-like stone English Gothic structure dates to 1888 and is now covered in ivy for a fairytale take with significant European references. The building, on the National Register of Historic Places, once held one of Napa's largest wineries but it closed during Prohibition and, in the '50s, came under ownership who built Chinese pagodas, gardens, and excavated Jade Lake. The '70s brought new owners who hid Irish signage throughout and an illustrious bit of its history: its 1973 Chardonnay winning the famous Judgement of Paris, which was depicted in the film Bottle Shock. 1429 Tubbs Lane, Calistoga; open 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily; reservations encouraged, walk-ins accepted. Stepping into House of Flowers, the charmingly named hospitality center and tasting destination for Flowers Vineyards & Winery in Healdsburg, is like entering a dream home, filled with light, texture, clean geometries, and wood both salvaged and bleached cypress. The adaptive reuse project designed by Walker Warner, with interiors by Maca Huneeus Design, brought a 13.5-acre 1970s winery into into a nature-embracing retreat for the sustainable wine label whose famous coastal Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs are unveiled as guests make their way through a series of spaces inside a graphite black inspired by the surrounding redwoods that frame the landscape. The terraced gardens, too, are aspirational, with their contemporary cabanas, native plants and pizza oven. 4035 Westside Road, Healdsburg; open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday to Monday; reservation required, with limited walk-ins allowed. The design of Artesa borders on land art, its architecture so seamlessly integrated in the earth. It was conceived by Barcelona's Domingo Triay and built in 1991 with the goal of preserving the dynamic landscape that had so inspired the Raventós Codorníu family who founded it. The visual effect of this minimalist winery burrowed so modishly into the hillside complete with a seamless 'roof' of natural grasses is unforgettable, as is the dramatic procession of steps falling down the topography, crossing pools of water along the way. Sleek as it looks outside, the interior experience pays homage to some hallmarks of Spanish handicrafts, including handprinted tiles and filigree. 1345 Henry Road, Napa; open 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Sunday; reservations encouraged. Promontory fans like Hailey Bieber, the Kardashians, and LeBron James may not only visit this Napa winery because of its design—by wine country favorites Backen & Backen—since its Cabernet Sauvignon is incredibly highly rated, but it definitely doesn't hurt. Appropriately for a vino-maker in Oakville, oak is a recurring theme. The wood is from Austria in the all-important barrel room, and a beautiful slab of a felled California oak makes an elegant first impression in the entry, drawing the eye outward toward the trellis and well-framed view, which looks like a painting. There are hardened steel beam nods to the Industrial Revolution in the gravity-flow winery, which also has a water feature that feeds a reservoir in the lower valley. 1601 Oakville Grade Road, Oakville; open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; appointment required. When it was completed in 1997, Dominus' closed-to-the-public winery became the first U.S. project of the esteemed Swiss firm Herzog & de Meuron. It was appropriately innovating: the first winery to be built with a gabion structure, using local basalt rocks to fill the galvanized cages as walls for a facade that also naturally insulates against extreme temperatures, which helps the wine age. With its low profile, the 333-foot-long, 30-foot-high monolith bleeds into its Napanook vineyard and Mayacamas mountains landscape, making it one of the most beautiful wineries in Napa. It provides a low-key yet wondrously elegant environment for winemaking by French founder and owner Christian Moueix. 2570 Napanook Road, Yountville; not open to the public. A pioneer in wine tourism, this mid-'70s classical Bordeaux chateau–inspired winery in Healdsburg's rolling green hills has consistently leveled up its own environs, which sprawl out over 1,200 acres that include lakes and olive groves. Certified sustainable, Jordan's sunny yellow home base is in the midst of a seven-year enhancement that most recently saw the new lobby bow with panels of Farrow & Ball Light Blue 22 with custom-distressed gold trim and a George V–inspired concierge desk in swirled Ponte Vecchia honed marble with a 17th-century Aubusson tapestry from Paris' Galerie Jabert. Period pieces sourced by San Francisco interior designer Maria Khouri Haidamus stun throughout, along with exquisite wall coverings and commissioned artwork—see Alice Riehl's delicate sculpted porcelain flora—that make the entire experience a total pleasure. 1474 Alexander Valley Road, Healdsburg; open 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily; tastings and tours by reservation only. Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
USA Today
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Elysian's Phaze Dust is a proper new beer. Lemon Daydream, not quite.
First, let me say I love a good stovepipe can. At 19.2 ounces, they go above the pounder but not quite to the "I promise I'm not drinking Steel Reserve" of the 24 ounce king cans in the world. I also love pretty much whatever Elysian has cooking; the Seattle-based brewer has been a circle of trust beer-maker since I first tried Space Dust a decade ago. Fortunately for me, Elysian has leaned into the trend of increasing one-off gas station sales and joined the rolling snowball kicked downhill by New Belgium's big, boozy and reasonably-priced-per-volume beers. Phaze Dust is the latest extension of the Space Dust line, joining Juice and Dank among the ranks. It comes in typical cans, which is great for the folks who don't want to drink a little more than half a liter at a time. But it also comes in those nice tall tipplers, which is great for folks like me who love beer but also the minor twinge of pomp and circumstance that comes with drinking from a big can. Big can, you guys. Let's dig in and see if Phaze Dust lives up to the Elysian standard. And, since we're here, let's talk about one of Elysian's other summer offerings. Lemon Daydream is a lemon blonde aimed toward cutting through the heat with a more crushable profile. We'll hit it with the Phaze Dust and see what's what. Phaze Dust Imperial Hazy IPA: A- It pours, as expected, with a lion of a head that roars up and slowly dissipates over about two minutes from the moment it leaves the can. For an imperial hazy, the smell is fairly tame. You've got the expected hops, but nothing that would burn your lips. You've got a little fruit, but nothing that would push this towards a juice. All in all, it's quiet but pleasant. The first sip is crisp and leans into the tart hoppiness Elysian has weaved through its best beers. The hops are clean and a little bitter, making it the first thing you realize each time you put it up to your lips. Riding shotgun is the citrus you'd expect from a hazy. It's a little orange, a little lemon and injects the sour, dry end that helps snap each sip off. That gives it the bold flavor you'd expect from a pale ale, but it's not as brash as you might expect from an imperial ale that clocks in at 8.2 percent alcohol by volume (ABV). It's not a crushable tailgate beer, but it's not something you need to sit with while recalibrating your palate every five minutes. It also gets a bit fruitier and sweeter as it warms, which helps add to that drinkability. Those powers combine to make a lighter IPA than the company's flagship Space Dust, albeit with just as much booze and milder flavor. Phaze Dust isn't as explosive as Full Contact -- my favorite Elysian beer -- but it's a remarkably easy to drink beer despite its boozy payload. I don't know if I'd rank it above Space Dust, but I'd give it the edge over Juice Dust and give it a full grade over the too-weedy Dank Dust. Lemon Daydream Lemon Blonde Ale: C This one doesn't come in the 19.2-ounce stovepipe, but I guess I can drink a traditional 12-ounce can. I guess. This pours a rich daffodil color with a quickly fading head that gives way to a very still beverage with very little carbonation moving skyward. That's not especially summer-y, but the sting of sour lemon wafting off the top picks up the pace. Except it's not lemonade lemon, since there's no trace of sweetness inside. It's wheat and citrus all the way down. That applies to the first sip. The lemon brings sourness, but it's not balanced. There's nothing pushing back against it or forcing it to be anything other than lemon aside from a tiny amount of fructose sugar toward the end. It's tart and that's about it. Underneath that you get a nice enough blonde ale -- wheat, light malt -- but this is yellow fruit in big neon lights. It's fine when the beer is cold and light enough to be crushable on a hot day. But the lemon is blunt and overpowering. It's a twist on your summer shandy, and that's nice. But it's not for me. Would I drink it instead of a Hamm's? This a pass/fail mechanism where I compare whatever I'm drinking to my baseline cheap beer. That's the standby from the land of sky-blue waters, Hamm's. So the question to answer is: on a typical day, would I drink Elysian's Phaze Dust over a cold can of Hamm's? The Phaze Dust is a yes, though there are obviously limits there thanks to the high ABV. The Lemon Daydream is a no, with the exception of a potential change-of-pace beer on a hot day. This is part of FTW's Beverage of the Week series. Here, we mostly chronicle and review beers, but happily expand that scope to any beverage that pairs well with sports. Yes, even cookie dough whiskey.
Irish Examiner
10-06-2025
- Business
- Irish Examiner
Fears for Cork's bonded warehouse four years after approval for Ireland's tallest building
City Hall says it is engaging with the owners of the historic bonded warehouse on Cork City's landmark Custom House site amid concerns about the deterioration of the protected structure. Planning was granted more than four years ago to Tower Development Properties for the multi-million redevelopment of the privately-owned docklands gateway site to include a soaring 34-storey, 240-bedroom hotel – twice the height of the nearby Elysian building - and a range of commercial uses. The ambitious plan included the refurbishment and extension of the bonded warehouse to provide for a maritime museum and visitor centre, a distillery, as well as various retail, food, beverage and office units. But work has yet to start. At the June meeting of Cork City Council on Monday, historian and Independent Cllr Kieran McCarthy sought an update on the status of the bonded warehouse building. The council's director of services for planning and integrated development, Niall O'Donnabháin, said there is still a live planning application on this site, approved by the city council in 2019, upheld by An Bórd Pleanála in 2021, but the site is in private ownership and responsibility for it rests with the owners. 'Cork City Council fully supports the development of this important heritage and gateway site,' he said. 'Following engagement, the owner remains focused on developing the site in line with the granted planning permission and Cork City Council will assist where possible, including exploring potential funding opportunities, to see this realised.' An artist's impression of the proposed mixed-use development at the old Port of Cork site on Custom House Quay. But Mr McCarthy said more needs to be done, adding: 'I note there is a live planning application on the site, but is there anything that can be done to halt the apparent decline of the building fabric? It is horrific to watch." Mr Ó Donnabháin said the council is following up with the site owners from a derelict sites and protected structures perspective. 'We are taking it very, very seriously. We are trying to encourage all aspects of this development, to ensure work is done to protect the buildings which are of national significance,' he said. An Taisce and artist John Adams were among the objectors to the redevelopment of the Custom House site, citing concerns about the height of the hotel, its impact on the city's skyline, and the scheme's wider impact on the history and heritage of the site, which contains three protected structures - the 1814-built bonded warehouse, the Custom House, and the Revenue Building. The three-storey bonded warehouse was built in 1814-19 and contains vaulted stores with stone spiral stairs within external semi-circular towers providing access to the upper floors. It has been unused for several years. The Custom House was built in 1818. The Cork Harbour Commissioners moved into the building in 1904 and built an extension to it in 1906 consisting of a boardroom and offices. The Revenue Building was built in 1814-19 and is a two-storey cut-stone structure between the Custom House to the west and the bonded warehousing to the east. It has been largely vacant for a number of years.
India Today
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- India Today
Urvashi Rautela goes bold in gold at Cannes. Don't miss the bikini clutch
Actor Urvashi Rautela once again made headlines with her fashion sense at the Cannes Film Festival. After her striking and bold appearances before, Rautela stunned fans in a golden embellished gown. However, it was her clutch again that did the Rautela, who attended the screening of La Venue De L'avenir (Colours Of Time), wore a custom Elysian glow gown with dramatic cape sleeves by JoliPoli Couture. She completed the striking look with a gold bust-shaped bikini diamond clutch that instantly grabbed for her bold and unique fashion choices, Urvashi once again proved she knows how to steal the spotlight. After her viral parrot clutch moment, this quirky bikini shaped accessory has only added to her reputation for statement-making style. Rautela's flamboyant style received reactions from social media users who were taken aback by the clutch. One of the users wrote, 'Ek sec... What kind of bag is this ??? (sic),' while another wrote, 'Bag ka design thoda cezual hai (bag's design is slightly casual).' While a third user chimed in and wrote, 'That clutch is Khatarnak (sic).'Meanwhile, for her first day at Cannes, the actor wore a striking gown in bold shades of blue, red, and yellow. Adding an extra splash of vibrance was a colourful tiara. However, the real show-stealer was her crystal-embellished parrot-shaped clutch, reportedly worth Rs 4,68,064, according to Instagram fashion watchdog Diet the work front, Urvashi was last seen in the Telugu film 'Daaku Maharaj', alongside Nandamuri Reel
Mint
22-04-2025
- Business
- Mint
For Oberoi Realty, timely launches and leaner inventory key catalysts in FY26
Oberoi Realty Ltd's March quarter (Q4FY25) was dull. Pre-sales or bookings at ₹ 853 crore fell over 50% sequentially as well as year-on-year, according to provisional data. The reading is below some analysts' estimates. For instance, Antique Stock Broking was pencilling in Q4 pre-sales of ₹ 1,000 crore. The lack of new project launches played spoilsport for the Mumbai-focused real estate developer. Thus, it could sell 78 units in Q4 versus 554 units in Q3FY25 and 227 in Q4FY24. Recall that the launch of The Jardin project at Pokhran Road in Thane and the launch of a new tower in the Elysian project at Goregaon had buoyed Q3FY25 and Q4FY24 pre-sales, respectively. To be sure, FY25 ended on a decent note for Oberoi with pre-sales growth of about 32% year-on-year to ₹ 5,266 crore. This came from selling 1.3 million square feet across 928 units. In FY24, it had sold 705 units. Oberoi added many new projects during the year, including redevelopment projects across various micro-markets in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. This gave FY25 pre-sales a boost. Also Read | Oberoi Realty: Why investors have little room for optimism Oberoi steps into FY26 with the much-anticipated foray in the Gurugram market which is crucial for maintaining pre-sales momentum and diversifying its geographical mix. Projects at Adarsh Nagar, Worli, and Tardeo in Mumbai are expected to be launched in FY26. Apart from timely new project launches, inventory liquidation at existing projects is another crucial factor to determine outlook on pre-sales and realisations. 'Average realisations surged 58% year-on-year/114% sequentially to ₹ 62,117/sq ft in Q4FY25, indicating larger contribution from the Worli project, whereas the average ticket size was up 41% year-on-year/216% sequentially to ₹ 10.9 crore," said a Nuvama Research report dated 21 April. Oberoi managed to book only two units in the high-ticket marquee project Three Sixty West, located at Worli in Mumbai, in Q3FY25, much lower than the run rate of six units in the previous two quarters. Also Read: Realty's FY25 pre-sales goal hinges on H2 delivery Meanwhile, a comforting factor is that Oberoi's balance sheet is in good stead aided by fundraise and robust cash collections. These have helped ease the debt burden and provide Oberoi's ability to pursue new business development opportunities. Oberoi's shares have gained 19% in the past year, versus negative returns of the sectoral Nifty Realty index. But Nuvama cautions that the weakness in housing volumes has led to concerns about future sales growth, compelling the brokerage house to slash net asset value (a valuation metric for realty stocks) premium for the Oberoi stock to 35% from 60% earlier. Also Read: Realtors eye new addresses in tier-2 cities
