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 Potent Potables Under Post & Beam From Cabernet to Syrah, tasting is now a true timber framed treat... Cupertino, California  Perched atop the Montebello Ridge in the Santa Cruz Mountains of California, sits a stunning winery and estate vineyard. At an elevation of 1895 feet where the cool temperatures give the grapes a long ripening season the wines acquire a full, rich flavor. With such picturesque surroundings and flavorful wine, it was a tall order to design buildings handsome enough to fit the bill. Luckily, the estate owners Noël and Bill discovered timber framing, and it turned out to be a perfect pairing.
Noël and Bill are PhD biochemists whose shared love of red wine led them to establish R & W Vineyards (RWVineyards.com) and plant the first grapes in 2005. They now live on the property with Bear, their wine dog. They recently retired from demanding scientific careers. Their goal now is to make the best wine possible.  When looking back on how they got started they both reflect on just how inspired they were by the land. The parcel on which the winery sits has an expansive view which includes all of Silicon Valley across to the East Bay hills and much of the San Francisco Bay. When asked if wine was the plan from the start Noël laughs and says, "No, we hadn't even considered it when we bought the property, although we had had some experience working with a friend in his small winery." That experience combined with the mutual love of red wine Noël and Bill shared, led the two biochemists to embark on one of their greatest experiments. With a winery in mind the couple started to dream about a design for the tasting room, cellar and wine making facilities. Throughout the project the couple stayed involved in every aspect and actually provided design drawings for the bar, the antique chandelier, the barrel lift, and the swimming pool layout. The tasting room evolved into what Noël calls a "barn" style building and to the couple, timber framing seemed to be the right choice. Their architect, William Maston recommended Timberpeg® as the ideal choice to work on the project. Ryan Thomas, Regional Sales Manager for Timberpeg® in California comments about the winery project, "Due to the location of the site we unloaded the package at the bottom of the mountain and shuttled materials on smaller trucks. This has been a common situation with many Timberpeg® projects, including several other past winery projects. Many people will wonder if we can deliver to their remote site, and we do always seem to find a way to safely deliver the precision cut timbers." All the hard work and effort has definitely yielded breathtaking results. The large open timber framed building serves as the entertainment/wine tasting room and also has a personal observatory mounted on the top. "Although public events aren't allowed due to driveway access limitations, we've had some great private parties ranging from over a hundred people at our initial "barn raising" to a small private dinner party in the wine cellar,," describes Noël. "Everyone loves the look and feel - and we couldn't be happier." View more photos of this project and its construction process here. 
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