Completed in 1987, Clos Pegase was designed by Michael Graves following an international architecture competition in 1984 that attracted over ninety entries. Graves’s 16,000-square-foot design reflects his Postmodern style, blending classical architectural references with Napa’s agricultural setting. The winery’s defining feature is its monumental portico of stuccoed walls and massive square columns, which mark the threshold between the production areas and the public tasting spaces. Beyond, a system of 20,000 square feet of wine caves was excavated into a volcanic knoll, including the dramatic Cave Theater used for barrel storage, concerts, and large gatherings.
Graves emphasized permanence and craftsmanship through materials such as plastered walls, terra-cotta tile, and bronze details, paired with bold geometric forms and carefully framed views of the vineyards. Water features, gardens, and sculpture installations integrate the architecture with the landscape, reinforcing the estate’s identity as a place where wine and art converge. Today, Clos Pegase remains one of Napa Valley’s most distinctive examples of late twentieth-century winery architecture, reflecting the era’s ambition to create buildings of both utility and cultural expression.