Napa Valley: Stag's Leap Wine Cellars unveil $7m design for new visitor centre

(Decanter) - Stag's Leap Wine Cellars in Napa Valley unveiled the design for a new visitor centre that's been 10 years in the making at a ceremony held at the estate this week.

Ted Baseler, president and CEO of Ste. Michelle Wine Estates, who, along with Marchesi Piero Antinori, purchased the historic winery in 2007, said: ‘We believe this will bring our tasting facility up to date with Napa Valley in 2014.’

Antinori added that the winery, costing approximately $7m to build, 'will now be able to receive guests in a setting in-line with the prestige of Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars.’

The 6,000 sq ft visitor centre, due for completion in 2014, was designed by Barcelona-based Javier Barba, who previously designed wineries for the Miguel Torres family in Spain and was commissioned by Stag's Leap founder Warren Winiarski to design an addition to the wine caves that was completed in 2000.

Speaking about the project to Decanter.com, Barba said: 'The primary inspiration was the Stag's Leap rock formation, that and the land, which is so important to the story of Stag's Leap Wine Cellars and the district.'

Surrounded in glass, the new visitor centre will offer 180-degree views of the estate’s FAY and S.L.V Cabernet Sauvignon vineyards, something Barba is keen to highlight: 'The view is everything, and all of the tasting rooms have a powerful, open relationship to the vineyards.'