Caymus-Suisun Winery: capturing the colors of the earth

Half a century ago, the Wagner family planted the first Caymus vines in the Napa Valley, a place caressed by Northern California’s Pacific breezes. This marked the beginning of the Caymus-Suisun Winery, which has recently opened a new winery in the neighboring Suisun Valley, with a 500 m² tasting pavilion and retail outlet, and 30 acres of orchards, vegetable gardens, and a vineyard, all open to visitors.

After working for many years in Napa Valley, the Wagner family saw Suisun Valley as as a new opportunity in a relatively undiscovered part of California wine country. Inviting exploration, and set between nature and architecture, the winery was designed by Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, with interiors by The Bureau firm, led by Sarah Giesenhagen, who worked in collaboration with Thad Geldert of Geldert Studios.

 

Caymus-Suisun Winery: a glass pavilion with endless views

 

The winery complex consists of two different volumes, separated and joined by an outdoor space: the larger volume is dedicated to wine tasting, the other contains the reception and the shop.

The main building is a glass pavilion with fully retractable glass walls on all four sides, opening the interiors to the surrounding rolling hills. “From the outset, our design aimed to celebrate the landscape”, says Greg Mottola, Principal of Bohlin Cywinski Jackson. “It was important for us to have a visual and physical connection with the vineyards and the hills from every point in the building”.

 

The space features artworks and custom furniture by over 30 contemporary artists and designers, who drew their inspiration from the beauty of fire and the rich tones of autumn. The interiors use natural materials to create an earthy atmosphere.

The building that houses the reception, the bar and shop also blends with the colors of the landscape. Concrete and timber fixturing avoids pronounced contrasts with the surrounding environment. The window at the southern entrance to the sales area lets in the colors of the sunset, while the greens bring to mind the vines themselves.

 

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Celebrating the landscape

Visitors arrive in the central tasting room via the large courtyard near the reception area, where an elm and concrete welcome bar creates a simple but elegant atmosphere. When visitors step inside, they’re greeted by a lounge area, where a large skylight brings sunlight into the heart of the building and captures the changing light throughout the day. Large openings on both sides establish a dialogue with the landscape, which inspired the colors of the internal space.

The private tasting room, the smallest in the building, is set off by dark shades, including black, plum, burgundy, terracotta, dark chocolate, and burnt orange. This space is dominated by a 3-meters-long suspended inner-lit sculpture by artists Tanya Aguiniga and Nate Cotterman that represents burn piles of vines. Here the tables have a dark finish with orange undertones.

 

As Sarah Giesenhagen explains, in the third tasting room, located on the west side, “daylight floods the area before sunset, and the furniture is designed to absorb its heat”. At the western end of the pavilion is a covered terrace with a cantilevered roof that appears to float weightlessly. The choice of blue for the walls was chosen so as not to interfere with the color of the sky. Finally, the restrooms are finished with black terracotta tiles.

The tasting experience at Caymus-Suisun ends in a bright room, next to the sales area, where visitors can have a coffee while admiring the landscape and a mural dedicated to the five generations of Wagner winemakers.

 

>>> Also read about the Gurdau winery, designed by Aleš Fiala in the Czech Republic