You don’t need to travel all the way to Italy to see the inside of a Tuscan castle. Castello di Amorosa, one of V. Sattui’s open-to-the-public wineries in Napa Valley, is built to precisely replicate a spectacular medieval fortress.
Where Is Castello di Amorosa?
Castello di Amorosa is located in Calistoga, in the northern part of Napa Valley. It's roughly 75 miles north of San Francisco (about 1 hour 35 minutes by car) and about 85 miles west of Sacramento (about 1 hour 40 minutes by car). It sits in the western hills on a 171-acre hillside property, just minutes south of the town of Calistoga proper.
Castello di Amorosa History
Castello di Amorosa is the dream of fourth-generation winemaker Dario Sattui, who wanted to honor his Italian heritage and a lifelong fascination with medieval architecture. He bought the 171-acre Calistoga property in 1993 and broke ground in 1994, originally envisioning a modest 8,500-square-foot building. But the project soon ballooned in scope. “I still don’t know for sure why I spent 15 years of my life building this castle,” the winery owner says with a laugh.
MORE: So You Think You Know the Napa Valley?
Construction cost an estimated $40 million, with much of that time spent carving out the underground caves and cellars before a single wall went up above ground. The castle officially opened to the public in April 2007, though Sattui has continued refining details ever since. The castle has proven as resilient as it looks: When the 2020 Glass Fire swept through Napa Valley, Castello di Amorosa survived, though the blaze destroyed roughly 120,000 bottles of wine in storage, a loss worth about $5 million.
What to Expect at Castello di Amarosa
The sprawl of the 121,000-square-foot castle is remarkable. It consists of four levels above ground and four below, and features a moat, a drawbridge, and even a torture chamber, as well as 107 rooms (not including the underground network of caves). No two rooms are alike.
Look for spectacular flourishes such as the hand-painted frescoes in the Great Hall. In the 12,000-square-foot Grand Barrel Room, look up to see a cross-vaulted ceiling crafted from ancient bricks while you sip award-winning Italian-style wines. And the Royal Apartment—as its name implies—is indeed regal, complete with a carved fireplace and hand-forged chandeliers.
MORE: Napa Valley Wine Train
Tastings and Tours at Castello di Amarosa
A tasting at Castello di Amorosa is the only way to gain entrance into the property (nonalcoholic options are available for those who choose not to drink wine). The Diamond Tour and Tasting and the Cheese, Charcuterie & Wine Tour each run about two hours and takes visitors well beyond what a self-guided tour allows, including the torture chamber, armory, and the cavernous Grand Barrel Room, before wrapping up with a seated tasting of premium wines in one of the castle's private tasting rooms.
The Seated Reserve Tasting, which includes self-guided access to the two main levels, lasts about 75 minutes; the experience features an audio-video tour with Dario Sattui, which you access with your smartphone using a QR code (earbuds not provided). Tours run daily, and advance reservations are required.
MORE: The Perfect Weekend in the Napa Valley
Where to Stay and Eat Near Castello di Amorosa
Calistoga offers a wide range of both dining and lodging, making a visit to “the Castle,” as it’s known locally, easy. On the food side, options span from casual—like Buster's Southern Barbeque or the farm-to-table plates at Truss Restaurant + Bar—to serious fine dining, including Solbar's Michelin-starred California cuisine and Auro, Calistoga's newest Michelin-starred tasting menu.
For lodging, travelers can choose anything from budget-friendly motels and hot-springs inns to boutique hotels, including The Bergson and Mount View Hotel & Spa, and luxury resorts such as Solage, Auberge Resorts Collection.
