Darioush builds a Persian Palace

Wines & Vines, Jan, 2005 by Tina Caputo

For more than a century, Europeans have come to the Napa Valley to pursue their dreams of making great wine in America. The wineries these pioneers built often paid tribute to their homelands--whether in Italy, France, or Germany--evoking these distant wine regions through their architecture. When Darioush Khaledi purchased the Napa Valley's Altamura winery and vineyard in 1997, he too wished to build a monument to the place he left behind. But unlike previous Napa Valley settlers, Khaledi immigrated from Iran.

Khaledi was born in the Shiraz region of Iran, a winegrowing region until the Islamic revolution put a stop to the country's wine production. He had his first taste of wine as a young boy, when he sneaked barrel samples of his father's homemade wine. In 1976, Khaledi gave up his career as a civil engineer to immigrate to the United States. Once settled in Los Angeles, he purchased a failing grocery store and turned it into one of the most successful independently owned grocery businesses in the U.S. During this time, Khaledi developed a passionate interest in wine, and began searching for a place to grow grapes and start a winery. After years of looking for the right property, his search ended in Napa, along the Silverado Trail.

Khaledi set up a temporary tasting room for his namesake winery, Darioush, and began making plans to build a new winery and visitors' center at the site. In August 2004, after five years of planning and construction, Khaledi opened his extravagant new 22,000-square-foot visitors' center and winery. Designed to evoke Persepolis, the ancient capital city of Persia, the unique architecture of Darioush stands out among the French- and Italian-style wineries that dot the Napa Valley landscape.

Designed by Ardeshir Nozari & Roshan Nozari, Architects, of Santa Monica, the winery was inspired by Khaledi's Persian heritage, combining clean, contemporary lines with historical references to ancient Persia. Among the winery's unique design features are 16 freestanding columns, 18 feet high, which stand at the entrance to the visitors' center. The building is surrounded by cladding made from travertine, a yellow stone quarried near the site of Persepolis and exported to Napa. Six fountains adorn the outdoor setting, along with a 150-seat amphitheatre for performances and events. Indoor design features include modern Italian furniture, ironwork, skylights and a 20-foot-high wall of water. Stylish leather sofas offer a comfortable tasting room setting where visitors can relax and enjoy Darioush wines.

The winery itself includes a small, modern tank room with glass walls and a pristine barrel cellar, which is also used for private tastings.

The facility will also include a 6,000-square-foot residence, where the Khaledi family will eventually live.

What did it take to design and build this unusual winery?

According to architect Ardeshir Nozari, whose firm designed Khaledi's Palos Verdes Estates home and the corporate headquarters for his supermarket business, the Darioush winery project was both challenging and rewarding.

"When Darioush and (his wife) Shahpar decided to build the winery, they had a vision for its architecture that they knew we could create," Nozari said. "The collaboration has resulted in a project which is unique and has attracted much attention."

Though the firm had designed hospitality-related buildings in the past, Darioush was its first winery project.

We created an architecture which embodies the prevalent Persian tradition of hospitality by creating a sense of place, which is welcoming and enjoyable, and provides a rich and intriguing environment for the guests. The architecture incorporates traditional forms and concepts with modern elements and ideas to produce a memorable transitional spatial experience."

The winery's original design took two years to complete--and the process didn't end there. "The dynamic nature of the program requirements resulted in modifications that had to be incorporated into the design during the course of the construction," Nozari explained. "The design of the interiors--including the selection of the materials, furniture, lighting and colors--took about six months to complete."

The Nozaris' design includes many unique features, carefully chosen for their symbolism and meaning.

"Numerous references are made to the four primary elements of fire, air, water and earth to manifest harmony," Nozari said. "The purposeful use of the primary and opposite colors, which are commonly found in nature, express brilliance and lucidity, while suggesting liveliness and movement. Several different interpretations of the lotus flower were used to shape 16 original casts, which create pre-cast concrete moldings for the base, header, fascia and cornice. Historically, the lotus flower was repeatedly used to symbolize prosperity and affluence."

The winery's stone columns, topped with two-headed bulls, were modeled after the 70-foot-tall columns used in the Apadana Palace in Persepolis. Historically, the columns were said to be a reflection of the trees found in the gardens of heaven. Nozari said the columns are there to mark visitors' arrival at Darioush, and set the expectation for their journey. The hanging light fixtures inside the visitors' center were intended to help create a "magical" atmosphere that will linger in the memories of winery visitors.