Clubhouse: Buying the Farm
Napa Valley’s Carneros Inn offers a piece of the Orchard.
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In 1992, before he was elected mayor of San Francisco, Gavin Newsom set out to create a winery known for its unbuttoned manner. He called it PlumpJack—a reference to Shakespearean character Sir John Falstaff—and the name has since become associated with an upscale yet unintimidating atmosphere. (The winery was the first in the Napa Valley to use screw-cap closures on its most expensive bottles.)Today, the PlumpJack portfolio has expanded to include several
restaurants, the MatrixFillmore lounge, the Squaw Valley Inn, two PlumpJackSport
retail clothing stores, and the company’s standout property, the Carneros Inn,
which has recently expanded to include a small offering of fractional residences
called the Orchard.
The Carneros Inn, which from the road could easily be missed or
at least mistaken for just another farm among California wine country’s
rolling hills and grape vines, features 86 upscale guest cottages with alfresco
showers and heated limestone floors. PlumpJack Group president and CEO Rick
Riess says the company created the Orchard to accommodate guests who wanted
those same amenities year-round, but without the headaches of traditional
second-home ownership. "It’s 17 homes, which is small. We didn’t want to create
something so big that we couldn’t deliver a high degree of service," says Riess.
"It complements the rest of our portfolio and allows people to own a piece of
PlumpJack as well as the wine country."
Close to the hearts of both Napa and Sonoma, and about an
hour’s drive from San Francisco, the Orchard and Carneros Inn occupy 27 acres of
the 36,000-acre Carneros wine appellation. The development accounts for 90
percent of the space zoned for commercial use in the region, allowing guests to
feel immersed in the wine country instead of sardined within a densely populated
megaresort. The Orchard will be the appellation’s first and only resort
ownership opportunity, and the entire community will host just 200 guests at
capacity.
The Orchard homes embrace the same design elements as the rest
of the resort: rustic, farmlike facades with contrasting yet harmonizing modern
interiors. "The design is a contemporized version of the wine country look,"
explains Riess, who previously worked on projects for Auberge Resorts, as well
as the Boulders Resort in Carefree, Arizona. "The interiors are clean and
contemporary. The combination—a rural look on the exterior and a more modern
look on the interior—works well in the region."
Each two-bedroom, two-bath cottage is 1,700 square feet and includes a private outdoor Jacuzzi, indoor and outdoor fireplaces, stainless steel appliances, Brazilian cherry wood cabinetry and flooring, slate and limestone finishes, Frette linens, and the Carneros Inn’s signature outdoor shower. Owners are granted full access to the resort’s grounds, which comprise three restaurants, three pools, and a 3,000-square-foot fitness center and spa. Housekeeping and concierge services are also included. "If you’re coming in, we will go grocery shopping before you arrive. We will even put raw steaks in the fridge if you want to grill out on your patio," says Riess. "We tried to design it so there’s no hassle."
The Orchard’s flexible usage plan offers one guaranteed week in
each of three seasons (summer, winter, and spring) plus an unlimited number of
stays based on available space. Sales began last year with one-tenth shares
priced at $290,000.
The Orchard,
888.400.9831, www.theorchardatcarneros.com
