MIRA WINERY
A NEW TASTING HOTSPOT and a MUST-SEE IN YOUNTVILLE BY ELIZABETH SMITH | PHOTO COURTESY OF MIRA WINERY
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ne of Napa Valley’s most exciting under-the-radar, must-visit newcomers is Mira Winery, located just south of the town of Yountville. Mira’s name comes from the Latin root of “miracle” and Greek for “destiny.” Visitors to Mira’s Hospitality House will find it a miraculous destination indeed. Opened in late 2019, its architecture showcases the perfect proportions of the Golden Ratio in a serene setting constructed from natural California gold stone and reclaimed roof tile from a century-old French villa. To experience the estate is to walk the Golden Ratio, savor Mira’s single-vineyard, single-varietal wines in an intimate, relaxed, natural setting, and gain an in-depth understanding of why this one-of-a-kind vineyard is the starting point for Mira’s never-ending pursuit of miracles. Mira Winery is also the only place in the Western Hemisphere where guests will see Ovum, the winery’s wooden, egg-shaped fermenter. Ovum also embodies the Golden Ratio in both form and function, allowing fermentation to mix naturally inside the egg. Mira Winery is the result of a chance encounter between two men, renowned Napa Valley winemaker Gustavo Gonzalez and entrepreneur Jim “Bear” Dyke, Jr., at the Off the Record Bar in the Hay-Adams Hotel in Washington, D.C. in 2005. “I had just finished hosting a winemaker dinner,” recalled Gonzalez. “I was having a beer
The only place in the Western Hemisphere where guests will see Ovum, the winery’s wooden, egg-shaped fermenter.
Photo by Brian Gray
and talking with the bartender when Bear walked in, and we struck up a conversation.” While discussing their love of wine, Gonzalez shared his fascination with the Golden Ratio and its connection to the Fibonacci Sequence. This formula first appeared in ancient Sanskrit texts and later in Leonardo Fibonacci’s “Liber Abaci.” As “nature's universal rule” and considered the “divine proportion” of perfection, it governs calculations in art, architecture, nature, and finances.
After a few hours of conversation and a few glasses of wine, a friendship was born, and the dream of starting a winery ignited. In 2009, the miracle of Mira Winery came to fruition with the production of their first wine, a Syrah from the venerable Hyde Vineyard in Carneros. In 2016, they established the 16-acre estate vineyard, winery, and tasting room. Gonzalez’ goal as an artisanal winemaker is to make wines in the gentlest, most natural way, so they reveal the diverse, distinctive voices of some of Napa Valley’s most storied vineyards: Schweizer Vineyard in the Stags Leap District – continuously planted to vines since the 1880s – and Hyde Vineyard in Carneros. Guests must not miss tasting the 2016 Yountville Cabernet Sauvignon, 2015 Schweizer Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, and 2016 Hyde Vineyard Syrah. Mira Winery’s seated, private tour and tasting is $150 per person. One tasting fee will be waived for every three bottles or more purchased. Additional elevated experiences are available, like the Napa Valley Cabernet Spotlight, whose focus is four Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon wines, including library vintages, for $250 per person. One tasting fee will be waived for every four or more bottles purchased. One should allow at least 90 minutes for the tasting and tour experience. Visits are by appointment. FOR MORE INFORMATION www.miranapa.com FALL 2021
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