The Napa Valley estate, which lies at the end of a bucolic country lane in St Helena, encompasses a 6,300 sq. ft. home, a winery, a tasting room and vineyards planted with Italian varietals.
‘Encompassed by vineyards and the organic landscape of the Napa River, the agrarian setting is unrivalled, offering everything wine country often promises, but rarely delivers,’ reads the property listing at Sotheby’s International Realty.
Napa Valley Cabernet 2021: Read the full report and buyer’s guide on Decanter Premium
The estate was formerly the home of Charles Shaw Winery, which is renowned for producing the ubiquitous ‘Two Buck Chuck’ wines sold at Trader Joe’s.
Shaw established the winery in 1974, and he developed a reputation for producing Beaujolais-style wines from Gamay grown on the estate. However, the business filed for bankruptcy in 1990.
John and Ellen Benish purchased the estate, and they immediately set about restoring the vineyards, the winery and the residence.
However, they did not acquire the Charles Shaw brand. They renamed the estate Benessere Vineyards, and they focused on producing Sangiovese, Pinot Grigio, Vermentino, Nero d’Avola and other Italian varietals.
Fred Franzia, a nephew of Ernest Gallo, purchased the Charles Shaw brand for approximately $27,000 during bankruptcy proceedings in 1995.
Franzia, who was determined to demystify wine and remove the snobbery associated with it, applied the brand name to a line of inexpensive wines produced in California’s Central Valley.
They sold for just $1.99 per bottle at Trader Joe’s, so an employee nicknamed the brand Two Buck Chuck. It was a runaway success, selling 800 million bottles between 2002 and 2013.
Franzia, who was credited with turning the American wine industry on its head, once declared: ‘Take that and shove it, Napa.’
However, Benessere Vineyards is the polar opposite of Two Buck Chuck. ‘We are a small, family-owned boutique winery specialising in Italian varietals made in the heart of Napa Valley, where the soil is ideal for growing these types of grapes,’ reads the website.
Benessere is Italian for wellbeing, but it roughly translates to living the good life. The 17.5ha Napa Valley estate has an asking price of $35m.
The home includes eight bedrooms, nine bathrooms, four fireplaces and a deck, with views of the vineyards and the nearby mountains.
