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| by Jeanne Lawrence FESTIVAL DEL SOLE – NAPA VALLEY Every July since 2006, the cognoscenti who enjoy music, food, wine, and culture have headed to Napa Valley’s Wine Country for the international Festival del Sole, an event The New York Times has very accurately dubbed “a feast for the senses.” In the course of the ten-day festival, over 10,000 attendees enjoy a roster of international musicians, dancers, artists, and thespians in spectacular performances as well as exceptional culinary experiences with notable wines. |
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| FOUNDERS DINNER Festival del Sole was co-founded by Director Richard (Rick) Walker and Artistic Director Barrett Wissman in 2006. The Founders Dinner is held annually the night before Festival del Sole’s official opening. |
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| A FRANCO-AMERICAN EVENING The 2013 Founders Dinner was hosted by the dynamic couple Jean-Charles Boisset and Gina Gallo Boisset, both descendants of wine dynasties, at their historic estate on Wappo Hill. Festival Director Rick Walker enticed Jean-Charles, a native of France, and his American wife, Gina, to be the hosts by noting that the event fell midway between Independence Day and Bastille Day. When they accepted, the Boissets promised to make it a “Franco-American evening in every way.” |
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| Married three years ago, each from a dynastic family of vintners, the Boissets are expanding their wine empire with a combination of the California-based Gallo and Burgundy-based Boisset wines. |
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| WAPPO HILL ESTATE Once you step over the threshold of Wappo Hill, you are guaranteed to have a jolly good time. Wappo Hill is the 11,500-square-foot modernist home designed by famed architect Cliff May, father of the California ranch house. |
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| FOUNDERS, BENEFACTORS, PATRONS & VINTNERS The invitation-only event honors the visionaries who helped launch the festival in 2006 as well as the major benefactors and patrons of the yearly program. |
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| MUSICAL PROGRAM Sixty guests dined around the pool to chamber music performed by members of the Russian National Orchestra (RNO). Though surely jet-lagged, having flown in that very day, they played beautifully. |
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| DINNER MENU Boisset Family Estate Executive Chef Michael Cornu’s delectable Franco-American menu drew raves, and I was impressed by the table linens, as perfectly starched and pressed as in a Michelin three-star restaurant. |
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| Jean-Charles is so enthusiastic about his wines that he served many varieties. By the end of the evening our table was completely covered with wine glasses, and I had lost count of how many we tasted. But I do remember all were very good! |
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| FIRST NIGHT GALA WITH BROADWAY LEGEND AUDRA MCDONALD The First Night Gala at Castello di Amorosa kicked off the Festival’s 2013 season. A sold-out performance by stunning Broadway singer Audra McDonald was followed by dinner at The Napa Valley Reserve in St. Helena, the ultra-exclusive private club. It was a night to remember. |
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| VIP GUESTS VIP ticket holders were invited to a pre-concert wine tasting on the castle’s turreted terrace with commanding views of the Castello di Amorosa vineyards. |
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| THE CASTELLO’S GREAT HALL AND COURTYARD |
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| THE CONCERT BEGINS Audra McDonald’s extensive list of credits includes TV (the ABC series Private Practice), Broadway (she won a record-tying fifth Tony for her leading role in Porgy and Bess), and records (she won two Grammy Awards for opera and classical recordings). |
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| DINNER AT THE NAPA VALLEY RESERVE After the First Night concert, patrons departed for an elegant dinner hosted by The Napa Valley Reserve. Located in a private enclave, the exclusive club has a worldwide membership of more than 500 wine aficionados. |
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| DINNER IN THE PAVILION |
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| DINNER IS SERVED |
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| RUSSIAN NATIONAL ORCHESTRA & PIANIST JEAN-YVES THIBAUDET On Saturday evening, I dashed off to hear a concert by the Russian National Orchestra with pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet. “The Mighty RNO,” as the Festival dubbed it, opened with a piece by SergeiRachmaninoff, in honor of the 140th anniversary of his birth. In a nice bit of synchronicity, one of the Festival founders is Tatiana Copeland, a grandniece of the composer. |
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| VIP LOUNGE |
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| THE MUSIC PROGRAM Accompanied by the Russian National Orchestra, Festival favorite Jean-Yves Thibaudet played the rarely performed Camille Saint-Saëns “Egyptian” Piano Concerto No. 5 before a large crowd at the Lincoln Theater in Yountville. |
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| My seatmate remarked that the pianist was no prima donna, or he would have refused to play on anything but a concert-quality baby grand. The orchestra received a thunderous standing ovation; a little drama no doubt made the audience especially appreciative. VINTNER’S LUNCHEON AT MARTIN ESTATE I’ve known Martin Estate Winery proprietors Petra and Greg Martin for years, so of course I was happy to attend their Vintner’s Luncheon. Long-time fine art collectors, the couple purchased their 1887 historical three-story stone chateau in 1996 and have lovingly restored it. |
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| MARTIN ESTATE – ANTIQUES AND ARMS & ARMOR Greg Martin has been involved with numerous episodes of the History Channel series Tales of the Gun, was an appraiser in the early years of Antiques Roadshow, and hosted more than 200 episodes of HGTV’s Appraise Itwith Jan Yanehiro. He even joined the Mythbusters for an episode on Japanese armor. |
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| THE MARTIN ESTATE CELLAR Greg led me on a tour of the 12-acre estate’s stone chateau winery, located in the Rutherford Appellation, famous for its Cabernet Sauvignons. The Martin family lives upstairs and the winery is on the first level: a nice commute! |
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| VIP GARDEN LUNCHEON |
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| In return, Greg toasted Rick Walker “for your vision and persistence in making all my dreams of classical music in Napa come true. I will always support the Festival.” |
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| Mark your calendars for next year’s Festival, July 11–20, 2014, for a Napa Valley experience unlike any other. Patrons interested in buying tickets can find more information on the Festival’s website, http://festivaldelsole.org. |
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| Photos by Drew Altizer, Moanalani Jeffrey, and Jeanne Lawrence. *Urbanite Jeanne Lawrence reports on lifestyle and travel from her homes in San Francisco, Shanghai, and New York, and wherever else she finds a good story. |
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