Welcome To

1980 1981 Alf Burtleson Construction began Far Niente's caves. 1982 To expand Chinese-dug caves at Schramsberg Vineyards, the Alf Burtleson crew used a Dosco MK2A Roadheader—a formidable piece of equipment weighing 30 tons with an extending boom, mounted with various rotating cutting heads. Invented in the 1940s, the roadheader was used by Welsh coalminers for its maneuverability. Today, these machines are the standard equipment for creating caves. Dale Wondergem took the controls and began grinding out wine caves. 1982 Alf Burtleson Construction mined out 15,000 cubic meters of rock in the steep hills of the Sonoma County side of Mt. Veeder. This large project represents the first completed modern wine- cave complex at a virgin site for Carmenet Winery, today known as Moon Mountain Vineyard. The cave, designed by David Sellers for the Chalone Group and led by the late Dick Graff, remains basically unchanged and has been in continual use. 1983 Storybook Mountain's 1890s cave portal was widened and modernized by Alf Burtleson Construction. 1983 S. Anderson Vineyard's cave complex, with gothic ceilings, marked the first modern wine cave completed at a virgin site in Napa County. S. Anderson became the first to hold musical events in a wine cave here. The cave remained as originally created by the Alf Burtleson crew and was in continual use until the winery was sold to Cliff Lede in 2002. David Auerbach, "The Improvisator," gave his first musical performance in a cave and declared that the resonance in the earth was a natural sound spa for the mind. He played a mountain dulcimer for the dedication of the cave at Carmenet. 1984 Alf Burtleson Construction designed and created Rutherford Hill Winery's cave. Dick Graff and Phil Woodward were so pleased with their new cave at Carmenet that they asked Alf to build one at Chalone in Monterey. Tied up with the Rutherford Hill project, Alf suggested they consult with Dick Harding, the geologist on the Carmenet job. Harding put together a crew and blasted a small tunnel at Chalone. Unfortunately, the cave turned out to be above geothermal activity, and the expense of installing a cooling system for the cave was, ironically, needed. Napa Valley Chamber Music Society first performed in a cave at S. Anderson. 1976 International recognition showered down on Napa Valley after the famous Paris Wine Tasting of 1976. In blind tastings with all French judges, Napa wines not only won the top honors at this Judgment of Paris, with Winiarski's 1973 Stag's Leap Wine Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon and Grgich's 1973 Chateau Montelena Chardonnay, but also made up six of the 11 most highly rated wines. Roadheader, Dosco MK2A Dale Wondergem and Gil Nickel, just prior to blasting the first tunnel at Far Niente. Gil Nickel Cave musician David Auerbach

• Cover