Where History Whispers in Wine

It was a gentle spring day, March 12 of 2020, when I set out to explore new inspiration for my series.  I wasn’t after tastings so much as a view of fields brushed with yellow mustard flowers that bloom across Sonoma each spring.  I’d heard Buena Vista might offer both beauty and history, so I drove toward the northeast edge of Sonoma, letting curiosity steer me.

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This was the very beginning of the pandemic; days before the world paused.  So…I wasn’t sure what I would find open.  The approach felt almost secretive: narrow residential streets leading to a gravel path lined with historical plaques.  The parking lot was empty.  For a moment I wondered if I should turn back, until a groundskeeper waved and confirmed they were, in fact, open.  Behind me, three young women looked just as puzzled; I reassured them they could venture in, too.

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At first I was disappointed as there were no golden mustard fields, just deep green hills wrapping the old buildings.  But that feeling quickly shifted to awe.  The winery radiates with history.  Two stone structures anchor the property: one now the tasting room, the other a cellar leading to the caves.  I peered inside where a sommelier in vintage dress was hosting a small group.  I asked if I could wander upstairs to the museum, camera in hand, pretending (truthfully enough) that I was scouting wineries for family visits.

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The more I looked, the more fascinated I became.  Buena Vista is a place of stories layered over time; founded before California became a state, reborn again and again through wars, fires, prohibition, and revival.  Later, in my research, I discovered its colorful lineage: Count Haraszthy, the visionary founder; the Chinese workers who built and tended the early vineyards; the Bartholomew family who saved it in the 1940s; the modern resurrection by the Boisset family in 2011.  If only those walls could talk!  They’d whisper of gold rush dreams, prohibition woes, Persian cats, and even a mansion once burned by “delinquent women.”

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When restrictions eased, I returned in June 2020 with my husband, son, and daughter-in-law.  Pandemic rules meant outdoor tastings with food service, six-foot distances, and masked sommeliers.  But the wines were divine, the air fragrant, and the sense of place undeniable.  I knew I’d be back once the world reopened.

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I began the painting that May, weaving history and imagination together.  Though I couldn’t fit every tale onto one canvas, I tucked in symbolic traces; the Count, the laborers, the barrels, the cats, the echoes of the castle that once crowned the hill.  Then came the wildfire hiatus; we were displaced for months before I could paint again.  Returning to this piece felt like reclaiming calm and continuity.

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Buena Vista reminded me that every door, every vineyard, every brick has a story waiting behind it. My hope is that this painting shares that layered sense of time, resilience, and wonder.

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Cheers!
— Patti Copus

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Visits: March 12 & June 14 2020
Paint Began: May 14 2020 Completed: May 6 2021
Primary Colors: Burnt Umber • Green • Blue Violet • Red Violet
Primary Symbols: The Count • Historic Building • Chinese Workers • Barrels • Castle & Cats • Wine Heritage

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