Morlet Family Vineyards

Tracing its roots to a “Ghost Winery” from the 1880s, this stone building in St. Helena had long ago been converted to a residence. Paul Kelley Architecture and the owners, Luc and Jodie Morlet, resurrected the historic structure and transformed it back into a working winery. The Morlets wanted a showplace to match their philosophy: “neo-classical laissez-faire without compromise.” Kelley converted the downstairs into a small winery and tasting room, with the Morlets’ French oak barrels as a focal point within the original stone walls. This floor was also configured to house a lab, offices, restroom and case storage adjacent to a new crush pad. After structurally strengthening the lower level, the interior was redesigned along the center axis using original posts and beams. With the help of Paul Kelley, the ghosts of the pre-prohibition past and the winemakers of the present all found a harmonious place to call their own.