CleverRoot

5 4 | t h e c l e v e r r o o t these five acts (known as The Soil, The Plants, The Animals, The Vineyardist, and Wholeness) while discovering the organic and Biodynamic principles Jean-Charles rigorously applies at all of his properties. "We listen to the bio-rhythms of Mother Nature," he says. Inside the winery, the theatricality escalates unexpectedly in a series of increasingly dra- matic spaces, from the relatively understated Main Tasting Salon and Barrel Tasting Cellar to the Corridor of the Senses, where a dozen custom atomizers dispense aromatic compo- nents found in Napa Valley wines. Then there's the intimate Library, displaying floor-to-ceiling Raymond Cabernet Sauvignons from four decades, and the Rutherford Room, which is dedicated to local appellations and features a large-scale model of Napa Valley. In the Blending Room, guests can blend, bottle, and label their very own JCB cuvée through the Winemaker for a Day program. (Boisset himself designed the velvet-lined, quilted-metallic lab coats participants wear during the sessions.) Meanwhile, the show- stopping Crystal Cellar, complete with jewel- toned lighting and the signature Baccarat chandeliers, vies for high style akin to a Paris discothèque. Unconventional descriptors for the wines available at the tasting bar are hand-written on the walls in Jean-Charles' wife Gina's lipstick—the most visible being "Sexy." Displayed items for sale include Jean- Charles' jewelry designs, as well as luxury goods from his favorite French manufacturers: hand-blown stemware from Baccarat and St. Louis, crystal from Lalique, silver from Christo- fle, and Limoges china from Bernardaud. "We adore craftsmanship," says Boisset, who part- ners with these traditionalist manufactories to spread the renown of French workmanship. Like so much of what Jean-Charles does, the mystery continues to unfold even after you think you've seen it all. For example, in the unexpectedly seductive, by-appointment-only Red Room lounge, Jean-Charles created a jaw- dropping interior inspired by his favorite his- torical period, the reign of Napoléon III. Bathed in soft light, the lounge is swathed in crimson velvet, trimmed in mink, carpeted in leopard, and filled with beloved books. Over the top? Mais oui. Excessive? Bien sûr. Outrageous? JCB wouldn't have it any other way. It Takes a Village Down-valley in the tony enclave of Yountville, Jean-Charles is busy creating JCB Village, which will soon serve as a one-stop shop for all things Boisset. A new luxury-goods boutique will open in spring 2019 with a perfume-bar centerpiece where guests can blend their own fragrances. "We are firm believers in bringing wine country to the city," Jean-Charles had told me over dinner the previous evening, re- ferring to his chic tasting salons in Beverly Hills and at The Ritz-Carlton in San Francisco. The reverse is also true: He's ramped up the urban-glam factor in Healdsburg and here in Yountville with lavishly appointed facilities that exude the JCB lifestyle. "We want to bring a bit of savoir-vivre to the party," says Boisset with a characteristically coy grin. JCB Village already boasts Atelier Fine Foods, a 1,750-square-foot epicurean boutique. Like Boisset's other food-related projects, Atelier falls under the guidance of veteran Napa Valley chef Victor Scargle, who serves as JCB Culinary Director; master fromager James Ayers, meanwhile, oversees the 150-selection cheese case. Bread is both brought in daily from Acme bakery in Berkeley and flown in regularly from Poilâne in Paris. Drop-in visitors can indulge in a glass of wine at the adjacent JCB Tasting Salon, where the Baccarat chande- liers glitter even during the morning hours. Directly behind Atelier is the opulent Salon Privé, where a red grand piano pops among taxidermied white peacocks and mirrored jew- elry cases. "Let's not be vanilla!" Jean-Charles exclaims, donning a flower-print jacket during our photo shoot. This off-the-cuff utterance sums up his daring panache, but his near-mys- tical take on life is embodied most literally in his signature rock crystals. According to Jean- Charles, they've been ritually "programmed with intention" with a crystal pendulum to enhance five areas of the human dynamic: pas- sion, balance, health, energy, and love. Created in limited numbers and hand- mounted in gold wire in accordance with his own design, the five-faceted amulets are among Jean-Charles' most cherished creations. "You can see something in the crystal—every- one has his or her own vision," he says. Each boxed copy of The Alchemy of the Senses contains a pendulum that can be used for similar ceremonial purposes. Before the development of the JCB perfumes, Jean-Charles first sought to create scented candles nearly a decade ago. Character- istically, his approach was hardly understated as he sought out highly regarded perfumer Olivia Giacobetti, "one of the best noses in France." Giacobetti turned him down several times before he sent her a wooden box containing some of the components he sought in a fragrance: rootstock, vine canes, grape pits, and barrel staves. "She got it," Jean-Charles says matter- of-factly of the finished product. JCB: Viticulteur As the September sun sets over the ripening vines at Raymond Vineyards, Jean-Charles returns to the winemaking that serves as the driving force of his many passions. At the end of the day, he stays true to his Burgundy roots and is first and foremost a viticulteur. Espousing the benefits of organic and Bio- dynamic agriculture, he speaks passionately about the need to preserve the vineyards for generations to come. "The Napa County authorities tell me how many guests I can receive here at the winery and what time the music has to be turned off at night, so why can't they stipulate that all Napa Valley vine- yards must be farmed organically?" he says in a tone just short of exasperation. "It doesn't make any sense." Any sense of frustration with the Napa pow- ers that be quickly disappears, however, as Jean-Charles shifts to discuss his ever-evolving plans. They transcend any temporal rules and regulations, and winemaking, like everything else he pursues, must feel transformative: "I use wine as a means to get people to know themselves better," he says. ■cr "In this life, we have to create our own world." —Jean-Charles Boisset

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