Clients
Starlite Vineyards
In the mid-80’s, at the height of its popularity and acclaim, Arman Pahlavan was working as Maitre d’ at Stars Restaurant in San Francisco. Stars was at the cutting edge of the country’s culinary scene, and there, Arman developed a passion for fine food and wine. Among his co-workers, many of whom went on to storied careers in the food and beverage industry, were Mark Franz, (executive chef) and Loretta Keller, (Grill Room chef). On his last day at Stars, Loretta wished Arman well with a gift of Beluga Caviar, which Arman and his wife Rina took with them to Auberge du Soleil in Napa for a celebratory weekend in wine country. While there under star lit skies, they looked to beginning a new chapter in their lives and dreamt of one day finding a vineyard of their own.
That evening was beyond anything Arman and Rina had experienced; its memory remaining with them until 2001 when they were able to purchase a small vineyard property in the heart of the Alexander Valley. The zinfandel vines there were producing fruit of enviable quality and with the memory of Auberge under the starlight, they began farming the vineyard with the goal of producing better fruit for each harvest than in the prior year. They planted a small plot of Cabernet Sauvignon in the property adjacent to the existing Zinfandel vines, and in 2003, with the help of Merry Edwards as winemaker, crushed their first vintage of Starlite Vineyards Zinfandel.
The goal for Arman and Rina is to produce small quantities of Zinfandel and Cabernet Sauvignon from their Alexander Valley vineyards of the highest quality. Their love of food and wine and commitment to quality has brought them to a site of exceptional terroir, but in tasting their wines, you may wonder if it is as simple as that. Perhaps it really is the magic of the starlight . . .