The Pact Journal

IT HAPPENED IN what seemed like an instant. One minute I’m navigating some switchbacks up the side of a slope in Skyline Wilderness Park, trying to stay in step with the speedy Annie Favia, who invited me here. The next…

AN ANCIENT CALDERA, volcanic soils, cooling bay fog…these are elements that can render a wine region like Coombsville unique. But to state the obvious, wine doesn’t make itself. It takes the hand of a master to wield those elements, to…

YOU LOVE WINE. You collect favorites, share notes with friends, follow critics’ scores. But have you ever really thought about how wine is made? The countless actions (and reactions) called for in vineyard and cellar, from even before a vintage…

RARE CHALLENGES TESTED OUR TEAM, taught us invaluable lessons, and ultimately produced a beautiful wine. It’s a rare growing season that withholds curveballs—a freak frost after bud break, a brutal heat spell just before harvest. But in 2020…well, let’s just…

Three years ago, when we refurbished an 1878 Victorian in the hills of St. Helena, we didn’t just want a house—we wanted a home. Since Day 1 of Faust Haus, we’ve welcomed all manner of wine lovers, but also like-minded…

The Ultimate Opener “I love having a Durand opener on hand, both at the restaurant and at home. It’s durable, sleek, and the functionality of it is unmatched by any other device for opening bottles especially older ones.”—Vincent Morrow, Beverage…