We followed a variety of trails in seeking a suitable architectural response to ‘Hosanna’, the new wine created by Christian Moueix. Common to all of the approaches is the involvement of the almost mythical landscape on the plateau of Pomerol. The landscape is divided up into much smaller parcels then in Napa Valley, where we built the Dominus Winery for the same client. The project, fully detailed and ready for execution, was designed to house the three basic phases of production in three parallel units: barrique cellar, tank room and bottle storage. A longitudinal extruded shape, poured in concrete, would mirror the work processes in petrified form. Although the folded elongated structure would have blended into the topography of a landscape dominated by vineyards more effectively than conventional architecture, the local authorities opposed the project and it had to be shelved.
Herzog & de Meuron, 2004
Herzog & de Meuron, 2004
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