tech for a Fortune 500

tech for a Fortune 500 company. Success in the arenas of tech and creative is a common thread between many of the entrepreneurs I meet; perhaps it’s part of why they feel untethered to traditional practices and are more able to experiment and innovate. There’s not much to distinguish the exterior of Phifer Pavitt’s tasting room from the local design vernacular of wooden barns. But this is a long way from the Persian mausoleum and faux-doric follies found elsewhere in the county. It’s the striking minimalist interior and detail that sets this place apart. “I never stop trying to improve and re-use,” she explains. The roll call of recycled materials is impressive – the wood is repurposed snow fencing from Wyoming and restored 100-year-old redwood, milled onsite back to its original grain. Every corner is expertly mitred into clean, modern lines, but with enough nicks and flaws to hint at its previous incarnation. When Phifer Pavitt ran out of wood, she dismantled the boxes her olive trees were delivered in and used them to finish the benches. The doors are made from old copper sheeting – recut and shipped in from Mississippi – and the insulation rendered from recycled jeans. Even the industrial chandeliers are fashioned from abandoned rusty hog wire. “The roll-call of recycled materials is impressive – the wood is repurposed fencing and century-old redwood” “I’m an avowed and determined steward of this land,” Suzanne tells me, her clear commitment and sincerity a trait shared with many of the landowners I meet. It is this indefatigable attitude that saw her return to the driving seat after a head-on collision in 2016 left her in hospital for over a year. “I wasn’t sure I’d ever drive again but I did,” she says, nodding to her Land Rover Discovery in the drive. “But that’s the only thing I’ll drive now. It’s the only thing that makes me feel safe.” Suzanne’s zest and enthusiasm is contagious, and stays with me as I continue my journey in the Evoque. I cruise for half an hour to my base for the rest of the trip: the elegant eco-spa Bardessono. The carefully conceived luxury hotel in Yountville has achieved the highestpossible Platinum LEED (Leadership in Clockwise from below: Odette’s striking headquarters nestles into the hillside; Silver Oak has net water positivity; solar panels at Bardessono eco-spa

GREEN IS THE NEW BLACK Recycled-material fashion is on the rise in San Francisco’s startup culture Everlane With “exceptional quality, ethical factories and radical transparency”, this cool clothing brand does sustainability in style. Its ReNew collection is made from plastic waste. Everlane has committed to abolishing virgin plastic from its supply chain soon. Sonoma The qualities that make vinyl KRDUGLQJVFDODPLWRXVIRUODQGƓOO – durable, waterproof, unique – is what makes them ideal for the bags that entrepreneur Steffen Kuehr creates from them. $SHUFHQWDJHRISURƓWVDUH donated to local charities. Energy and Environmental Design) status, one of only a handful in the country to have done so. These standards are increasingly necessary to attract the luxury dollar. Businesses simply cannot cater for this stratum of wealth without considering their contribution to the circular economy. “Everything you see is recycled,” Bardessono’s manager tells me. “All the wood, metal and stone are reclaimed, the linens are recycled cotton, second or thirdtier material of the finest quality. The art is made by local artists from used screwdrivers and newspapers.” I think I’ve caught him out when I spy plastic shampoo bottles, but it turns out even these are biodegradable. Bardessono amply demonstrates that sustainability does not mean having to compromise on quality. Nothing in its sleek stone architecture feels anything less than first class. This is serious business for the hospitality industry, and demand from customers is increasing as hotel leaders set the bar high. The wines coming out of this region are widely considered to be every part the equal of their Old World counterparts, as proven by the makers at my next stop on the Silverado Trail, Plumpjack’s Odette Winery. Odette’s 2016 Reserve was awarded a rare 100 (out of 100) points by revered wine critic Robert Parker. It is, in part, because California is relatively young that the vintners feel more able to experiment with new ideas and technology, away from the more cloistered if romantic view of Europe. One of the three partners in Odette, Gavin Newsom, has a strong pedigree in sustainability and innovation having served as mayor of San Francisco and currently as Governor of California. He recently co-authored a book called Citizenville, a rallying cry for the radical reinvention of government in the digital age. His partner Rothy’s This successful shoe brand makes durable cult footwear from recycled plastic bottles. Rothy’s claims to have recycled over 32 million bottles, and has a dedicated following – if you ZDQWWRYLVLWWKHVPDOO6)ŴDJVKLS store, be prepared to queue. 63