Vintner’s Collective: Championing Boutique Wines in a Napa Landmark
Vintner’s Collective founders Garret Murphy and Kim Erasmy in front of the Pfeiffer Building (Est. 1875). Photo by Priscillia de Muizon; all others courtesy of Vintner’s Collective, except where noted.
Garret Murphy and Kim Erasmy took a leap of faith when they opened Vintner’s Collective in 2002, in the old sandstone building on the corner of Main and Clinton Streets known as the Pfeiffer Building. There was virtually no foot traffic at the time, other than a weekly flea market in the abandoned lot across the street. The building, constructed in 1875, needed a lot of work—but Garret and Kim felt like the space was ready for something special.
That “something special” was a venture to create a collective tasting room for producers of premium, small-production wines with no tasting room of their own. While working at a winery on Mount Veeder, the two had identified a need for such a space in a market and regulatory setting that posed an uphill battle for small labels.
As a former pastry chef with a wicked palate, Garret designed Vintner’s Collective to feature the best of the best: wine made from the finest fruit, with utmost care, in small batches of exceptional quality.
He describes the Collective as having pioneered the “private tasting” experience at a time when wineries only offered public or group tastings. During these private tastings, where visitors get one-on-one service, the team at Vintner’s Collective caters the experience to each guest. “If the person says they’re interested in learning more about clones and rootstocks and blends and soil and terroir, then—boom—that’s fantastic, let’s talk about that. If they’re new to wine, we’re not going to barrage them with a huge lecture with big words.”
Relationships are the magic behind Vintner’s Collective—from Garret and Kim’s relationships with the vintners, to the vintner’s relationships with the team, and then the team’s relationships with customers.
Despite having what Garret calls “the best wines you can taste in one place in the Napa Valley,” the vibe at Vintner’s Collective is unpretentious.
“We are serious about wine,” explains Garret, “but we are also people people.”
On a given day, 40% of the clientele are local wine club members, some of whom have been customers since the Collective opened. “It’s like French Laundry meets Cheers,” jokes Garret.
True to the Cheers analogy, the walnut bar inside the front door is always open to anyone interested in a pour, even without a reservation.
Kim is a designer at heart, with past chapters in graphic and clothing design. Her design career took her to Paris, New York and Los Angeles. She used that design sensibility to breathe new life into the historic Pfeiffer Building, which over the past century had housed a brewery, a brothel, a butcher shop, and a laundry. She transformed the interior into a stylish and welcoming gathering place that features cozy nooks and lounge areas upstairs, downstairs, and out on the deck.
Kim commissioned artist Clare Elsaesser to crate beautiful paintings to adorn the upstairs walls. The graceful female figures appear to be illuminated by candlelight, perhaps as a tasteful nod to the building’s past.
Running a business in a 150-year-old building has its challenges. “You have to be creative—and scrappy,” explains Kim. Over the years, the Collective has withstood multiple floods, the dot-com bust, and a major earthquake.
When the building’s façade crumbled during the Magnitude-6.0 South Napa earthquake in 2014, Kim and Garret faced 18 months of renovations. They continued operations, from their storage warehouse and from an Airstream trailer parked beside the Pfeiffer Building.
When they were able to open their doors for a Grand Re-Opening party, the same couldn’t be said for the windows, which had to be custom-made and weren’t yet installed. Kim tapped into her design ingenuity and placed fake blue-sky screenprints in each window frame.
Twenty-three years after its inception, Vintner’s Collective continues to thrive. The Pfeiffer Building stands as strong and beautiful, welcoming a steady stream of walk-ins, referrals from nearby hotels and restaurants, and familiar faces.
Garret and Kim have never looked back on their decision to take that leap of faith. “The building is part of who we are.”
Kim and Garret enjoying their own label “Las Bonitas,” which translates from Spanish to the pretty ones and celebrates their daughters by featuring on the label a circular locks of golden hair. Photo by Priscillia de Muizon.
This article was originally written for Napa County Landmarks’ Est. 20+ Years Legacy Business Program honoring long-standing businesses that help shape the character and history of our community. Congratulations to Vintner’s Collective on its well-deserved recognition as a Legacy Business! Click to learn more about the program.