Here are photos taken of our inn over the past three weeks. Some represent an almost-finished product. Keep in mind we took these with a cell phone. When we get a professional to take the photos they should be much better.

The last few weeks were some of the busiest of my working career. We worked from 7 am to midnight many days and are simply exhausted. But as you will see from the following photos, we made a lot of progress. Ponte Vineyard Inn culminates two years of exceptionally hard work for a very small team of dedicated professionals. It was our first hotel but we feel it is the best in Temecula wine country and will set the standards for our area for years to come. We appreciate your support and hope you will visit soon so you can see it in person.

We have a lot to share with you so let's get started:

The loggias:

Here is the pergola above Bouquet Restaurant last Saturday morning. Our food and beverage manager is the one with the blue shoes. Hi Karon!

Installing the tile mural. Phenomenal image of the harvest in the Douro Valley in Portugal.

Back to work...
Here our chefs are discussing kitchen installation problems. This kitchen will serve Bouquet and The Cellar Lounge.
Roberto on the left, Salvatore on the right. Yes, they are Italian.

Here, Steve, William and I admire the hotel's wall art and debate its placement

Placing the art in the Cellar Lounge/Bar

The tile mural is done

The Lobby area:

The living room, note the small bar in the back:

The fireplace in the living room.

A game table. We did not play games this last year, so might as well let the guests do it.

The business center, still missing a computer and the small printer:

One of the corridor furniture sets:

Here see the construction team (with Steve and me in the center) having a well deserved drink after a long year. Leah took the photo so she's obviously not visible but fully deserved a center position in the picture. Many of the major sub-contractors were missing, having left the site months before. We'll try to get them to return as guests so they can see what a fine project they build.

Stay tuned for new photos of the rooms, the suites, The Cellar Lounge and the finished front of the building. We look forward to hosting you at our Temecula Wine Country Hotel.

Best regards and thanks for the support,

Claudio

We are now on a count down to the May 4th opening of our Temecula hotel.

Here is our summary of last week's activity and a sneak peak at some of the inn's features.

Façade scaffolding is down and façade is ready precast over door. Wood frame is ready for it. This was not done earlier because the scaffolding was in the way.

Lobby tile is 90% done in this photo, waiting for grout. Wood floors started Monday and will be done by end of day today (Wednesday).

This one shows the lobby floor with the grout.

Wood floors started Monday and will be done by end of day today (Wednesday).

The lobby fireplace is complete.

Drop ceilings are in in kitchen office and fitness room. Ceiling tiles will go in after inspection. It will take a few hours. Note heavy insulation around AC ducts.

Sustainably sourced windows. They are aluminum clad on the outside so they should outlast us all:

Computer systems are in and working. Internet is in and working.

The Cellar Lounge bar counter is in and cabinets are being mounted. This will be finished today. Flooring goes in Friday and Saturday. Furniture next Monday.

Brick is being mounted behind the bar.

Here is a photo of the stairwell down to The Cellar Lounge. These stones will receive a heavy layer of grout similar to the look on the columns on the front of the hotel.

We are busy adding the "jewelry", the decorative additions that will make our wine country hotel so special, like these lamps.

Let's go to the garden:

The Italian cypresses are in. Notice eyebrows over windows still need paint.

Canvas awnings are in west wing. East wing doesn't need them. Note the lights. They are sconces made out of handmade roof tiles.

Gazebo is complete over the pond. A bit of paint around the skirt and it's done.

Brick Patios are complete. Note shade over door and nice brick cap over stone wall: Perfect for a glass of wine!

This week we will:

Install all perimeter shrubs and landscaping
Plant a few trees at west façade
Finish the parking lot
Start landscaping the internal garden
Finish all wood floors
Install all common areas light fixtures
Finish Kitchen installation
Finish elevators
Install guest room art
Install guest room supplies and equipment (hair dryers, TVs, etc.)
Clean Guest rooms
Wire the business office for phones and computers
Install and test the backup generator

Next week we will:

Install all public area furniture
Finish the courtyard garden
Install grass around gazebo
Install all Point-of-sale systems, computers and telephones
Furnish Cellar bar
Load Kitchen and Bar with supplies, equipment and food
Clean up
And finally,
OPEN!

As always, thank you for your support. We can't wait to see you at the inn.

Best Claudio

We are just inside 40 days from the opening of our Temecula Wine Country Hotel. Half of the guest rooms are complete, including carpet, tile and paint. The other half will be done this week.

All inside corridors will be complete this coming week.

This is important because we are "loading" the west wing starting next Monday April 2d. Loading means moving in all furniture and supplies. The trucks will arrive and we'll move all furniture (except the armoires, which weight 300 lbs., and will wait for the elevators) into the 30 west rooms. The following week we will load the eastern rooms.

The week after, while the contractor finishes the common areas, we will load the operating supplies into all 60 rooms. This means making all the beds, towels in the bathrooms, toiletries, etc. Finally, the last week of the month we will load the common areas.

The kitchen is almost done and will be completed this week. The bar will be done in three weeks.

The elevators should be completed in two weeks, as soon as the building is electrified. Can we make it to the April 30th opening? We think so, although it will be close.

The recent rains slowed us down some because the site is too muddy to operate. Nonetheless we have finished installing all the stone and are correcting an error in the grouting (it was too dark), have topped off the towers with the tiled domes and have finished all exterior pre-cast trim pieces.

Here we are attaching the domes to the towers. Note the dark grout on the stone. It was a sub-contractor error.

Here you can see the solution. A much lighter color is applied to cover the dark grout. The color matches the natural stone.

Note the base of the right tower with the lighter grout. The stone has not been washed so it looks painted over. Also, note the plastic covering on the stucco bases to protect them against water splash damage when it rains. Note that the gutters have not been installed. They will go up this week or the next, at the latest.

Here you can see the saltillo tile on the balconies. The wood banisters will be touched up before opening, obviously. These balconies belong to the large double queens. They will have a couple of lounge chaises to relax.

Here we can see the footings for the steel pergola in the garden. The poles will support a curved trellis that will allow us to grow table grapes. Dining will take place under it, and there will be a fireplace at the far end, roughly where the second arch from the right is visible. The rest of the garden will be "built" in the next 30 days. There will be fountains and two additional fire pits. Here's the design: http://www.pontevineyardinn.com/blogpost-62343/The-Landscape-Design.html

Tiling of the rooms is complete and 80% of the common areas is up and grouted. The rest will be completed in the next 5 days.

Lastly, we've been looking for these trees and had problems finding them. They are Eucaliptus Citradora, or lemon scented eukes. Luckily we found them and will plant them on the exterior perimeter of the hotel within view of the winery. They are very fast growers and look great next to this type of architecture. Most of the other specimens trees are on their way. The 80 olives for the parking lot are planted and starting to grow.

Thanks for your support and stay tuned for the last few reports until opening.

The porte cochere is done! Well, almost done. The tile roof is being installed as I write this and the deco tiles are missing from the niche, see? The dirt area in front will be planted with succulents and cacti.

Dig the pre-cast elements around the balcony. Also, now that the scaffolding is almost gone, note the simple elegance of the elevation. The wooden balcony railings will be re-painted in a lighter color.

This is the opposite side, facing South Coast Winery. The arched entrance is the path connecting the hotel to the future pool site.

The stone is applied to the towers and is ready for heavy, heavy grout. You can also see the tile on the porte cochere roof. The tiled domes are being prepped and will be placed up there with a crane. Air conditioners, heaters, hot water, etc. were hoisted behind the parapet between the towers last week. The crane is expensive so we worked quickly and I missed the chance for a photo.

The view from the winery. Imagine it with trees. There are several eucalyptus and cypresses on either side of the entrance on the left hand side. That's the access from the Ponte Winery. We'll plant those trees as soon as the patios and trellises are finished. We've received 80 olive trees for the parking lot and we are waiting for the County to give us permission to plant. Yes, you read this right. We need permission to plant trees. What do farmers like us know? We need the government to tell us how and when to do it. Monte de Oro winery must be still waiting for their permission as their palms are still in boxes along their driveway over a year after opening...

Best and thanks for your support

This last Wednesday, Steve Converse and I were on a routine construction inspection walk at the Inn. Suddenly he was stopped in his tracks:

"What the heck is that!". His jaw dropped and his face darkened. "Look at that" he said pointing to the stone work on the right tower of the inn.

I said "So? What's the problem?"

"What's the problem? Don't you see? The stone work is crap! That's the problem! This thing looks like a Mac Mansion in Orange county, not like a mission, where the indians did the mortar work"

I responded "It's not really a mission, Steve, it's a winery hotel, and the only native americans around are at Pechanga, what's the big deal?"

"It IS A BIG DEAL, Claudio. Let me just build this thing, will you?"

He storms away and fires the whole crew, on the spot. After a couple of frantic phone calls, the stone sub-contractor reaches us and asks for another chance to personally supervise the work. Steve is a no-compromise guy, but he relents and lets the workers continue under their boss' supervision,. They MUST place the stones exactly like in the sample, which is nearby.

A few hours later I came back and saw the difference. Got to admit, Steve has a good eye. Check the before-and-after pictures, and the original sample. Let me know if you agree with Steve.

This façade will receive a very heavy layer of grout that will cover 30% of each stone to match the desired "look".

This level of attention to detail pervades the whole project. I hope it's worth the stress and effort. Of course, you'll be the judge and we sure hope you like it.

Don't forget to make your reservations. Some weekends in July and August are almost sold out:

Click Here to Make a Reservation

Best and thanks for your support,
Claudio

I'm one of those guys who loves to celebrate other people's birthdays: my own birthday, not so much. So last month when my wife gave me the honor/direction of selecting our dinner location I began to run through the usual options. Pechanga Resort and Casino is definitely a fun place but I didn't feel like showering off the smoke when I got home. Old town Temecula is one of my favorite areas and I love the vibe at the Public House, but outdoors in January is chilly! We wound up at the Promenade Mall where we considered the Yardhouse before finally selecting the Lazy Dog. A great place and great value, but not exactly what I was looking for on this occasion with wine-loving friends.

What I really wanted was something unique in Temecula Valley, Southern California Wine Country. The problem with wine country is that besides the Restaurant at Ponte, there are only a couple of places to go for dinner. Thornton's Champagne Cafe and South Coast's Vineyard Rose are nice but not really my style. I needed fun, creative fare with high culinary value. I wanted artistic, authentic, showy food created to be paired with wine. I guess I have been working too much on our new restaurant concept for the hotel at Ponte Vineyard Inn.

Our new restaurant at Ponte Vineyard Inn is going to be unreal! As a guy with a long food and beverage background, I thought I'd issue a real challenge to our culinary team. Build me a menu that is fresh, upscale and fun. It needs to be high end, but it also needs to have that rustic country feel befitting the Ponte brand. I want the dishes to be different, playful and most importantly constructed to be shared with others. Oh yeah, and I forgot one other thing: No plate can cost more than $20.

Boy did our team deliver, and I can't wait to show you the final result. Our culinary staff, led by Executive Chef Vincent Logan has pulled out all of the stops. The plates are not as small as Tapas, but they're not as big as a regular Ponte Restaurant entree. There are no starters and there are no entrees. They're all roughly the same size, and all designed to be shared and paired with wine.

I love food. Let's be honest, life's too short to only get one selection per meal period. Why not bring in a group of friends and try the whole menu? Or better yet, let us take over and guide you through a wine-paired dining experience with one of our three, four or five course tasting menus. You select the plates, and we have the wine matched to heighten your experience. I won't be waiting until next January to celebrate my birthday. Late April, I'm heading to the Ponte Vineyard Inn and I'm going to give it another try.

Whenever I come to the winery I get the strangest questions: The other day a lady came to me and said she was sorry we'd decided to paint the hotel black. At a loss for words, I thought to myself: How can I give a polite response? What I wanted to say was: "Yeah, we are mourning the death of common sense..."

As a matter of fact the building was black only temporarily. As can be seen from the photos the black paper and lath are covered with a thick layer of cement called a "brown coat".

Note the color of the external window and door trim. We struggled with a choice but are happy with this bluish green. The inside trim is stained wood.

Our hard-working crew is busy applying the brown coat. A high pressure pump sprays the product which sticks to the lath (the wire mesh). This layer has to cure and dry for 10 days or so before we apply the final coat of colored stucco. If the stucco is applied too early it will crack. The great weather has helped the process, and unless it rains we should be done with the exteriors in a week or so.

In this photo, the brown coat has been up for 8 or 9 days and is ready to receive the color coat. The windmill, one of our sustainability features (it powers the pond aerators), can be seen in the distance.

The construction site for this Temecula winery inn is the messiest since we started-which is normal for this phase. The brown coat overspray is everywhere, and has accumulated several inches deep all around the hotel. There are nails and bits and pieces of "stuff" everywhere.

Meanwhile the dry wallers, who are almost done, have left masses of trim all over the place. The electricians, air conditioner guys, tile-layers and kitchen installers are also doing their part to increase the mess.

The quality of the work is very good, as nice as I've seen on a wine country hotel anywhere. The tile work in the large bathrooms is especially impressive and the attention to detail very evident in the cuts and how the tiles are laid out so the seams fall in the right place.

This next photo shows the towers framing the hotel façade, with fresh brown coat on the left, and a dry section on the right. The final color will be very much lighter, but will still be in the same tonality as the brown coat. The towers will be clad in stone with heavy grouting.

The brown domes (bottom left) will be tiled and hoisted to the top of the towers. They will look like this, except with a zig-zag design:

The area in the photo with the domes will be planted with olive trees and vineyard. The winery is just behind the hotel and is separated from it by a vineyard.

In next week's blog I'll show some photos of the lobby areas and the suites, which are now dry walled. I might be able to share some more details on the Cellar Lounge, which will be insanely cool.

Best and thanks for the support.

How do you know if landscape plans are any good? How do you spend thousands on trees and hardscape without being sure of your design? The answer is you don't guess. You lay out the garden and see how it works full scale.

This last Saturday, our builder Steve Converse "drew" the garden design directly on the dirt, between the wings of our almost-complete wine country hotel. Paths, seating areas, fountains, fire-pits and arbors were located, and painted using different colors. Then we walked around the hotel looking at the future garden. The verdict? The garden design was generally very good. I think you are really going to like it.

We decided to move the large pepper trees on the four corners outward to improve the view from the lobby areas toward the vineyard. We also increased the width of some of the paths, enlarged or reshaped the seating areas around the fire pits, and relocated some trees that blocked some views of Temecula wine country from the second floor rooms.

We also confirmed that the trees would not block the solar panel locations and that the ones on the west side shaded the rooms, without blocking the views. We also decided to plant more vineyard closer to the rooms on the winery side to soften the view and get the rooms closer to the vines.

Today we specified the outdoor furniture. Teak, wrought iron, stone, bistro chairs, benches, birdbaths, fountains and fireplaces, and more...

Until next update, thanks for your support and see you at the inn.

Claudio

Dear Friends,

At the risk of jinxing the process, I'm reporting amazing progress on the hotel construction. The weather (which has been my greatest worry), has so far been perfect, and is expected to be nice for at least three more weeks. KFC (Keep Fingers Crossed!--Not the chicken place).

Since my last blog in early December, we have completed:

• All interior concrete work. All corridors and flooring are ready to accept tile finishes (saltillo, and decorative tiles)
• Sealed and tested all shower pans. They are ready for tile
• Tested and inspected and got approvals for all plumbing, mechanical and fire sprinklers
• Pond is full and windmill operating. The initial murkiness is gone and the pond is now clear. It is becoming biologically stable and there will soon be fish in it, when birds bring eggs. Water fowl have not discovered it yet
• All wooden and wrought iron banisters. Both inside and outside. As soon as plastering is complete, we'll install the pre-cast concrete pieces
• All on site utilities: Water, drainage, sewer, fire alarm, telephone, internet, television, music, and security video. Until you see the amount of wiring required it's hard to understand the complexity of these systems
• Revised landscape design to respond to Riverside County comments... don't get me started
• The roof is 99% complete-waiting for plaster
• Insulation is installed
• Interior caulking and sealing
• Black paper and wire lath installed and waiting for "Stucco" (plaster)
• Door and windows are installed! They look phenomenal
• Completed design and specified furniture for the suites

In the next 30 days we will:

• Complete the framing for the bar (we did not like the prior results and made some adjustments)
• Install the dumb waiter between the kitchen and the bar
• Finish the drywall
• Plaster the exterior
• Start the interior tiles and start public areas flooring
• Install interior stairs and start elevators
• Stone work on facades, towers, etc
• Parking lot lighting and trees
• Outside patios
• Parking lot curbs and gutters
• Finish the path between the winery and the hotel, including the wrought iron arches and landscaping
• Landscape the back of the pond
• Parking lot base
• Install the garden drainage system
• Design and commission the tile signage for all public areas and guest rooms
• We will electrify the hotel and start testing systems

Regarding personnel, we have hired a Sales manager and a Rooms manager, both of whom come with long experience and great reputation in the business. On January 15th we'll open job opportunities for our current associates at the winery, to our wine club members, and to the market at large. We are looking for highly enthusiastic, ethical and experienced hospitality folks to join our terrific team.

Please make reservations for your stay (after April 16th) at www.pontevineyardinn.com

Taken in early December, the photo shows the pond almost full and the roof tiles partially installed. As of December 12 the pond is now full and the windmill is busy aerating the pond.

• The drywall has been "loaded" into the hotel. With the roof and drywall loaded we can now start the process in adding stucco to the exterior walls. For those of you that care about these things, wood buildings need to be "loaded" with most of the weight they will carry so the wood will flex before the stucco is applied. Otherwise the stucco would crack. Once the stucco is done (30 - 35 days from the start), we'll be able to start work on the landscaping. Drywall and interior finishes will start next week.
• The balconies and banisters are complete, as is the porte cochere (the small building in front).
• The area between the wings, where the construction crew cars are parked, will be the garden with fountains, fireplaces and sitting areas.-- click here to see
• All electrical and plumbing work is complete inside the rooms. The lobby is now framed and ready to accept finishes, as is the cellar lounge (the bar). They are both amazing and we can't wait to see them finished, with furniture, etc.
• We have already poured the sound insulating lightweight concrete on the second story and walking on it feels vey solid, almost as if the building were made of masonry instead of wood. This week we'll pour the remainder of the concrete on the balconies and patios. The goal is for the downstairs rooms to be totally quiet, without the usual "elephant walk" upstairs. We are also staggering our studs and using extra drywall between the rooms to make them as quiet as possible.
• The super efficient central air installation is almost finished and will also contribute to a quiet and comfortable room without the nasty compressor noise so common in lesser hotels. The recirculating hot water heating loops are in and awaiting the roof mounted units to arrive.

All these comfort and sustainability features are very expensive to design, buy and install but they will make a world of difference to the quality of your stay. There is nothing cheap in this hotel. Nonetheless, although this 4-diamond inn will not be inexpensive, for wine club members Sunday through Thursdays stays will be an amazing value.

We will of course work through the holidays. Here's the plan:

• This week and next we'll pour the remainder of the concrete on the balconies and patios.
• Next week we'll start fine grading the parking areas in front, where you see those plies of dirt. The parking lot will be basically done in mid-January.
• We'll install the gas line to the building.
• The roof will be finished and the stucco will start.
• Insulation will be installed.
• Drywall will start.
• We'll set out cookies and milk for Santa.
• We'll get back to work.

In January the grand stair case and elevators will arrive soon (and will be a pain to install).

We still hope to be ready for the you on April 1st but are only accepting reservations starting on April 16th, in case the rains delay us a week or two.

Please stay tuned for more updates as we near the opening and until then we thank you for your continued support. Make reservations now for your stay after April 16th.

Regards,
Claudio