Bespoke Collection

History

Michael Polenske purchased the Blackbird Vineyard, in Oak Knoll District in California, in 2003 as a vacation retreat. The 10-acre property has a vineyard, a 100-year-old farm house, a ranch home and a pool. Polenske left his job in finance in 2006, to create a luxury brand focusing on wine, art and design, which would become the Bespoke Collection. Polenske's interest in wine was instilled in him when his father, a pilot in the military, was stationed at Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield, California. He moved from his San Francisco apartment to live full-time in Napa Valley. Polenske opened Ma(i)sonry Napa Valley, a wine, art, and design gallery, in 2008. In 2010, Polenske purchased the I. Wolk Gallery in St. Helena, California. Bespoke Collection also introduced a membership program, which offers members access to limited production wines from the Bespoke Collection labels and to exclusive events. They also have a benefit program, called Bespoke Benefits, which allows members to earn points based on purchases made of Bespoke Collection products, including art and design pieces. In March 2014, Bespoke Collection opened a new art and design gallery in Healdsburg, California.

History and architecture

The building that houses Ma(i)sonry is one of two buildings in Yountville listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It was built in 1904 as a house for Charles Rovegno, a farmer. It has two stories and totals 3,000 square feet. The building was the Burgundy House Inn starting in the 1970s, until becoming Ma(i)sonry in 2007.

The building underwent eighteen months of renovations by architect Douglas Thornley and the Roche + Roche Landscape Architecture firm. Roche + Roche created five outdoor spaces for wine tasting in a garden setting, which includes a fire pit and a redwood table that is five inches thick and 36-feet long. Polenske describes the exterior as a "living gallery." The space takes influence from Belgian designer and antique dealer Axel Vervoodt's castle. There is also a private tasting room that overlooks the gardens.