Narsai David Estates was founded by Narsai David, a celebrated chef, restaurateur, wine judge, radio personality and food writer who helped shape California cuisine. Known for his refined yet approachable style, he emphasized fresh, seasonal ingredients and classical technique. Beyond the kitchen, he became a trusted voice through cookbooks and radio, sharing culinary knowledge with a broad audience. His influence extended across generations of chefs and home cooks, leaving a lasting legacy in American food culture and in the evolution of West Coast dining.
David was born in South Bend, Indiana to parents who immigrated to the U.S from Iran and Turkey. The family moved to California’s central valley. David graduated from Turlock High School and then moved to the San Francisco Bay Area where he studied math in preparation for pre-med at UC Berkeley. His first job in the Bay Area was at Hy’s Drive In, in Oakland which was located at 3770 Telegraph Ave. After graduating from UC Berkeley he founded a printing company which he operated for two years; he is quoted in an article in edible Monterey Bay as noting he printed the original labels for Chalone Vineyard. He started working as a temporary bartender at The Pot Luck Restaurant in Berkeley. Soon he became a partner in this restaurant and started catering private events.
In 1964 he met Bill Graham who at the time was managing and producing the San Francisco Mime Troupe, a still active organization. According to an article in The Napa Valley Register dated June 13, 1983, Graham requested David provide apples and bananas to attendees of a rock n’ roll concert held to raise money for the San Francisco Mime Troupe. He catered more of Bill Graham’s events including much larger gatherings.
He gained prominence in the Bay Area through his restaurant, Narsai’s Restaurant & Catering which he opened in 1972 at 365 Colusa Avenue in Kensington. At the height of its wine list it offered over 1,500 different selections and had amassed a cellar collection of over 60,000 bottles. In part, this restaurant was known for its Monday Night Dinner Series featuring a fixed menu.
He opened Narsai’s Market next door, and operated this from 1978 until 1985 where a number of creations were introduced for the first time including Chocolate Decadence Torte, Mudslide Cookies, Avalanche Cookies and Snowstorm Cookies. His restaurant closed permanently in 1986; the David family still owns this property and the original restaurant building, constructed in 1950 is still standing. In 1981 he opened Narsai’s at I Magnin in Union Square in San Francisco. He was a founding partner of the still in business, Grasing’s Restaurant in Carmel-by-the-Sea. This restaurant has been a strong supporter of Narsai David Estates and serves their wines by the glass. In 2024 Grasing’s was awarded the coveted Wine Spectator Grand Award.
David was the Cuisine Consultant for the Napa Valley Wine Train when they first opened in the late 1980s including consulting on the design and construction of their ‘rolling’ kitchens. And he catered the first Napa Valley Wine Auction and their subsequent auctions in the early 1980s – serving over 1,000 attendees each year at Meadowood Resort. He also participated in what was known as the annual Napa Valley Cooking Class. And he catered events at numerous wineries over the year including in Napa Valley.
He wrote or co-authored several books including Monday Night at Narsai’s: An International Menu Cookbook from the Legendary Restaurant.
He was also noted for his time on KCBS AM 740 as their food and wine commentator, where his culinary tips and quips were broadcast several times a day. Narsai would suggest wines to buy, making wine education approachable and easy to understand with his distinctive radio voice and way of speaking. Editor’s note: our mother often had the program on in the car, and as a result we have fond memories of also listening to his radio show.
He became the voice of the San Francisco Bay Area in terms of food and wine culture. Narsai David passed away at age 87 in 2024.
Narsai purchased his vineyard in Oakville in 1972; it was already planted to grapes at that time. This property is 17 acres of which 15 acres are planted to grapes. Neighboring or nearby properties include vineyards owned by Franciscan and Silver Oak. Over the decades, grapes have been sold to numerous wineries and producers. Due to disease, the vineyard was replanted in stages, most recently over several years, culminating with the final replant in 2023. Today the vineyard is planted primarily to Cabernet Sauvignon using multiple clones, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Merlot and a small block of Petit Verdot. The soils are deep here, loamy and well drained. A single fan is used if needed for frost protection.
Narsai David Memorabilia, Author’s collection
This Oakville property was not the only land that Narsai owned in Napa Valley; in the 2000s he bottled Cabernet Sauvignon under Narsai David Estates from a 65+ acre property (two parcels) originally planted in 1981. It was previously called Spring Valley Vineyards located on the west side of Conn Valley Road with part of one of the parcels directly across from Rossi Road. At least some of these vintages produced in the early 2000s included grapes from both the Spring Valley Vineyards property and their property in Oakville. A Merlot from Oakville was also bottled. In 1996 Narsai sold this property to Merryvale Vineyards; it is still owned by Merryvale Vineyards.
In the 1990s and 2000s Narsai David bottled Alembix, an Alambic Brandy. The first vintage bottled under Narsai David Estates was in 2000 and was produced until 2008. Back then, Gary Brookman was the winemaker, the former winemaker for Grace Family and Miner Family. The brand was restarted by Narsai’s son Daniel David in 2019 as Narsai David Estates with a limited production Cabernet Sauvignon not made with estate grapes. No wine was made in 2020 due to the resulting smoke from the Glass Fire. Subsequently the first estate vintage was in 2021 and the first vintage from the most recent re-plants was in 2025. Annual production varies, but usually falls between 150 and 200 cases. To date, the wines have been 100% varietal Cabernet Sauvignon.
Daniel David is a talented artist who operates Daniel David Studios out of a warehouse in Berkeley. He works with a variety of mediums including concrete, copper, stainless steel, aluminum and glass. He created a series of works called the ‘cocktail collection’, abstract oil on wood with the resulting images named after well-known cocktails. He has displayed his works in galleries throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. For more information and to see a gallery of his works, visit: www.danieldavidstudios.com.
Winemaker Bastien Lucas has made all of the Narsai David wines since 2021. While working at Maxville Creek Winery he got to know Paul Garvey, owner of Garvey Vineyard Management, the company that was overseeing viticulture for their vineyards. Garvey had also farmed Narsai David’s vineyards for many years. Daniel David asked Garvey for a recommendation for a winemaker – and he connected him directly with Bastien. Narsai David was able to try several vintages that Bastien made before he died. While Bastien never met him in person, he heard that he was pleased with the wines.
Bastien lived in the north of France until he was 12 years of age, when he and his mother moved to Bordeaux so she could take a position as personal assistant to winemaker Jean‑Michel Cazes at Château Lynch-Bages. Bastien earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry at Université d’Artois, and then later a Diplôme National d’Oenologue from the Université Victor Segalen Bordeaux 2; during college he interned at Château Lynch-Bages.
David Vineyard, Oakville
Swiss born winemaker Jean Hoefliger was also an intern at Château Lynch-Bages. Bastien remembers he and his mother were living in the village of Lynch Bages in the only employee home that had a washer and dryer for laundry. As a result other employees would frequent their home for their laundry including Hoefliger. That is how both men originally met.
Some years later, Bastien called Jean for advice. They talked about whether he should keep working only with grand crus or travel and work harvests outside of France. Jean told him to travel and said, “I have a position at Alpha Omega, a new winery I’m working with.” In 2013 Bastien moved to Napa Valley and worked a harvest for Alpha Omega. Following this harvest he returned to Europe and, on Jean’s recommendation, went to Tuscany to work at Monteverro S.r.l.. Then Jean called again and said, “Someone in the lab at Alpha Omega is leaving, can you come to Napa for a year.” So Bastien did and spent nearly 6 years there including 3.5 years as Assistant Winemaker.
—
In 2024, not able to find a buyer for their Malbec grapes, the decision was made to bottle this separately as an accompanying label to Narsai David. The name l’histoire was chosen, which in French refers to, the story or the history. Wines bottled under this label will change depending on the vintage.
Early on, Bastien and Daniel talked about the wine’s style and how Narsai always loved classic Bordeaux. In that first vintage, Bastien focused on understanding how the tannins behave from this site. He noticed regardless of vintage, that pH rises quickly here, which adds to the wine’s mouthfeel, so he keeps extraction light and consistent, pulling out most of the tannins he wants in the first third of fermentation. He typically works with one or two tanks, fermenting everything in tank, and says that blending is where the real magic of winemaking happens.
The Narsai David wines are crafted with food in mind which makes perfect sense considering Narsai’s background. They are elegant representations of Oakville, not always easy to find from producers from this particular sub-appellation, but they are out there if you know where to look. And if you are reading this, you know where to look. These wines always built with restraint and balance in mind. And this shows regardless of vintage. As a result, they are ready to drink upon release, yet they are always age worthy.
Select Wines
The 2023 Narsai David Estates Cabernet Sauvignon Cuvée Venus, Oakville Napa Valley is deep ruby and nearly opaque; this bouquet defines the word elegant, offering aromas of rose petals, violets, blueberries, red cherries, currants, cranberries and red plums with lighter trailing scents of wet slate, cocoa powder and a kiss of vanilla. This wine tastes like red plum, raspberry, not fully ripe boysenberry, currant, red cherries and a kiss of dried herbs. There is a beautiful levity here, a result of a vibrant vein of acidity. While the tannins are more pronounced in this vintage as compared to the 2022, they never feel heavy. Still, they would benefit from another year or two in bottle. Regardless, their texture is already polished, persisting with a light dusty and or chalky character, felt primarily towards the front of the palate. Of the three vintages we tasted through, this might just have the cadence to go the furthers in terms of aging.
The 2022 Narsai David Estates Cabernet Sauvignon Cuvée Venus, Oakville Napa Valley is deep ruby and nearly opaque; the bouquet smells riper than the listed 13.8% ABV would lead one to believe, but perhaps that is a factor of this particular warm year with an extended extreme heat spike centered around Labor Day Weekend. Its scents are primarily red fruits including raspberry, currant, cranberry, cherry and Santa Rosa plums along with dried sage and kalamata olives. The oak plays nicely in this aromatic sandbox, present but never dominating while sporting a light savory edge, i.e., old cedar box. The palate mimics the bouquet in terms of its red fruits with flavors of cherry, currant, raspberry, strawberry and red mulberry. Nimble on its feet, especially considering place and vintage, this wine finishes with well-tumbled and seamlessly integrated tannins on the gentle finish. Very food friendly. Medium + acidity.
The 2021 Narsai David Estates Cabernet Sauvignon Cuvée Venus, Oakville Napa Valley is deep ruby and almost opaque in the glass; the bouquet is a ripe union of fruit and barrel influences including scents of bramble, i.e., blackberry and raspberry, dark raspberry, red cherry, currant and red plums along with a woodsy character including old cedar box. This wine has a savory and spicy aromatic edge with additional notes include tobacco leaf, dried sage, dried bay leaf, a red chili spice and crushed peppercorn. And violets and lavender. And as the wine evolves further, a ferrous/rusting iron thread. The energetic palate sits on top of a lively layer of acidity; in a blind tasting we would have guessed its ABV as lower than its listed 14.6%. Primarily red fruited, this wine tastes like currant, tart cherry, cranberry, not fully ripe boysenberry, spicy red plums and red mulberries. Finishes savory and minerally with dried sage and a hint of bay leaf. Both flavor, acidity and texture pace each other for some time before texture eventually pulls away. The tannins are gravelly textured with a dusty and lasting drying presence. Like the 2023, this bottling will also be highly age worthy. It is highly layered, both on the bouquet and the palate.
Cuvée Venus is an homage to Narsai’s wife Venus David.
Grasing’s Restaurant, Carmel-by-the-Sea CA
Visit, notes and photography coming soon.
Narsai David Estates represents an intersection of Napa Valley viticulture, California culinary history and family stewardship. Under Daniel David and winemaker Bastien Lucas, the estate continues to honor Narsai David’s commitment to elegance, balance and wines designed to complement the table.
For more information about these wines, please visit, www.narsaidavidestates.com
Leave a Reply