Scene and Heard: Summer Idyll
Photo Credit: Drew Altizer Photography
Photo Credit: Drew Altizer Photography
Photo Credit: Drew Altizer Photography
Photo Credit: Drew Altizer Photography
Photo Credit: Drew Altizer Photography
Photo Credit: Drew Altizer Photography
Photo Credit: Drew Altizer Photography
Photo Credit: Drew Altizer Photography
Photo Credit: Drew Altizer Photography
Photo Credit: Drew Altizer Photography
Photo Credit: Drew Altizer Photography
Photo Credit: Drew Altizer Photography
Photo Credit: Drew Altizer Photography
Photo Credit: Drew Altizer Photography
On a recent sun-struck August afternoon, OJ and Gary Shansby invited a glamorous group of friends to gather at their new estate in Oakville for a salute to summer and friendship. Many pals drove up from the city, while others strolled over from nearby residences.
The dramatic new Shansby residence was designed by San Francisco architect Sandy Walker to look as if it had been standing there among rock walls and manzanitas, for decades. With its board-and-batten exterior painted a subtle shade of oak-leaf green, and its subdued landscaping, the residence is a natural fit.
With a silhouette that echoes traditional Napa Valley barns, the house is poised on an oak-shaded knoll overlooking acres of the best vineyards in the Napa Valley (think ultra-desirable Kramlich and Gargiullo grapes). Elegant, light-filled interiors were designed by Barbara Colvin, who lives not far away in Yountville. Large glass doors around the structure were opened, so that the walls disappeared and rooms seemed to float in the golden afternoon light. Guests relaxed indoors, made a discreet tour of the rooms (admiring the beautifully-appointed pantry on the way), and then drifted down to the pool and lush gardens.
Top Napa Valley names greeting and congratulating the Shansbys included Bill and Deborah Harlan, Philip and Carol Norfleet, John Berggruen, Maria Manetti Shrem, Dick and Pam Kramlich, Claire and Steven Stull, Alexis and Trevor Traina (who could see their own house from the terrace), and architect Dante Bini.
Also gathering on the terrace and nibbling a feast of summer’s bounty were Seth Matarasso, Brunno and Urannia Ristow, Sandy and Kay Walker, Sloan and Roger Barnett, Suzanne and Carson Levitt, Therese Post, Nancy and Paul Pelosi, Sally Debenham, Ken Monnens, and Tatiana and Serge Sorokko.
By Diane Dorrans Saeks
Pictured: OJ Shansby
Photo by Drew Altizer Photography
