“Time, motion, and wine,” the Roman poet Ovid wrote, “cause sleep.” One modern admirer of the author of Metamorphoses, however, might argue the opposite—that wine, at least, or the making of it, usually causes a lack of repose. The classicist Mark Nelson and Dana Johnson, a library-sciences expert, underwent a metamorphosis of their own in 1998, when they sold their company, Ovid Technologies, and bought a 14-acre parcel in the Napa Valley’s Oakville region. With the aid of winemaker and managing partner Janet…

The latest tabletop 2.1 music console from Klipsch offers as much power as a pair of 4-foot-tall speaker towers. To produce what Klipsch claims is its highest-caliber sound to date, the $2,000 Stadium console, which hits stores next month, features the company’s signature three-way speaker system utilizing Klipsch’s signature horn-loaded tweeters, separate midrange drivers and dual, built-in subwoofers. Onboard digital-signal processing maintains fully balanced sound at all times and the result is sound that c…

Solage Calistoga Napa Valley is giving guests a bird’s-eye view of nearby Napa wineries—which include Château Montelena, Phifer Pavitt, Kenefick Ranch Vineyards and Winery, Fleming Wines, and Fisher Vineyards—as a part of a new helicopter-tour-and-dining package (starting at $1,540). Two guests will take a helicopter ride and land atop Spring Mountain, where they will take a tour of the latter vineyard, led by a member of the Fisher family. Afterward, Solage Calistoga’s Michelin-starred executive chef Brandon …

The Hermès Dressage watch—which pays homage to the brand’s roots as a saddlemaker with equestrian references including lugs designed like stirrups and saddle-stitched black alligator straps—debuted its first chronograph movement. The self-winding mechanical H1925 movement, named for the year Hermès created its very firstchronograph, combines the brand’s automatic base movement with a Dubois-Depraz chronograph module. Available for $11,600, the watch beats at 28,800 vibrations per hour (4 Hz) and comes in two d…

Known for its eclectic themes and technically creative designs—which have included moon dust and metal from the wreck of the Titanic—Romain Jerome is looking to the future for its next timepiece. The new Spacecraft model, released in just 99 editions at $24,900 apiece, looks vaguely like a cross between a vintage Pontiac and a spaceship from Star Trek. It is the result of a three-year collaboration between Manuel Emch, the company’s CEO; the watch designer Eric Giroud; and the heralded watchmaker Jean-Marc Wie…

One of the most respected Cabernet Sauvignon producers in Napa Valley, Araujo Estate Wines, was acquired last week by the French billionaire François Pinault, who also controls Château Latour in Bordeaux under his Parisian holding company Artémis Group. The French conglomerate acquired the 162-acre estate namely for the illustrious 38-acre Eisele Vineyard, which is certified biodynamic and organic and has produced some of the world’s top Cabernet Sauvignon vintages, including Robb Report’s Best of the Best win…

The InterContinental Osaka Hotel opened in June as a part of the city’s new Grand Front Osaka commercial complex, which also includes more than 250 shops and restaurants. The hotel has 272 rooms (from approximately $440 per night) 57 are designed for long-term stay and include laundry and kitchen facilities, while an additional 75 come with access to a private lounge. There are two restaurants, a bar, a lounge, and a patisserie on-site—including the 20th-floor Lounge 3-60, which overlooks the city—as well…

Vertu has released its Signature-model smartphone in a sleek new chocolate-brown version for fall. The Signature Pure Chocolate ($16,600) features the brand’s PVD-coated stainless-steel case and trademark sapphire-crystal keys in deep brown, with red-gold numerals. Handmade in Hampshire, England, the phone features Vertu’s complete range of services, including the travel-security feature Vertu Certainty and the Vertu Concierge service, which provides users with dedicated on-call assistance 24 hours a day. Each…

One would think that the multiple-award-winning chef, author, and restaurateur Thomas Keller’s similarly multiple-award-winning French Laundry restaurant in Napa Valley had attained perfection. It is consistently voted one of the top 50 restaurants in the world, and reservations are taken two months in advance. Each day’s menu includes vegetables from Keller’s two-and-a-half acre garden across the street that are picked, prepped, and plated within 24 hours. And the extensive wine list—compiled by the head somm…

The introduction of the Maserati Ghibli next year will mark the first time that the Italian automaker has two four-door models for sale at the same time. This midsize sedan to the venerable Quattroporte is part of a larger effort to lift worldwide Maserati sales from last year’s 6,288 to 50,000 by 2015. While Maserati does not envision itself in the same league as BMW or Jaguar when it comes to volume, this new lofty goal will break it out of the territory occupied by such boutique makes as Ferrari and Aston M…