Nicole' Darracq's glowing recommendation of my work as a consultant on the Appellation: California wine tasting room.

1. Appellation:
Wine Tasting &Visitors Center
October 19, 2009
To Whom It May Concern:
Our organization hired Christian Finn, AIA on a consultant basis in the early summer of
2009 to create plans for a fairly limited conversion of a 1920s farmhouse into a winery tasting
room. Due to a number of unforeseen circumstances, Mr. Finn became a far more valuable
resource than we ever imagined we would need when the project began.
His grasp of building codes and restrictions is exhaustive and his attention to detail
profound - he was able to accurately foresee dozens of issues that we would not have been
prepared for had we not had his assistance. He was patient with our innocence and more
than once personally intervened with official personnel to leverage his authority and experience
to obtain more reasonable requirements on our behalf. Above all, he became a member of the
team, above and beyond the original scope of his contract and to our great advantage.
He is not either a yes-man nor a pushover, but an extremely dedicated professional whose
command of his subject can be relied upon unquestioningly - in the vernacular, get out of
the way because the man knows his stuff. Any project looking for creative problem solving
and architectural solutions delivered professionally, ethically and well within the byzantine
constraints of the California building code will be well served to work with Chris.
Nicole Darracq
General Manager
Appellation: California
7256 Highway 99 • Madera, CA 93637 • [p] (559) 674 - WINE • [f] (559) 674 - 9464 • www.AppellationCalifornia.com