Product Description
Far Niente is a historic winery located in Oakville, California that has a rich history dating back to 1885. It was founded by John Benson, a forty-niner of the California gold rush, and was initially an exquisite oasis in western Oakville. However, the onset of Prohibition in 1919 forced the winery to close its gates.
Sixty years later, Gil Nickel bought and restored the winery and neighboring vineyard, putting it back on the map and on the National Register of Historic Places. Today, Far Niente is known as a benchmark producer of Napa Valley Chardonnay and Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, and is recognized as one of the world’s great wine estates.
In addition to its high-quality wines, Far Niente is also known for its beautiful 13-acre gardens, which feature an array of southern azaleas that bloom in the springtime and are set against a backdrop of towering redwoods, acacias, dogwoods, and century-old cork oak trees. The gardens were designed as a three-act play, with Acacia Drive leading to the winery gates and the Woodland Garden, and the winery itself serving as the final act.
The winery itself is a historic stone building that stands out for its beauty and grandeur. Despite plans to create extensive wine caves in the winery cellar in 1885, these caves never came to fruition due to Prohibition. However, Gil Nickel was determined to create a cave at Far Niente and hired an engineer to find out if there were any hidden caves beyond the rock wall. After a dynamite blast, it was determined that no caves existed. Undeterred, Gil pursued the construction of the first Far Niente Napa Valley wine caves, which would become the first to be built in North America since the turn of the century.
Over the next 20 years, the winery conducted four more expansions of the caves, bringing the total area to 40,000 square feet. The wine caves, which hold the winery’s collection of Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay vintages aged in 100% French oak, are known for their stunning beauty and attention to detail. They are a popular attraction for visitors from around the world.
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