In 1885, John Benson an original forty-niner of the California gold rush, and an uncle of the famous artist Winslow Homer, established Far Niente. Benson hired architect Hamden McIntyre, creator of the former Christian Brothers Winery now the Culinary Institute of America and the Gustav Niebaum winery today's Niebaum-Coppola, to design the building. Nestled against a hillside in western Oakville, Far Niente functioned as a gravity flow winery, gently moving the grapes through each stage of wine production.
The winery prospered until the onset of prohibition in 1919. Left untouched for sixty years, the winery was in terrible shape when purchased by Gil Nickel in 1979. "The building was so dilapidated, I could stand on the third floor, and see clear down to the barrel room in the cellar", says Nickel. "I thought the restoration would take about a year to finish, and instead it took three."
Nickel, a physicist by education with a background in agriculture through his family's nursery business, had relocated to California to pursue his quest of creating a world-class wine estate. While he undertook the three restoration of Far Niente, he simultaneously took classes in enology and viticulture at the University of California, Davis.
His restoration efforts were rewarded when Far Niente was named to the National Registry of Historic Places in the early 1980s.
Winemaking returned to Far Niente in 1982, with the harvest of the winery's first Cabernet Sauvignon. Chardonnay was also produced at the winery for the first time that year. Although Nickel made Chardonnay in 1979, 1980 and 1981, the wines were made at a warehouse in Sausalito.
Gil Nickel, drawing inspiration from Corton Charlemagne and Lafite, was determined to produce just two wines Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon. Having assembled his management team by hiring Dirk Hampson in 1982, to manage the winemaking, and Larry Maguire in early 1983, to direct sales and marketing, Nickel's plan was put in motion.
Dirk Hampson, an Oregon native and enology graduate from UC Davis, worked a season at the Joseph Phelps winery, then honed his craft at some of Europe's greatest properties, including the Rheingau Estate of Schloss Vollrads and an apprenticeship in Burgundy at the Nuits St. Georges negociant firm of Laboure Roi. He then joined the Bordeaux First Growth Chateau Mouton Rothschild, where he was the first American to apprentice with the winemaking staff.
Hampson brought his depth of knowledge and craftsmanship to Far Niente, where he was charged with developing the fledgling wine program focused exclusively on estate bottled Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon. He was named winemaker in 1983, and in 1991, Hampson and Managing Director Larry Maguire, were named partners.
Larry Maguire, a California native, has over 25 years of professional experience in the premium wine industry. Maguire took his first job in the wine industry with Napa Valley's Franciscan Winery in 1975 and soon moved into sales and marketing where he learned the intricacies of the fine wine industry under the tutelage of Justin Meyer, a leader in the rebirth of the Napa Valley wine community. By 1977, after several promotions, he took over as Franciscan's Western Field Manager, with responsibility for Northern California and several western states. He remained in this position until joining Far Niente in 1983.
Through the years the Far Niente team has retained an uncluttered vision. "Style is every bit as much what you choose not to do, as what you choose to do, and there are a number of things we've chosen not to do at Far Niente, "states Hampson. "On the other hand, we've chosen to produce only two wines." Such limited production is somewhat rare among California wineries, but the Far Niente partners made the decision in the interest of achieving the highest quality possible in the wines.
"Our observation is there are a very limited number of wineries that are truly internationally famous for one product, and a tiny number recognized for two wines, we think we're one of them," says Hampson.
This clear vision extends to all arms of the Far Niente realm, including the introduction of its two sister wineries. Dolce, introduced with the 1989 vintage, is the only North American winery devoted to producing a single, late harvest wine. Nickel & Nickel, named for Gil Nickel and his son Jeremy, was introduced in 2000. Based on the philosophy of producing small-lot, single vineyard wines that express the distinct personality of each vineyard, this enterprise represents a distinct departure from the flagship Far Niente wines that are produced from a combination of vineyards. The winery's first releases from the 1997 vintage include a Merlot from Suscol Ranch, Jameson Canyon and a Ponzo Vineyard, Russian River Valley Zinfandel. Also released were four Cabernet Sauvignons, one from the Carpenter Vineyard, Coombsville, east of the city of Napa, and three from vineyards in Oakville Rock Cairn, John C. Sullenger and Far Niente's Stelling Vineyard. Future vintages will include more single vineyard designations and other varietals including Chardonnay, Syrah and Pinot Noir.
The 1999 John's Creek Chardonnay was released April 1, 2001.
Gil Nickel notes, "It is the new challenge of unlocking great single vineyard wines that has brought us to the decision to add a winery to complement Far Niente. Each will have its own style, but the lessons learned at one can only benefit the other."
Producing single vineyard wines presents a real winemaking challenge, since, by definition, the winemaker cannot introduce grapes from other sites to enhance the final blend. But it is the challenge that keeps things interesting. "We're in a stage of discovery, "comments Hampson, "The vineyards will slowly reveal themselves, but one discovery always brings a whole new set of questions."
The Far Niente partners also believe in the value of vineyard ownership as a means of producing wines of exceptional character and consistency year after year. Far Niente owns 240 vineyard acres located in some of the most coveted regions of the Napa Valley.
Far Niente's largest vineyard is located behind the winery against the west hills of Oakville, in the heart of an area known as the Oakville Bench.
The 100-acre Stelling Vineyard (Oakville) is named for the previous owner of the land, Martin Stelling. Mr. Stelling presided over what was reputed to be the largest fine wine vineyard in world, comprising over 5000 acres. Unfortunately, he died before he was able to make wine from his holdings, and it fell to his son, Doug, to plant the vineyard in 1978. Far Niente Cabernet Sauvignon is the only wine that has ever been produced from the Stelling Vineyard.
The 42-acre John C. Sullenger Vineyard, acquired in 1998, is located directly north of Opus One, and across the road from the Robert Mondavi To-Kalon Vineyard. This vineyard estate is the future home of the Nickel & Nickel Winery and supplies some of the fruit for the Far Niente Cabernet Sauvignon.
The Barrow Lane Vineyard (Coombsville), an 18-acre parcel located at the base of the hills east of the city of Napa and offers the characteristic climate of Napa with the addition of a cool influence from the San Pablo Bay, as well as deep, well-drained volcanic soils and less wind.
The John's Creek Vineyard (Coombsville), 50 acres, is located less than a half-mile from Barrow Lane Vineyard. The deep, gravelly loam soil and the vineyard's southern exposure account for the fruit ripening a full two weeks earlier than Barrow Lane. The resulting aromas and flavors have long been associated with Far Niente Chardonnay.
The 25-acre Carpenter Vineyard is adjacent to John's Creek and at the base of the Vaca Mountain range. The soils are composed of deep, volcanic, gravelly loam with good drainage. Cool growing conditions, fog which hangs over the vineyard until mid-morning, and a generally temperate climate allow for the grapes' slow ripening and long hang time.
Far Niente's past and present were reunited in 1998, when a bottle of Far Niente Sweet Muscat, vintage 1886, was discovered in a private cellar in Marin County. The bottle exhibits the original label, cork and capsule, and is believed to be the oldest intact bottle of California wine in existence today.
The label, featuring a sepia-tone line drawing of a hammock overflowing with grape clusters, is thought to have been designed by original-owner Benson's nephew, artist Winslow Homer. Historians of the artist liken the style of the hammock on the label to the same technique employed in Homer's other works, but cannot provide authentication since the label is unsigned. But there is the label "Far Nienteo" taken from the Italian phrase "Dolce Far Niente" How sweet it is to do nothing. And, while the name caresses the tongue like a great vintage, one can hardly say that nothing is going on at this great winemaking estate.