Restoring Historic Buildings & Landmarks

Preserving history through the restoration of Napa Valley architecture

Preserving history through the restoration of Napa Valley architecture

Our Future Lies in Preserving Our Past

Heritage is a gift from our ancestors, and we are committed to preserving it. As custodians of historic Napa Valley architecture and vineyards, Far Niente’s legacy is forever linked to respectful restoration and rejuvenation. Every building and every vineyard tell a story, and we continue to honor founder Gil Nickel’s passion for keeping the rich history connected to every winery and vineyard estate we own.

A Respect for Vintage

Born in the wake of the Great Depression, Gil learned early in life to cherish all things vintage because buying new was not an option. He developed a love of antique cars, boats, books and old buildings. Even after going to college to be a rocket scientist, Gil was still enthralled by history and the idea of rescuing old objects when the world told him to replace.

With this foundation of beliefs, it is no surprise that only one winery caught his entrepreneurial eye during a trip to Napa Valley in 1979: an abandoned stone building in the hills of Oakville. His vision of creating one of the world’s greatest wine estates remarkably began with just four stone walls.

A Respect for Vintage

Far Niente Winery

After striking a creative deal with former owner Douglas Stelling to purchase the estate in exchange for a partnership that involved the winery and its historic vineyard, the massive responsibility of restoring the 19th-century stone winery to its original grandeur began. The building had no windows, plumbing or electricity, and a dilapidated roof. Still, Far Niente was named to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.

The dusty words “Far Niente” were discovered inside—an Italian phrase that romantically translates to “without a care.” The Nickels began what he called “reconnaissance missions” to Italy to study magnificent buildings and gain inspiration. During their three-year labor of love to restore the entire property, no detail was overlooked and no expense too great, including the antique roof tiles imported from Italy and the excavation of Napa Valley’s first caves in a century. A landscape architect helped design terraced gardens that unfold and enchant, filled with plants from Nickel’s family nursery in Oklahoma, as well as local gardens.

Far Niente Winery

Nickel & Nickel Winery

In the 1990s, Gil Nickel and his partners purchased the historic John C. Sullenger farmstead in Oakville to be the home for Nickel & Nickel Winery. The stunning estate includes several historic barns and a two-story farmhouse dating back to the 18th and 19th centuries.

Gil convinced nephew Erik Nickel, a skilled designer, to join the business and oversee restoration and expansion of the Nickel & Nickel Estate. The Nickels magnificently restored the property, which was originally settled in the 1880s, including renovating the Queen Anne-style Sullenger House and its collection of charming classic barns. They also added the Gleeson Barn, a pre-Revolutionary War-era hay barn that was originally built in New Hampshire in 1770. Over the course of two years, the barn was dismantled and restored before being shipped to Nickel & Nickel. Keeping with tradition, both Sullenger House and Gleeson Barn serve as hospitality spaces for guests.

The post-and-beam barns that house our winery and underground cellar were thoughtfully designed to complement the historic buildings.

Nickel & Nickel Winery

Bella Union Winery

Located on Highway 29 in the heart of Rutherford, this mural-painted building served as a Napa Valley landmark for decades. Our passion to rescue and reimagine old buildings drove us to purchase this property in 2021 to become the home for our Rutherford winery, Bella Union.

For the Bella Union renovation, we embraced one of the most sustainable building practices of all: upcycling, to preserve and elevate structures that already exist. Working with designer Mike Niemann, we transformed a utilitarian winery into something extraordinary with a lower carbon footprint and less disruption to our community than new construction. We believe our throwaway society needs to see imaginative examples of how to elevate structures without starting over from scratch.

The new Bella Union Estate Winery is a blend of beautiful unions—modern and historic design details channeling the Belle Époque period and a cascade of convivial tasting spaces. The crescendo is a glass jewel box facade that graces the original building, which floats above the cloistered courtyard, vineyards and protected wetlands.

Bella Union Winery

Restoring historic vineyards

One of Napa Valley most prized pieces of land, the Martin Stelling Vineyard, is named for the ambitious vintner who owned most of Oakville in the 1940s, including To Kalon Vineyard and Far Niente Estate. Far Niente Cabernet Sauvignon is the only wine that has ever been produced from this vineyard, and preserving its place in history is an important part of our viticulture.

Gil Nickel isolated a special selection of Cabernet Sauvignon vines within this vineyard now called the Stelling clone, which we work to protect through a multi-year replanting that includes other Cabernet Sauvignon grapevines with a rich heritage in Napa Valley, including the Disney-Silverado clone first cultivated by Harry See of See’s Candies.

Respected consultants, winemaker Thomas Rivers Brown and viticulturist Garrett Buckland, guided us through the restoration of this 57-acre vineyard to preserve its place in history while elevating fruit quality to even higher levels.

Restoring historic vineyards
Restoring historic vineyards
DISCOVER A TASTE OF HISTORY

The winery experience

Experience our gracious hospitality and award-winning wines with tasting experiences in charming settings. Each Far Niente family winery on Highway 29 offers a distinct taste of Napa Valley architecture and history.

Nickel & Nickel

Nickel & Nickel

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Nickel & Nickel

Nickel & Nickel

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