Preserving history through the restoration of Napa Valley architecture

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.

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.

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.