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Far Niente, one of the earliest stone wineries, derives its name from the Italian phrase “Dolce Far Niente” (how sweet it is to do nothing), was founded in 1885 by John Benson and flourished until the advent of prohibition.  Abandoned for over 60 years, the old stone shell of a winery was purchased in 1979 by Gil Nickel.  He started the long process of restoring it as a part of his quest to create a great Napa Valley wine estate.  As the vines and the debris were cleared, he found the original name, Far Niente, carved in stone on the front of the building where it remains to this day.

Far Niente’s quest to produce outstanding wines of distinctive character has led them to a philosophy that requires vineyard ownership.  Today, they own 200 acres (3 different vineyard sites) of what many regard as some of the finest vineyard land in the Napa Valley.

Their Stelling Vineyard of 100 acres is located against the west hills of Oakville, contiguous to the winery, on some of the most beautiful gravelly loam soil in the Napa Valley and is planted to Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and Franc and Merlot grapes.  Surrounded by Martha’s Vineyard and Mondavi Reserve, the soils are responsible for Napa Valley’s most beautiful and age-worthy Cabernets.

In their pursuit for distinctive Chardonnay vineyards, they discovered two wonderful parcels in a little known area of the cooler southern Napa Valley, known as Coombsville.  Their Barrow Lane Vineyard of 18 acres is situated at the base of the hills to the east of Napa and offers the characteristic climate of Carneros, with a few key differences.  It has the cool region influence from the Bay, deeper, well-drained volcanic soils and less wind.  This gentle sloping vineyard with its volcanic soils and Western exposure, has been producing wines of a tighter fruit structure than the rich full-bodied wines from the Stelling Vineyard.  It has proven to be an ideal blending component, providing the backbone and length they desire in their wines.

Finally, John’s Creek Vineyard of 50 acres and less than half a mile north of Barrow Lane Vineyard, is situated on a slight incline at the base of the eastern hills and is a key to their Chardonnay blend.  The deep gravelly Loan soil and its south western exposure account for their fruit ripening a full 2 weeks earlier than Barrow Lane.  The resulting flavours add wonderful components of richness, subtle tropical flavours and aromas that they have associated with Far Niente Chardonnays.

Grapes:                Mostly estate grown Cabernet Sauvignon (91%) with a small percentage of Cabernet Franc (5%) and Petit Verdot (4%)

Vinification:         The hand harvested grapes were mostly from the Stelling Vineyard.  The later than usual harvest of 2005 allowed the grapes ample time to slowly develop and ripen flavours.  Fermentation seemed to mirror harvest, in that the wine took its time to develop.  As a result, our winemaker allowed the wine to go through an extended period of maceration to pick up the depth of rich, fruit character called for in our Cabernet house style.  Overall, the wine sat on the skins almost twice as long as the year before.  2005 also yielded a larger quantity of Far Niente Cabernet, since more of our replanted vineyards in Oakville finally came into production.  The wine was aged in French oak for 17 months (69% new, 31% once-used).                            

Tasting Notes:      Notes of dense, black fruit, anise and blackberries appear up front followed by hints of fruit jam and dark chocolate.  In the mouth, this wine unfolds in layers, beginning with a round and supple entry, and progressing to a full, weighty structure on the palate.  The silky tannins are textured and coating, producing a wine that is smooth from start to finish.