Far Niente
Founded in Napa Valley in 1885, Far Niente is one of Napa Valley’s original stone wineries, and it remains a testament to the valley’s winemaking legacy more than 125 years later. The original winery was built by John Benson, a San Francisco real estate investor who came to California during the Gold Rush and fulfilled his dream of building a large stone winery in the heart of Napa Valley. He commissioned architect Hamden McIntyre, who created the wineries that house the current Culinary Institute of America and Inglenook winery. It functioned as one of the original “gravity flow” wineries, which moves grapes through production in a stress-free, gentle manner; this authentic style of winemaking has become popular again in recent years.
