Napa Valley Updates

2009-05-06T11:10:00.001-07:00

This article by Paul Franson, is quasi-accurate. However there have been at least three major transactions which have gone unreported and are at MAJOR prices. A+ Vineyard land is commanding record prices--despite the slump.

JW

Demand Soft for California Vineyards
Sales of winegrape real estate in Napa, Sonoma and Mendocino 'on pause'

by Paul Franson

Alternative text

Napa, Calif. -- Things are very quiet in real estate offices specializing in North Coast vineyards, says vineyard appraiser Tony Correia. "The markets are on pause. They've been stalled for six months," he says. "There have been no significant pure vineyard sales."

By contrast, the few transactions in Napa, Sonoma and Mendocino counties have been for wineries, such as the Foley Wine Group's deal to buy Sebastiani, which include some vineyards, or equity buys into wineries like Huneeus Vintners' recent partnering with Flowers.

Napa-based Silverado Premium Properties remains active, reportedly closing two deals in the last month. "They're in a unique position," Correia says. "No matter what happens, they buy and sell. They're the smartest guys in the business."

The situation has changed dramatically in the last six months, and Correia notes that he senses a lot of stress among winery owners with wine sales slowing down. "This will force some folks to make decisions, and we're likely to see the impact. Their wine hobby was fine when their other businesses were making money, but they can be expensive playthings now."

He notes that Bill Foley, whose group now owns Foley Estates, Lincourt Vineyards, Firestone Vineyard and Merus in California, plus Three Rivers in Washington, is one of the few wine individuals who seems very active. "He's in a unique position, title insurance. It makes money whenever anyone buys or sells--even if the buyers take a loss."

Correia presented his findings at the 2009 Spring Ag Outlook, the annual meeting of California Chapter of American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers on April 24, in Sacramento. The data is from surveys by American Ag Credit teams: Mike Pipkin for Lake and Mendocino counties; Hal Forcey for Napa; and Mark Gregg for Sonoma. It applies to 2008.

Napa vineyard property

Prices for Napa County vineyard properties planted on resistant rootstocks increased slightly in 2008 over 2007 with fewer transactions occurring, and limited properties available for sale. The predominant buyers included successful wineries and large vineyard investment groups. Diversity between the low and high valuations in the county is vast, however.

The best vineyards in the best areas continue to be in strong demand with values of $225,000 to more than $300,000 per acre. The secondary vineyard locations are seeing stable demand with values between $115,000 and $215,000 per acre. There has been limited activity in outlying areas including Pope and Chiles valleys, with values likely holding in the $55,000 to $75,000 per acre range and reduced demand.

The market for small vineyard parcels can be heavily influenced by the estate site component, but Correia comments, "The residential component of vineyards is definitely softening. If the value of a home site was $1 million, it's something less now." The current financial and economic crisis appears to have taken a number of buyers out of the market or placed them in a holding pattern. Fewer lenders are actively chasing transactions, and lending requirements are tightening.

The market for vineyard parcels can be heavily influenced by location, views, privacy or position on a main tourist route for wineries, too, and obviously for existing permits. These can influence value influences more than parcel size.

Demand for plantable land has remained strong, with values increasing slightly. Upland parcels with approved erosion control permits had the largest increase in value, due to the two to three year timeframe for obtaining the permits. Most of the developments are smaller in size. Most new plantings now are redevelopment of old vineyards.

Napa Vineyard Values Prime Napa vineyards $225,000 to $300,000/acre
Secondary Napa vineyards $115,000 to $215,000/acre
Outlying (Pope, Chiles) vineyards $55,000 to $75,000/acre
Los Carneros vineyards $115,000 to $150,000/acre
Open land throughout county $35,000 to $175,000/acre
Site contribution throughout county $200,000 to $3.5 million/site

Sonoma County vineyard property

In general, prices for Sonoma County phylloxera-resistant vineyard properties in 2008 remained stable to increasing over 2007.

For Russian River Valley, western Sonoma Coast and Sonoma Carneros vineyards very strong demand led to record prices being paid for Sonoma County. This trend was driven by the demand for cool-climate Pinot Noir and Chardonnay used for luxury-priced wines.

The highest priced vineyards were high-density plantings being intensely managed for low production (2 to 3.5 tons per acre) with very high fruit quality that could demand $4,500 to $6,500 per ton. Resistant vineyard values in these areas ranged from $90,000 to $125,000 per acre. Pending sales in the last quarter of 2008 suggest values exceeding $125,000 per acre. Napa County wineries tended to be the primary buyers for these types of vineyards.

Vineyard values for the remaining primary Sonoma County viticulture areas, such as Alexander Valley, Dry Creek and Sonoma Valley remained fairly stable, with r esistant vineyard values of approximately $75,000 to $85,000 per acre. This stability was primarily a factor of grape prices in these areas strengthening but to a lesser degree in comparison to Russian River Valley, western Sonoma Coast and Sonoma Carneros.

Sonoma County clearly has secondary areas were vineyard values are substantially less in comparison to the primary viticultural areas. These areas typically include the Sonoma Coast viticultural area around the city of Petaluma, the non-vineyard designated areas east of Santa Rosa, or the mountainous terrain between western Sonoma Coast and Dry Creek Valley. Vineyard values in these areas are impacted by these properties' limited ability to obtain viable yields and/or above average prices that are needed at the low yields. The few vineyard sales in these areas suggest values ranging from $35,000 to $75,000 per acre.

There was a constant level of market activity for all vineyard property types. A successful vineyard investment group was the primary buyer for commercial vineyard properties located in the primary viticultural regions. Wineries and non-farm professionals, executives and business owners were also purchasing vineyards.

As for resistant vineyards, the demand for plantable land is divided. Russian River Valley, western Sonoma Coast, and Sonoma Carneros have been increasing. Readily plantable land in these areas has a general range of $60,000 to $80,000 per acre. Western Sonoma Coast plantable land is not included in this range, as it is usually mountain terrain requiring greater development costs. Plantable land values in the other prime growing regions range from $45,000 to $52,500 per acre. Secondary area plantable land values can range from $5,000 to $20,000 per acre.

Mendocino and Lake counties

The market activity in Mendocino and Lake counties has been very mixed. Lake County had a few very high sales, a few low sales and couple in the middle of the range. Good quality vineyards in Lake County ranged for $20,000 to more than $40,000 per acre for commercial-sized properties. The few mid-range vineyards were around $30,000 per acre.

Mendocino County is divided into two separate regions. The inland section along the Highway 101 corridor had very limited sales activity. The few sales indicate a general stable market.

Anderson Valley, on the other hand, has been very active. The demand for Pinot Noir in Mendocino County has remained exceptionally strong, especially in Anderson Valley. Every sale seems to set another record price for vineyards in Mendocino County. The area continues to attract buyers from Napa and Sonoma counties for the high quality Pinot Noir. Values for top quality vineyards have exceeded $75,000 per acres.

Mendocino Vineyard Values Anderson Valley vineyards $50,000 to $75,000/acre
Inland Mendocino vineyards $30,000 to $36,000/acre
Anderson Valley plantable $20,000 to $30,000/acre
Inland plantable $10,000 to $15,000/acre
Site contribution throughout county $200,000 to $500,000/site

Vineyard listings are at all-time highs in Mendocino and Lake counties, with very few buyers.

The value trend for commercial open land, obsolete vineyards and interim AxR1 vineyards appears to have remained generally stable, with very limited activity. AxR1 vineyards with interim viability were allocated value at a substantial discount in comparison to resistant vineyards. Most AXR plantings contribute less than $10,000 per acre.

The demand for plantable land in Lake and interior Mendocino County has been weak. Very few buyers are looking for plantable land to develop additional acreage. The exception is Anderson Valley, where numerous small developments of Pinot Noir continue to emerge.

"It's a good time to buy if you have the money," Correia says. "Credit is tight and expensive, but available."

2009-04-29T21:07:00.000-07:00

Women's Wine-Drinking Habits Examined in Global Vinexpo Survey
U.S. women prefer red wine and most often buy based on grape variety and price, according to WineSpectator.com results
Dana Nigro
Posted: Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Women in the United States who frequently drink wine tend to prefer red wine, drink it most often with meals and make their purchasing decisions based on grape variety and price, according to a survey conducted online by WineSpectator.com.

The WineSpectator.com survey of women's wine-drinking habits and attitudes toward wine was conducted in partnership with Vinexpo as part of a larger global survey of more than 4,300 women in France, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States. Vinexpo, organizers of the world's largest wine and spirits trade exhibition, which is held in Bordeaux every two years (the 2009 event is this June), joined forces with different publications in each country. (Polling methods varied by country, depending on the publication.)

Among the U.S. respondents, 93 percent said that they drink wine at least once a week. When they do, it's most often with meals (80 percent)—also the most common occasion for all the women surveyed globally—and/or to relax at the end of the day (67 percent).

When asked to choose up to two reasons why they drink wine, 92 percent of the American women said they like the taste, while 71 percent said because it goes well with food—also the most common reasons among global respondents. Image is not a key concern; less than 2 percent of American women and 11 percent globally said they drink wine because it's fashionable. In addition, 97 percent of the U.S. respondents believe that wine is compatible with a healthy, balanced diet.

The vast majority of the American women, 79 percent, typically choose red wine over white or rosé. Red was the preference of 60 percent of all the women surveyed globally.

For the Americans, the two most important factors in choosing a wine are the grape variety (68 percent) and the price (56 percent); women globally cited those factors nearly equally along with country of origin (all 56 to 57 percent). Women who considered label and package design to be important were in the minority: only 4 percent among the Americans and 22 percent of all women surveyed. American women also said that they more often like to try new wines (65 percent) than to buy a wine they have had before and liked (35 percent).

Just over 84 percent of the U.S. respondents buy most of their wine in a specialty wine shop, though most women purchase from multiple sources. Able to choose a second answer to the question, 30 percent said they bought wine from supermarkets, 24 percent in restaurants, 22 percent direct from wineries and 9 percent on the Internet. Globally, most women also preferred buying from wine shops, but in an interesting distinction with the United States, 64 percent reported buying wine in supermarkets and 21 percent online. Fewer Americans may turn to these sources partly due to the state laws restricting supermarket sales of wine and regulating Internet sales and shipments of wine.

When they do buy from a retail store, 66 percent of the U.S. women spend an average of between $11 and $20 per bottle, while another 26 percent typically spend between $21 and $50.

For advice in choosing wines, the American women said they most often turn to wine merchants (46.2 percent). Respondents were able to select two answers to this question; many also said they consult newspapers or magazines (35.7 percent) or sources on the Internet (26 percent), relatives or friends (22 percent) and sommeliers or waiters (15 percent). And 33 percent said they make their own choices without help from others. Globally, more women chose on their own or turned to a relative or a friend for tips (both 44 percent).

The 431 women surveyed in the United States ranged in age from 21 to more than 60 years old, with the largest segment, 38 percent, ranging from 31 to 45 years old.

2008-04-13T16:49:00.000-07:00

WONDER HOW ACCURATE THIS IS? IT'S FROM THE REGISTER.

Sunday, April 13, 2008

Poll shows little support for Measure N

Poll funded by foes has Responsible Growth measure behind
By KERANA TODOROV

The majority of Napa County voters are ready to vote against Measure N, according to a poll paid for by a group that opposes the land-use measure.

The survey paid for by Measure N foes Keep Napa Napa found that 46 percent of voters said they will vote against the measure on June 3 while 33 percent would support it and another 21 percent remain undecided. The poll’s margin of error is 5 percent.

Opposition among the 400 would-be Napa County voters crossed all major demographic groups, the poll found.

Keep Napa Napa is funded primarily by Napa Redevelopment Partners, the would-be developer of Napa Pipe, an 152-acre site on the edge of Napa. Napa Redevelopment Partners wants to build 3,200 housing units on the industrial property along the Napa River, plus a hotel and a business park.

Measure N, on the June 3 ballot, would effectively kill the current proposal for Napa Pipe.

The measure, sponsored by the Napa Coalition for Responsible Growth, would make the county’s 1 percent per year residential growth cap voter-approved, requiring a vote of the people for any exception to the cap. Also, no building in the unincorporated county could exceed 35 feet in height.

Victor Aljouny, a political consultant for Measure N supporters, was not impressed with the latest poll results, calling it one more effort to confuse voters.

“I don’t give credence to it,” said Aljouny, calling it a “push poll” — a deceptive poll that leads to foregone conclusions.

“When you have big money and you are a developer, you’re not constrained by the truth, especially when you stand to lose millions if Measure N passes,” Aljouny said.

Recent campaign finance forms indicate that Keep Napa Napa has raised 16 times as much money as the measure’s proponents.

Napa Redevelopment Partners’ Keith Rogal called Aljouny’s remarks “amusing,” adding the survey asked the same questions the voters will see on the June ballot.

“The Napa people really looked, and the more they looked the less they liked it,” Rogal said Friday.

Aljouny remained confident. The voters are only now starting to get the facts, he said.

Fabrizio, McLaughlin and Associates of Alexandria, Va. conducted the poll sponsored by Keep Napa Napa from March 25 to March 27. The poll cost about $18,000, Rogal said.
Napa Valley Register Copyright © 2008

2008-03-28T16:53:00.000-07:00

THIS IS FROM THIS WEEK'S ST. HELENA STAR. IF YOU LIVE IN POPE VALLEY OR ANGWIN IT MAY BE OF SOME INTEREST

St. Helena probes funding for out-of-district students
By Jesse Duarte
STAFF WRITER
Thursday, March 27, 2008

The Napa County Office of Education appears to have received property tax revenue for high school education that should have been routed to the St. Helena Unified School District, local school officials said last week.

The money, generated in the boundaries of the Howell Mountain and Pope Valley school districts, probably should have gone to the St. Helena school district to fund the education of high school students from Howell Mountain and Pope Valley at St. Helena High School, said Superintendent Allan Gordon.

The Howell Mountain and Pope Valley school districts only offer K-8 education. High school-age students from those areas are allowed to attend any school in the county they wish, and most of them — currently about 60 — choose St. Helena High School.

“We discovered that the two districts were paying the county office of schools a rate that probably should have been coming to the St. Helena school district,” said Gordon.

According to Catrina Howatt, St. Helena school district chief business officer, it appears based on rough estimates that in the last fiscal year the county office received at least $400,000 from Howell Mountain and Pope Valley taxpayers that was intended for high school education.

The rate at which money generated in Howell Mountain and Pope Valley goes to the Napa County Office of Education is substantially higher than in other areas of the county.

Taxpayers in the St. Helena school district’s boundaries pay 3.7 cents on the dollar to the county office. The rate is about 2.2 cents for residents of the Calistoga and Napa Valley Unified school districts.

But Howell Mountain taxpayers pay an average of 9.2 cents on the dollar to the county office. In Pope Valley, the average rate is 11.8 cents.

It appears that those higher rates are related to high school education, said St. Helena officials.

The county office provides fiscal oversight and support services for all the county’s school districts. It also provides business services for the Howell Mountain and Pope Valley school districts.

Gordon suggested that the board sit down with officials from the county and the Howell Mountain and Pope Valley school districts to sort out the problem.

Napa County Superintendent of Schools Barbara Nemko stressed that officials are still in the “fact-finding” stage, and said there’s no evidence the county office received any funding that should have gone to St. Helena.

Nemko said records from a 1964 education master plan refer to a high school tax in the Howell Mountain and Pope Valley school districts, but that tax doesn’t appear in any modern education or tax codes.

“The county office doesn’t want one penny that doesn’t belong to us,” said Nemko. “So let’s find out if that is going on.”

Nemko said it appears that the other counties in California that have separate K-8 and high school districts have formed unified districts.

Gordon said St. Helena officials don’t want unification or higher tax rates for Howell Mountain and Pope Valley. They just want current tax revenue to be apportioned properly.

The problem seems to have originated in 1991 when St. Helena was converted from a “revenue-limit” district, receiving money from the state on a per-student basis, to a “Basic Aid” district, which keeps a portion of local property tax revenues.

Before the switch, the district received money for each student regardless of which district they lived in. Officials are still trying to find out what provisions were made for out-of-district students when the switch was made, but Gordon said the answer may lie in the higher rate that the Howell Mountain and Pope Valley school districts pay to the county office.

Pacific Union College’s plans to build a nearly 400-home “eco-village” in Angwin, along with other development plans in Pope Valley, prompted St. Helena school officials to start investigating the issue before the number of students from outside the district increases any further.

District officials also want to discuss how the St. Helena school district can receive a share of eco-village development impact fees to offset the new high school students it would generate. The project’s environmental impact report isn’t finished, but preliminary calculations have estimated the project will result in 43 to 123 new students at the K-8 Howell Mountain School and 16 to 43 new students at St. Helena High School.

Gordon said local school officials also need to discuss whether students from Howell Mountain and Pope Valley should have some form of representation on St. Helena’s school board.

2007-08-07T17:43:00.000-07:00

This is from the St. Helena Star. In one of the most sordid acts of mean spiritedness, a representative from the LRC (Living River Clansmen) sent a letter to the group which would have approved St. Helena's loan. The letter which didn't go to environmental issues, but apparently questioned the City's ability to finish the project or secure the funds necessary to, (I haven't seen the letter so am not sure), caused a two month delay in the bureaucratic process.

Without the letter, the prject would be getting underway as we speak. Now our elderly citizens get to go through another winter of uncertainty and fear thanks to three or four radical environmentalists who are gaming the system.

The environmental group which conceived of the Flood Plan (Measure A), Friends of the Napa River has signed off on this project.

The Living River Clansmen (they won't identify themselves), wearing metaphorical hoods, have left the Friends of the River and started their own Bureaucratic terrorist group. Ain't we lucky!

Flood Project Delayed

By Jesse Duarte
STAFF WRITER
Wednesday, August 1, 2007 11:59 PM PDT

One month after construction of the city’s flood protection project was scheduled to begin, city officials announced Monday that time constraints have forced them to postpone construction until next year.

The city council and staff had hoped to construct the project in two phases, providing Vineyard Valley Mobile Home Park and Hunts Grove Apartments with flood protection by the end of this year and constructing additional improvements along Sulphur Creek in 2008.

But due to unforeseen delays, the city will put off construction until next April and try to finish it by October.

“We tried our hardest to get it going this year, and we’re as sorry as you that it’s not going to happen,” Councilmember Eric Sklar told a crowd of Vineyard Valley residents Monday.

“We’re all disappointed, but I don’t think we’re surprised,” said Vineyard Valley’s Joanne Otteson. “And on rainy nights this winter, it’ll be on all our minds.”

According to Sklar, delays caused by LRC were a major factor in the city’s decision to postpone construction. But LRC spokesman Sampson Bowers was hesitant to take the credit — or the blame — for delaying the project.

“Personally, I’ve been trying to get with the city and figure out a way to get this project in the ground in a way that LRC can support,” Bowers said. “But they haven’t been interested in talking about that.”

Sklar said three factors contributed to the city’s decision:

• The delay in securing a $12 million state loan.

• The unexpected findings of a cultural resources inventory at Vineyard Valley.

• Living Rivers Council’s threat to file an injunction to halt construction.

The city had hoped to break ground on the project around July 1. However, the $12 million loan the city had expected to receive by that date was delayed when, according to Sklar, Bowers wrote letters to State Water Resources Control Board staffers casting doubt on the city’s ability to repay the loan.

Those communications led the agency to hold off on approving the loan until a July 17 board meeting. But even with the loan approved, loan documents had to be signed and a construction contract had to be approved — leaving the city a month behind schedule.

Indian artifacts found

Meanwhile, archaeologists scouring the flood project site for Indian artifacts and remains as part of a cultural resources inventory were making interesting discoveries. According to City Manager Bert Johansson, “the extent of the features uncovered to date makes it highly probable that construction activities will unearth additional finds.”

Sklar told Vineyard Valley residents he was unable to go into detail about the archaeologists’ findings due to federal and state regulations aimed at preventing the looting of artifacts.

The law would have required construction workers to stop digging whenever they found artifacts and allow archaeologists to remove them in the proper manner. If construction had begun July 1, those delays would have been manageable, Sklar said. But the new start date wouldn’t have allowed for those delays without pushing the project’s end date past Oct. 15, the city’s deadline to complete erosion control measures in preparation for the rainy season.

The shortened construction schedule also could have increased the chances of flooding if work was still under way when the rains began.

“If we begin Aug. 15 and don’t finish what we’re doing, there will be a greater chance of flooding because we will have removed sections of the existing wall to put the new one in,” Sklar said. “We just can’t take that chance.”

LRC injunction threat

LRC’s threat to file for an injunction to halt construction as soon as it began also contributed to the city’s decision. The injunction would have delayed construction until LRC’s pending appeal was settled.

While Sklar said the city’s attorneys were confident LRC’s request would be denied, if it were granted the city would have had to compensate the winning contractor for their lost profits, possibly to the tune of $1 million.

The city now plans to put the project out to bid again, this time requiring construction to be completed in one year rather than the previous two-phase approach. Mayor Del Britton said performing all the work in one year should be more convenient and less expensive for the contractor, which should help offset rising construction costs.

The city will have to wrestle with several other problems before beginning construction, including the project’s budget shortfall, the exact amount of which won’t be known until property acquisition is complete.

Johansson said the city is investigating several options to obtain that money. The city intends to apply for $5 million in state flood protection corridor grants.

Depending on how successful those efforts are, the city might have to raise the rest of the money by creating a benefit assessment district — basically a monthly tax over the parcels receiving flood protection. The issue could reach the city council in September, Johansson said.

Additional relief could come from the Water Resources Development Act, congressional legislation that authorizes St. Helena’s project to receive federal and state reimbursements. That bill has passed both houses of Congress, and each house is expected to vote on a reconciled version of the bill by next week, leaving its fate in the hands of President George W. Bush. The House of Representatives was expected to vote Wednesday, Aug. 1, on the reconciled version of the bill.

If Bush vetoes the bill, Congress will have enough votes to override his veto and enact the bill, Sklar said.

The bill could enable St. Helena to receive $19.5 million for the current flood project and for Sulphur Creek flood protection.

The city also must acquire two pieces of property: portions of the parcel southwest of Vineyard Valley owned by Stephen Hunter and the land within Vineyard Valley beneath the displaced mobile homes.

Legal obstacles

Finally, LRC’s appeal of a court ruling in favor of the city will likely reach an appellate court by the time construction begins, possibly as soon as October, Sklar said. If that appeal is unsuccessful, it should render LRC’s pursuit of an injunction a moot point, he said.

But after speaking to LRC’s Chris Malan, Bowers said the organization is not ready to rule out the possibility of seeking an injunction even if that appeal is unsuccessful.

“It would be such a different situation that it’s really too early to say,” Bowers said.

According to Bowers, LRC was planning to file for an injunction this year for two reasons: to allow the appeals process to run its course and to prevent the city from completing the first phase of construction and then running out of money to complete the second phase, which he said includes all the environmental improvements LRC is eager to see.

2007-06-12T09:03:00.000-07:00

Napa Valley Auction News from the Napa Register

Auction raises $9.8 million

High bidders vie for extravagant prizes

By L. PIERCE CARSON, Register Staff Writer

Monday, June 11, 2007

Buoyed by cooling breezes, a great meal and the stable economy, generous bidders drove the 27th Auction Napa Valley to a near-record mark Saturday night, spending $9.8 million for everything from exclusive wine tours to scarce wines, from vacations in Vietnam and Mexico to the first luxury hybrid from Lexus.

And the evening’s top bidder got to drive home a brand new Maserati worth more than $100,000.

After sipping sparkling wine and noshing on hors d’oeuvres, a streamlined crowd of 320 bidders, guests, vintners and media strolled into a white open-air tent on the fairway at Meadowood Resort around 6 p.m. to enjoy a bounty of fresh organic produce and melt-in-your-mouth beef artfully prepared by eight of the valley’s top chefs.

Then actor/comic Dana Carvey loosened all up with topical humor that ran the gamut of rib-tickling political impressions (Hillary and Bill Clinton, Al Gore, Rudy Giuliani, Arnold Schwarzenegger and the Bushes, father and son) to one quip he wished he could have had back.

When Carvey aped Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi’s facial expression — remarking that “she looks like she just sat on something cold and wet” — he didn’t know her husband, Paul, a local grapegrower, was in the front row. The former “Saturday Night Live” regular attempted to redeem himself by pointing out to the upbeat crowd that Speaker Pelosi “is the only one who’ll stand up to W.” Carvey got a smile from her spouse.

A chatty dinner crowd seemed willing to part with its money from the get-go. Starting a good half-hour late, the live auction saw St. Helena’s Peter Chow spend $140,000 for the opening lot donated by the auction chairs. The Joseph Phelps winemaking family will provide Chow — who said he’s “good friends with Joe” — with a dinner in the Napa Valley for 40, dinners for six at San Francisco’s Gary Danko and New York’s Daniel, private jet to New York for six, tickets to a Broadway show and one of the only two remaining six-liter bottles of the inaugural Joseph Phelps Insignia.

But it was the lot offered by Shari and Garen Staglin that took top dollar, once again breaking the million-dollar mark. Sandi and John Thompson, of Woodside, underbidders on last year’s million-dollar lot from Staglin Family Vineyards, paid $1.1 million for a guided tour of Italy’s top wine estates and — a last minute addition — a new Maserati donated by the Staglins.

As catalogued, the Staglin lot includes a guided trip to Italy for four, plus a pair of Maseratis to take the two couples to such prestigious wine estates as Giacomo Conterno, La Spinetta and Gaja; stays in Milan, Piedmont and Venice; lunches, dinners and tastings with winery principals; a tour of the Maserati factory; roand und-trip business class airfare for four; along with tastings and meals in both Napa Valley and Los Angeles.

Chairman and CEO of Symantec in Cupertino, Thompson said the trip designed by the Staglins “will give us an opportunity to learn more about Italian wines.”

Asked if he had ever driven a Maserati, Thompson replied: “I have lots of fancy cars.” He added that he would not let his wife drive it however, maintaining “she’s a terrible driver.”

“I’m not driving it ever,” Sandi Thompson chimed in. “The only thing I drive well is him crazy.”

Still a player

Last year’s top bidder, Joy Craft, of Woodside, spent half-a-million dollars for the opportunity to “camp out” with seven friends amidst the vines at Screaming Eagle, along with new owners Stanley Korenke and Charles Banks, and take home three double magnums of the cult favorite, Screaming Eagle, vintages 2001-2003.

“I’m a camper, a hiker, a backpacker,” said the self-assessed rags-to-riches businesswoman who runs an education foundation in South Carolina named WebbCraft after her grandmother and grandfather, respectively. “I have a lot of personalities. I love the idea of camping out among the vines.”

Asked if she intended to drink the wine, Craft added: “Absolutely. And if I die, I want to have it poured on my grave ... and see what grows. I’m gonna take it with me.”

Craft also took home another Top 10 lot, noting the auction “is all about charity.” She paid $340,000 for a one-of-a-kind collection of Araujo Estate wines — the first ever offering of Eisele Vineyards Vielles Vignes cabernet sauvignon in both standard and large bottle formats, plus double magnums of Eisele Vineyard Napa Valley cabernet from 1991 through 1997.

A special lot

About two-thirds through the auction Saturday night, auctioneers Ursula Hermacinski and Fritz Hatton introduced vintner John Shafer to talk about a special lot added to the line-up. Shafer, who for years has helped raise funds for Health Clinic Olé — which provides medical service to uninsured and under-insured area residents — told bidders about the clinic’s efforts to have check-ups and immunizations for all children in the Napa Valley. He said a $1,000 donation would pay for the cost of at least a half dozen children.

Bids were solicited from attendees in increments of $1,000, $5,000, $10,000 and so on, with dozens of bidders holding paddles high.

Teaming up with the Trinchero family, vintner/co-chair Joe Phelps pledged $225,000 to become high bidder for this special lot, with third-year auction attendee and frequent high bidder Joy Craft offering $200,000 for the Fund the Need lot. Total amount pledged in less than 10 minutes was $769,000.

An ecstatic co-chair

“I’m really happy,” auction co-chair Bill Phelps said several times as the final gavel came down on the three-and-a-half hour live auction. “I’m ecstatic — the numbers are good and I think it was a huge success. We were able to do what we wanted — to keep this auction going in a sustainable manner. That’s the most important thing — to keep this event going on and on.”

During a break in the music that had dancers boogieing under the stars until midnight, Phelps took to the stage to thank bidders and volunteers alike in making the 2007 auction a success. There were plenty of oohs and aahs when he told them all auction components were expected to bring in more than $9.8 million this year. (The 25th anniversary auction in 2005 took in a total of $10.5 million.)

The shortest barrel auction ever this past Friday at Taste Napa Valley — just four hours long — saw a record $1.23 million spent on 106 lots of wine specially crafted for the auction. Last year’s barrel auction, which was conducted over several days, grossed $815,000, said Linda Reiff, executive director of auction-sponsoring Napa Valley Vintners.

Growing in popularity, the e-auction, with its 81 lots, brought in online bids totaling $378,000, she added. Last year’s total was $310,000.

More top lots

In addition to the Staglin, Screaming Eagle and Araujo offerings, additional Top 10 lots at this year’s weather-perfect auction included:

• $400,000 for the auction’s largest wine bottle, an 18 liter offering of Hundred Acre cabernet sauvignon, plus a dinner for 10 hosted by vintner Jayson Woodbridge, purchased by a mystery man who said he was bidding for someone else, who he also refused to identify.

(Napa Valley Vintners asks bidders if they’d like to remain anonymous, in that their names are not included on the list containing auction participants’ paddle numbers. As an example, eight of the top bidders at Auction Napa Valley 2006 opted for anonymity on this year’s list, although some nevertheless identified themselves if they made successful bids this year.)

• $380,000 for the perennial favorite, the Harlan lot; this year the lot included four double magnums of the most highly regarded vintages (’94, ’97, ’01, ’02) presented in a handcrafted cherrywood case bound in cowhide, plus a celebratory meal for eight. Ron and Teri Kuhn, owners of Pillar Rock Vineyard and longtime auction supporters, purchased this lot.

• $360,000 for the Napa Valley Vintners lot that featured the first luxury hybrid sedan from Lexus. The trade association’s lot also included first class airfare to Tennessee so the winning bidder can spend a weekend at the luxurious Blackberry Farm in the Great Smoky Mountains where two spaces are reserved at the Blackberry Cooking School. Also included was wine, a Napa Valley dinner and entertainment provided by seven female stalwarts of the local wine scene. High bidder was vintner Mary Miner, of Oakville Ranch Vineyards.

• $320,000 for the Colgin Cellars lot, a rare horizontal of 2004 IX Estate Napa Valley red wine — four 750 ml bottles, two magnums and one double magnum, allowing the bidder to explore the wine’s evolution in different formats — plus a dinner for 10 at the winery. Purchased by an anonymous bidder.

• $280,000 for the luxurious Opus One offering — first class airfare to and accommodations in Bordeaux for three couples, with a visit to Chateau Mouton Rothschild and dinner in the chateau’s private library. The three couples will accompany Baroness Philippine de Rothschild on a return first class flight to the Napa Valley where they will be hosted by the baroness and Robert and Margrit Mondavi at a gala dinner at Opus One. The lot includes 10 magnums of Opus One, dating from 1979 to 2002. Vintner Ann Colgin and partner Joe Wender were high bidders on this lot.

• $250,000 for Shafer Vineyards’ trio of Hillside Select double magnums, ’96-’98; plus vintner Doug Shafer will show up at high bidders David and Donna Reis’ home armed with a six vintage vertical of Hillside Select to accompany dinner. And he’ll pick up the dinner tab as well. “We’re on the Hillside Select mailing list and think it’s a helluva good wine,” said Reis after posting a winning bid.

• $240,000 for 100 bottles of wine from the sponsoring Napa Valley Vintners, this lot will provide the anonymous high bidder with VIP Patron passes for two to the second season of Festival del Sole, the wine country classical music festival patterned on a similar event in Cortona, Italy. The NVV lot also includes VIP Patron passes for two to the Singapore Sun Festival, plus round-trip business class tickets to Singapore and accommodations at the Raffles Hotel. Also included was a high performance digital sound system for the home designed by Steinway.

Register Staff Writer Jack Heeger contributed to this story.

2007-06-05T12:26:00.000-07:00

IMPORTANT NEWS ON NAPA COUNTY AND THE UNIONS

Michael Haley has come up with some interesting stuff regarding Napa County and its contract negotians with the unions. This letter of his may be of interest to you. Check out the web sites.

Dear NVTA:

I am working my way through Mike Parness's budget document that is going to be presented to the Napa City Council and community tonight.

They say that they have gotten $470,000 in concessions from four of the six unions so far, a very small amount in terms of the overall budget, (about 1% of $48 million in compensation) yet the plan includes a 5% increase in salaries for this year and a 6% increase in 08-09! What good does it do to get a tiny decrease then hand it all back and more right away!

And wow, that is big, way more than inflation is expected to be and certainly more than what average salary increases in Napa will be for the taxpayers who have to pay for all this.

See page 1-18 or PDF page number 28 of the below document:

http://www.cityofnapa.org/Departments/City_Manager/WebPages/CityBudget.PDF

The Ca DOT financial forecast predicts a 1.3% increase in wages in general in Napa for the five years of 2006 through 2010.

http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/tpp/offices/ote/forecast2006/Napa.pdf

Bay Area inflation/CPI numbers over the last five years have averaged below 3%, even below 2%. Here are the specific numbers for 2002 through 2005, 2006 has not been calculated for the Bay Area yet, but the national number is 3.2%. Bay Area has been below national for several years now and it is likely that 2006 will be lower than that 3.2%.

2002 1.6%

2003 1.8%

2004 1.2%

2005 1.96%

http://www.abag.ca.gov/abag/overview/datacenter/retail/cpi.html

2007-05-21T10:23:00.000-07:00

Who Owns Napa Valley's Vineyards?

By Mick Winter

Based on an article originally published in the May 2001 issue of Wine Business Monthly

Who is the biggest vineyard property owner in Napa County? Are the English/Australians/French taking over the valley? Are faceless corporations headquartered far away from the wine country making decisions that affect local policy? We've attempted to answer these questions through surveys, research, and the cooperation of more than 150 wineries and vineyard owners.

According to the Napa County Department of Agriculture 2000 Crop Report, in the fall of 2000 there were a total of 40,016 acres (28,242 red, and 11,774 white) actually planted to winegrapes. These grapes were planted on vineyards ranging in size from a fraction of an acre up to hundreds of acres.

The US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms reports that there are more than 245 bonded wineries in Napa County (many wine producers are not bonded themselves but use other bonded facilities). The Napa Valley Vintners Association has more than 180 members, and the Napa County Grape Growers Association has 300 members. And there are well over 1,000 vineyard owners in Napa County.

While this report does not cover all vineyard owners, it does list the major players, and reveals who owns the best-known wineries and vineyards. We've also thrown in a few celebrities, and some of the more interesting and unusual vineyard owners.

In addition to this list, you'll find two others. One shows the largest owners of Napa County grape acreage, currently led by:

Laird Family Estate
Diageo (Beaulieu Vineyard, Sterling Vineyard, Mumm Napa Valley)
Robert Mondavi (Robert Mondavi Winery, La Famiglia di Robert Mondavi, and half of Opus One Winery)
Foster's Brewing Group/Beringer Blass Wine Estates (Beringer Vineyard, St. Clement, and Stag's Leap Winery)

The other list shows wineries/vineyards whose owners are based outside California. Current top rankers are:

Diageo (England)
Foster's Group/Beringer Blass Estate Wines (Australia)
Donald Hess - The Hess Collection (Switzerland, although owner Hess is moving to Argentina)
Robert Skalli, Skalli Corp - St. Supéry Winery (France)
Antinori - Atlas Peak (Italy)

To answer our opening questions, the largest single owner of vineyards is Napa-based Laird Family Estate, with more than 2000 acres. The English (whose combined acreage is more than 2200 acres), followed by the French (more than 1300 acres) and Australians (more than 900 acres), are indeed controlling a significant part of the county's vineyards. And large corporations such as Diageo, Allied-Domecq and Constellation Brands, some with many products other than wine, are playing an increasingly major role in decisions affecting the Napa Valley and California wine industry. However, locally-owned wineries of all sizes are thriving as well, and very active in determining the present and future of the Napa County wine industry.

Significant Wineries, Vineyards
and Owners in Napa County

Allied Domecq owns William Hill Winery in Napa, which has 200 acres in vineyards. In addition, Allied Domecq leases 82 acres in the Carneros area, and 1200 acres from Antinori at its Atlas Peak Vineyard. It also owns 180 acres in the Carneros that it acquired when it purchased Sonoma County winery Buena Vista.

Allied-Domecq is headquartered in England and is the second largest spirits group in the world. It owns and/or distributes Ballantine's Scotch, Beefeater gin, Kahlua, Courvoisier cognac, Canadian Club, Harveys Bristol Cream and a number of other liquors

Andretti Winery--Founded by racecar driver Mario Andretti, who leases 43 acres of vines (on a total of 53 acres) at the winery on Big Ranch Road in Napa from the property's owner, Laird Family Estate.

Antinori (See Atlas Peak Vineyards)

Araujo Estate Wines--40 acres of vines (Eisele Vineyard) on 160 acres total.

Artesa Vineyards and Winery--formerly Codorniu Napa, is part of the Spanish-owned Codorniu Group. Artesa has 173 planted acres out of a total of 352.

Atalon (See Jackson Family Farms)

Atlas Peak Vineyards--The winery, located in the hills northeast of the city of Napa, is owned by Antinori California. It consists of 1200 acres, of which 500 acres are planted to grapes, all leased to Allied Domecq Wines, USA. Antinori California is owned by Italian winemaker Piero Antinori, whose family has been making wine since 1385.

Beaulieu Vineyard--B.V., owned by Diageo, itself owns 1084 acres in Napa County, almost all planted to grapes. It controls a similar amount of acreage through contracts with growers. B.V.'s own property includes 344 acres in the Carneros, 305 in Rutherford, 115 in St. Helena, and 320 in Calistoga (See Diageo).

Beckstoffer Vineyards owns 990 acres in Napa County, of which 866 acres are planted to grapes. Andrew Beckstoffer's company also owns extensive acreage in Lake and Mendocino counties.

Beringer Blass Wine Estates owns Beringer Vineyards (founded in 1876) and St. Clement in St. Helena, and Stag's Leap Winery off the Silverado Trail south of Yountville. It owns a total of 913 planted acres in Napa County and leases an additional 1427 acres throughout the county. The new company results from the merger of Australian wine company Mildara Blass with the Napa Valley's Beringer Wine Estates, both owned by Australia's Foster's Group.

Bouchaine Vineyards owns 104 acres of which 97 are planted to grapes. The winery is owned by Gerret and Tatiana Copeland of Wilmington, Delaware.

Buchli Station Vineyard owns 131 acres of Chardonnay in the Carneros.

Buena Vista Winery--Although based in Sonoma County, the winery also owns 180 acres of vines in the Napa Carneros, part of its total vine acreage of 950 acres on 1350 total acres owned in both counties. Buena Vista was owned by Racke USA and the Moller-Racke family of Germany, but is now owned by Allied Domecq.

Burgess Cellars--Burgess owns 105 planted acres. Fifty-five acres are on Howell Mountain and another 50 acres are in the Yountville area.

Cain Vineyard and Winery is located west of St. Helena on Spring Mountain at the crest of the Mayacamas Range bordering Sonoma County. Cain has a total acreage of 542 acres, of which 84 acres is planted to Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Petit Verdot, and Syrah.

Cakebread Cellars--Cakebread owns 270 acres of which 90 acres are in vines.

Calplans Partners--The Marin County, California investment firm owns vineyards in Wooden and Chiles Valleys. Total acreage is 700 acres, of which 405 acres are planted to grapes, and another 20-25 acres are plantable in the near future.

Cappell Valley Vineyards owns 98 planted acres.

Cardinale (See Jackson Family Farms)

Catacula Lake Winery (See Edward A. Keith)

Caymus Vineyards owns 61.5 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon at its winery in the Rutherford area.

Chalone Wine Group has a total of 367 acres, of which about 315 are planted. This includes 150 acres at its Acacia Winery in the Carneros, as well as acreage at its Hewitt and Suscol Creek ranches.

Chappellet Winery has approximately 110 acres in vines.

Chateau Montelena owns 160 acres at the winery, of which 120 are planted.

Charles Krug Winery, owned by the Peter Mondavi family, owns over 800 acres, almost all planted. They include eight vineyards: Charles Krug Ranch (143 acres) in St. Helena, the Lincoln (101), Fracchia (135), Page (74), Voltz (91), Slinsen (59) and Homefinder's (105) Ranches in the Yountville area, and the Willow Lake Vineyard (174) in the Carneros District.

Chimney Rock Winery owns 108 acres of grapes at its winery on the site formerly occupied by an 18-hole golf course, on the Silverado Trail north of Napa. The winery is 100% owned by the Terlato Wine Group of Illinois.

Clos Du Val Wine Company owns 232 acres in the Carneros, Stag's Leap and Yountville Crossroads areas, of which 180 are planted to grapes.

Clos Pegase Winery owns 455 planted acres in the Calistoga and Carneros regions.

Conn Creek Winery (See Stimson Lane Vineyards & Estates).

Constellation Brands (See Franciscan Estates)

Cosentino Winery--Cosentino has 70 acres of grapes on 165 acres of land. Five acres of the total is at the winery on Highway 29 in Yountville, and the other 160 is newly-acquired property in Pope Valley.

Cuvaison Winery has 573 total acres. 173 of these are on Mt. Veeder, and contain 52 acres of vines. The other 400 are in the Carneros District, and 282 are planted to winegrapes. Cuvaison has been owned since 1974 by the Schmidheiny family of Switzerland. Thomas Schmidheiny is CEO, Chairman and major shareholder of Holderbank, the largest cement manufacturing company in the world.

Diageo, the world's largest spirits company, owns Beaulieu Vineyard in Rutherford. It also owns Sterling Vineyards and Mumm Napa Valley, formerly owned by Seagram's Chateau Estate Wines. In addition, it owns and/or distributes Cuervo tequila; Johnnie Walker and J&B Scotches; Gilbey's, Gordon's and Tanqueray gins; Hennessy cognac; Smirnoff vodka, and Guinness beer.

Diamond Creek Vineyards--Owns four vineyards totaling 21.75 acres at its Diamond Mountain winery.

Domaine Carneros--Owned by the French company Champagne Taittinger. Domaine Carneros owns 135 vine acres on two vineyards in the Carneros area.

Domaine Chandon--Chandon is owned by the French company LVMH (Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton). Chandon has 180 acres in the Carneros of which 161 are planted, another 315 acres on Mt. Veeder with 70 planted, and 443 at the winery location in Yountville, of which 136 are planted. Total vine acres is 367 out of 938 acres.

Domaine Charbay Winery and Distillery--Owned by the Karakasevic family, the Spring Mountain winery/distillery produces not only wines but also ports, brandies, vodkas and liqueurs. Miles Karakasevic is a twelfth-generation winemaker and master distiller. Charbay owns no vineyards of its own.

Dominus Estate--Owns 124 acres in Yountville of which 100 are planted. Owned by the Moueix Family of France's Bordeaux region.

Duckhorn Vineyards owns 187 plantable acres of which 139 are currently planted.

Far Niente--Far Niente owns 240 acres in the Napa Valley, all located from Oakville to the south. 210 acres of this property is planted in vines.

Flora Springs Winery, and its owners the Komes and Garvey families, own eight vineyards in the Napa Valley totaling approximately 1200 acres. The vineyards are located in St. Helena, Oakville and the Carneros. Total acreage actually planted to grapes is 580 acres.

Foster's Brewing Group (See Beringer Blass Wine Estates)

Franciscan Estates owns both Mount Veeder Winery and Franciscan Oakville Estate. Its total holdings for both wineries are 358 acres of which 264 are planted. It also owns wineries and vineyards in Chile and other California wine regions. Franciscan is owned by Constellation Brands (formerly Canandaigua) of New York State.

Freemark Abbey--Freemark owns 250 acres of grapes and has long-term leases on an additional 200 acres. It was recently purchased by Legacy Estates, now headquartered at the winery on Highway 29 north of St. Helena.

Frog's Leap--Owns a total of 85 planted acres, 30 at its Rutherford winery, and 50 at its Galleron Ranch

Golden State Vintners--Golden State owns 30 acres of grapes in the Napa Valley, as well as 9500 acres throughout California.

Grgich Hills Winery--Owned by Mike Grgich and Austin Hills of the Hills Brothers coffee family. Grgich has 418 acres, all planted.

Groth Vineyards owns 167 planted acres.

Hakusan Sake Gardens--The Japanese-owned sake brewery is located on Highway 29 just south of Napa. Although it has 22 acres of property, it has--and needs--no vineyards, using only short grain rice from the Sacramento Valley.

Harlan Estate--The winery owns 36 acres of vines on 240 acres of property in Oakville.

Havens Winery has 10 acres at the winery just south of Yountville, of which 7.5 acres are planted.

Heitz Wine Cellars has 350 acres of vines. According to public records, total acreage is at least 859 acres.

The Hess Collection's vineyard holdings total over 1600 acres, of which 742 are currently planted. Vineyards are located in the Mt. Veeder, Pope Valley, and American Canyon areas. Swiss owner Donald Hess recently announced he was retiring to Argentina, where he will tend to a small vineyard of Malbec grapes under the Amalaya Vineyards brand. He will retain ownership of his Napa Valley winery, art collection and acreage.

William Hill--Founder of William Hill Winery (See separate listing), since sold to Allied-Domecq, Hill owns 75 acres of grapes in the Coombsville area east of the city of Napa. He also owns property at the base of Atlas Peak northeast of Napa, where he has 35 acres in vines and another 15-20 acres that are plantable.

Hudson Vineyards--Hudson owns 180 acres of vines and an additional 60 plantable acres, all in the Carneros.

Jackson Family Farms--Kendall-Jackson co-founder Jess Jackson and his family own 362.29 acres of vineyards in Napa county. 242.43 of these are producing, 50.09 are in development, and another 69.77 acres are intended for future development. Vineyards are located in the Carneros, Oakville, Howell Mountain and Mt. Veeder appellations. Grapes from the property go to various wineries, including the family's Cardinale, Lokoya and Atalon wineries, which are all currently located at the same facility just off Highway 29 in Oakville.

Jaeger Vineyards--William Jaeger owns a 582-acre parcel (fifth largest vineyard parcel in the county) near American Canyon at the south end of the county. Jaeger has ten other vineyard properties in Napa County for a total of 1130 acres. 577 acres are planted to grapes, which go to 25 different wineries.

Jarvis Winery, owned by Silicon Valley multimillionaire William Jarvis, has 37 acres of grapes, out of a total acreage of at least (according to public records) 588 acres. Jarvis is founder of the Jarvis Conservatory in the city of Napa, noted for its performances of Zarzuela--Spanish opera.

Joseph Phelps Vineyards, located in Spring Valley near St. Helena, has a total of 784 acres, of which 333 are planted. It leases an additional 16 acres of grapes.

Juliana Vineyards--The 3,250-acre ranch in Pope Valley was sold in October 2000 by Reunion Industries to a group of investors from Seattle and Texas put together by St. Helena management consulting firm Maher & Associates. The new company is called The Vineyard at Juliana. The company would not respond to requests for information, but at the time of sale it reported that 350 acres were planted to grapes and another 400 were available for planting. The vineyards provide grapes to such wineries as Beringer, Groth, Duckhorn and Luna.

Edward A. Keith owns 1006 acres of vineyards, of which 125 acres are actually planted to grapes. Keith is owner of one of Napa County's newest wineries--Catacula Lake Winery--located in Chiles Valley.

Kendall-Jackson Wine Estates--K-J currently owns no vineyard property in Napa County, although it does operate a winemaking facility in Oakville at Cardinale Estate Winery. (See Jackson Family Farms for the vineyard holdings of K-J co-founder Jess Jackson and his family.)

Kirkland Ranch Winery--Owns approximately 2600 acres at its ranch on Jameson Canyon south of Napa off Highway 29. Of this total, 137 acres are in vines.

Knoxville Associates owns 900 acres throughout Napa County of which 600 are planted to grapes, all leased to Beringer. Knoxville is owned by the Gamble family, which has farmed in the county since the early 1900's.

Krupp Family--Members of the Krupp family own 50% of Stage Coach Vineyards (See separate listing) as well as an additional 91 acres of which 60 are in vines.

Kuleto Villa Vineyards and Winery--Owned by San Francisco celebrity restaurateur Pat Kuleto (Farallon, Boulevard and Jardinière restaurants--and soon one in St. Helena). The winery, located off Silverado Trail between Rutherford and St. Helena, has 100 acres of grapes on 800 acres of property.

Laird Family Estate, located off Highway 29 just north of Napa, would not provide its acreage figures, but its web site indicates that it owns "nearly 2000" planted acres. That figure is in line with public records and estimates from knowledgeable observers. (At the end of March 2001, the winery added an additional 43 acres with the purchase of the Andretti Winery property.) The winery uses only 1 percent of the fruit it produces, selling the rest to other wineries, and its facility is used by many other winemakers for their own wines.

Larkmead Vineyards--The Solari family has been growing grapes at their vineyards north of St. Helena on Larkmead Lane for over 50 years. Larkmead owns a total of 145 planted acres.

Lokoya (See Jackson Family Farms)

Louis M. Martini Winery is the oldest family-owned winery in the Napa Valley, in operation since 1933. It owns 510 acres, of which 310 are planted. Holdings include the 185-acre Ghost Pines Vineyard in the newly-created Chiles Valley appellation, as well as 220 acres of land in Pope Valley, of which about 50 acres have been planted.

Luna Vineyards--Owns 82 acres of property of which 68 acres are planted, almost all Pinot Grigio.

LVMH (Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton)--The French company owns Domaine Chandon in Yountville and Newton Vineyard in St. Helena.

Markham Winery--Markham owns approximately 260 acres of grapes and leases an additional 112 vine acres. Vineyards are in Calistoga, Yountville and Napa. Markham is owned by the Mercain Corporation, Japan's oldest winery.

Mead Ranch. While not one of the largest grapegrowers in the county, the Mead Ranch is certainly one of the oldest. The ranch, owned by the Giles Mead family, has been producing grapes for over 60 years, providing them to the Hess Collection and other top wineries. It owns the second largest vineyard parcel in the county (623.59 acres), and has total property of over 1300 acres, of which 65 acres is planted to winegrapes. The entire property is in Land Trust, and Mead is such a strong supporter of the environment that he has donated $1,000,000 to the Napa County Land Trust to further its activities.

Mildara Blass (See Beringer Blass Wine Estates)

Miller Family--The Joseph Miller family owns 286 planted acres on a total of 378 acres, most located south of Yountville off Highway 29.

Monticello Vineyards, located on Big Ranch Road north of the city of Napa, owns 80 acres, almost all planted to grapes.

Mont St. John (Madonna Estate)--The winery, located on Old Sonoma Road in the Carneros, owns 160 acres of grapes, all organically farmed. The Bartolucci family has been making wine in the Napa Valley for four generations.

Mount Veeder Winery--Owns 87 acres of which 31 are planted. It is owned by Franciscan Estates which is, in turn, owned by Constellation Brands.

Mumm Napa Valley (See Seagram's Chateau Estate Wines)

Napa Wine Company is owned by the descendants of Andrew Pelissa. They own a total of 635 acres, almost all planted. The majority of their vineyards are located just north of Yountville, and the rest in Oakville where the winery is located. All vineyards are farmed organically.

Newton Vineyard--Owns 570 acres in the St. Helena area, of which 110 acres is planted in vines. LVMH recently purchased a majority stake in the winery through its Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin subsidiary.

Nichelini Winery--Located in Chiles Valley, Nichelini is the oldest family-operated winery in Napa County, having started in 1890. It has 100 acres in vines.

Niebaum-Coppola Estate Winery--Owned by movie director Francis Ford Coppola, the Rutherford winery (formerly Inglenook, built in 1887) has 1655 acres of property, of which 195 acres are in vines.

Opus One, the super-premium winery in Oakville that is co-owned by Robert Mondavi and Baroness Philippine de Rothschild of France, owns 138 acres, of which 104 are in vines.

Pahlmeyer--Owner Jason Pahlmeyer has 220 acres in the Atlas Peak area of which 80 acres are planted.

Paradigm Vineyards--Paradigm owns 55 acres in Oakville, all planted to grapes.

Peju Province--Peju owns 30 acres of grapes at its winery in Rutherford, and another 320 acres in Pope Valley, of which 120 are producing and the remainder either planted or to be planted.

Pine Ridge Winery owns 285 acres throughout the Napa Valley, of which 208 are in vines. It also leases 25 acres, 20 of which are planted to grapes.

PlumpJack Winery--PlumpJack has 53 acres at the winery in Oakville, 50 of which are planted to Cabernet Sauvignon.

Premier Pacific Vineyards--Formed in 1999 by William Hill and Richard Wollack, the company owns 44 acres of grapes in the Carneros.

Quintessa--The Rutherford winery is owned by Agustin Huneeus and his viticulturist wife, Valeria. Agustin Huneeus was originally the principal stockholder and CEO of Concha y Toro, Chile's largest winery, and later head of Seagram's worldwide wine operations. He is currently chairman of the board of Franciscan Estates (See separate listing). Quintessa owns 160 planted acres on a total of 280 acres.

Raymond Vineyard and Cellar--Raymond owns 90 acres at the winery in St. Helena, and an additional 250 acres in Jameson Canyon south of Napa. A total of 200 acres is planted to grapes. Raymond is owned by Kirin Beer of Japan.

Regusci Winery--Located in the Stag's Leap District, the Regusci family has been growing grapes since 1932. Their 280-acre ranch has approximately 160 acres of grapes, of which 120 are in long-term lease to Clos du Val and the rest used for their own wines.

RMS Brandy Distillery--Owned by the French cognac maker Rémy Martin. Owns 20 acres of which 15 are planted.

Robert I. MacDonnell owns approximately 300 acres in the Rutherford area, of which 293 acres are planted to grapes.

Robert Keenan Winery--Keenan owns 48 acres of grapes on the 180 acres of its winery property off Spring Mountain Road in St. Helena.

Robert Mondavi Winery was founded in 1966 by Robert Mondavi as only the second (See Stony Hill Vineyard) winery built in the Napa Valley since Prohibition. It owns 1675 acres in Napa County, of which 1400 are planted to winegrapes. This includes the 550-acre To Kalon vineyard in Oakville, 400 acres in the Stag's Leap District, and 450 acres in Carneros. Mondavi's Napa Valley wineries are Robert Mondavi Winery in Oakville, and La Famiglia di Robert Mondavi (formerly the site of Vichon), on Oakville Grade west of Highway 29. It has extensive vineyard property in other counties and countries.

Robert Pecota Winery owns 36 acres of grapes at its winery near Calistoga.

Robert Sinskey Vineyards--Owns 150 acres of grapes of which 4.5 acres are at the winery in the Stag's Leap District and the rest are in the Carneros. All vineyards are farmed organically.

Rombauer Vineyards owns 29 planted acres at its winery in St. Helena.

Rudd Estate--Rudd has 54 acres at its winery on the Silverado Trail in Oakville, of which 45 are in grapes. It has an additional 51 acres at other locations, including Mt. Veeder and St. Helena, with 14 of those acres currently planted and at least 12 more designated for planting.

Rutherford Hill--Located on the Silverado Trail in Rutherford, it is owned by the Terlato Wine Group of Chicago, Illinois, which also owns 50% of Chimney Rock Winery on the Silverado Trail north of Napa. Rutherford Hill obtains its grapes from leased vineyards.

Saintsbury owns 503 acres in the Carneros, of which 54 are currently planted.

S. Anderson Vineyards owns 120 acres, of which 100 is planted, at its vineyards in the Stag's Leap District and the Carneros.

Schramsberg Vineyards owns 175 acres at its winery near Calistoga. 50 acres of this property are planted to grapes used in its sparkling wines.

Seagram's Chateau Estate Wines formerly owned Sterling Vineyards just south of Calistoga and Mumm Napa Valley on the Silverado Trail in Rutherford. To provide both wineries with grapes, Seagram's had approximately 735 acres of grapes, and leased an additional 225 acres. Seagram's holdings included the renowned Winery Lake Vineyard, originally developed by Rene di Rosa.

Both Sterling and Mumm are likely to soon be part of the Diageo empire, due to that company's purchase--along with co-bidder Pernod-Ricard--of Seagram's drinks division from the giant French communications company, Vivendi, which purchased Seagram's at the end of 2000.

Sequoia Grove Vineyards owns 24 acres of grapes at its winery, located between Oakville and Rutherford.

Shafer Vineyards--Shafer has approximately 185 acres, all planted to grapes, at its vineyards in Stag's Leap District, Napa and the Carneros.

Signorello Vineyards--Signorello owns 45 acres of grapes on approximately 100 acres of land at its location on the Silverado Trail north of Napa.

Silver Oak Cellars--Owns 158 acres in Soda Canyon north of Napa and east of the Silverado Trail, and at its winery on the Oakville Crossroad. 112 acres are in vines.

Silverado Vineyards--Owned by Diane Disney Miller, daughter of Walt Disney, and her husband Ron, the winery owns approximately 600 acres of which over 300 are in grapes. Property is in the Stag's Leap District, Yountville, Soda Canyon, Mt. George and the Carneros.

Silverado Premium Vineyards--An investment firm formed in 1998. Silverado Partners helped Texas Pacific Group, an investment fund, buy Beringer Wine Estates in 1996 and played a role in taking Beringer public in 1997. Silverado Premium Partners includes David Freed, Michael Moone and Richard Lemon of the original Silverado Partners, as well as Colony Capital, a Los Angeles real estate investment firm, and the Ledbetter family. Mark Couchman, previously an executive at Prudential and GE Capital, is the president. The firm says that its acreage statistics are confidential. Public records indicate that it owns at least 640 acres of land in Napa County.

Smith-Madrone--The Spring Mountain winery owns a total of 200 acres of which 35 acres are planted to grapes.

Spring Mountain Vineyard owns about 850 acres of which nearly 225 are in vines. It is still sought out by visitors looking for the "location" of the 1980's TV soap opera series Falcon Crest. The winery is owned by Swiss financier Jacob Safra, who is also the owner of Encyclopedia Britannica.

Stage Coach Vineyards--Owns 970 acres in Soda Canyon of which 500 are planted to grapes. The partnership is 50 percent owned by the Krupp Family, 25 percent by the Gordon Getty Trust, and the rest by various investors.

Staglin Family Vineyard owns 50 acres of vines on its total of 62 acres in Rutherford.

Stag's Leap Wine Cellars--Stag's Leap, whose 1973 Cabernet Sauvignon won the legendary Paris tasting in 1976, owns 183 acres of grapes. Its vineyards include the famous Fay vineyard, planted by Nathan Fay in 1961 as the first Cabernet vineyard in today's Stag's Leap District.

Stags' Leap Winery (See Beringer Blass Wine Estates)

St. Clement (See Beringer Blass Wine Estates)

St. Supéry Winery is owned by the Skalli Corporation, which owns a total of 1788 acres, of which 645 acres is planted. Robert Skalli is a third-generation French winemaker with extensive holdings in France, including over 17,000 acres in the Languedoc region. His Napa Valley holdings include the Hardester Ranch and the 600-acre Dollarhide Ranch in Pope Valley, and vineyards at the winery in Rutherford.

Sterling Vineyards (See Seagram's Chateau Estate Wines)

Stimson Lane Vineyards & Estates owns Conn Creek and Villa Mt. Eden, both located at the same facility in St. Helena on the Silverado Trail. In the Napa Valley, the company owns two acres of grapes and leases an additional 237 acres. It also owns extensive vineyard property in other California wine regions. Stimson Lane is headquartered in Washington State where its wineries include Chateau Ste. Michelle. The company is itself owned by UST in Greenwich, Connecticut, whose main subsidiary United States Tobacco Company produces smokeless tobacco products such as snuff and chewing tobacco.

Stonegate Winery--Stonegate has 15 acres of grapes at its winery just south of Calistoga, and another 210 acres of grapes in Chiles Valley.

Stony Hill Vineyard--Stony Hill has 160 acres at its St. Helena winery, of which 40 acres are in vines. Stony Hill's winery, built in 1951, was the first new winery built in the Napa Valley since Prohibition.

Storybook Mountain Vineyards--Storybook owns 43 acres of vines, out of a total of approximately 120 acres, at its winery in the hills outside of Calistoga.

Sutter Home Winery (See Trinchero Family Estates)

Trefethen Vineyards, has 800 acres of land, of which 490 are planted to winegrapes. This includes vineyards bordering a one-mile stretch of Highway 29 just north of Napa, as well as 50 acres in the foothills of the Mayacamas Mountains,

Trinchero Family Estates, parent company of Sutter Home Winery, has 187 acres of vines out of a total of 240 acres of vineyard property throughout Napa county. The winery also has extensive vineyard property in other Northern California counties.

Truchard Vineyards--Truchard owns 383 acres in the Carneros, of which 270 acres are in vines.

Turnbull Wine Cellars--The Oakville winery owns 185 planted acres in Oakville, and an additional 115 acres of grapes north of Calistoga. It is just starting to plant 80 additional acres on Howell Mountain.

UCC Vineyards Group has 400 acres throughout the valley, all planted to winegrapes.

Usibelli Land Development Corporation. Usibelli has 2100 acres of property in Pope Valley of which 130 are in vines, and 105 acres in Rutherford, of which 84 are planted. The company is affiliated with the Usibelli Coal Mine in Healy, Alaska.

Viader Vineyards--Located at the 1200 foot elevation level on Howell Mountain northeast of St. Helena, where it owns 30 acres of grapes. All vineyards are farmed organically.

Villa Mt. Eden (See Stimson Lane Vineyards & Estates)

V. Sattui Winery, whose winery in St. Helena is known as much for its delicatessen, cheeses and picnic tables as its wine, has 250 acres of vines out of a total vineyard acreage of 800 acres. These include Suzanne's Vineyard in St. Helena, Carsi Vineyard in Yountville, and the Henry Ranch in the Carneros.

William Hill--The winery owns 200 acres in Napa, and leases an additional 82 acres in the Carneros. It is owned by the British firm Allied-Domecq. (See Allied-Domecq).

ZD Wines--Owns 6 acres (3 acres planted in Cabernet) at the winery on Silverado Trail in Rutherford, and an additional 33 acres in the Carneros, 30 of which are in vines (23 acres Chardonnay and seven acres Pinot Noir). All acreage is organically farmed.

Celebrities and Other Interesting Owners

Diane Disney Miller, daughter of Walt Disney, and her husband own Silverado Vineyards (See listing).

Movie Director Francis Ford Coppola owns Niebaum-Coppola Estate Winery in Rutherford. (See listing).

Actor/comedian Robin Williams has a 224-acre vineyard parcel in the Mt. Veeder area, of which 24 acres are planted to Cabernet Sauvignon.

Celebrity San Francisco restaurateur Pat Kuleto owns Kuleto Villa Vineyards and Winery (See listing).

Renowned chef and wine/food expert Narsai David has four Napa Valley parcels for a total of 105 acres. Grape acreage on this property is unknown.

The Culinary Institute of America, headquartered in Hyde Park, NY, has 15 acres of Merlot at its cooking school and restaurant located at the former Christian Brothers Greystone Cellars in St. Helena.

Politicians are in the valley, too. San Francisco Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi and her husband Paul own two vineyard parcels totaling 24.62 acres, of which approximately 9 acres are grapes.

San Francisco Giants owner Peter A. Magowan has two vineyard parcels totaling 14.52 acres. Actual grape acreage on this property is unknown.

All-time champion race car driver Mario Andretti operates Andretti Winery in Napa. (See listing).

The Department of Viticulture and Enology of the University of California, Davis maintains the Oakville Experimental Vineyard, a research station located on the Oakville Grade at the base of the Mayacamas mountain range. The 20-acre South Vineyard, situated between Far Niente Winery and the Martha's Vineyard (The 33-acre parcel owned by Tom and Martha May whose grapes were turned by Joseph Heitz into the first Napa Valley cult wine), was a gift to the University from the Napa Valley Vintners in 1947. The second parcel, also 20 acres, is the Old Federal Vineyard, deeded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to the University in 1955, thanks to continuing lobbying efforts of the vintners. This site is adjacent to the Robert Mondavi vineyard on the Oakville Grade road.

Speaking of the University of California, UC Berkeley professor Daniel McFadden, who won the 2000 Nobel Prize for Economics, has two acres of grapes in Soda Canyon, off the Silverado Trail just north of Napa. It's on the site of a long-gone winery built in 1880.

In an only-in-the-Napa Valley story, Carneros Elementary School, in the heart of the Napa Carneros region, has its own five-acre Chardonnay vineyard. School parents planted the land ten years ago as a long-term fundraising venture. A small group continues to look after the vineyard, whose grapes go to Mumm Napa Valley. Net profits from the vineyard support activities and other special needs of the school and its kids.

Napa Valley College has six acres of grapes used as a teaching plot for its Viticulture and Wine Technology program. Five of the acres are Chardonnay and its fruit is sold to The Hess Collection. The college also has 1.5 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon at its Upper Valley Campus in St. Helena. Its grapes are sold to Peter Franus Wine Company.

Pacific Union College, the Seventh Day Adventist college in Angwin on Howell Mountain east of St. Helena, owns one vineyard parcel 6.34 acres in size. It might seem strange that a religious school whose precepts forbid the use of alcohol would have its own vineyard, but the Church's St. Helena Hospital in Deer Park, just outside Angwin, is also a major recipient of money from the annual Napa Valley Wine Auction. The vineyard, leased to Beringer, resulted from a land trade that preserved a forested area directly adjacent to the college campus.

Continuing in a religious vein, there's also St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church in Yountville. It owns a parcel of almost seven acres adjacent to the church and leased to nearby Silverado Vineyards.

Even municipal governments get into the act. At its Kimball Reservoir, the City of Calistoga has 6.25 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon, which are leased to a valley winery.

The City of St. Helena, which has a cluster of grapes on its city seal, also grows them. It has one-third of an acre of Cabernet Franc grapes at its wastewater treatment facility on the south edge of town. The grapes, harvested in the fall by the plant's crew, are sold by the city to a valley winery.

The County of Napa, which also has a grape cluster on its seal, isn't left out of the action either. It owns and manages the Napa County Airport, just south of the city of Napa, and has planted just under an acre of Syrah--eventually to be two acres--as landscaping.

Landscaping with grapevines is becoming increasingly popular in the valley. The Napa Valley Gateway Business Park near the airport has grapevines scattered throughout the area. Its headquarters building uses two acres of Chardonnay as an integral part of its landscaping. The grapes are sold to a valley winery.

Even some banks have decorative--but real--grapevines. Use the drive-by ATM machine at Westamerica Bank in north Napa during harvest season, and as you exit, you can reach out and pick a handful of ripe Cabernet grapes. wbm

About This Report

Determining the amount of vine acreage in Napa County is difficult for a variety of reasons. For one, it changes daily as wineries and growers plant, rip out, or replant acreage.

For another, county tax officials are obviously more interested in total acreage, while a vineyard manager is focused on the actual area of real vines, and not the land lost to roads, outbuildings, or waterway setbacks.

Thirdly, a few wineries and growers do not wish to reveal their acreage statistics. The most accurate statistics on vine acres are maintained by the Napa County Agricultural Commissioner's Office. This data is provided by the wineries and growers as part of their annual crop report information. However, that information is given to the Ag Commissioner with the understanding that it remains confidential.

So, to gather the information for this report, we've used several other sources:

Napa County Tax Assessor vineyard parcel database. This is information openly available to the public.
Pesticide Application Database from the Napa County Agricultural Commissioner's Office. Also available to the public.
Phone calls to wineries and growers. Most wineries and growers were willing to provide their acreage statistics to Wine Business Monthly, although two (Laird Family Estate and Silverado Premium Vineyards) would not.

2007-02-23T10:33:00.000-08:00

Napa City Fires Department Heads

(From the Napa Register)

11 a.m. Two Napa department heads have agreed to step down as part of a major shake-up of top management by Napa City Manager Mike Parness.

Rich Bottarini, director of Community Development, and Jed Christensen, Finance Department manager, will both retire, Parness announced this morning.

Parness, who became city manager in November, said he wanted to streamline city administration, with a smaller group of administrators reporting to him.

Bottarini joined the city in April of 2003, when the city created Community Development, while Christensen ran Finance for the past 17 years.

Both men have been under fire in recent times. Last summer the Napa County grand jury criticized Community Development for poor service.

Christensen’s department was criticized for failing to properly oversee the spending of $1.4 million in city funds on two county farmworker housing projects. The spending was not authorized.

While neither event was the catalyst for his shake-up, they were symptoms of departments not functioning as well as they should, Parness said.

Parness said the community development director’s job will remain vacant, with plans to hire a new assistant city manager to oversee community development and public works departments.

Carole Wilson, a CPA in the finance department, will become finance manager, Parness said. Scott Klingbeil, acting planning manager, has been offered the job permanently.

2006-11-30T11:32:00.000-08:00

This is from this week's St. Helena Star.
It concerns the trial regarding Peter Mennen and a neighbor. She was going to give him 5 acres (or so) to be "forever wild" --or a permenant wildlife santuary. He reneged and wanted the "flexablity" to sell the land for developement if he need the cash.
Part of her defense is a letter he wrote to all the teachers saying that it would be some sort of wildlife habitat. Under oath, he has now stated that letter was a lie.
If the letter he wrote to all our teachers was (in his words) a "flat out lie", why should this town listen to him when he writes letters regarding the flood control project, Meily Park, stream set backs, etc. This trial is perfect. Mr. Mennen wants "the flexibility" to sell his property to a developer, if "An act of God" should force him to do so. Isn't that what we all want?
Why then does he lobby for restrictions on others' land? However the trial comes out, the hypocracy of the Radical Environmentalists is open for all to see. Please take heed. This is a hoot!

Attorneys file closing briefs in Sulphur Creek land dispute
By Jesse Duarte
STAFF WRITER
Thursday, November 30, 2006 8:42 AM PST Attorneys for Susan Card and the Mennen Environmental Foundation filed closing briefs last week in the case that could end six years of legal wrangling over six acres of land along Sulphur Creek.

Card, the owner of eight acres along the creek, learned in 1999 that Laryl and Jeryl Smith, the owners of Harold Smith and Sons, were planning to sell some of their nearby land. Worried that the untouched property could be developed, she proposed that the Foundation, owned by her neighbor and friend Peter Mennen, buy the Smiths’ land.

In return, Card would donate or provide a conservation easement over a portion of her land. She hoped the combined lands would become a wildlife refuge, with native vegetation restored and fish spawning encouraged.

Wanted use restrictions The Foundation bought the 23 acres from the Smiths, and Card agreed in writing to hand over her land. Card’s attorneys, Scott Sommer and Julie Macedo, argued that when Card signed the pledge agreement, she believed the property would be used for the restoration of Sulphur Creek, and would have strict land use restrictions barring public access and development.

Instead, Card’s attorneys said, the Foundation wished to reserve the right to sell the land, possibly to a developer. When Card refused to hand over the six acres in question, the Foundation sued her.

Mennen’s attorney, Richard Raines, wrote in his closing brief that Card knew when she signed the pledge agreement that it contained no land use restrictions. Raines pointed out that Card’s attorney at the time, William Kuhns, advised her to sign the agreement, telling her “the benefits outweigh the negatives.”

Bad faith alleged

In their closing brief, Card’s attorneys argued that Mennen acted in bad faith, repeatedly representing to Card and others that the property would have strict land use restrictions.

In a March 29, 2001, St. Helena Star article titled “A River Runs Through It,” and a letter to several St. Helena Elementary School teachers, Mennen said the land would be used for plant and wildlife restoration.

But in court, Mennen testified that his claims to the teachers regarding land use restrictions constituted “a flat lie” intended to stop the teachers from bothering him. When Card wrote to him to express her approval of the project as he had described it to the teachers, he never corrected her.

Raines argued that the various discussions regarding the plans for the property are not binding, and that the pledge agreement’s lack of stated restrictions shows that Card knew the Foundation would not be restricted in its use of the land.

Reserve right to sell

During the six-day trial, Mennen and his former attorney, Greg Colvin, testified that while the Foundation had every intention of going through with the restoration project, it wanted to reserve the right to sell the land if acts of God made such efforts impossible or pointless. It was highly unlikely that the Foundation’s board would approve selling the land to a developer, Mennen testified.

In their closing brief, Card’s attorneys said the agreement was unenforceable because it referenced “terms and conditions” that were to be worked out later, and was thus legally incomplete. They claimed that several issues were left unresolved by the original agreement, including the terms of an easement for Card to access her house and the question of what restrictions would be placed on the land.

Raines argued that even if the agreement left some questions unanswered, Card is still legally obligated to abide by it. He cast doubt on Card’s credibility, and disputed her claim that the donation’s tax deduction was not of great importance to her.

Urges handover of land

He urged the court to require Card to hand over the land either through a donation or a conservation easement. In return, he said Card’s view would be protected, she would get a substantial tax deduction, and the knowledge that the land would be used for the ecological and environmental education of St. Helena citizens and children.

“Even the fish will smile,” wrote Raines.

Judge Raymond Guadagni may call a final hearing tomorrow before making a decision.

2006-11-22T14:40:00.000-08:00

This article from the Star shows the hypocrisy surrounding the Mennen subdivision, and how certain conservationists want "flexibility" to develop their land on the river banks, but insist on denying it to others. It's a must read.

A six-year legal battle surrounding six acres of land along Sulphur Creek may be reaching its climax, as a Napa judge will soon decide whether St. Helena property owner Susan Card will have to turn over the parcel to the Mennen Environmental Foundation, the organization headed by her neighbor and former friend Peter Mennen.

Card agreed in a May 2000 pledge agreement to donate or provide a conservation easement over a portion of her property, but she refused to sign over the land because she wanted it to be a wildlife refuge, with public access and development prohibited. The Foundation was not willing to adopt those restrictions, and sued Card to make her comply with the agreement.

The two sides locked horns in a six-day trial, which wrapped up Tuesday. After closing arguments are submitted by attorneys, Judge Raymond Guadagni will have 90 days to issue a ruling.

According to Card’s attorney John Bryant, Card has paid nearly $500,000 in legal fees in an effort to retain the land.

Deal started in 1999

The deal originated in 1999, when Card learned that Laryl and Jeryl Smith, owners of Harold Smith and Sons, intended to place their three neighboring parcels on the market. Card wanted to prevent the 23-acre property from development, so she suggested to Mennen that his Foundation buy the Smith properties. In return, she would donate six undeveloped acres of her adjacent eight-acre property, with the understanding that the land be used for the Sulphur Creek restoration project Mennen had been talking about.

The Foundation bought the Smith parcels for $552,000, but Card never handed over her land.

Card’s attorneys maintain she only wanted to donate the land if it would be used for a wildlife refuge, with native vegetation restored along the creek’s banks, fish spawning encouraged, and public access and development strictly prohibited. They claim that Mennen led Card to believe that the restoration project was a done deal, and she only later learned that the Foundation wished to reserve the right to develop the parcel or sell it.

Card’s attorneys also pointed out that similar legal proceedings, with a charity successfully suing a donor to provide promised property, are extremely rare, if not unheard of.

Mennen sought flexibility

The Foundation’s former attorney Greg Coldin, who drafted the agreement, said the Foundation wished to keep the gift unrestricted so it would have the maximum amount of flexibility in using the property. Mennen testified that while he and the Foundation would much rather see the parcel go toward creek restoration efforts, they wanted to reserve the ability to sell the land if acts of God made such efforts impossible or pointless.

Although the Foundation didn’t want to expressly prohibit development, Mennen and his attorneys said the Foundation wanted to retain the ability to develop only so they could build whatever small structure would be necessary to aid restoration efforts.

In September 2000, when the two sides were working out the terms of the donation, Mennen wrote a letter to several St. Helena Elementary School teachers who had contacted him regarding using the property. In the letter, he said it had vigorous land use restrictions, and would not be open to the public. Card read the letter, and wrote to Mennen to express her approval of the terms Mennen had laid out.

In court, Mennen testified he had filled the letter with “a flat lie,” and “b.s.” in an attempt to get the persistent teachers off his back and prevent people from wandering onto Card’s land. He testified he never told Card that the Foundation didn’t intend to enact the restrictions he had mentioned in the letter.

In a letter to the city of St. Helena accompanying an application for the transaction’s lot line adjustment, Mennen said the two sides had agreed that Card’s land, along with the land bought from the Smiths, “would be dedicated to nature as a wildlife refuge, where no development would take place and the property would remain off-limits to the general public.” The adjustment was approved on the condition that the property change hands, but it expired after negotiations stalled.

The two sides also hit a speed bump over an easement on the donated property, which Card requested to get to her home. In December 2001, the Foundation said it would only grant Card an easement for pedestrian access over the first 10 feet from Spring Street. In court Tuesday, Card called the proposal “outrageous.” By early 2002, negotiations had reached an impasse.

One option allowed by the pledge agreement would allow Card to provide the Foundation with a conservation easement over the property in question.

But Card’s attorneys claimed a conservation easement would not be valid because the Foundation does not satisfy the regulations governing nonprofit organizations.

Card’s attorneys pointed out several examples of what they claim are improper self-dealings by the Foundation that benefit Peter and Carlene Mennen, thus violating nonprofit regulations.

In one case, a gardening contract paid for by the Foundation included services on nearby property privately owned by the Mennens.

In another, a Foundation-funded legal battle ended with an agreement that included a provision giving the Mennens a private easement on another property.

In a third example, Card’s attorneys argued that the Foundation’s purchasing and preservation of three parcels increased the value of a fourth parcel privately owned by the Mennens.

Mennen’s attorneys questioned whether Mennen and his wife ever really benefited from the deals, and pointed out that the Foundation is still recognized by the Internal Revenue Service as a 509(a)3 public charity.

Clause is key

Much of the trial has centered on a clause in the pledge agreement that says the gift is unrestricted except for the understandings expressed in the agreement. Mennen’s attorneys said Card signed the agreement even though she knew it did not contain any language requiring that the Foundation make the land a development-free wildlife refuge.

The agreement also references, but does not include, “terms and conditions” that Card’s attorneys argued were to be agreed upon after the pledge agreement was signed. Since no further agreement was reached, the defense argued that the pledge agreement is unenforceable.

The defense argued that “unrestricted” was included for accounting purposes, and did not refer to future land use restrictions. Card’s attorneys have suggested that the Foundation wishes to reserve the right to sell the land to anybody, including a developer.

2006-11-01T14:27:00.000-08:00

This is from Today's Napa Register Editorial Page

St. Helena schools on the upswing

Wednesday, November 1, 2006

In a tight-knit community such as St. Helena, political races that might attract little attention in a big town generate a lot of activity.

This year, the race for three seats on the St. Helena Unified School District board has been contentious.

Six candidates are vying for three posts. The candidates include incumbent board members Ines DeLuna-Macias, Carolyn Martini and Monty Reedy. The challengers include Elizabeth Clark, a St. Helena Unified parent and regular participant in school board meetings; Jim Haslip, a former superintendent of other California school districts who relocated to St. Helena a few years ago; and Jodi Hill, who worked for the local schools for several years.

Recently, the Register editorial board met with all six candidates, addressing issues from the state of library materials to how board meetings are conducted. In our view, the incumbents have helped the school district make strides towards excellence in recent years, and the criticisms put forward by their opponents do not merit a regime change. We endorse Reedy, Martini and DeLuna-Macias for re-election.

DeLuna-Macias is a product of the St. Helena schools, and her story — with deep roots in the Napa Valley and ancestry in Mexico — is typical of many of the students in the district. DeLuna-Macias has sensible idea on a range of issues, and she plays the critical role of being in close contact with school families and their concerns.

Martini also attended local schools and has long-standing, deep ties in St. Helena. Her business background and analytical view of issues such as the extended winter break and improving curriculum suggest she brings a lot to the board.

Reedy is engaged in the schools in many respects, from having coached football to bringing his business background to bear on the district’s $19 million budget.

The rivals each had something to offer. Clark, a Berryessa area resident, wants to be a voice for the minority of district students who live far from town and see their educational opportunities limited as a result. Hill’s experience in the schools has taught her the board needs to improve communication with faculty and parents, a challenge that was perhaps even more evident at the St. Helena schools several years ago.

Haslip, the most direct critic of the current board, has mixed legitimate issues — such as the need to improve libraries — with concerns that are less substantial.

Some issues raised by Clark, Haslip and Hill — connecting the board to faculty and parents, the opportunities for rural students, the need to acquire technology and tools to improve education — are legitimate concerns for the board.

But we see no reason the rivals are in a better position than the incumbents to address these issues. St. Helena schools are on the upswing. In our view, the board members up for re-election — DeLuna-Macias, Martini and Reedy — have earned the right to return to office.

2006-10-10T18:21:00.000-07:00

A message from Bill Dodd Regarding the Measure I fiasco

After Measure H last June, I thought the last election that I would work would be my own in June 2008. Well, that was not to be. I have come to the conclusion that Measure I is so bad for our community that staying out of this race and not telling the public what is really happening here would be a complete dereliction of duty on my part as a County Supervisor.

In short, Measure I is a boondoggle with no plan, no budget, no priorities nor mandates. It creates a permanent bureaucracy that will have the same taxing authority as the Board of Supervisors and does nothing the County couldn't do with a Parks Department. And it will surely have to raise taxes in the future in order to survive, and the proponents know this but are misleading the County by saying it will involve no new taxes.

Doing nothing on this will be a disaster as the ballot question is simple, misleading and phrased in a way that would have the voters think this is as simple as motherhood and apple pie. Check it out further at www.napablogger.com

We have to get the word out and we need your help. We have been out there talking and it is clear that the campaign to Stop Measure I is gaining momentum. By simply informing people we have shifted the Napa Chamber from a likely Yes position to neutral, and this week we were able to convince the Napa Valley Vintner's not to support it despite the fact that two strong Measure I supporters were on their legislative committee.

Please join the Committee to Stop Measure I at a fund raiser at the River Inn, 505 Lincoln Avenue in Napa this Wednesday for drinks and appetizers.

We need your support. If you wish to support us and can't be there, please send a check made out to:

The Committee to Stop Measure I

Mail to:

Michael Haley

5442 Washington St.

Napa, Ca 94558

In closing, I want to say how much I appreciate each of your support of my endeavors over the years. I would not ask of you if I didn’t think it would be equally important to you and to Napa County.

Please forward this to likely supporters and let's have some fun on Wednesday! Thank you very much and I hope to see you there!

Bill Dodd

2006-09-20T15:20:00.000-07:00

Water Board Discusses Farmer Limits

By David Gelles, September 18, 2006 09:47 AM
OAKLAND - Environmentalists and representatives of the farm industry testified Wednesday at the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board meeting on a proposal to limit sediment levels in the Napa River.
"It's not fish against farmers," said Sandy Ellis, executive director of the Napa County Farm Bureau. "The water is needed by both fish and farmers."
About 60 people attended the three-hour monthly meeting, held in the auditorium of the Elihu M. Harris Building in downtown Oakland. There will be another hearing on the Napa proposal at the water board's next meeting on Oct. 11.
The proposed amendment to the Water Quality Control Plan would establish limits for sediment discharges in the Napa River, and also implement measures to improve the habitat for steelhead and salmon.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service estimated that the river once supported runs of up to 8,000 steelhead and 4,000 salmon. At present, numbers for both fish are estimated in the hundreds.
Human causes such as farming and the deepening of channels have raised sediment levels to about 180 percent of their natural rates, according to a report by the board. This sediment has decimated steelhead and salmon populations, said Mike Napolitano, a scientist on the water board who has worked with the Napa River for 16 years.
"The Napa River once supported large numbers of these fish," he said.
By limiting sediment discharges, the proposal would bring sediment levels to 125 percent of their natural rate. To achieve this, the water board would use its regulatory authority to limit discharges by vintners, ranchers, and rural property owners.
At present, runoff from these properties introduces huge amounts of silt into the river. These discharges not only affect the sediment level, but before they settle, the floating particles can be toxic to marine life, according to Chris Malan of the Living Rivers Council, a Napa environmental group.
"The Napa River is dying," Malan said. Floating particles are a major part of the problem, she said, urging the board to impose limits on them.
In addition to excessive sediment, Napolitano said other threats to fish habitat included erosion along the riverbanks, low water flow and high temperature, migration barriers such as dams, and a lack of diverse habitat for the fish.
But farmer representative Ellis said that before capping sediment discharges, the board should consider agriculture and municipal needs as well. Napa farmers are eager to work towards a healthy river, but hope to avoid excessively strict regulations, she said.
Also at Wednesday's meeting, the Santa Clara Water District received the first award for Watershed Stewardship Excellence. The award recognized the district's clean up of pollution from mercury mines along the Guadalupe River Watershed.
"Santa Clara is one of the finest watersheds in the country," said board chairman John Muller.
The San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board is one of nine regional boards in the state. An agency within the California Environmental Protection Agency, the state and regional boards are charged with protecting the quality of surface and ground water.

2006-09-08T10:33:00.000-07:00

Wall along the water

By KEVIN COURTNEY, Register Staff Writer

Friday, September 8, 2006 1:11 AM PDT

Funding uncertainty hangs over the completion of the downtown floodwall along Main Street, but one piece of good news has everyone smiling.A pedestrian trail at Napa Mill is being built where nearly everyone wanted it: on the river, not between commercial buildings.When citizens pushed for the elimination of the 100-foot gap last summer, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the local flood control district argued that a last-minute redesign might delay construction and jack up costs.Because of a series of improbable developments, the redesign is saving the flood project money and did not cause any delays, officials say."It's a victory for the community," said Harry Price, the developer of Napa Mill, whose dogged questions about a gap in the river trail sparked community opposition to the flood district plan.The Corps of Engineers is building a 12-foot-wide trail that will wrap around Napa Mill, with seven feet cantilevered over the river. "It will be a real promenade," Price said during a tour last week. "It will be gorgeous."The redesign, which will result in a larger Riverbend Plaza, not a smaller one as the Corps of Engineers had proposed, came about after Price financed an engineering analysis of the federal plan.The study concluded that several million dollars could be saved by building a different kind of floodwall next to Napa General Store and Angele restaurant. This savings would pay for a cantilevered promenade that stays along the river's edge.In another surprise, Price's study found that the floodwall could be kept essentially where it is on the east side of Napa Mill. The corps had planned to push the wall back 25 feet, up against the rooms at the Napa River Inn.With the wall in either location, the river will convey the same amount of flood water, the study concluded. This is because the water speeds up when the channel is narrowed, to compensate for the reduced size of the channel."It's counterintuitive," Price said. "This is beyond our wildest dreams, too."Price praised the general contractor, R.L. Brosamer Inc., for entertaining a redesign. The corps double-checked the alternative design, concluding that it was correct. Speeded-up flows at the bend at Napa Mill will not endanger the eastern shoreline or properties down river, he said."It hasn't cost time or money," Heather Stanton, the local flood project manager, said of the reconfigured floodwall and promenade. "It's serendipitous.""We're going to end up with a far more beautiful project," said Bob Brosamer, owner of R.L. Brosamer. "You have to take your hat off to Harry Price. He had the vision. He funded the early engineering."Brosamer estimated that Price's design would save the corps $100,000. Under federal rules, the contractor and the federal government would split the savings.The possibility of this small savings on a portion of the Napa Mill flood wall is dwarfed by the flood project's larger financial problems. These concerns threaten to delay construction of the floodwall between Third and First streets, including the reconstruction of Veteran's Memorial Park, for yet another year.Brosamer was awarded a $19 million federal contract in August 2005, for the riverfront improvements from Napa Mill north to First. Work was to have finished this winter.Then Congress halted multi-year contracts, forcing the corps to freeze construction. Because of limited funds available in 2005-06, the Brosamer contract was broken into two parts.Only $10 million was available this fiscal year, ending Sept. 30, which turned out to be far too little to keep construction south of Third on schedule, Brosamer said.The cost for work south of Third is going to be closer to $15 million or $16 million, Brosamer said Thursday.With money running out, Brosamer delayed finishing the floodwall along the Channel Properties parcel, just south of Third, this summer. Money was shifted to more critical work -- the construction of a cofferdam around Napa Mill -- so work can continue there this winter in the new federal budget year.If the cofferdam -- a watertight enclosure to permit construction near the river -- can be finished by October and new federal funding comes through, crews can work all winter without further delays to the project south of Third, Brosamer said.If the total cost of the work south of Third ends up at $16 million, that would leave just $3 million in the original $19 million contract for construction north of Third. That won't be nearly enough.Greg Kukas, the Corps of Engineer's project manager, said his office has estimated that delays caused by new federal financing rules could increase project costs by as much as $5 million.Nothing will be known until negotiations with Brosamer are concluded, Kukas said. Brosamer's costs for staying on the job an extra year, plus higher costs for materials, have yet to be determined, he said.If there isn't enough money to complete the stretch from Third to First in 2007, it could bump to 2008.

2006-08-31T13:57:00.000-07:00

From Last Week's St. Helena Star:

To Kalon Vineyard Gets Protection as Ag Land

Part of the first vineyard in the Napa Valley, the famed To Kalon Vineyard, will be preserved for future generations.On Tuesday morning Andy Beckstoffer, owner of the vineyard, presented a conservation easement for the 89-acre parcel to John Hoffnagle, executive director of the Land Trust of Napa County. During the presentation Beckstoffer said, "In 1868, Hamilton Crabb planted the first vineyard here. We're now finishing what he started with our stewardship of the land and a conservation easement that promises to preserve this property to agriculture forever."Joining Beckstoffer and Hoffnagle was Congressman Mike Thompson (D-St. Helena), who spearheaded efforts in Congress to pass new tax provisions for conservation easements. Congress passed the bill on Aug. 5 and President George W. Bush signed it on Aug. 17. The bill increases tax deductions available to farmers, ranchers and other landowners who donate their property for conservation purposes. The landowners continue to own and manage the land, but give up development rights.To Beckstoffer, the newly enacted tax incentives, which allow landowners to write off 100 percent of their income over 16 years, will allow more land to be protected in the future than in the past. He said, "For us, it's not enough to grow great grapes. You have to take care of your people and the environment and you have to preserve the land. I hope the donation of To Kalon will motivate my friends and neighbors to put their prime vineyard land in conservation easements."Hoffnagle called the new bill "a significant boost for our conservation efforts and a landmark achievement." But, he added, the tax incentives and the bill are only good for 2006-07. "It's a test run for the next 16 months. We have to show this is going to provide a significant protection for land," he said. "The Land Trust is thrilled to be a part of that effort."Currently 10 percent or about 20,000 acres of Napa County is preserved through conservation easements through The Land Trust, but most of it is not prime vineyard land. Hoffnagle said the agency's goal is to protect an additional 1,000 acres of prime ag land by the year 2010, but added, 5,000 to 10,000 acres is entirely possible. "The benefits are profound," he said.Thompson, who was on his way to Missouri to campaign for a fellow Democrat, spoke briefly during the morning ceremony. "I believe conservation easements are one of the most important tools we have for ensuring our farmland is protected from uncontrolled development. Today, we have taken an important step toward better protecting our economy, our environment and our rural communities."The 89-acre To Kalon Vineyard is the third vineyard that Beckstoffer has put into conservation easements; the others are his 44-acre Carneros Creek Vineyard and his 40-acre Beckstoffer Vineyard X. He said his goal is to put all 10 of his Napa Valley vineyards into conservation easements.Besides Beckstoffer Vineyard's parcel, Mondavi owns 250 acres of the original 359-acre To Kalon Vineyard and UC Davis owns the remaining 20 acres.

Napa Valley Updates

Significant Wineries, Vineyardsand Owners in Napa County

Significant Wineries, Vineyards
and Owners in Napa County