Far Niente Winery in Oakville, Napa Valley

Far Niente dates back to 1885, when John Benson turned his dream into reality, constructing the iconic Far Niente stone winery in the heart of Napa Valley. In 1979, the Nickel family continued this rich heritage, meticulously restoring Far Niente to its original grandeur and establishing an internationally acclaimed, world-class winery in the heart of Oakville celebrated for its Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon wines.

Today, Far Niente Wine Estate’s portfolio includes Nickel & Nickel, Bella Union, Post & Beam, EnRoute, and Dolce.

We interview Nicole Marchesi, Director of Winemaking, Far Niente and Dolce to learn more.

What type of wine do you specialize in?

Nicole Marchesi, Director of Winemaking, Far Niente and Dolce: At Far Niente we specialize in Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay and we are passionate about them! With both varietals, we aim to make wines that are elegant, graceful and fresh while still having power, depth and structure. While our wines are approachable and delicious upon release, both our Cabernets and Chardonnays are meant to be aged and will continue to evolve with time in bottle.

Our Chardonnay vineyards are located in the cooler AVAs of Napa Valley, specifically Coombsville and Carneros. The wines from these sites have incredible aromatics of melon, citrus and mineral and textures that are bright and silky. Fermentation in barrel adds subtle toasty notes and richness on the palate.

Cabernet Sauvignon, however, likes to be warmer so our vineyard sites range from Oak Knoll, up through Oakville (our home!) and Rutherford, and as far North as Calistoga where it is significantly warmer. Each vineyard site has a unique quality to add to our blend, like color from Oak Knoll, structure and dark fruit from Oakville, and bright fresh aromatics from Calistoga.

What makes your wine unique?

Nicole Marchesi: With our dedication to two core varietals and over four decades of winemaking expertise, we are able to stay focused and continue to pursue excellence with every harvest and every wine. Our investment in unique and high quality vineyards sites that are well-suited to our house style allows us to consistently deliver wines that reflect a sense of place and time, year after year. These coveted terroirs, including our notable Martin Stelling Vineyard in Oakville and four Chardonnay vineyards in Coombsville, are a testament to Far Niente’s commitment to making world-class wines.

Specifically, our Chardonnay house style uniquely delivers ripe flavors and richness while still being refreshing and elegant. Similarly, our Cabernets are dark and full-bodied with mixed berry flavors and velvety tannins still maintain a sense of freshness and vibrancy.

We work very closely with the vineyard sites and handpick grapes to express their distinct character and style that defines our house wines, enabling them to age gracefully in the cellar for those to enjoy for years to come.    

Share a popular tasting experience

Nicole Marchesi: Our Cave Collection Library Wine Tasting experience is especially popular at Far Niente. Guests get the opportunity to explore the enchanting Far Niente Winery grounds and step into the historic wine caves that hold years of estate heritage. This tasting is a private experience and one of the only opportunities where visitors can taste through rare Cave Collection wines from the Far Niente portfolio, paired with seasonal food pairings curated by our estate Chef. 

For visitors looking to experience more of the FNWE portfolio, we recently launch our newest hospitality offering, the “House of Far Niente Three Estate Tour” which takes visitors through an exclusive, day-long curated tour of our three Napa Valley wineries: the new Bella Union Winery focused on cabernet-blends, the historic Nickel & Nickel, celebrated for its single-vineyard, single varietal wines, and of course, the iconic Far Niente Winery.        

What’s one thing you wish more people knew about your winery?

Nicole Marchesi: I wish people knew more about our cellar team at Far Niente. Day in and day out, they are the ones that take my winemaking choices and turn them into realities – from racking barrels to blending wine in tank, we wouldn’t be able to achieve our level of excellence without their knowledge and expertise. Plus, we have incredible tenure in our cellar; more than half the team has been with Far Niente for over 10 years and four of us for over 20 years! I am so thankful for them.

How did you get started in the wine industry?

Nicole Marchesi: My journey into the wine industry began at UC Davis when an assignment for the school newspaper introduced me to Viticulture and Enology professors, leading me to shift my major from biology to winemaking. This sparked my path into the wine industry, and before joining Far Niente as enologist in 2005, I gained experience working in the cellar as a harvest intern in Sonoma County and New Zealand.

These internships not only allowed me to “get my hands dirty” but also gave me experiences in small and large-scale winemaking. I quickly climbed the ranks at Far Niente, first promoted to assistant winemaker and then named head winemaker in 2009, becoming only the fourth winemaker in Far Niente’s history.

I have had the good fortune to have had several mentors who have inspired me in different ways, especially the previous two winemakers at Far Niente, Ashley Heisey and Stephanie Putnam. Ashley inspired me to be curious, to ask questions and to always continue learning. Stephanie inspired me with her tenacity, passion and work ethic. In addition, Beth Nickel, our proprietress, has inspired me to care deeply for our brand and every person that contributes to success. She has taught me the value of authenticity and hospitality.

What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned in the winemaking process?

Nicole Marchesi: There are so many of them and every wine and vintage gives us an opportunity to learn new ones! More broadly, however, one really important lesson is admitting when you don’t know something but being committed to asking for help and seeking the answer or solution. I have found that collaboration and discussions with my colleagues and team are more fruitful when I pause and listen to their input and ask questions. Early in my career as a winemaker, I thought I needed to have all the answers and to be the solution finder, but I’ve found that allowing my team opportunities to be the experts is more rewarding and produces better results.

Do you remember the first time you fell in love with wine?

Nicole Marchesi: For me, falling in love with wine has been an evolution with multiple experiences adding up to love rather than just a single moment. One of my favorite experiences was organizing and participating in a large comparative tasting of Bordeaux and Napa Cabernet Sauvignon wines across several vintages from the mid-nineties. Not only were the wines incredible but tasted together, they told the story of each vintage and each winery. I love that wine can give you a glimpse into the past! Plus, the experience of tasting and discussing the wine as group reinforced for me that wine is meant to be shared.

Describe your winemaking philosophy?

Nicole Marchesi: My winemaking philosophy centers around guiding the natural expressions of each vineyard site. Because we are crafting blends, we focus on highlighting what each unique site has to contribute. For example, some offer more texture or color and some more aromatics. Figuring out how all the individual vineyard blocks come together plays an important part in my winemaking approach.

Making both Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon allows me to use a wide range of winemaking skills and gives me the opportunity to work in a variety of vineyard sites. With Chardonnay, the significant style decisions are made prior to fermentation and require more forward planning – pressing, yeast and barrel choices have a huge impact on style.

With Cabernet, there is a preliminary plan but always a need to react and adapt to how a fermentation is progressing. Should we pump over more or less? When is the wine ready to press off the skins? These are all decisions that happen in the moment, making each vintage unique.

Do you have a favorite story about working at your winery?

Nicole Marchesi: With 20 years at Far Niente, I’ve had quite a few memorable experiences! One that sticks out to me was the winery’s 125th Anniversary party in 2009. The celebration was incredible! We all paraded across the property carrying large format bottles and danced to live music from Carlos Reyes. Post dinner, our Carriage House building was transformed into Club Dolce with more dancing and creative cocktails using our late harvest wine, Dolce.

A more recent memory is from this past harvest, vintage 2024. Last year, our Dolce winemaker of 20+ years retired and passed off his winemaking reins to me. I have helped and been a part of Dolce production since starting at Far Niente, but now I get to make it! It’s exciting and daunting all at the same time. Dolce harvest this past year was at the end of November and continued into early December; it certainly made for a long harvest but the joy and excitement radiating from every single person from the vineyard to the cellar was so pure and genuine that I will carry it with me forever!

What do you love about winemaking?  

Nicole Marchesi: On one hand, I love that winemaking is intellectually challenging and requires logic, planning and problem solving. On the other hand, I love that it also allows room to use gut instinct, creativity and passion. In my role as winemaker I need to be both organized and good at forward planning so that our work in the cellar runs smoothly. I also need to rely on my tasting and observational skills to make picking and blending decisions. I love that winemaking continues to stimulate my brain and my heart!

Do you have any winery traditions with your team?

Nicole Marchesi: Many of our team traditions revolve around food and sharing meals together. Every Saturday during harvest, we get burritos, tacos and tortas and eat lunch all together. During the week, we don’t always get this opportunity because we often need to take our lunches at different times. We set up a long table outside – it takes a big team to make our wine – and use the break to reconnect with each other. There’s usually lots of laughter. I love it!

How does your team help you as a winemaker?  

Nicole Marchesi: My team is invaluable and a huge part of growth as a winemaker! I rely on them not only for execution of my winemaking decisions and plans but also for collaboration and problem solving. My cellar master, Javier, has been with Far Niente for 32 years! With his wealth of knowledge about the cellar, he offers practical solutions and manages the work flow so that we can achieve high quality wine while also being efficient. I love the sense of pride and joy we find together in accomplishing our goals and working through whatever new challenges we face each harvest. And Mother Nature sure likes to send us some curveballs!