Far Niente

Far Niente is one of Napa Valley’s most storied estates, founded in 1885 by John Benson in Oakville and named from the Italian phrase “dolce far niente,” loosely translated as “without a care.” The stone gravity-flow winery thrived until Prohibition, then sat abandoned for six decades before being meticulously restored by Gil and Beth Nickel beginning in 1979. Today the property is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, with extensive gardens, hillside caves and a classic car collection adding to its r…