Viticulture briefs: Far Niente buys Napa Vineyard

Sonoma County Wine Auction tickets on sale

Tickets for the Sonoma County Wine Auction are now available as the event moves to a new location this year at the La Crema Estate at Saralee’s Vineyard in Windsor.

The tickets cost $2,500 per person and include an auction lot preview party at Kendall-Jackson Wine Estate and Gardens in Santa Rosa on Sept. 15 as well as a vintner-hosted dinner later that night.

The wine auction will occur the next day at Saralee’s Vineyard.

The Sonoma County Vintners trade group sponsors the event and all proceeds benefit local Sonoma County charitable partners.

Information, sonomacountywineauction.com.

Far Niente Wine Estates adds 60-acre vineyard

Far Niente Wine Estates has purchased a 60-acre Napa Valley vineyard planted primarily to cabernet sauvignon grapes.

The vineyard is located in ?the Rutherford Bench region, just west of Highway 29 and adjacent to the Bosché ?Vineyard. The grapevines are?relatively new, as they wereplanted between 2009 and 2015.

This is the first parcel the company has purchased since San Francisco-based private equity firm GI Partners invested in Far Niente Wine Estates in June 2016. Besides Far Niente, the company also owns ?such wineries Dolce, Nickel & Nickel, EnRoute and Bella Union.

“Cabernet sauvignon has played a major part in our winemaking program since Far Niente’s first cabernet vintage in 1982. We are extremely pleased to have added such a fine vineyard to our Napa Valley cabernet holdings. I’m confident it will make an outstanding single-vineyard cabernet sauvignon addition to the Nickel & Nickel portfolio,” said Dirk Hampson, chairman and director of winemaking for the company, in a statement.

Jackson Wines to get environmental honor

Jackson Family Wines will be honored with the Luther Burbank Conservation Award on July 13. The award will be handed out at the Sonoma County Farm Bureau’s Love of the Land event.

The Santa Rosa-based ?company has been an environmental leader, first ramping up its sustainability program in 2008.

Jackson Family has established 11 goals to reach by 2011, which include committing to one land conservation project annually, having 50 percent of its winemaking operations powered by onsite renewable energy generation and reducing water consumption per gallon of wine by 33 percent.

Love of the Land honors local stewards of the land in Sonoma County. This year’s event will ?be held at the La Crema Estate at Saralee’s Vineyard in Windsor.

Compiled by Bill Swindell. Submit items to bill.swindell@pressdemocrat.com.