El Veredicto Estate Vineyards spans 47 acres in the Stanly Ranch area of Napa in the south of the city. It is among the rare wine estates located within the city limits.
Chardonnay. Merlot. Pinot Noir. These are some of the wine grapes that the Napa Valley is known for producing, reaching over 100,000 tons annually.
Within the city of Napa, numerous tasting rooms can be found, the majority of which showcase creations made using the county’s signature product. However, almost none of these examples come from within the city boundaries.
On the streets, pedestrians can be seen strolling past Migration Winery in Napa. This winery, located near Stanly Road, is included in the shortlist of wineries that is situated within the city limits, as opposed to the traditional, agriculture-driven lands of unincorporated Napa County.
Migration Winery is distinguished as being among the few wineries to house its vineyard, tasting room, and production facility within city boundaries. This unique establishment belongs to the Carneros AVA, a region celebrated for its Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes.
In 2020, this winery officially introduced its Napa vineyard and tasting room, located on Stanly Lane. Fast forward to two years later, Migration acquired the neighboring 47-acre El Veredicto Estate Vineyard. This piece of land formerly comprised part of Stanly Ranch, a renowned expanse of farmland near Napa’s southern extreme, incorporated into the city around the 1960s.
Zach Rasmuson, who acts as Migration’s chief operating officer, stated that this position aligns perfectly with their “small-lot wine making approach”.
Only a few other wine estates can claim a location on the city’s periphery, such as Reid Family Wineries and Crane Family Vineyards. Reid takes up residence in Napa’s northwest corner. On the other hand, Crane Family Vineyard’s appeal lies partly within the city premises, more specifically, a portion of its vineyard, as opposed to the winery itself.
Rex Stults, vice president of industry relationships for the Napa Valley Vintners, shared that vineyards located within city boundaries are not subjected to the same regulations as those found in the unincorporated areas of Napa County.
Specifically, wineries operating within cities are exempt from the Winery Definition Ordinance which oversees wineries in the agricultural preserve of Napa County. This ordinance, established in 1990, details what activities are permissible and those not allowed by wineries. In general, wineries situated within the agricultural preserve or unincorporated areas are prohibited from hosting events and weddings which do not contribute to the consumer’s education or development.
Stults added that, “These city-based wineries are not under the jurisdiction of these laws, hence offering them greater flexibility in terms of marketing ventures, the possibility to host weddings and the liberty to combat any regulations posed within their city of operation.”
However, space constraints exist. Primarily, municipal authorities display a stronger inclination towards domestic construction within their jurisdictions. This is due to the considerable restrictions on residential developments within the Ag Preserve.
Stults likes to describe the Napa Valley as a sea, with the five cities in the county acting as islands. “The commercial residential development takes place on those islands,” he said, “and the rest of the sea is for ag.”
Each city in Napa County has a different philosophy on allowing vineyards and have zoned their lands to accommodate those differences.
Odlon Rojas works at Migration Winery in south Napa on Friday, March 22.
For instance, the general plan of St. Helena includes a generous amount of land zoned for farming. According to St. Helena’s Senior Planner Aaron Hecock, this is because the city’s concerns lie more in preservation.
“St. Helena has a long and rich agricultural history, and long-range planning documents over the years have sought to protect the rural, small-town quality and agricultural character,” Hecock wrote in an email.
In the case of Napa, Senior Planner Michael Walker explained in an email that vineyards are only allowed in Agricultural Reserve zoning areas, which are on the edges of town.
Napa’s general plan, intended to govern local land uses for the next two decades, also provides a vision of the city’s priorities and future growth outlook. The plan sets aside dedicated areas for farming and conservation, but one of Napa’s guiding principles as a city is a focus on ensuring workers and residents have adequate housing.
The plan declares that “the lack of adequate workforce housing is also an economic development issue, as businesses struggle to retain and attract workers.”
Guests arrive for a tasting at Migration Winery in Napa on Friday, March 22.
A community can’t have farmworkers without agriculture or agriculture without farmworkers, and farmworkers need housing. This is one of the priorities the city of Napa is addressing.
From the perspective of the Napa Valley Vintners, Stults says that a prime reason for the scarcity of farming within Napa’s city limits is housing.
“We know that the top concern among our community members is lack of affordability and workforce housing,” he said. “That’s something that needs to be constructed within city limits. It’s difficult to argue against using limited land available for this purpose.”
Napa’s commitment to commercial and residential activity, compared to preservation and agriculture in St. Helena and Calistoga, boils down to what past generations of Napans envisioned for the future of the valley.
In the 1960s, Napa Valley’s capacity to grow into a bustling suburban area seemed exponential.
According to Napa City Manager Steve Potter, residents were concerned that what happened to Santa Clara County in its pre-Silicon Valley days could also unfold in wine country.
“All the farmland was down there, and the urban sprawl just took it all away,” said Potter, a Napa native. “It was all developed. We didn’t want that to happen in Napa.”
Stults confirmed that long-ago vision of the future.
“There was talk of major development, exploding the population of Napa County, major highways beyond Highway 29, maybe even a big airport,” he said.
Wine barrels are seen being moved at Migration Winery in Napa on Friday, March 22. Migration is just inside the city limits and close to unincorporated Napa County land, where non-farm land uses are strictly limited.
Two major developments came from that urge to preserve Napa County’s rural character: the agricultural preserve and the rural-urban limit line.
The community of Napa Valley resisted significant urbanization, which led to the establishment of the Napa Agricultural Preserve in 1968. This preserve declared that farming was the optimal use of Napa County’s unincorporated land, significantly limiting non-agricultural land use. According to Stults, the preserve plays a key role in preserving the unique character of Napa and other towns within the county.
Further to this, once the preserve was established, the local residents passed a measure transferring power from the county’s Board of Supervisors to the residents themselves. This gave them the authority to propose exceptions to the preserve’s restrictions on land use, including large housing projects and commercial buildings.
Stults elucidated the process that would need to be undertaken for substantial development within the preserve, including obtaining approval through a countywide vote.
Each proposal requires thorough planning, signature collection to get it on a ballot, and potentially fundraising to run a successful campaign. “Basically, you have to draft a measure and collect signatures and get it on the ballot,” he said. “If you want to have a chance of it passing, you’d have to raise money and run a campaign.”
The agricultural preserve kept Napa Valley a major grapegrowing region, and gave commercial vineyards designated areas to grow grapes, preventing urban sprawl from overtaking the landscape.
Similarly, the rural-urban line also is intended to keep development control in the hands of the people. First established in 1975, the RUL requires urban growth outside of a city’s line to be approved by a popular vote, the city council and the city planning commission.
Migration Winery, seen on Friday, March 22, is one of a few winemaking operations based inside the city of Napa rather than in the unincorporated county.
Such laws are some of the reasons the Napa Valley looks the way it does and why estate vineyards generally stay outside of cities, and have informed many decisions on how to develop Napa in the years since.
The Stanly Ranch region is a unique part of Napa. Vin Smith, the city’s community development director, mentioned that the way the property was annexed into the city in 1964 would not be possible today based on current regulations.
Smith referred to multiple past propositions of potential developments for this land, such as being a golf course community. However, after extensive deliberation over many years, the Napa City Council endorsed a master plan in 2010. This encompassed strategies for the modern Stanly Ranch resort and future possibilities of vineyards like Migration leveraging the farmland in this area.
Migration therefore, secures a one-of-a-kind spot in this city that doesn’t offer much space for similar initiatives. The residents of Napa County prefer agricultural continuity and the preservation of natural land. This is evident by past local regulations which contain the development within cities and allocate most of the viniculture activities to regions outside the city’s jurisdiction.
Noting the dynamic sentiments of the locals, the city manager of Napa, Potter confirmed that the past generations had different perspectives on the evolution of their valley.
“Different times have different tolerances,” he said.
Have you seen the new Napa Wine Train “green” locomotive travelling along the Valley railroad tracks? This remarkable acquisition which cost a whopping $2.4 million is notable for using far less fuel and reducing emissions by 90%.
Spotted on March 22, Migration Winery joins a select few winemaking operations located within the city limits of Napa, as opposed to being situated in the unincorporated county.
Among the hardworking individuals contributing to this thriving industry, we have Odlon Rojas who is employed at Migration Winery in south Napa.
Guests arrive for a tasting at Migration Winery in Napa on Friday, March 22.
Wine barrels are seen being moved at Migration Winery in Napa on Friday, March 22. Migration is just inside the city limits and close to unincorporated Napa County land, where non-farm land uses are strictly limited.
Pedestrians walk past Migration Winery in Napa on Friday, March 22. The winery near Stanly Road is one of the few to be based within city limits, rather than in the traditionally agriculture-focused lands of unincorporated Napa County.
Facilities technician Andy Beltran is seen working at Migration Winery in Napa on Friday, March 22.
Part of the tasting room at Migration Winery in Napa is seen on Friday, March 22.
An employee is seen working at Migration Winery in Napa on Friday, March 22.
The barrel room at Migration Winery in Napa is seen on Friday, March 22.
Guests arrive for a tasting at Migration Winery in Napa on Friday, March 22.
The barrel room at Migration Winery in Napa is seen on Friday, March 22.
An employee is seen working at Migration Winery in Napa on Friday, March 22.
Migration Winery in Napa on Friday, March 22.
Migration Winery in Napa on Friday, March 22.
Migration Winery in Napa on Friday, March 22.
Reach Riley Palmer at 707-256-2212 or rpalmer@napanews.com.
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