Napa County OKs small winery’s new wine production, tasting room
Napa County’s Planning Commission recently approved the expansion of a small family-owned winery on Spring Mountain Road east of St. Helena. The Jan. 7 vote was unanimous, saying they fully support the application.
The application was submitted under Napa County’s code compliance program, which supervisors approved in 2018 to help wineries become in line with county rules.
Barnett Vineyards sought to boost maximum production from 20,000 gallons to 30,000 gallons of wine a year, build a new 1,700-square-foot tasting room on the 40-acre site, home to an existing winery founded in the late 1980s with wine caves, residence and other buildings.
The owners, Fiona and Hal Barnett, who live on the property also won permission to host about 11,460 visitors a year. Their 1988 permit did not allow visitors.
The family also applied to improve their driveway, requiring an exemption to the county’s street standards. Three oak trees will be replaced with nine oak trees in the process.
They also sought to have five full-time employees, build more parking spaces to accommodate 12 vehicles instead of six and upgrade the water and wastewater systems.
The family’s plan is to redevelop the winery in phases. The winery can continue to operate under the current conditions until the driveway and other improvements are completed later this year.
Anglin told the commissioners the Barnetts started the winery as a lark. Over time, visitors wanted to come to the winery so the Barnetts hosted them. The Barnetts’ first harvest was in 1989, according to the company’s website.
Planning commissioners voiced support for the project, noting the importance of bringing existing wineries into compliance with county rules. Neighbors wrote in support of the proposal, calling the proposal reasonable.
Paloma Vineyard owner Sheldon Richards said the Barnetts’ proposal was “a thoughtful, measured evolution of a responsible family business — not an oversized expansion.”
Vintner Fred Schweiger praised the Barnetts’ sustainable farming practices. “As a close neighbor, we are proud of their efforts to maintain their vineyards to the highest degree of the Spring Mountain reputation,” Schweiger said.
