Farella

Tom Farella’s original inspiration to enter the wine trade began as a youngster at the dinner table and was later fortified by a family trip to France and some gentle prodding by father Frank. He graduated from UC Davis in 1983 with a degree in Viticulture and Enology while holding down weekend and harvest work with Neyers Vineyards and Flora Springs Winery. His first real job was as winemaker at Preston in Sonoma County which he left after six years to work in Burgundy for Domaine Jacques Prieur in Meursault. The work/travel bug persisted so he then worked in Oregon for a harvest at Ponzi Winery, then in the vineyard for Beaux Freres. It was after this rich experience in 1990 that Tom Farella came back to Farella full time.

Frank Farella founded Farella-Park Vineyards in 1985 in a small, 400 square foot winery next to his house in Napa. His long-sought goal to grow fine wine grapes from a modest, depression-era background was a story that unfolded slowly and steadily. Beginning with his Italian grandparents at home, many home-made wines from the Napa and Alexander Valleys, and ultimately, a test vintage in 1982 from young Farella Vineyard grapes, the commercial venture began in 1985 as a barrel of Chardonnay, a stainless fermented Sauvignon Blanc and a Merlot/Cabernet field blend.

The hillside vineyard is in the heart of the Coombsville-Napa Valley AVA. It is set against the Vaca Mountains just east of the town of Napa with vineyard elevations ranging between 300 and 500 feet. It includes 26 acres of vines originally planted in 1979 to Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. The soil at the top is a stony loam which dovetails into volcanic ash and gravelly loam at the base of the vineyard. There are also 30 acres set aside as untouched oak woodland on the property which partially surrounds the winery.

Only twenty percent of the available fruit is crushed at the Farella winery where, from 1985 until 1990, only 300 cases per year were produced. A total of 1800 cases are now made at Farella Vineyard divided between Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Sauvignon Blanc and Malbec. The majority of the grapes are sold to Beau Vigne, Far Niente, Keenan, Hunnicutt, Lail, Merryvale, Realm and Richard Perry wineries.

The winemaking goal is to provide delicious wines that enhance the meal. The emphasis is on layers of complexity and wines worthy for aging. The Sauvignon Blanc is a light, refreshing wine that emulates the white wines of Northern Italy. The Merlot, normally blended with a portion of Cabernet Sauvignon, is a supple wine with intriguing berry/cassis fruit and spice character. In 1991 we added Cabernet Sauvignon as a varietal, a very rich, ample and complex wine styled for fans of balanced California Cabernets. The 2001 vintage marked the first for a new product, our proprietary blend, Farella ALTA which was produced until the 2007 vintage and has now been reborn in 2014.