NAPA, Calif. (KRON) — As the Hennesey Fire grew dangerously close to Napa Valley’s oldest winery on Aug. 18, the Sunseri family nervously watched as flames engulfed surrounding hills.
On Tuesday morning the fire continued to grow and began to burn alongside the eastern portion of the Nichelini Family Winery property located in the Chiles Valley area.
“On Tuesday the winds started picking up and around 11 o’clock in the morning the flames just started becoming a firestorm,” said Phil Suneri, a fourth-generation Nichelini family member said.
“I came down from northern California to be here and work with my crews and defending the properties and working with my cousins in defending this property.”
The fires came within feet of the property which sits along Highway 128 in a very remote hillside area.
In 2017, the family faced a similar situation as the Atlas Fire came close to the winery — just narrowly missing the property.
“There was the Atlas fire and the Atlas peak is only a mile and a half from here,” said Sunseri.
“During the course of the fire and getting it under control the north wind would change to the south and it constantly came back to our ranch and it hit within one mile of this property.”
The winery has since gone through numerous changes in an effort to ensure the 130-year-old property stood any chance against another fire including the removal underbrush and trimming surrounding trees.
“We realized then that our fire was susceptible to these kinds of fires and we started implementing a plan after that fire but formally started in 2019,” said Sunseri.
“We made a plan in 2019 and we got funding from our corporation with limited funds to do the fire safety plan of removing all the fuel within 200 foot radius of all of structures,”
“We finished that in August just in time for this fire.”
The Nichelini Family Winery was started by Anton and Caterina Nichelini after settling into the property as homesteaders in 1884 and by 1918 had grown the property to 32 acres of Zinfandel vineyards.
The historic winery has been able to stand the test of time through the help of Nichelini’s 12 children and has since been carried on by generations of Nicelini family members.
“Family is really important and to know where your roots are … but for the Anton Nichelini heirs and all Nichelini’s plus all of our wine patrons, they can feel the history here,” said Sunseri.
“This property is an irreplaceable asset … we always keep in mind that we have to protect this asset because for us to lose this property makes it impossible for us to rebuild.”
Sunseri tells KRON4 News the winery will go through further renovations to ensure the property can withstand another fire which include an emergency water supply for fire crews to access.
In the winery’s 130-year history it has never missed a harvest and the family is hopeful that this year is no different.
“I think it’s a real tribute to the history of a family and right now with everything we’re going through, family is really really important,” said Sunseri.
from KRON4 https://ift.tt/3lEwm2f
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