Off the beaten path above Napa Valley near scenic Lake Hennessey, visitors find a historic icon from the early days of wine making. Nichelini is the region's oldest family-owned winery founded on the homestead in 1890. The original winery sits in a stone cellar carved into the hillside for natural cooling with the family home sitting on top. The horizontal pole pictured in front of the cellar portal is the lever arm of an ancient 'Roman press' once used to squeeze juice from grapes loaded into a slotted wood box. Picnic tables, bocce court, flowering trees and a creek sit below this authentic hillside winery. #nichelini #lakehennessey #stonebuildings #napavalley #sagecanyon
