73:. However, the winery was well known in the area as a source for bootleg wine, even supplying the governor's household. In 1920, a man named Clifford Clark wrote a letter to the sheriff complaining about rowdy drunken behavior in the nearby town of Monticello, citing locals having "good times, drinking wine", and that there was "no question, but what the wine comes from Nichelini's". After a warning fine was issued in 1923, Anton was finally arrested on January 8, 1924, and taken to the St. Helena jail. Despite the arrest, the Nichelini family continued to surreptitiously supply wine to local miners and Bay Area residents, sometimes through the cover of a sacramental wine delivery service.
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53:, Canton Ticino, Switzerland. He came to California in 1882 at the age of 19, where he first settled in Glen Ellen (Sonoma Cty.) and became a winemaker and grape grower for pioneer winemaker Joshua Chauvet. Two years later Anton homesteaded a 160-acre tract of rugged wilderness in Chiles Valley, converting about 30 acres to vineyards, and becoming the first Swiss settler in the area.
31:. Its 1886 Homestead Cabin, also on the property and recently restored, is believed to be the only one of its kind remaining in Napa County, and as such was recently placed on the Napa Valley Historical Society's "10 Treasures" list. The winery is currently collectively owned and operated by the descendants of Anton and Caterina Nichelini.
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Nichelini Family Winery only produces about 2500 cases of wine a year, made by current head winemaker Aimée
Sunseri, who is the seventh family winemaker in succession. Its wines include Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, Primitivo, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc, Sémillon and Muscadelle (formerly
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In 1890 Anton married
Caterina Corda (1869–1952), another Swiss immigrant from Ticino, and shortly thereafter they moved out of their tiny homestead cabin and into the Greek Revival style house that Anton constructed on top of his stone winery. Mr. Nichelini was also a skilled miner, and patented
80:. Nichelini family winemakers in succession, following Anton and William Nichelini, have been: James Nichelini, Jo-Ann Nichelini (Meyer), Gregory Boeger, Justin Boeger, and Aimée Sunseri. Aimée Sunseri was named the Woman Winemaker of the Year at the 2017 International Women's Wine Competition.
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Anton and
Caterina eventually had twelve children between the years of 1891 and 1916, all of whom attended school at the Chiles Valley one-room schoolhouse. Their children were: William, Joseph, Josephine, Ida ("Edith"), Rose, Catherine, Mary, Frederic, Allen, Emma ("Virginia"), Antoinette, and
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new smelting techniques. His property in Chiles Valley was unusually rich in chromium and magnesite deposits, and he mined these for several years in addition to his ranching and wine production business.
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in
California. It is the oldest winery in Napa to have been in the same family's hands since its founding, by winemaker Anton Nichelini in 1890, and is listed on the
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Inez. The winery today is collectively owned and operated by the descendants of these twelve children.
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Nichelini Family Winery is located at 2950 Sage Canyon Road (State Hwy. 128), St. Helena, CA, 94574.
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Nichelini Winery was officially reopened by Anton's son
William Nichelini after repeal of the
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Dow, D.H. and Thayer, T.P. Geological
Investigations of Chromite in California,
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361:"Winners Announced for the 10th Annual International Women's Wine Competition"
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National
Register of Historic Places in Napa County, California
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Nichelini Winery "officially" closed during the years of
285:"Swiss Visitors Find Roots at Nichelini Family Winery."
272:"Prominent Rancher Passes Away." 12 Nov 1937.
237:U.S. Dept. of the Interior Geological Survey.
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193:. John Wiley and Sons, Inc., 2007, pp.76-77.
211:Kushman, Rick, and Beal, Hank. 2007, p.77.
49:Anton Nichelini (1862-1937) was born in
19:is a family-owned winery located in the
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35:titled Sauvignon Vert), among others.
363:. Wine Industry Advisor. 28 June 2017
163:.Palgrave Macmillan, 2009, pp. 17-18.
111:National Register of Historic Places.
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128:"Threatened Treasures of the Valley"
29:National Register of Historic Places
178:.The History Press, 2013, pp.47-48.
146:"Nichelini: A Vintage of 122 Years"
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417:1890 establishments in California
248:Sosnowski, Vivienne. 2009, p. 17.
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65:Prohibition and Post-Prohibition
341:Webber, Lin. 2013, pp. 99, 104.
102:The History Press, 2012, p. 80.
311:Monahan, Sherry A. 2013, p.48.
302:The History Press, 2013, p.99.
260:"Nichelini Celebration." 1895.
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394:San Francisco Bay Area portal
223:An Architectural Walking Tour
202:Monahan, Sherry A. 2013, p.48
187:Kushman, Rick and Beal, Hank.
113:"National Register #79000508"
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402:Napa Valley Vintners Assoc.
226:. Arcadia Publishing, 2001.
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350:Webber, Lin. 2013, p. 113.
320:Webber, Lin. 2013, p. 88.
175:Vines, Wines and Pioneers
422:Wineries in Napa Valley
17:Nichelini Family Winery
282:Napa Valley Register.
157:Sosnowski, Vivienne.
299:in the Napa Valley.
172:Monahan, Sherry A.
160:the Rivers Ran Red
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84:References
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