Exploring the Rare Wine Estates Within Napa City Limits: Here’s Why They’re Few and Far Between Chris Lehoux, April 15, 2024 El Veredicto Estate Vineyards are spread across 47 acres located in the Stanly Ranch region of Napa, marked as a rarity being one of the few vineyards within the city limits. Chardonnay. Merlot. Pinot Noir. These are the wine grapes famously cultivated in Napa Valley, an amount exceeding 100,000 tons annually. Despite the ubiquitous wine tasting rooms in the city of Napa, flaunting their products made from the county’s signature grapes, the number of vineyards actually located within the city bound is exceedingly low. A typical scene of pedestrians strolling past Migration Winery in Napa is observed on a Friday, March 22. This winery, situated near Stanly Road, forms part of the exclusive club of vineyards functioning within the city spaces, as opposed to the traditional agriculture-dominant lands outside Napa County’s incorporated areas. Migration Winery is one of the unique wineries with a vineyard, tasting room, and production facility within city limits. It is part of the notable Carneros AVA, renowned for its Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes. The winery launched its Napa vineyard and tasting site in 2020 on Stanly Lane. In just two years, Migration purchased the nearby 47-acre El Veredicto Estate Vineyard. This vineyard used to be part of the historic farmland, Stanly Ranch, close to the southern tip of Napa, annexed by the city in the 1960s. Migration’s Chief Operating Officer, Zach Rasmuson, expressed that the location complements their small-lot wine making style very well. A few other wine estates sit on the city’s outskirts, such as Reid Family Wineries and Crane Family Vineyards. Reid is located in the northwest corner of Napa, whereas only a portion of Crane Family Vineyard’s vines are within city limits, not the actual winery. Rex Stults, vice president of industry relationships for the Napa Valley Vintners, said that vineyards inside city limits do not face the same rules that wine operations in unincorporated Napa County do. Wineries operating within cities are not bound by the Winery Definition Ordinance that governs wineries in Napa County’s agricultural preserve, he said. The ordinance, passed in 1990, defines what wineries can and cannot do. Generally speaking, wineries in the agricultural preserve or unincorporated areas cannot host weddings and events that are unrelated to the education or development of consumers. “They are not bound by those laws and so they have more flexibility on market opportunities, weddings if they want, so on and so forth, as dictated by whatever regulations they have to operate under within that particular city,” said Stults. There just isn’t enough room. And, for the most part, municipal leaders are more interested in building homes within their limits, as residential development is significantly restricted within the Ag Preserve. Stults uses an interesting analogy to describe the Napa Valley. He imagines it as a vast sea, with the five cities in the county as islands dotted across the waters. The commercial and residential development occurs on these islands, while the vast sea that surrounds them is reserved for agriculture. In Napa County, each city has its unique approach regarding vineyard permissions and has their lands zoned to reflect these differences. Consider Migration Winery in south Napa, where Odlon Rojas works. He experiences firsthand this kind of zoning regulation on a day-to-day basis since he commenced work on Friday, March 22. The city of St. Helena, for example, has a general plan that allows for a substantial amount of land zoned for farming. This is primarily due to the city’s priorities towards preservation, as stated by Aaron Hecock, the Senior Planner for St. Helena. “St. Helena has a long and rich agricultural history, and long-range planning documents over the years have sought to protect the rural, small-town quality and agricultural character,” Hecock wrote in an email. In the case of Napa, Senior Planner Michael Walker explained in an email that vineyards are only permitted in Agricultural Reserve zoning areas, which are situated on the outskirts of town. Napa’s general plan, devised to manage local land uses for the subsequent two decades, also presents a vision of the city’s priorities and forthcoming growth prospects. The plan allocates dedicated zones for farming and conservation, but one of Napa’s guiding principles as a municipality is a concentration on confirming that workers and residents have sufficient housing. The plan asserts that “the paucity of adequate workforce housing is also an economic development issue, as businesses grapple with retaining and attracting workers.” Guests arrive for a tasting at Migration Winery in Napa on Friday, March 22. A community cannot sustain itself without agriculture or agriculture without farmworkers, and farmworkers require adequate housing. The city of Napa is making this a priority. According to the Napa Valley Vintners, Stults indicated that a significant factor for the lack of farming within Napa’s city limits is housing. “We understand that the primary concern amongst our community members is the unavailability of affordable and workforce housing,” he expressed. “This is an issue that needs to be addressed within the city limits. Arguing for limited land allocation for this purpose proves challenging.” Napa’s commitment to commercial and residential activity, compared to preservation and agriculture in St. Helena and Calistoga, boils down to what past generations of Napans envisioned for the future of the valley. In the 1960s, Napa Valley’s capacity to grow into a bustling suburban area seemed exponential. According to Napa City Manager Steve Potter, residents were concerned that what happened to Santa Clara County in its pre-Silicon Valley days could also unfold in wine country. “All the farmland was down there, and the urban sprawl just took it all away,” said Potter, a Napa native. “It was all developed. We didn’t want that to happen in Napa.” Stults confirmed that long-ago vision of the future. “There was talk of major development, exploding the population of Napa County, major highways beyond Highway 29, maybe even a big airport,” he said. Wine barrels are seen being moved at Migration Winery in Napa on Friday, March 22. Migration is just inside the city limits and close to unincorporated Napa County land, where non-farm land uses are strictly limited. Two major developments came from that urge to preserve Napa County’s rural character: the agricultural preserve and the rural-urban limit line. The Napa Valley community pushed against major urbanization, which manifested in 1968’s Napa Agricultural Preserve, proclaiming that farming was the highest and best use of Napa County’s unincorporated land and strictly limiting non-farm land uses there. According to Stults, the preserve is one of the reasons Napa and the county’s other towns look the way they do. Furthermore, after the preserve was initiated, residents passed a measure to take power away from the county’s Board of Supervisors and shift it to residents to propose exceptions to the preserve’s land-use limits, such as large-scale housing projects and commercial buildings. Stults explained what the process would be like if one pursued major development in the preserve — a requirement to put those plans to a countywide vote. “Basically, you have to draft a measure and collect signatures and get it on the ballot,” he said. “If you want to have a chance of it passing, you’d have to raise money and run a campaign.” The agricultural preserve kept Napa Valley a major grapegrowing region, and gave commercial vineyards designated areas to grow grapes, preventing urban sprawl from overtaking the landscape. Similarly, the rural-urban line also is intended to keep development control in the hands of the people. First established in 1975, the RUL requires urban growth outside of a city’s line to be approved by a popular vote, the city council and the city planning commission. Migration Winery, seen on Friday, March 22, is one of a few winemaking operations based inside the city of Napa rather than in the unincorporated county. Such laws are some of the reasons the Napa Valley looks the way it does and why estate vineyards generally stay outside of cities, and have informed many decisions on how to develop Napa in the years since. The Stanly Ranch region is a unique part of Napa. According to the city’s community development director Vin Smith, the way the property was merged into the city in 1964 would not be legally possible under modern guidelines. Smith pointed to many past ideas of what could be built there, including as a golf course community, but after decades of consideration the Napa City Council approved a master plan for the area in 2010. This included plans for the current Stanly Ranch resort and the potential for wineries like Migration to use the area’s farmland. Migration thus holds a unique spot in the city of Napa, which lacks much room for other ventures like it. Napa County residents’ valuing of agriculture and land preservation, as evidenced by past local ordinances, keeps development within cities and leaves most winemaking work in the unincorporated county. Potter, the Napa city manager, noted that Napans of decades past had different visions about how their valley would change. “Different times have different tolerances,” he said. Have you noticed the new Napa Wine Train “green” locomotive rolling along Valley railroad tracks? It cost $2.4 million, uses much less fuel and cuts emissions by 90%. Migration Winery, seen on Friday, March 22, is one of a few winemaking operations based inside the city of Napa rather than in the unincorporated county. Odlon Rojas works at Migration Winery in south Napa on Friday, March 22. <p>Guests arrive for a tasting at Migration Winery in Napa on Friday, March 22.</p> <p>Wine barrels are seen being moved at Migration Winery in Napa on Friday, March 22. Migration is just inside the city limits and close to unincorporated Napa County land, where non-farm land uses are strictly limited.</p> <p>Pedestrians walk past Migration Winery in Napa on Friday, March 22. The winery near Stanly Road is one of the few to be based within city limits, rather than in the traditionally agriculture-focused lands of unincorporated Napa County.</p> <p>Facilities technician Andy Beltran is seen working at Migration Winery in Napa on Friday, March 22.</p> Part of the tasting room at Migration Winery in Napa is seen on Friday, March 22. An employee is seen working at Migration Winery in Napa on Friday, March 22. The barrel room at Migration Winery in Napa is seen on Friday, March 22. Guests arrive for a tasting at Migration Winery in Napa on Friday, March 22. The barrel room at Migration Winery in Napa is seen on Friday, March 22. An employee is seen working at Migration Winery in Napa on Friday, March 22. Migration Winery in Napa on Friday, March 22. Migration Winery in Napa on Friday, March 22. Migration Winery in Napa on Friday, March 22. Reach Riley Palmer at 707-256-2212 or rpalmer@napanews.com. Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Reporter {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Two females died after a shooting in Napa Saturday night, and Napa Police are seeking witnesses to the incident, the department announced. Brad Rowell was arrested Friday on a warrant alleging 21 counts of sexually abusing a minor, three days after his initial arrest and release. A longtime teacher and running coach at American Canyon High School was arrested Tuesday for the suspected sexual abuse of a student. A fight outside a restaurant ended with two injuries and a Napa man’s arrest early Sunday morning, according to police. Napa County considered constructing a huge, new downtown Napa headquarters. It chose a more modest approach. About the Author: Chris Lehoux Meet Chris Lehoux, an experienced wine connoisseur and dedicated blogger with a deep passion for all things wine-related. With years of expertise in the industry, Chris shares insightful wine reviews, valuable wine tasting tips, expert pairing advice, and captivating tales of vineyard visits. Join Chris on a journey through the world of wine, where every sip is an adventure waiting to be savored! Wine