The wine has an elegant nose of berries, baking spices, lavender and thyme, followed by berries, black tea, toasted oak and spices on the palate. It is both concentrated and fresh, with fine tannins to support the structure, and a silky, delicate finish. Far Niente was founded in 1885 by John Benson, a member of the "Forty Niner" generation that arrived in California during the 1849 Gold Rush and uncle of painter Winslow Homer. Benson hired architect Hamden McIntyre, who also worked on Christian Brothers Winery (now CIA) and Gustav Niebaum Winery (now Inglenook), to design the winery. The winery thrived until 1919, when Prohibition shut it down and it was left almost untouched for the next 60 years. In 1979, Gil Nickel purchased the winery and adjacent vineyards, and began a three-year restoration. The winery building was beautifully restored and later listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The name "Far Niente" comes from the fact that the front of the winery building had a stone inscribed with "FarNiente" carved into it from the beginning. This means "comfort of doing nothing" in Italian. In 1982, fermentation of the harvested Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon began, and winemaking at Far Niente resumed for the first time in about 69 years. From 1979 to 1982, the winery was under renovation, so the harvested Chardonnay was vinified and sold elsewhere. Far Niente is still a winery that specializes only in Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon. Built on the western slope of Oakville, Far Niente is a gravity-fed winery where grapes are treated with care and gentleness at every stage of the winemaking process. With industry-leading winemaking techniques, a particular house style, grape cultivation on our own vineyards, and a commitment to social responsibility, Far Niente continues to be loved around the world. Far Niente's past and present were reunited in 1998, when an 1886 vintage Far Niente Sweet Muscat was discovered in the cellar of a private home in Marin County. The bottle, with its original label, cork, cap and seal still intact, is said to be the oldest intact California wine in existence. The sepia-toned label, depicting grape clusters spilling out of a hammock, was designed by Benson's nephew, painter Winslow Homer. Far Niente's current label was designed in 1979 by artist Tom Rodriguez. He also designs the labels of sister wineries Dolce, Nickel & Nickel, On Route, and Bella Union. Far Niente has a cave (approximately 3,700 square meters) excavated into the hillside on which the winery is built. This was a project that John Benson dreamed of when the winery was first established, and Gil Nickel took over the dream and completed the construction over a period of 20 years. Currently, the cave holds wines waiting to be released, stored in 2,500 French oak barrels. It also stores precious old vintages that are released after careful aging as the "Cave Collection."