Flames from Napa Valley’s Glass Fire, which exploded overnight, were tearing through parts of this world-class tourist destination Monday, incinerating at least one winery, damaging another and threatening still others.
A family-owned winery along the Silverado Trail, Chateau Boswell, was destroyed, photographs from the scene showed. And reports were circulating Monday on social media that others went up in flames, but there was no immediately confirmation of other losses. Some winery owners reportedly were still waiting to see if their properties survived, and may not have updates until Tuesday.
In Calistoga, the blaze devoured the farmhouse building at Castello di Amorosa, the massive Tuscan-style castle and winery built by vintner Darryl Sattui, confirmed Jim Sullivan, vice president of marketing and public relations for the winery. However, the castle, 200 yards away, did not sustain any damage.
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The building that was destroyed was a production facility, so the loss includes Castello bottling operations, fermentation tanks, a laboratory and bottles of wine.
Two resort properties — Meadowood and Calistoga Ranch — sustained significant damage. Representatives for Meadowood confirmed that numerous buildings on the 250-ace property had been lost, and state Sen. Bill Dodd tweeted photos of the destruction at Calistoga Ranch.
The Napa County Office of Emergency Services said 64 wineries sit within the evacuation or evacuation warning areas.
Two photographers — from Getty Images and the Associated Press — photographed firefighters battling the Chateau Boswell blaze. The boutique winery on the Silverado Trail was founded in 1979 by Richard Thornton Boswell and remains in Boswell family hands.
Representatives of a nearby winery on the trail, Failla Wine Co., on Monday afternoon said new information confirmed that their property sustained only minor damage. The structure itself, a 1930s yellow farmhouse, was not affected.
“The fire spread across a portion of the property, but all structures, including the wine cave and yellow house, have survived and are still fully intact because CalFire was able to make a stand on our crush pad and stopped the burn before any structural damage occurred,” owner-winemaker Ehren Jordan wrote in a statement released Monday evening.
“Failla is incredibly fortunate to still be standing. I’m sobered by the destruction the fire has already caused to so many of our neighbors within this community.”
Other vintners took to social media to give status updates to customers about their buildings and vineyards.
“Thanks to the heroic efforts of fire crews last night, Duckhorn Vineyards is standing tall, and our staff (including our beloved winery cat Kitter) is out of harm’s way. Our hearts go out to our neighbors during this difficult time,” the winery posted on Twitter.
On the western side of the Silverado Trail, Rombauer Vineyards reported that its properties had been threatened by fire Sunday but escaped damage. By Monday night, there were unconfirmed reports that the winery was again in danger.
A number of properties — among them, Charles Krug Winery, Fantesca Winery, Ehlers Estate, Far Niente and Nickel & Nickel — released statements late Monday saying that their wineries and employees are safe.
“Right now, Charles Krug continues to see fires on either side of the property but is safe — as are our vineyards throughout the Napa Valley,” Judd Wallenbrock, CEO and president of C. Mondavi & Family said in a statement. “As usual in these types of scenarios, vineyards are excellent fire breaks and we are hopeful that they will continue to be a resource at helping limit the spread of the fire. Our thoughts remain with our neighbors and the entire community.”
Napa Valley is home to more than 400 wineries and tasting rooms, according to Visit Napa Valley, the region’s tourism organization. The wine and tourism industries are the county’s No. 1 and No. 2 industries, respectively. In 2018, more than 3.85 million people visited the region, pouring $2.23 billion into the local economy.
The group was unable to respond to inquiries Monday about affected wineries and hotels “because of the active fire situation.”
“Visit Napa Valley is thankful for the work CalFire and other first responders are doing to keep residents and visitors safe, and our hearts go out to the families who are impacted,” Lisa Poppen, vice president of the organization, said.
This is a developing story. Come back for updates.