Six thousand charred dead trees. Two years.
That’s what needs to be cleared and removed at Napa’s Newton Vineyard, and how long it’s likely to take. And then there s the winery to rebuild.
“We need to take [the dead trees] out for risk of falling and causing further damage, while balancing that removal against erosion control. The cost to do just that is several million dollars,” says estate director Jean-Baptiste Rivail.
The Newton property was heavily damaged in the 2020 wine-country wildfires. Its location on Spring Mountain a curving, winding, altitude-changing mix of exposures and slopes makes it among the most difficult to farm in Napa Valley. Add drought on top of all that and just getting a new vineyard established would be difficult here, let alone having to clear the burned material out before replanting.