Gil Nickel (1939 – October 30, 2003) was an American vintner. He was the owner of the historic
Far Niente Winery in the
Napa Valley
Napa Valley is an American Viticultural Area (AVA) located in Napa County in California's Wine Country. It was established by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) on January 27, 1981. Napa Valley is considered one of the premier ...
. He also established the Dolce Winery and the Nickel & Nickel Winery.
Early life
Harold Gilliland Nickel was born in 1939 in
Muskogee, Oklahoma.
[Frank J. Prial]
Gil Nickel, 64, Wine Enthusiast Who Became a Leading Vintner
''The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'', November 01, 2003[Dennis McLellan]
Gil Nickel, 64; Made Far Niente Winery One of Napa's Best Known
''The Los Angeles Times
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...
'', November 01, 2003[James Laube]
Owner of Far Niente, Gil Nickel, Succumbs To Cancer
''Wine Spectator
''Wine Spectator'' is an American lifestyle magazine that focuses on wine and wine culture, and gives out ratings to certain types of wine. It publishes 15 issues per year with content that includes news, articles, profiles, and general entertain ...
'', October 30, 2003 He graduated from
Oklahoma State University
Oklahoma (; Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a state in the South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the east, New ...
in 1961, where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics and Mathematics.
He then served in the Oklahoma Air National Guard, serving one tour of duty the
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (also known by other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam a ...
.
Career
He started his career by working as a missile analyst for the
United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
Laboratory in
Corona, California.
He then moved back to his home state of Oklahoma, where he worked at
Greenleaf Nursery, one of North America's largest wholesale nursery growers, founded in 1945, which was owned by his family and based in
Tahlequah.
He worked alongside his father and brother, later taking turns with his brother managing the business as he developed his Californian vineyard.
In 1976, he moved back to California, where he audited classes in
oenology at the
University of California at Davis
The University of California, Davis (UC Davis, UCD, or Davis) is a public land-grant research university near Davis, California. Named a Public Ivy, it is the northernmost of the ten campuses of the University of California system. The institut ...
.
He also studied oenology in
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
.
In 1979, he purchased the historic Far Niente Winery in Oakville, which had been established in 1885 by John Benson, a '49er of the Californian gold rush and uncle of the famous American impressionist painter
Winslow Homer
Winslow Homer (February 24, 1836 – September 29, 1910) was an American landscape painter and illustrator, best known for his marine subjects. He is considered one of the foremost painters in 19th-century America and a preeminent figure in ...
. The winery was in disrepair having been abandoned 60 years previously during Prohibition and Nickel spent three years restoring it, including the impressive caves, carved out of solid rock, which he repaired and extended to 40,000 sq ft using a 22-foot English electric-hydraulic drill previously used in coal mines.
The caves are now listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...
.
Three years later Far Niente pressed its first harvest in six decades.
In 1992, he started the Dolce Winery, which produced late-harvest dessert wine.
With his son, Jeremy Nickel, he started Nickel & Nickel Winery in 1996.
The business produced wines from the same vineyard as opposed to blends.
Personal life
He was married to Susan Nickel. They had a son, Jeremy Nickel.
At the time of his death, he was married to Beth Nickel. A talented amateur vintage car racer, Gil competed internationally and won the FIA European Historic Sportscar Championship in 2000 in his 1964 Lotus 26R. His extensive collection of classic cars is on display at Far Niente.
Death
Nickel died of cancer on October 30, 2003 in
Oakville, California
Oakville is a census-designated place (CDP) in the of Napa County, northern California.
The population was 71 at the 2010 census. Oakville's ZIP Code is 94562, and it is located in area code 707.
The local economy is based on Napa Valley wine p ...
.
Legacy
*In 2011, his son Jeremy sued the other owners of the Far Niente Winery for alleged misconduct.
[Jesse Duarte]
Nickel winery heir files lawsuit against boardmembers
St. Helena Star, January 05, 2011
*The Gil Nickel Humanitarian Award given by the Jonsson Cancer Center Foundation at the
University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California S ...
is named in his honor.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nickel, Gil
1939 births
2003 deaths
People from Muskogee, Oklahoma
People from Napa County, California
Oklahoma State University alumni
California wine