The winery became the subject of an FBI investigation
Napa Valley vineyard owners have had to deal with the challenge
Extreme environmentalists say vineyards are damaging to the environment
Whose interests are being protected by this investigation?
According to media reports, the U.S. Department of Justice issued a subpoena to Napa County, California, late last year, in which 40 individuals and businesses in Napa Valley were named, requiring all documents, including individuals, companies, and projects. With no clear cause, or no public cause, the FBI launched a series of investigations.
Some say it's because of politics, some say it's because of bribery, and locals speculate more about the "fight for Napa Valley turf". A significant portion of environmentalists believe that Napa County administrators have supported the development of the wine industry and that the cultivation of a single crop has led to an ecological imbalance. "Isn't there already enough vineyards?" is clearly the opposite of wanting to continue to expand the vineyards.
Until now, the cause of the investigation has not been clarified, and "no one knows exactly what happened," said the owner of Smith-Madrone Vineyards & Winery, who was interviewed.
It is reported that the names of many wineries and wine brands such as Caymus Vineyards, Mer Soleil, and Alpha Omega Winery were mentioned among the respondents, as well as Dave Phinney, the founder of the Napa Internet celebrity brand Prisoner. In particular, billionaire Craig Hall and his wife (former U.S. Ambassador to Austria) Kathryn Hall, co-owned Hall Wines.
Just a month after the investigation began, the Napa County Department of Agriculture issued an announcement saying that the bureau's chief executive, Ryan Klobas, had died at the age of 45. The announcement did not disclose the cause of death, but some media reported that police found a suspected suicide firearm at the scene.
Klobas joined the Department of Agriculture in 2017 as a policy director and has previously advised the Governor of California on environmental issues. In 2018, he also explicitly opposed Measure C, which aims to impose more restrictions on vineyard development in the region, including restricting the cutting of oak woodland for vine planting. In the end, the measure was narrowly defeated and not implemented.
The case and mysterious investigation cast a cloud of fog over the vineyards of Napa Valley......
The billionaire and his diplomatic ambassador's wife, Mr. and Mrs. Hall, were named, perhaps because of a ranch deal in 2005. For $8 million, the Halls purchased the 2,300-acre (930-hectare) Walter Ranch, which they hope to develop into a vineyard.
As soon as the acquisition plan was made public, it sparked a 17-year legal battle. Local environmentalists oppose converting pastures into vineyards, which would require the cutting down of about 14,000 trees. Two years ago, there were also media reports that neighbors were unhappy with the development of the vineyards, arguing that the project would increase "traffic congestion, noise and light pollution, etc."
Finally in 2022, the Hall couple received approval for the Walter Ranch Vineyard, but then they donated 25% of the 2,300 acres (about 233 hectares) to the Napa County Land Trust, which raised funds to purchase the remaining land. The land is now protected in perpetuity and has become a nature reserve.
The matter is also said to have involved Napa County County Governor Alfredo Pedroza, who had previously faced problems after voting twice to approve the development of the vineyard during the issue of the Walter Ranch, which was later discovered to be related to his own potential interest, and Pedroza's father-in-law had purchased a property near the Walter Ranch that could benefit the family if the vineyard was successfully established, but Pedrosa denied such an interest.
Although Alfredo Pedroza's name was not mentioned in this subpoena, at least 26 of the 40 individuals and businesses mentioned in the subpoena made donations to him in his campaign for county governor. Because of his unwavering support for the wine industry, Pedrosa has also become a thorn in the side of environmentalists, accusing him of causing a series of ecological problems such as soil erosion and habitat destruction in order to expand the wine industry.
Chuck Wagner, owner of Caymus, was "incredible" that his name appeared in the subpoena. "They shouldn't name names unless I'm really doing something wrong without knowing it. Robin Baggett, the former general counsel of the Golden State Warriors and owner of Alpha Omega, dismissed the investigation as a "fishing investigation" and a "waste of time," and even suggested that it could be a "political ploy."
Castile Estate owner Dave DiCesaris said he and his wife spent several years and more than $2 million dealing with rigorous environmental inspections in a project known as the Erosion Control Program (ECP) that cleared about 3 acres to build new vineyards on Howell Mountain.
He also claimed that he had been subjected to a "personal attack" on the project, with environmentalists placing a threatening note on his doorstep directly indicating that he and his vineyard were not welcome. When he tried to explain the fire benefits of his winery, one of his neighbors said, "I'd rather see your property burned down than see vineyards on it." "Some extremists even drove around the winery in off-road vehicles to destroy the vineyards.
Clearly, Napa's wineries are stuck in the red tapered rules of the area. In the entire California region, Napa is one of the most environmentally damaging vineyards, and even "notorious" for its harshness. This has left local winegrowers wondering how their long-standing pride in ecological vineyards is destroying the environment.
Many winery owners said they were looking to grow outside of Napa and escape the poor policy environment. It is reported that Napa County has submitted all the documents requested in the subpoena, but no further information has been released at this time. The summons is not a confirmed illegal and criminal act, and we will continue to pay attention to the follow-up progress~