After years of rebuilding, iconic Napa wineries reopen with high-tech, fire-resistant upgrades

Napa wineries reopen after being devastated by wildfires

Signorello Estate in Napa and Sterling Vineyards in Calistoga have reopened with state-of-the-art upgrades after years of renovations and construction. They were devastated in separate wildfires that tore through wine country.

NAPA, Calif. - California wildfires have taken a huge toll on world famous Napa Valley in recent years.

After several years of rebuilding and weathering the pandemic, two popular wine country destinations have literally risen from the ashes, turning disaster into opportunity.

Carved deep into a hillside, underground, and fully insulated, the newly rebuilt, state-of-the-art Signorello Estate on the Silverado Trail in Napa, just might be the most fire-resistant property in wine country.

"This is about as fire-resistant as you can get, and also earthquakes," said proprietor Ray Signorello, describing an exposed rock wall in its chardonnay room.

Signorello Estate made headlines in 2017 as the first winery to completely burn to the ground in the Atlas Fire, one of the most destructive in California's history. The fire swept through about 800 buildings and claimed six lives.

"As you can imagine, six years, it's a lot of headaches, a lot of stress, it's good to be on the other end of this, to be able to look back and say, 'hey we've done it,'" said Signorello.

He reopened in June, six-and-a-half years after the disaster.

Signorello finished building the winery from scratch, which he calls Phase 1, led by San Francisco-based Taylor Lombardo Architects.

His home was also destroyed in the Atlas Fire. He plans to build a new one, along with a commercial kitchen and more tasting salons in the next and final phase.

Signorello said its sleek winery is larger, and more cutting-edge than ever.

The power lines are now underground to reduce the chances of sparking wildfires.

The facility is made up of concrete and steel. The old winery consisted largely of wood.

In 2020, Signorello Estate also lost its entire harvast due to smoke taint from several wildfires in the region.

Signorello started the winery with his father in the 1980s, and said he will one day hand it off to his daughters.

"You have to persevere, through all we have gone through, obviously we had Covid in the middle of this, which was another headwind," he said. "We can't wait to see customers here… I designed it to show Napa Valley hospitality."

About 20 miles north in Calistoga, sits the world-famous Sterling Vineyards. It is the only winery in the world with its own gondola.

It was the third most visited winery in Napa Valley, before the pandemic. It was devastated in the 2020 Glass Fire, forcing it to completely close for three years, until this past October.

"There's not much on the property that was not affected and it gave us really the opportunity to rethink and refine every piece of the Sterling experience. The most iconic and probably the most visible part of that is the gondolas," said Sterling Vineyards director of hospitality Luke Magnini.

The new gondolas can comfortably seat up to eight guests, and offer 360-degree scenic views. Its original creator, Austria's Doppelmayr, updated the system. Visitors can also enjoy views that are no longer blocked by dense patches of trees. Today, they can also see new drought and fire-resistant plants on the property, amid blackened hillsides in the distance.

Sustainability is also a big priority for Sterling Vineyards. The property is now run on solar power.

It built a fire suppression cave that houses a 250,000-gallon water tank in case it faces another threat or natural disaster.

Each tasting room has also been revamped with a modern look.

This year, Sterling Vineyards is celebrating its 60th anniversary.

"I think that resiliency is really what's at the heart of Napa Valley. We've seen this boom following it," Magnini said speaking of wildfires. "We're so proud to be part of that."

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