Led by the fast-growing Post & Beam label, Napa Valley’s Far Niente Wine Estates continues to carve out gains both on- and off-premise despite the challenging conditions. The company’s portfolio, which contains the Far Niente, Nickel & Nickel, Dolce, Bella Union, EnRoute, and Post & Beam brands, has produced over 150,000 cases of wine in recent years. Last year, Post & Beam grew 50% to 51,000 cases, according to Impact Databank. The brand, billed as the entry-way to the larger Far Niente portfolio, still sits firmly in upscale territory, generally retailing at $35-$55.

“We have been growing and we’ve been growing omnichannel, across distribution, wholesale, and direct to consumer,” says Andrew Delos, vice president of winemaking at Far Niente Wine Estates. “Post & Beam, our newest brand, and Bella Union are leading the charge at retail.”

Post & Beam, launched in October 2020, was Far Niente’s attempt to create a wine brand that offered a more youthful, yet stylistically correct Napa Cab. Initially, Delos sourced the grapes from the company’s own vineyards. “Then it was finding unique vineyards around the Napa Valley that aren’t quite so robust and tannic,” he said. “Those are zones like Calistoga—it’s warmer, it’s a little riper fruit—and Oak Knoll, which is softer. We’ve been able to get really reasonable fruit contracts and five years ago you couldn’t do that. A brand like that would not have existed.”