Duckhorn winery growth appealed to Napa County Board of Supervisors

Duckhorn Vineyards winery production and visitor growth requests are on track to receive further Napa County scrutiny, this time from the county Board of Supervisors.

The Planning Commission earlier this month approved the requests by the St. Helena-area winery by a 3-0 vote, with two members absent. But resident John Murphy and Water Audit California have filed separate appeals.

No Board of Supervisors appeal hearing date has been announced. Typically, hearings are held several months after appeals are filed, if the protests aren't withdrawn.

It's become a familiar dispute in Napa Valley — a winery seeks to expand, and some rural neighbors and environmentalists become wary of the scope of growth.

"It's an overwhelming transformation of a rural road into an industrial lane," Murphy said on Tuesday.

The Planning Commission, which over the years has trimmed more than a few winery growth proposals, on May 3 backed the Duckhorn project as requested without any long debates.

"I look at this application as an indication of success," Commissioner Dave Whitmer told Duckhorn officials at that meeting. "You wouldn't be coming to us if you didn't have a successful brand."

Duckhorn winery is located on 10 acres east of the Napa River near St. Helena. It bought 19 acres on the west side of the river a few years ago that are key to its growth plans.

Among other details, the Planning Commission approved:

• Building a 58,042-square-foot winery on the west property. Duckhorn officials said the bigger winery will be able to handle Napa Valley grapes now shipped to Hopland.
• Expanding the Estate House on the east property.
• Increasing maximum annual wine production from 160,000 to 300,000 gallons.
• Increasing maximum annual visitation from 37,552 to 88,566 guests. That includes both tasting guests and marketing event guests.

Murphy lives on Lodi Lane, where he has his Sang-Froid Vineyards. He said a few neighbors are coming together as Preserve Lodi Lane.

He noted Freemark Abbey wants to build a hotel on Highway 29 at the west end of Lodi Lane. With the Duckhorn project on the east end contributing more vehicle and truck traffic, the rural road could become like "an industrial highway," he said.

Traffic data used for the Duckhorn application are from 2019 and before, Murphy said. Meanwhile, he added, the county over five years has approved growth at nine wineries that has increased traffic on Highway 29, Silverado Trail and Lodi Lane.

At the May 3 meeting, William McKinnon of Water Audit California expressed concerns about how groundwater consumption at Duckhorn might affect the Napa River.

Duckhorn CEO Alex Ryan at that same meeting said the Duckhorn requests were in line with what other older, larger-parcel wineries have.

"The reality is, we're not asking for new, crazy things, trying to set some new benchmarks for what we're doing here," Ryan said.

As things stand, the Board of Supervisors looks to make the call.