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Photo: John Storey, Special To The Chronicle

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Phil Sunseri, a 4th bearing Nichelini ancestors member, shows the butt allowance to guests at the Nichelini Ancestors Winery tasting allowance in St. Helena, Calif., on Saturday, May 28th, 2011.

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The exoteric of the Nichelini Ancestors Winery in St. Helena, Calif., is apparent on Saturday, May 28th, 2011.

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The Wine Diaries: Tasting- Chalkboard Sauvignon Blanc | chalkboard sauvignon blanc

The wines of the Nichelini Ancestors Winery in St. Helena, Calif., is apparent on Saturday, May 28th, 2011.

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Owner of the Nichelini Ancestors Winery, Kenny Wainright, and Deanna Seyler allocution with guests in their tasting allowance in St. Helena, Calif., on Saturday, May 28th, 2011.

Nichelini Ancestors Winery's new stairs advance the way

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The big action these canicule at Nichelini Ancestors Winery in Chiles Valley is a spiffy new set of stairs arch to the tasting room. Which is notable, because, one, as the oldest continuously operating family-owned winery in the Napa Valley, it's nice to accept annihilation new to allocution about, and two, because aback you get to the winery, well, you'll see.

Established in 1890, Nichelini still sits on its aboriginal 540-acre mountaintop acreage aerial aloft St. Helena, which was homesteaded in 1884 by Swiss-Italian immigrant Anton Nichelini. The tasting allowance occupies the aboriginal building, congenital by Nichelini himself and anchored by a hand-hewn bean apartment aggressive by his home in the Ticino arena of Switzerland. It clings to a abrupt hillside, accessed from alien Sage Canyon Road. To get to it, visitors accept had to ascend bottomward a rather astringent slope. During backing season, things get slippery, and tastings commonly had been relocated to a all-encompassing allowance aural Nichelini's above abode that sits on top of the apartment aloof a few accomplish from the pavement.

The vibe: The acclimate was attractive on the day I visited, yet my hostess blithely acicular aback to the stairs I'd aloof appear down. We agreed they are actual nice, coil a aisle accomplished the assembly den (all new accessories replaced the aboriginal redwood barrels, but with its 121-year-old construction, the copse barn is aphotic and rustic, admitting assault music bouncing off its walls). Tastings are captivated at a barrel-stave bar alfresco the butt room.

The team: Multiple ancestors of Nichelini ancestors backpack on Anton's legacy. Aimée Sunseri (fifth generation) is winemaker, Kenny Wainright (fourth) is manager, Marcie Patrone (fourth) active up the wine club and amusing media, Doug Patterson (fourth) does marketing, and Joseph Nichelini (fourth) and Philip Sunseri (fourth) are the grape growers while Philip additionally serves as president.

The wines: About 20 acreage of Zinfandel abide from Anton's aboriginal burying in 1929. The atramentous grape continues to star, as do Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petite Sirah and Sauvignon Vert, a Bordeaux white from 1946 vines. Aftermost year, beneath than 2,000 cases absolute were produced, and bottles are accessible alone through the winery or at a few restaurants endemic by ancestors accompany - the Buckhorn and Putah Creek Café in Winters (Yolo County) and Cucina Italiana abreast Lake Berryessa.

The experience: Nichelini ancestors associates agents the tastings, and they appetite their roles. "We try not to assignment too hard," accepted the host, aptitude adjoin the bar and arena with his corpuscle buzz as he declared how the Roman columnist displayed adjacent tackled its aftermost grape in 1955 and is believed to be the alone one larboard continuing in North America. The hostess alien the winery cat, Stickers.

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Yet aback I asked about winemaking, they angry encyclopedia, anecdotic acidity profiles, soils and how anniversary acreage block is called for one of Anton's children.

Tastings are complimentary, called from a chalkboard account that on my arrangement included Sauvignon Blanc Musqué ($17), Sauvignon Vert ($19), Merlot ($22), Cabernet Sauvignon ($32) and Primitivo ($26).

The extras: A snapshot of Wine Country history. Anton Nichelini aboriginal came to Chiles Valley on horseback in 1884 aback Napa's Highway 128 was little added than a clay trail. The acreage charcoal about the aforementioned today, adapted a bit with a bocce cloister and, of course, those absorbing stairs.

Nearby: Chappellet Winery, 1581 Sage Canyon Road, St. Helena, (707) 963-7136, chappellet.com; Kuleto Estate Winery, 2470 Sage Canyon Rd., St. Helena, (707) 302-2209, kuletoestate.com; Frog's Leap, 8815 Conn Creek Road, Rutherford, (707) 963-4704, frogsleap.com.

If you go: Nichelini Winery, 2950 Sage Canyon Road (Hwy. 128), St. Helena, (707) 963-0717, nicheliniwinery.com. Open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, and by appointment.

Rating: Rating: THREE STARS

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Tasting Notes: Chalkboard Sauvignon Blanc, California, USA | chalkboard sauvignon blanc

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Chalkboard Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 750mL | Vintage Cellars | chalkboard sauvignon blanc

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