Stephen Simm's Far Niente post, part II. Stephen is the wine consultant at our east Naples store (E. Tamiami Trail)

Far Niente's Estate Bottled Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon uses hand-harvested, hand-sorted fruit to produce a young wine aged 18-20 months in 75% to 100% new French oak barrels. Rackings every three months remove sediment, or lees, and after a year in the barrel, a gentle fining with egg whites softens and clarifies.

 The resulting Cabernet has the typical cassis and blackberry notes along with spicy oak aromas recognized as the Far Niente house style. Time enhances the flavors and nurtures the bottle bouquet, offering elegance, and earning Far Niente the reputation for creating age-worthy wines.

The wine is produced by Nickel & Nickel winery in Oakville, Napa Valley. Established by the partners of Far Niente in 1997, Nickel & Nickel makes single-vineyard Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon and a selection of single-vineyard Chardonnay, Merlot, Syrah and Zinfandel.

 Along with stunning vineyard vistas and impressive architecture we were treated to a viewing of Gil Nickel’s classic car collection, housed in the Carriage House on the winery grounds.

Spectacular vehicles from Italy, Britain, Germany and America, including a 1966 Ferrari 500
Superfast, a 1961 Corvette roadster, are among the collection. My favorite was the 1967 Shelby GT 500 Eleanor Mustang Fastback. Almost all of the cars are road ready and driven regularly along the winding roads and hillsides of the wine country.

Great wine and beautiful cars all in a unique, historical setting. Art, indeed, and a little more than “doing nothing.’’