Napa's Far Niente winery gets new majority ownerGil Nickel, who bought the Far Niente winery in 1979, is seen holding a bottle of his Chardonnay. Nickel died in 2004. GI Partners, a San Francisco private equity firm, has agreed to buy a majority share of Napa’s Far Niente Wine Estates, which includes the wineries Far Niente, Dolce, Nickel & Nickel, EnRoute and Bella Union. Far Niente’s current owners Beth Nickel, Erik Nickel, Dirk Hampson and Larry Maguire remain shareholders. The price of the deal and percentage of ownership was not disclosed. It must be buyout season. The news of the Far Niente investment comes on the heels of two big Bay Area deals announced yesterday: Jackson
