(Nov. 7, 2019; Oakville, Calif.)—The Napa River Restoration Project, Oakville to Oak Knoll, Phases 1 through 3 and its project partners, including Tom and Colette Gamble of Gamble Family Vineyards, were awarded the “Outstanding Environmental Project Award” at the 14th Biennial State of the San Francisco Estuary Conference, which took place on Tuesday, October 22. The award honors outstanding environmental projects that benefit the San Francisco Bay-Delta Estuary and its watersheds. Gamble Family Vineyards, and the Gamble Family, have donated over 10 acres of land to the project including the removal of six acres of vines and a home on their Oakville property.
“My love of land, and the critters that we share it with, drives my involvement in this project. Napa River Restoration and its revegetation of stream banks, expansion of the riparian area, and removal of invasive plant species are measurably improving and not just sustaining but regenerating our farmlands and ecosystem. I am amazed at the resurgence of wildlife to date,” says Tom Gamble. “This community is working together and is getting something done. Heartening to say the least.”
Gamble Family Vineyards was honored alongside Jackson Family Wines, Constellation Brands, Missimer Family, Treasury Wine Estates, Traina Family and Gamble – State Farm along with Napa County Watershed and Flood Control Operations Manager Rick Thomasser, Director of Environmental Science Associates Jorgen Blomberg and Napa County Resource Conservation District Senior Biologist Jonathan Koehler. The technical collaborators and fundraisers of the project were also recognized: Regional Water Quality Control Board, California State Water Resources Control Board, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, EPA, Sustainable City Commission and the Wildlife Conservation Board.
For over 20 years, the San Francisco Estuary Partnership has worked together with local communities and federal and state agencies to improve the health of California’s most urbanized estuary. Every two years, the Estuary Partnership brings a focus to the management and ecological health of the San Francisco Bay-Delta Estuary. Nominated projects must significantly benefit the Estuary; be completed or show measurable results, not be externally mandated and further the goals and objectives of the 2016 Estuary Blueprint (Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan).
About Gamble Family Vineyards:
Founded by third-generation farmer Tom Gamble in 2005, Gamble Family Vineyards owns approximately 175 acres of prime estate vineyards from many of Napa’s most respected AVAs—Oakville, Mt. Veeder, Rutherford and Yountville. Its winery and by-invitation-only tasting room have a quiet presence, sitting modestly in an isolated nook off Highway 29 in the heart of Napa Valley’s Oakville AVA. Set back from the main road, Gamble’s mission here is to carry on the heritage of farming that his ancestors sowed when they came to Napa as cattle ranchers in 1916. With a primary focus on Bordeaux varietals, including Sauvignon Blanc, all of Gamble Family Vineyards’ wines are produced in small quantities, with careful attention to farming. Winemaker Jim Close has been with Gamble Family Vineyards since its inception. Gamble Family Vineyards offers four wines through wholesale/distribution, including the Rosé ($25), Gamble Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc ($28), Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($60), and Paramount Proprietary Red Blend ($95).
