A Yountville-area winery could face more than $8 million in penalties and potentially shut down after a court sided with Napa County in a long-running legal dispute over unpermitted wine tastings and tours.
The case centers on whether Hoopes Vineyard violated county regulations by operating beyond a historic exemption given to the county’s long-operating small wineries.
A Napa County Superior Court judge concluded in November that Hoopes Vineyard operated outside its permit and in violation of the county’s code. The county originally filed the lawsuit in October 2022, claiming the winery’s public tastings, tours and events exceeded what its permits allowed…