In May 2021 Napa County filed suit against Hoopes Vineyard for alleged violations of its use permit. The case is still pending.
Out of frustration with how Napa County is referencing the facts of the case, Hoopes Vineyard owner Spencer Hoopes has recorded five videos detailing specific allegations made by Napa County. One reason for creating these videos was to report that the County never came to the property before the lawsuit; the winery invited them to come many times but the County has refused; accordingly, Hoopes brought the winery to them via these videos.
Called “False Facts,” they each run approximately one minute and show Spencer Hoopes standing at the spot on the property where Napa County has presented ‘false facts,’ whether outside the animal sanctuary or on the creek bed or elsewhere.
“The goal with these videos was to clearly explain and visibly demonstrate facts in the case which have been falsely presented by Napa County,” explains Hoopes. “We are simply rebutting what’s been said. We’re quoting what the County has said and then explaining why it’s false,” he adds.
Spencer Hoopes originally founded Hoopes Vineyard with an estate vineyard in Oakville in 1981. Today, with his daughter Lindsay Hoopes, they operate a small vineyard-winery in Yountville