05/31/2026
Long before it became a celebrated Napa Valley winery, this property was a woodland retreat tucked into the Napa Redwoods where German families from San Francisco escaped the city to spend their summers. When the Jordan family purchased the property in 1883, they transformed it into “Lotus Farm,” named for the lotus flowers planted by young Rudolph Jordan, Jr., who oversaw the vineyards, farm, and family retreat.
The property entered a new era in 1900 when Oakland wine merchant Theodore Gier acquired the 356-acre estate. Gier was a figure of international stature, later receiving the Gold Cross of the Kronen Order from Emperor Wilhelm of Germany for supplying wine to the German military and Red Cross. At Lotus Farm, he expanded vineyard operations, hosted visitors and community gatherings, and began construction of a substantial stone wine cellar in 1903. From a rustic resort in the redwoods to an ambitious wine estate, the property's early history reflects the entrepreneurial energy, immigrant heritage, and evolving wine culture that helped shape Napa Valley at the dawn of the twentieth century. Now the property is the focal point of Hess Persson Estates, with a world-class art collection originally curated by Donald Hess himself.
