When Lauren Ackerman, co-founder of Ackerman Family Vineyards, was looking for a property in which to promote her acclaimed wines within the Napa city limits, she came upon a nineteenth-century Queen Anne Victorian in need of rescue. When she stepped inside and saw that the home’s original details were still intact, she was immediately smitten and bought it. A massive, five-year restoration followed—interrupted by an earthquake in 2014—but upon completion, this truly magnificent achievement was christened the Ackerman Heritage House. Lauren’s refined touch starts at the front gate, which bears her vineyards’ signature logo: an elegant letter A and a horse (Lauren is an accomplished equestrian) entwined with grape vines. Crumbling concrete steps were replaced with era-correct wooden ones, and the original handrails—found stashed beneath the house—were returned to their rightful place. Lauren used a period-appropriate color palette for exterior paint.
