Mystery among the vines: Why is the FBI probing some of Napa Valley’s fanciest wineries?

Highway 29 winds along the floor of the Napa Valley through Yountville and St. Helena and up into Calistoga, passing by vineyards that produce some of the most celebrated and expensive wines in the world. Separately, a trial attorney working in the Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division filed a subpoena, dated Dec. 7, requesting records pertaining to the Upper Valley Waste Management Agency, a joint powers authority that manages trash and recycling services for Calistoga, St. Helena and Yountville. He said it has been “a big waste of time daily explaining that we have done nothing wrong.” Baggett dismissed the probe as a “fishing expedition” or worse, adding: “I hope it’s not a political witch hunt.” Like several people interviewed, Baggett speculated that one person of interest could be Napa County Supervisor Alfredo Pedroza, who has generated ire among local environmental activists because he is perceived as pro-agriculture, which in Napa Valley almost always means pro-winery. A small number were involved in a controversial land deal involving Pedroza’s family that is adjacent to property the Halls sought to develop in Napa Valley’s eastern hills. “People are being attacked because they are for or against a winery permit.” Geoff Ellsworth, a former mayor of St. Helena, is among those who believe the forces of development pose a grave risk to the valley’s environment and invite political corruption.