Claims that Gov. Gavin Newsom’s winery received a state wildfire payout after the 2025 Pickett Fire are false. PlumpJack Group settled privately with Hundred Acre Winery, where the blaze began, and Newsom’s office says the state did not provide funds or participate. Investigators attributed the fire to an independent contractor, and the Napa County Deputy DA declined to file criminal charges. In short: the matter was resolved by a private legal settlement, not a state payout.
Fact Check: Newsom’s Winery Did Not Receive a State Wildfire Payout — It Reached a Private Settlement
Lead Stories says: Private Money
Claims that California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s winery received a state wildfire payout after a 2025 Napa fire are incorrect. PlumpJack Group, which owns the winery Newsom placed in a blind trust, resolved its losses through a private legal settlement with Hundred Acre Winery, the property where the Pickett Fire began. The state of California did not provide any wildfire payout or otherwise intervene, according to Newsom's office.
What the Social Post Said
POUR ME
Vineyard bosses rage at Newsom as it's revealed his winery got the only state wildfire payout
The claim appeared in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Sept. 9, 2026, but the post did not cite supporting sources. Independent reporting and statements from the parties involved show a different picture.
What Reporting and Officials Say
A Wine Spectator report documented that the 2025 Pickett Fire damaged multiple vineyards, including PlumpJack Group’s 129-acre Oso Vineyard in Pope Valley. That report and statements from PlumpJack note the company settled with Hundred Acre, rather than receiving government funds. PlumpJack partners said portions of the vineyard will need to be fully replanted after the damage.
Image source: post by @MrPotatoheadPHD on X.
Newsom's communications director, Izzy Gardon, told Lead Stories that the allegation was false and emphasized that PlumpJack reached a private legal settlement with Hundred Acre. Gardon wrote that the state did not provide any payout and was not involved, and that characterizing the private settlement as a state payout falsely implies improper use of public funds.
Sam Singer, a spokesman for Hundred Acre, told Lead Stories that PlumpJack’s account was likely correct. Singer noted that investigators traced the Pickett Fire to an independent contractor or gardener and pointed to local news coverage. He added that the Napa County Deputy District Attorney investigated and declined to file criminal charges against Hundred Acre affiliates who own and operate the Pickett Road property.
Bottom Line
There is no evidence that the state of California issued a wildfire payout to Newsom’s winery. The dispute arising from the 2025 Pickett Fire was resolved through a private settlement between PlumpJack Group and Hundred Acre.
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