Vineyards

Our 50 acre estate vineyard is located in the heart of the Rutherford Appellation, one of Napa Valley's oldest grape-growing regions. The Valley's first grapes were planted in this area more than 160 years ago by pioneer George Yount, who had been granted 11,814 acres of land from the Mexican government as repayment for services rendered. In 1864, Yount gave 1,040 acres as a wedding gift to one of his granddaughters, who married Thomas Rutherford. It was Rutherford who became the first in the area to make a serious commitment to premium viticulture and winemaking. Although initially planted as a vineyard, the property ultimately fell into general agricultural use, at one time host to walnut and plum orchards, as a result of the devastation of vineyard disease and the deleterious effects of prohibition on the winemaking industry.

In 1984, our ownership predecessors, Bill and Lila Jeager, replanted the property to wine grapes. We purchased the original 40-acre vineyard, complete with its old, redwood barn, in 1994. The property extends east from Highway 29 down to the banks of the Napa River and is planted primarily to Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, with smaller blocks of Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Sauvignon Blanc. We later acquired a neighboring ten-acre parcel, which which we replanted exclusively to Cabernet Sauvignon, the signature Rutherford varietal. We also narrowed the vine rows and increased vine density, ensuring the fruit will produce wines of the greatest complexity possible.