Rutherford Hill Winery
Rutherford Hill Winery is a winery in Rutherford, California, United States. It is located in the Rutherford AVA of the Napa Valley. The winery specializes in Merlot and Bordeaux blends, a style of wine using Bordeaux red wine grape varieties (specifically Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Malbec, and Petit Verdot). It also produces several white wines using Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc grapes. Rutherford Hill’s flagship wine is called ‘Episode’, a blend of Bordeaux grape varieties.
History[edit]
The main building was built in 1968 by builder-turned-wine producer Joseph Phelps.[1] The winery itself was founded in 1972 as Souverain of Rutherford and was originally owned by the Pillsbury Company. In 1976, the Pillsbury Company sold the winery to an investment group led by Bill Jaegar. The name of the winery was then changed to Rutherford Hill Winery. Under the new management, the production capacity was drastically increased.[2] It was one of the first wineries to specialize in the production of Merlot wines, helping to make the growing of Merlot grapes more common in the Napa Valley.
In 1996, the winery was purchased by the Terlato Wine Group, a wine marketing and production company based in Lake Bluff, Illinois. The production capacity of the winery was then reduced. The Terlato Wine Group owns several other wineries including Chimney Rock Winery located in Napa, California and Sanford Winery located in Lompoc, California.
Property[edit]
The winery has 10 acres of vineyards on the property that are used for the production of estate wines. Around 75% of the winery's total production is of Merlot wine grapes. Wine grapes from Pope Valley are also used in the production of some of their wines.
Rutherford Hill Winery is home to one of the 150 wine caves in the Napa Valley.[3] Excavation began in 1984 and completed in 1986. It was one of the first wine caves to be made using modern technology. The cave was expanded between 1986 to 1989. The interior maintains a temperature of 59°F(15°C), making it an ideal place for storing wine. The wine cave has the capacity to hold up to 8,000 wine barrels.
The property also features an olive grove, consisting of six acres of olive trees.
Rutherford Hill Winery is on Napa Green Certified Land and is a Napa Green Certified Winery.[4] It is powered exclusively with solar panels and uses sustainable farming practices.
It is situated next to Auberge du Soleil, a French-inspired luxury resort.
References[edit]
- ↑ "Rutherford Hill". Napa Wine Project.
- ↑ "Jaeger: The Name Behind Quality Napa Wines". Chicago Tribune.
- ↑ "Valuing Wine Caves". County of Napa.
- ↑ "Napa Green Participating Members". Napa Green.
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