Rutherford

Another of Napa Valley's historic "Silverado Trail" appellations, Rutherford has a history that dates back to the earliest land grant in Napa. Mexican General Mariano Vallejo granted the 11,000-acre Rancho Caymus lands to George C. Yount in 1836. The grant stretched north from present day Yountville up the Napa River valley to the present northern edge of the Rutherford appellation. In 1846, one of Yount's granddaughters married Thomas Rutherford and Yount gave the newlyweds the very generous gift of about 1,000 acres at the northern edge of Rancho Caymus. Following Yount's lead, Rutherford planted grapes and began investing in winemaking in Napa. By the 1880s, the Rutherford area was well established as one of Napa Valley's premium wine districts.

Like other districts along the Napa River valley and hemmed in by mountains to the east and west, Rutherford enjoys a variety of clay based river silts, volcanic soils, and well draining rocky alluvial debris. Sandwiched between the Oakville appellation to the south and St Helena to the north, Rutherford is well positioned to enjoy some cooling effects from the river but exemplifies the warm, dry upper Napa Valley microclimate. The Rutherford district is therefore perfect for the late ripening Bordeaux varietals that are the region's signature wine grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc. As with elsewhere in the Napa Valley, exquisite full bodied Chardonnays also thrive in the dynamic terroir of Rutherford.