Trefethen Vineyards

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Trefethen Vineyards
Location	Napa, California, USA
Appellation	Oak Knoll
Formerly	Eschol
Founded	1968
Key people	Katie Trefethen, Founder Janet Trefethen, CEO Peter Luthi, Winemaker Jon Ruel, Director of Viticulture David Whitehouse, Winemaster
Known for	Estate Chardonnay
Varietals	Chardonnay, Merlot, Viognier, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Riesling, Viognier, Cabernet Franc
Website	http://www.trefethenfamilyvineyards.com
Tasting	by appointment

Trefethen Vineyards was established in 1882 as Eshcol, a biblical word for “lush cluster of grapes.” Eugene Trefethen and his wife Katie purchased Eshcol in 1968 along with six adjoining properties to create Trefethen Vineyards. At that tiome replanting of the vineyards and restoration of the historic winery building began. The Trefethens' restoration efforts were recognized in 1988 by the Department of the Interior, which placed the winery on the National Register of Historic Places as the only 19th-century, wooden, gravity-flow winery surviving in Napa County.

1 Awards
2 History
3 See also
4 Source

[edit] Awards

In 1979, a Wine Olympics was organized by the French wine and food magazine, GaultMilllau. A total of 330 wines from 33 countries were evaluated by 62 experts from ten countries. The 1976 Trefethen Vineyards Chardonnay won first place in that category and was judged best in the world.

[edit] History

The original winery was constructed in 1886 by a Scottish sea captain named Hamden McIntyre. McIntyre designed it as a gravity-flow system: a horse-drawn winch brought grapes to the third floor of the three-story structure for crushing; gravity carried the juice to the second floor for fermenting; and, eventually, the wine descended to the first floor for aging. The vineyards survived Prohibition in the United States by producing grapes for the production of sacramental wine. However, by 1940, the vineyards and winery building fell into disuse.