Trefethen Vineyards

Trefethen Vineyards
Location Napa, California, USA
Appellation Oak Knoll District of Napa Valley AVA
Formerly Eshcol
Founded 1968
First vintage 1973
Key people John , Janet, Loren & Hailey Trefethen
Jon Ruel, President
Bryan Kays, Winemaker
David Whitehouse, Winemaster
Known for Estate grown Cabernet Sauvignon
Varietals Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Merlot, Dry Riesling, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Sauvignon Blanc, Red Blend, Petit Verdot
Tasting

open to public

Eshcol Winery
Location 1160 Oak Knoll Ave., Napa, California
Coordinates 38°21′38″N 122°19′53″W / 38.36056°N 122.33139°W / 38.36056; -122.33139Coordinates: 38°21′38″N 122°19′53″W / 38.36056°N 122.33139°W / 38.36056; -122.33139
Area less than one acre
Built 1886
NRHP Reference # 87001155[1]
Added to NRHP July 16, 1987
Website http://www.trefethen.com
Trefethen Vineyards

Trefethen Vineyards was established in 1886 as Eshcol, a biblical word for “lush cluster of grapes.” Following retirement from a successful career with Kaiser Industries, Eugene Trefethen along with his wife Katie purchased Eshcol in 1968 along with six adjoining properties to create Trefethen Vineyards. At that time, 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. The winery is also known for an extensive garden established by Katie. It has been featured in many publications and has been a destination for many gardening enthusiasts since it was created.

Eugene Trefethen died in 1996 and Katie Trefethen died in 2007.[2]

Awards

In 1979, a Wine Olympics was organized by the French wine and food magazine, Gault Millau. 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.

History

The original Eschol winery was commissioned by James and George Goodman and constructed in 1886 by a Scottish sea captain named Hamden McIntyre. The original estate was 280 acres with 40 acres planted in vineyards. 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.[3] The Eschol building suffered extensive structural damage from the 2014 South Napa earthquake.[4]

References

  1. ↑ National Park Service (2010-07-09). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
  2. ↑ "Obituary for Catherine Trefethen". Napa Valley Register. Retrieved 2007-06-19.
  3. ↑ Paulsen, Sasha (September 23, 2011). "Trefethen winery celebrates 125th birthday". Napa Valley Register. Napa, CA: Lee Enterprises, Inc. Retrieved September 23, 2011.
  4. ↑ Paulsen, Sasha (August 25, 2014). "Wine industry tallies spilled wine, shattered barrels". Napa Valley Register. Napa, CA: Lee Enterprises, Inc. Retrieved August 25, 2014.

Sources

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