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Grgich Hills Estate | |
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Location | Rutherford, California, USA |
Appellation | Rutherford AVA |
Founded | 1977 |
Key people | Mike Grgich, Winemaker, Proprietor/President & CEO Ivo Jeramaz, Vice President of Vineyards and Production, Violet Grgich, Co-Proprietor/VP Operations, Sales & Marketing |
Known for | Grgich Hills Chardonnay |
Varietals | Chardonnay , Zinfandel , Sauvignon blanc , Cabernet Sauvignon , Merlot |
Tasting | Open to the public |
Website | http://www.grgich.com/ |
Grgich Hills Estate (formerly Grgich Hills Cellar) is a winery located in Rutherford, California in the heart of the Napa Valley. The winery changed its name in 2006 when it first began producing only "estate grown" wines made from grapes grown exclusively in vineyards owned by the winery. The Napa Valley Wine Train has a passenger stop located at Grgich Hills Estate. Grgich Hills' vineyards are certified organic and biodynamic and it converted to solar energy in 2006.[ citation needed ]
The colors in the winery's first sign reflect the winery was born on July 4, 1977.
Winemaker Mike Grgich had gained international recognition at the historic Paris Wine Tasting of 1976 when the Chardonnay he produced at Chateau Montelena won first prize among white wines. [1] Grgich and Austin Hills (of Hills Brothers Coffee) soon became business partners and established Grgich Hills Cellar on July 4, 1977.[ citation needed ] The name Grgich Hills does not describe a geographical feature but is instead a combination of the names of the winery's founders.[ citation needed ]
The winery's very first vintage was the winner of the 221-entry Chardonnay Shootout with wines from around the world. It was conducted by Craig Goldwyn, wine critic of the Chicago Tribune in 1980. Judges were mostly wine educators from around the nation gathered for the annual convention of the Society of Wine Educators.
The Livermore Valley AVA is an American Viticultural Area in Alameda County, California, surrounding the city of Livermore in the Tri-Valley region. Both the AVA and the city are named after Robert Livermore, a landowner whose holdings encompassed the valley. The groundwater basin underlying the valley is the Livermore Basin, the largest sub-unit of which is the Mocho Subbasin. The Livermore Basin is one of five aquifers in the San Francisco Bay Area that supply most of the metropolitan Bay Area population. The entire Livermore Basin aquifer faces a concern over elevated total dissolved solids by the year 2020 due to an expanding human population leading to higher rates of return water flows to the aquifer containing certain salts.
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Chateau Montelena is a Napa Valley winery most famous for winning the white wine section of the historic "Judgment of Paris" wine competition. Chateau Montelena's Chardonnay was in competition with nine other wines from France and California under blind tasting. All 11 judges awarded their top scores to either the Chardonnays from Chateau Montelena or Chalone Winery, another California wine producer. A fictionalized version of Chateau Montelena's historic victory was featured in the 2008 film Bottle Shock.
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Heitz Wine Cellars is a California wine producer located within Napa Valley east of the town of St. Helena. An early modern era Napa Valley presence and pioneering exponent of French oak, the estate enjoys a historical renown with the success of its Martha's Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, and has also been described as a "master of Grignolino".
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Beaulieu Vineyard is a vineyard near Rutherford, California, belonging to the appellation Rutherford AVA. It was established by Georges de Latour and his wife Fernande in 1900.
The Great Chardonnay Showdown, held in the spring of 1980, was organized by Craig Goldwyn, the wine columnist for the Chicago Tribune and the founder of the Beverage Testing Institute, with help from three Chicago wine stores. A total of 221 Chardonnays from around the world were selected for the blind wine competition. France and California were heavily represented, but entries from many countries around the world were included.
Napa Valley AVA is an American Viticultural Area located in Napa County in California's Wine Country. Napa Valley is considered one of the premier wine regions in the world. Records of commercial wine production in the region date back to the nineteenth century, but premium wine production dates back only to the 1960s.
Domaine Chandon is a winery located in Napa Valley in the town of Yountville, California, United States. Established in 1973 by Moët et Chandon, businessman, John Wright, was the first French-owned sparkling wine producer in Napa Valley.
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Stony Hill Vineyard is located south of the Bothe-Napa Valley State Park in the northern reaches of the city of Saint Helena, California. The vineyard is a family-owned business which remained under family control after the death of the founders in 1977. Annual output as of 2007 was 3,400 cases from 40 planted acres (160,000 m2), c. 60% of which are planted with Chardonnay. The vineyard's business model focuses on mail order sales direct to individuals in California and indirectly to individuals in other states of the United States, as well as sales to fine-dining restaurants in major metropolitan areas in the United States.
Gustavo Brambila is a Mexican-American winemaker in the Napa Valley.
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Baldacci Family Vineyards is a California winery located in the Stags Leap District AVA of Napa Valley. Founded in 1998, Thomas and Brenda Baldacci were entranced by the beauty of the Napa Valley and the timeless heritage of the Stags Leap District. The generations before had left a deep and abiding affinity for the land from which came not only their livelihood, but their legacy. For the Baldacci’s, family is everything. When they purchased the Stags Leap property, over 18 years ago, Thomas and Brenda knew that they had found a place for their clan to stay connected through the generations. As each new vintage unfolds, they look forward to sharing their wines and their story, with you.
Cakebread Cellars is a Napa Valley winery known for its Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc wines, which are internationally distributed. Founded in 1973 by Jack and Dolores Cakebread in Rutherford, California, the winery produces approximately 200,000 cases of wine per year.
Coordinates: 38°28′11″N122°25′57″W / 38.469819°N 122.432606°W