Grgich Hills Cellar
Encyclopedia
Grgich Hills Estate 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 grape
s grown exclusively in vineyard
s 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.
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. Grgich and Austin Hills (of Hills Brothers Coffee
) soon became business partners and established Grgich Hills Cellar on July 4, 1977. The name Grgich Hills does not describe a geographical feature
but is instead a combination of the names of the winery's founders.
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.
From almost the first day it was available, Grgich Hills Chardonnay was sold on allocation, with customers being restricted to no more than three cases each per year. It took 15 years for production to satisfy demand and permit dropping the allocation system. While known for its Chardonnay, Grgich Hills also produces Fume Blanc, Merlot
, Zinfandel
, Cabernet Sauvignon
, Sauvignon Blanc
and a proprietary late harvest dessert wine
called Violetta.
Winery
A winery is a building or property that produces wine, or a business involved in the production of wine, such as a wine company. Some wine companies own many wineries. Besides wine making equipment, larger wineries may also feature warehouses, bottling lines, laboratories, and large expanses of...
located in Rutherford, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
in the heart of the Napa Valley
Napa Valley AVA
Napa Valley AVA is an American Viticultural Area located in Napa County, California, United States. Napa Valley is considered one of the top wine regions in the United States...
. The winery changed its name in 2006 when it first began producing only "estate grown" wines made from grape
Grape
A grape is a non-climacteric fruit, specifically a berry, that grows on the perennial and deciduous woody vines of the genus Vitis. Grapes can be eaten raw or they can be used for making jam, juice, jelly, vinegar, wine, grape seed extracts, raisins, molasses and grape seed oil. Grapes are also...
s grown exclusively in vineyard
Vineyard
A vineyard is a plantation of grape-bearing vines, grown mainly for winemaking, but also raisins, table grapes and non-alcoholic grape juice...
s owned by the winery. The Napa Valley Wine Train
Napa Valley Wine Train
The Napa Valley Wine Train is operated by the Napa Valley Railroad . The train is a privately operated excursion train that runs between Napa and St. Helena, California. Much of the rail line parallels State Route 29 after leaving the City of Napa and passes the towns of Yountville, Rutherford and...
has a passenger stop located at Grgich Hills Estate. Grgich Hills' vineyards are certified organic and biodynamic
Biodynamic agriculture
Biodynamic agriculture is a method of organic farming that emphasizes the holistic development and interrelationships of the soil, plants and animals as a self-sustaining system. Biodynamic farming has much in common with other organic approaches, such as emphasizing the use of manures and composts...
and it converted to solar energy in 2006.
History
Winemaker
Winemaker
A winemaker or vintner is a person engaged in winemaking. They are generally employed by wineries or wine companies, where their work includes:*Cooperating with viticulturists...
Mike Grgich
Mike Grgich
Mike Grgich is a Croatian American winemaker in California. He was born into a winemaking family in the town of Desne on Croatia's coastal region of Dalmatia...
had gained international recognition at the historic Paris Wine Tasting of 1976 when the Chardonnay
Chardonnay
Chardonnay is a green-skinned grape variety used to make white wine. It is originated from the Burgundy wine region of eastern France but is now grown wherever wine is produced, from England to New Zealand...
he produced at Chateau Montelena
Chateau Montelena
Chateau Montelena is a Napa Valley winery most famous for winning the white wine section of the historic "Judgement of Paris" wine competition. Chateau Montelena's Chardonnay was in competition with nine other wines from France and California under blind tasting...
won first prize among white wines. Grgich and Austin Hills (of Hills Brothers Coffee
Hills Brothers Coffee, Inc.
-History:The company has its origins with the sons of Austin Hills , who was born in Rockland, Maine, in 1823. Austin Hills' business in California was building clipper ships. His three sons were Austin Herbert Hills , Earnest Hills, and Reuben Wilmarth Hills I , although Earnest was involved in...
) soon became business partners and established Grgich Hills Cellar on July 4, 1977. The name Grgich Hills does not describe a geographical feature
Geography
Geography is the science that studies the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth. A literal translation would be "to describe or write about the Earth". The first person to use the word "geography" was Eratosthenes...
but is instead a combination of the names of the winery's founders.
Wines
The winery's very first vintageVintage
Vintage, in wine-making, is the process of picking grapes and creating the finished product . A vintage wine is one made from grapes that were all, or primarily, grown and harvested in a single specified year. In certain wines, it can denote quality, as in Port wine, where Port houses make and...
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.
From almost the first day it was available, Grgich Hills Chardonnay was sold on allocation, with customers being restricted to no more than three cases each per year. It took 15 years for production to satisfy demand and permit dropping the allocation system. While known for its Chardonnay, Grgich Hills also produces Fume Blanc, Merlot
Merlot
Merlot is a darkly blue-coloured wine grape, that is used as both a blending grape and for varietal wines. The name Merlot is thought to derive from the Old French word for young blackbird, merlot, a diminutive of merle, the blackbird , probably from the color of the grape. Merlot-based wines...
, Zinfandel
Zinfandel
Zinfandel is a variety of red grape planted in over 10 percent of California vineyards. DNA fingerprinting revealed that it is genetically equivalent to the Croatian grape Crljenak Kaštelanski, and also the Primitivo variety traditionally grown in Puglia , where it was introduced in the 18th century...
, Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the world's most widely recognized red wine grape varieties. It is grown in nearly every major wine producing country among a diverse spectrum of climates from Canada's Okanagan Valley to Lebanon's Beqaa Valley...
, Sauvignon Blanc
Sauvignon blanc
Sauvignon Blanc is a green-skinned grape variety which originates from the Bordeaux region of France. The grape most likely gets its name from the French word sauvage and blanc due to its early origins as an indigenous grape in South West France., a possible descendant of savagnin...
and a proprietary late harvest dessert wine
Dessert wine
Dessert wines are sweet wines typically served with dessert.There is no simple definition of a dessert wine. In the UK, a dessert wine is considered to be any sweet wine drunk with a meal, as opposed to the white fortified wines drunk before the meal, and the red fortified wines drunk after it...
called Violetta.
External links
- Grgich Hills Estate website