Inglenook Winery
Encyclopedia
The Inglenook Winery produced estate bottled wines in Rutherford, California in the Napa Valley
. The winery
was founded in 1879 by a Finnish Sea Captain Gustave Niebaum
. Niebaum died in 1908 and the winery was shut down during Prohibition
. Upon repeal of Prohibition
, Niebaum's widow Suzanne Niebaum reopened Inglenook and brought in a viticulturist and an enologist to upgrade the winemaking system. Niebaum's great-nephew John Daniel Jr. took over operations in 1939, and by the 1940s Inglenook's wines once again were declared by many to be the best in the Valley. More than 1500 acres (607 ha) of the property were acquired by Francis Ford Coppola
in 1975 with profits of his film, The Godfather
. The brand name and the remaining 94 acres (38 ha), including the historic winery, were bought by Heublein, Inc., which began making lower quality wines produced elsewhere under the Inglenook label. Heublin was later bought by RJR Nabisco
, then sold to Grand Metropolitan
in 1987. Heublein sold the winery to the Canandaigua Wine Company (which later became Constellation Brands
) in 1994. Canandaigua consolidated winemaking operations elsewhere, and sold the remaining acreage and winery to Coppola in 1995. Coppola later renamed it the Rubicon Estate Winery
. In January 2008, The Wine Group
announced that it would purchase Almaden Vineyards
, Inglenook Winery and the Paul Masson Winery in Madera, California
from Constellation Brands for $134 million in cash.
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
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...
was founded in 1879 by a Finnish Sea Captain Gustave Niebaum
Gustave Niebaum
Gustave Ferdinand Niebaum acquired his maritime schooling in Helsinki, Finland. By the end of 1850s - now a Sea Captain - Gustave Niebaum had become the world's leading fur trader. Among his many known accomplishments Captain Niebaum founded the Alaskan Commercial Company in San Francisco,...
. Niebaum died in 1908 and the winery was shut down during Prohibition
Prohibition in the United States
Prohibition in the United States was a national ban on the sale, manufacture, and transportation of alcohol, in place from 1920 to 1933. The ban was mandated by the Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution, and the Volstead Act set down the rules for enforcing the ban, as well as defining which...
. Upon repeal of Prohibition
Repeal of Prohibition
The Repeal of Prohibition in the United States was accomplished with the passage of the Twenty-first Amendment to the United States Constitution on December 5, 1933.-Background:...
, Niebaum's widow Suzanne Niebaum reopened Inglenook and brought in a viticulturist and an enologist to upgrade the winemaking system. Niebaum's great-nephew John Daniel Jr. took over operations in 1939, and by the 1940s Inglenook's wines once again were declared by many to be the best in the Valley. More than 1500 acres (607 ha) of the property were acquired by Francis Ford Coppola
Francis Ford Coppola
Francis Ford Coppola is an American film director, producer and screenwriter. He is widely acclaimed as one of Hollywood's most innovative and influential film directors...
in 1975 with profits of his film, The Godfather
The Godfather
The Godfather is a 1972 American epic crime film directed by Francis Ford Coppola, based on the 1969 novel by Mario Puzo. With a screenplay by Puzo, Coppola and an uncredited Robert Towne, the film stars Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Robert Duvall, Sterling Hayden, John Marley, Richard...
. The brand name and the remaining 94 acres (38 ha), including the historic winery, were bought by Heublein, Inc., which began making lower quality wines produced elsewhere under the Inglenook label. Heublin was later bought by RJR Nabisco
RJR Nabisco
RJR Nabisco, Inc., was an American conglomerate formed in 1985 by the merger of Nabisco Brands and R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company. RJR Nabisco was purchased in 1988 by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co...
, then sold to Grand Metropolitan
Grand Metropolitan
Grand Metropolitan plc is a former United Kingdom-based company operating hotels, holiday centres, entertainment centres, public houses and casinos...
in 1987. Heublein sold the winery to the Canandaigua Wine Company (which later became Constellation Brands
Constellation Brands
Constellation Brands, Inc., headquartered in Victor, New York, is the world’s leading wine company with a broad portfolio of widely admired premium brands across the wine, beer and spirits categories.-History and description:...
) in 1994. Canandaigua consolidated winemaking operations elsewhere, and sold the remaining acreage and winery to Coppola in 1995. Coppola later renamed it the Rubicon Estate Winery
Rubicon Estate Winery
The Rubicon Estate Winery is located in Rutherford, California, USA. The winery sits on a portion of the historic Napa Valley property first acquired in 1879 by a Finnish Sea Captain Gustave Niebaum, founder of the Inglenook Winery.-History:In 1975, Francis Ford Coppola and his wife Eleanor,...
. In January 2008, The Wine Group
The Wine Group
The Wine Group, known for its Franzia "wine in a box," is the United State's third-largest wine company, by volume, behind Constellation Brands and the E&J Gallo Winery. The company was founded in 1981 with a management buyout of the wine assets of Coca-Cola Bottling Co. of New York...
announced that it would purchase Almaden Vineyards
Almaden Vineyards
Almaden Vineyards is a winery located in Escalon and Madera, California. They claim to be California's oldest winery.Their original location was at the Old Almaden Winery south of San José between Los Gatos and Almaden...
, Inglenook Winery and the Paul Masson Winery in Madera, California
Madera, California
Madera is a city in and the county seat of Madera County, California, United States. It is a principal city of the Madera–Chowchilla Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Madera County, and Metropolitan Fresno. It is located in California's San Joaquin Valley. As of the 2010...
from Constellation Brands for $134 million in cash.