Trefethen Family Vineyards

Trefethen Family Vineyards photos, charts, maps, and wines.

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Constructed in 1886 by a Scottish sea captain, Hamden McIntyre, our winery was originally known as Eshcol. McIntyre designed it as a gravity-flow system: a horse-drawn winch brought grapes to the third floor of the three-story structure read more...for crushing; gravity carried the juice to the second floor for fermenting; and, eventually, the wine descended to the first floor for aging. Eshcol was among a number of wineries McIntyre designed during this period; the others were Greystone (now The Culinary Institute of America), Far Niente and Inglenook.

During the last quarter of the nineteenth century, Napa Valley was a thriving viticultural community with nearly 140 wineries. However, in the late 1890s, phylloxera, a root louse that destroys grapevines, brought wine production in Napa to a crashing halt. Growers soon recovered with re-planted vines, but in 1920, Prohibition arrived, driving a stake through the heart of the wine business. The old Eshcol facility survived by making sacramental wines, but by 1940 was dormant. When the Trefethen family purchased the property in 1968, the winery had fallen into serious disrepair. John and Janet committed themselves to restoring the building to its former glory.

They carefully researched the winery’s past and worked for years to restore it. Aside from replacing the dirt floor on the first level with concrete, they made no significant structural changes. 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.

Today, Trefethen boasts a state-of-the-art fermentation facility and 13,000 square foot barrel cellar, but the McIntyre Building remains integral to the winery’s operations. The first floor is still used to age wine and also houses the winery’s Estate Tasting Room and Wine Library. The second floor, which displays the Eshcol winery’s original de-stemmer/crusher, is a barrel-aging cellar for the winery’s Bordeaux variety red wines.    (hide)

Michael J M reviewed Trefethen Cabernet Sauvignon Halo 2002:

November 2009

Michael J M

Rich, full bodied, smooth taste which paired well with out pork medallions. The best Cab I have ever drank!

Trefethen Cabernet Sauvignon Halo 2002

Starting at $175^.99 Snoothrank: 4/5

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brianjay wrote in the forum topic: WTS WTT - Domaine Jacques Prieur (France, Burgandy) 1995 / Trefethen

November 2009

brianjay

I have 6 investments cases of VERY RARE fine wine I bought in 1995 that I want ... Trefethen Cabernet (Napa Valley, USA) *Liberty Selection 1991 ESTATE GROWN* - $95 per bottle (2) - 3 bottle case avlb- LINK...

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Nicki Gig reviewed Trefethen Chardonnay 2006:

November 2009

Nicki Gig

a touch of cream and vanilla, golden apples and citrus fruits on the nose. Citrus fruits on the palate as well melon and tropical like fruits with hints of oak and vanilla that linger on and throughout

Trefethen Chardonnay 2006

Starting at $23^.99 Snoothrank: 3.5/5

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Seacoast Terroir reviewed Trefethen Cabernet Sauvignon 2002:

October 2009

Seacoast Terroir

Trefethen Cabernet Sauvignon 2002

Starting at $37^.63 Snoothrank: 4/5

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VegasOenophile wrote in the forum topic: Visiting Wine Country

September 2009

VegasOenophile

A friend and I decided to see wine country while it was just about harvest ... we wouldn't have time for Trefethen, so we hit Mondavi since it was a "have to". I must say, everything we tasted that was cabs fell flat for...

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littlemissliz reviewed Trefethen Cabernet Sauvignon 2004:

July 2009

littlemissliz

Trefethen Cabernet Sauvignon 2004

Starting at $24^.00 Snoothrank: 4/5

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blog4wine reviewed Trefethen Vineyards Merlot 2002:

July 2009

blog4wine

Color-Red Garnet; Nose-Cherry Cola; Mouth-Vanilla,Toasted Walnut, Black Cherry; Finish-long buy it, age it, share it

Trefethen Vineyards Merlot 2002

Starting at $31^.99 Snoothrank: 4/5

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AdrienneWaldo reviewed Trefethen Cabernet Franc 2005:

June 2009

AdrienneWaldo

Trefethen Cabernet Franc 2005

Starting at $27^.14 Snoothrank: 4/5

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OVillanu580 reviewed Trefethen Cabernet Sauvignon 2004:

June 2009

OVillanu580

Trefethen Cabernet Sauvignon 2004

Starting at $24^.00 Snoothrank: 4/5

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OVillanu580 reviewed Trefethen Riesling Dry 2006:

June 2009

OVillanu580

Trefethen Riesling Dry 2006

Starting at $17^.09 Snoothrank: 3/5

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Philip modified this page:

Apr 1

Philip

Philip added a photo for Trefethen Family Vineyards.

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mark modified this page:

Jan 22

mark

mark wrote a new description for Trefethen Family Vineyards.

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