Few properties carry as much American wine history as Inglenook. Founded in 1879 at Rutherford, it was among the first Napa estates built with the stated ambition of making wines to rival the great chateaus of Bordeaux. More than a century later, after decline and a long revival, it stands again as one of the valley defining names.

A sea captain’s ambition

Gustave Niebaum, a Finnish sea captain who made his fortune in the Alaska fur trade, bought the Inglenook property and the adjoining Rohlwing farm in 1879. He set out to build a winery that could stand beside the first growths of France. Construction of the great stone chateau began in 1881 and was completed by 1887, and Niebaum spared no expense on cellars, equipment, or vine selection. By the late 1800s Inglenook Cabernet was already winning international recognition.

Decline and the Coppola revival

Niebaum died in 1908, and Prohibition silenced the winery soon after. His widow reopened it once Repeal arrived, but through the mid century the estate was split and sold, and the Inglenook name was eventually attached to jug wine that bore little relation to the original. The turning point came in 1975, when filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola used profits from The Godfather to buy more than 1,500 acres of the historic property. He reunited the estate piece by piece, bought the remaining winery in 1995, and in 2011 finally reacquired the Inglenook trademark and restored the original name.

Rubicon and the wines today

The estate flagship is Rubicon, a Cabernet based Bordeaux style blend first made in 1978 and named for Julius Caesar crossing of the Rubicon river. Grown on the Rutherford bench, it shows the firm structure and the dusty, mineral character that locals call Rutherford dust. Alongside Rubicon, Inglenook produces estate Cabernet Sauvignon, a Cabernet Franc, and the white blend Blancaneaux, all farmed organically across the historic vineyards.

What to pour it with

Rubicon and the estate Cabernets are built for the table. Pour them with dry aged steak, rack of lamb, or a wild mushroom risotto, dishes with enough richness to meet the wine tannin and savory depth. Younger vintages reward an hour in the decanter.

Common questions