Rubicon Estate Winery

The "Inglenook Winery" (Inglenook = chimney corner) is located in Rutherford in California's Napa Valley. It was founded in 1879 by the Finnish captain Gustave Niebaum (1842-1908). He had a beautiful Victorian-style castle built. After being shut down during the American Prohibition (1920-1933), the business was reactivated by the widow Suzanne Niebaum. Under her leadership, the winemaking system was modernised.

The picture shows the main building in the 19th century. It has been restored to its original state (picture below).

Chiles House

The Chiles House on the property is one of the oldest buildings in Napa Valley. It was built in 1856 and later moved (transported and rebuilt) to the winery. The house has been carefully restored and is now part of the cultural and architectural heritage. In 1939, the estate was taken over by the founder's great-nephew John Daniel, whose 1940 Cabernet Sauvignon vintage was apostrophised as the best in California at the time. The business flourished in the 1940s and 1950s until it was sold to Allied Grape Growers in 1964.

Takeover by Francis Ford Coppola

In 1975, US director Francis Ford Coppola (*1939) and his wife Eleanor acquired 610 hectares of land with the profits from the multi-part cult film "The Godfather". The brand name "Inglenook", the winery and 38 hectares of vineyards were purchased by the drinks company Heublein, which produced mass-produced wines under this label.

The "Inglenook" brand

After changing hands...