Grgich Hills Estate

Grgich Hills Estate is a historic fixture in Napa Valley, founded by Miljenko "Mike" Grgich in the Rutherford AVA in 1977. The winery produces an array of wines from five estate vineyards located throughout the famous valley, and has received international acclaim for its elegant and balanced wines.

Mike Grgich became world famous for crafting the 1973 vintage of Chateau Montelena Chardonnay that ranked top at the famous Judgment of Paris tasting in 1976, beating out some of Burgundy's most famous white wines. As a result, Grgich Hills Estate's Chardonnay is one of the more popular wines in the range, sourced from cooler vineyards in American Canyon and Carneros. With no malolactic fermentation, this is a fresher style of Chardonnay with bright acidity. Another popular white wine is the Fumé Blanc, a Sauvignon Blanc aged in large French oak casks.

As with most Napa wineries, Grgich also produces a line up of rich and bold red wines, including a Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. The Grgich Estate Zinfandel is sourced from the vineyard in Calistoga, Napa's warmest AVA, and delivers ripe opulence on the palate. The Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon are sourced from a few estate vineyards, and are blended together each vintage to yield the optimal result.

Grgich Hills Estate crafts a number of reserve and special wines, the most popular being their single vineyard Yountville Cabernet, sourced from some of the oldest Cabernet Sauvignon vines in Napa Valley, planted in 1959. The Violetta Late Harvest dessert wine is named for Mike's daughter, Violet, and is sourced from the American Canyon vineyard.

While many successful wineries like to expand their operations, Grgich has remained a medium-sized, family-owned winery.