Inglenook

Inglenook was established in the top-rated Rutherford appellation in Napa Valley in 1879 by a Finnish sea captain, Gustave Niebaum. After a chequered history, which included the winery shutting down during prohibition, the estate regained its original reputation for producing very fine wine during the 1940s when it was owned by John Daniel.

In 1975 film director Francis Ford Coppola purchased the majority of the acreage under vine, using his profits from The Godfather films. He named the wines made during his ownership Niebaum Coppola, and in 1995 purchased the totality of the estate.

Finally, in 2008, Coppola was able to purchase the trademark of Inglenook, and announced that from that moment onwards the wines would all once again be known by their original name of Inglenook. The first such release was the 2008 vintage. The consulting oenologist here is the celebrated Stephane Derenencourt, who has done so much to refine the production in a clutch of top-class Bordeaux chateaux.

Rutherford

Rutherford, located in the heart of Napa Valley, California, is particularly celebrated for its exceptional Cabernet Sauvignon. This small yet prestigious appellation, or American Viticultural Area (AVA), is nestled between the towns of Oakville and St. Helena, covering approximately 6,650 acres of vineyards.

Rutherford's prime location on an alluvial fan created by the Napa River and its tributaries results in gravelly, loamy soils that provide ideal drainage for vine growth. The region’s terroir is further influenced by its proximity to the Mayacamas and Vaca mountain ranges, which help shape its warm Mediterranean climate. This climate, characterised by hot days and cool nights, ensures that grapes retain acidity while developing rich, complex flavours.

The defining feature of Rutherford's terroir is often referred to as "Rutherford Dust," a term popularised by the legendary winemaker André Tchelistcheff. This phrase captures the unique soil characteristics that impart a distinctive, dusty, earthy quality to the wines, particularly the Cabernet Sauvignon. These wines are known for their robust structure, with deep flavours of dark fruit like blackberry and blackcurrant, complemented by secondary notes of cocoa powder, cedar, and a fine-grained tannin structure. The result is a wine that stands out in its youth and has the potential to age gracefully, developing even more complexity over time.

Rutherford's history is deeply intertwined with the development of Napa Valley as a premier wine-producing region. The area's viticultural roots trace back to the mid-19th century, when George C. Yount, a pioneering settler, planted the first vineyards in Napa Valley. The region was named after Thomas Rutherford, who received land from Yount as a wedding gift and began cultivating grapes. Rutherford’s reputation grew significantly through the contributions of historic wineries like Inglenook, which played critical roles in establishing Napa Valley's international acclaim.

Cabernet Sauvignon blend

Cabernet Sauvignon lends itself particularly well in blends with Merlot. This is actually the archetypal Bordeaux blend, though in different proportions in the sub-regions and sometimes topped up with Cabernet Franc, Malbec, and Petit Verdot.

In the Médoc and Graves the percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend can range from 95% (Mouton-Rothschild) to as low as 40%. It is particularly suited to the dry, warm, free- draining, gravel-rich soils and is responsible for the redolent cassis characteristics as well as the depth of colour, tannic structure and pronounced acidity of Médoc wines. However 100% Cabernet Sauvignon wines can be slightly hollow-tasting in the middle palate and Merlot with its generous, fleshy fruit flavours acts as a perfect foil by filling in this cavity.

In St-Emilion and Pomerol, the blends are Merlot dominated as Cabernet Sauvignon can struggle to ripen there - when it is included, it adds structure and body to the wine. Sassicaia is the most famous Bordeaux blend in Italy and has spawned many imitations, whereby the blend is now firmly established in the New World and particularly in California and  Australia.