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Cabernet SauvignonA Historical Timeline*1700s – Ch’ Margaux, Ch. Lafite and Ch Latour are producing red Bordeaux. 1787 – Thomas Jefferson engraves his initials on a bottle of Ch. Lafite, which in 1985 is sold through Christie’s and advertised as the most expensive bottle of wine ever sold. Early 1800s – Cabernet is widely planted throughout the Medoc and Graves. 1830 – Jean Louis Vignes, a Bordeaux native, plants imported Cabernet cuttings in Los Angeles. 1860s – Count Agoston Haraszthy builds Buena Vista Winery in Sonoma and is believed to have introduced Cabernet to California’s North Coast. 1860-1900 – The root louse phylloxera decimates vineyards in both California and Europe. 1950s – Charles Le Franc, a Frenchman from Bordeaux, plants Cabernet and other Bordeaux varieties in California’s Santa Clara Valley. Early 1900s – Resistant St. George rootstock is planted in California’s vineyards. 1917-1933 – Prohibition outlaws the sale of alcoholic beverages. 1922 – With the repeal of the 18th Amendment, Inglenook produces the first post-Prohibition Cabernet Sauvignon. 1937 – Andre Tchelistcheff arrives in the Napa Valley from France and becomes Beaulieu Vineyard’s winemaker. He later coins the phrase “Rutherford Dust” to identify the unique characteristics of Rutherford-based Cabernets. Mid 1940s – Charles Krug, Inglenook, Martini, Beringer and Beaulieu are all producing Cabernet Sauvignon of collectable quality. Early 1950s – The University of California at Davis and Fresno State University raise viticulture and enology standards, resulting in wines that are “cleaner, fresher, better balanced and more complex.” The 1960s – A new wave of winemakers change the face of Napa Valley forever: Heitz, Mondavi, Chappallet, Freemark Abbey, Diamond Creek, Spring Mountain, Cuvaison and Sterling, among others. Early 1970 – A wine boom hits the Napa Valley with producers such as Stag’s Leap Winery, Burgess Cellars, Silver Oak, Cakebread, Stonegate, Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars and Joseph Phelps. 1976 – In the famed Paris blind tasting judged by French wine critics, the 1973 Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon took first place over the 1970 Ch. Mouton-Rothschild, 1970 Ch. Haut-Brion and 1970 Ch. Montrose. Of the top ten wines, six were California Cabernets. The Napa Valley had come of age. 1972 – Joe Phelps, president of Hensel Phelps Construction Co. in Colorado, wins the top bid to build Souverain Winery (now Rutherford Hill) near St. Helena. 1973 – Joe Phelps completes construction of his own winery in Spring Valley, and the first Cabernet Sauvignon is produced, with grapes from the Stanton estate in Yountville. 1974 – Insignia is introduced, the first proprietary Bordeaux-style blend produced in California. 1975 – The single vineyard Eisele Cabernet is produced. (In 1982, Robert Parker writes, “If I had one California cabernet to drink in the world, it would probably be the 1975 Eisele Vineyard from Phelps.”) The vineyard is now part of Araujo Winery. 1977 – The single vineyard Backus Cabernet is introduced. 1975 & 1977 – The second and fourth vintages of Phelps Napa Cabernet are described by Robert Parker as two of the best wines of their respective vintages. 1979-1999 – A long-term commitment is made to invest in vineyards throughout the Napa Valley that will produce the highest possible quality of Cabernet Sauvignon. 2007 – Today our Napa Valley Cabernet is based on vineyards planted in seven distinct locations. When blended together, this fruit provides wines of character and complexity. |
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