Few companies put anything above the almighty dollar. Profit is king in the free market economy. However, one winery is intent on crafting a product of only the highest quality even when profits are on the line. Founded on the ideal of “pride, not profit”, Inglenook is once again the talk of the wine world.
Gustave Niebaum was an industrious young man who made his fortune early in life. He amassed a small fortune in the Alaskan fur trade and, rather than retire and live a life of idle leisure, he launched a wine making business. He undertook this endeavor with nearly obsessive zeal, intent on perfection and hoping to create a Californian-born vintage to rival the finest that the European countries had to offer.
Niebaum built an engineering marvel of its day on some of the best lands the State of California and the Napa Valley had to offer. In only a decade, he was already garnering international praise for his product. Sadly, Neibaum’s death and the birth of Prohibition stalled this great operation for a while. Followig the repeal of Prohibition, Niebaum’s widow reopened the winery and eventually his grand-nephew John Daniel, Jr. took over the production and continued the traditions of wine-making excellence.
Daniel created the motto of “pride, no profits” and he took it seriously. If a vintage did not meet his standards, the wine would never see the bottle. This was a radical way of doing business indeed. By the 1940’s, the name Inglenook was again being praised as one of the best in the world. The 1941 Inglenook Cask Cabernet Sauvignon was one of the most heralded vintages of the winery’s history.
Sadly, the name changed hands over the years and lower quality vintages were produced bearing the Inglenook label. In 1975, Francis Ford Coppola bought more than 1,500 acres of the original Inglenook property. (The label and remaining 94 or so acres has been sold to another company.) He was looking for a summer home where he could pursue wine-making as a hobby as his grandparents had done. Little did he know then what an impact he would have on the once-great name of Inglenook.
Over the next 25 years, Coppola slowly acquired the lost vineyards and put the pieces of Inglenook back together. In April, 2011, he was able to buy back the trademark and has given the name Inglenook back to both the estate and the winery. The current incarnation intend to adhere to the standards of excellence and innovation set by its original founders.
While Napa Valley now boasts more than 250 individual wineries, few have the history of Inglenook and even fewer have its Hollywood connections. This winery will be a favorite stop for many wine enthusiasts both for the history of the place and for the lavish events currently hosted there. Inglenook should be one of the top wineries on any visitor’s itinerary.
Don’t miss out, click here to book your trip to Niebaum’s Inglenook Winery today! or call us at 1-800-820-2059