Sullivan Rutherford Estate
André Tchelistcheff told James O'Neil Sullivan to plant this ground, and the vines went into 26 Rutherford acres in 1978. Merlot has stayed at the front ever since.
Why go
Sullivan founded the estate in 1972, in the middle of the boutique winery wave, and put the first vines into the 26 acres six years later on André Tchelistcheff's encouragement.1 That is the winemaker who taught most of this valley how to handle Cabernet, and a small Rutherford estate planted on his advice is a real piece of lineage. It has been a Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon property for five decades since, which in Rutherford means keeping the Merlot when most of the district stopped bothering.1 A family bought it in 2018, has picked up two more vineyard sites and plans a new winery building.1 I have no price, no hours and no tasting note for you, because the winery's own site serves a blank page to anything but a browser.
What locals & experts say
- Sullivan Rutherford Estate, on how it started:
Founded in 1972 by James O'Neil Sullivan, during the apex of the boutique winery movement, vines were first planted on the 26-acre estate in 1978, per the encouragement of legendary winemaker, André Tchelistcheff.
1 - The same listing, on what it makes:
Situated in the heart of Napa Valley, Sullivan Rutherford Estate has been Rutherford's Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon hideaway for over five decades.
1
Both are the estate on itself. Nothing outside it was read this pass, so I have no outside call for you.
Good to know
- Book through Tock, and ask what the tasting costs, because nothing published names a fee, a format or an opening hour.
- Hygiene: not established. No inspection instrument for this county is on file here.
Verdict
listed — James O'Neil Sullivan founded this in 1972 and put the first vines into the 26 acres in 1978 because André Tchelistcheff told him to, which is about as good a piece of Rutherford lineage as a small estate gets. It has stayed a Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon property for five decades, in a district where most people quietly gave up on the Merlot. A family bought it in 2018 and the winery says it has picked up two more vineyard sites and plans a new building. That is the whole record: no price, no hours, no format and no read palate, because the winery's own site gives our reader a blank page. Book through Tock and ask what a tasting costs.