The Timeline
| 1836 Mexican General Mariano Vallejo grants Caymus Rancho, 11,814 acres in what is now Napa Valley, to George C. Yount. 1838 Yount settles on the property as the valley's first nonnative resident. He is considered to be the first to plant grapes in the Napa Valley. 1850s Immigrants William and Mary Fealy arrive in New York from Ireland. William is killed in a holdup. April 1859 Mary Fealy and her children move to St. Helena, California. 1861 Mary's daughter, Mary, marries Dennis Hanrahan. According to family lore, they received part of the family land, 151 acres in Caymus Rancho. 1870 W.C. Watson, George Yount's son-in-law, buys land west of Rutherford bordering the Hanrahan property and develops a resort with 50 acres of vines. He names the ranch Inglenook. 1877 Two Frenchmen, Jean Brun and W.J. Chaix, make their first wine as Brun and Chaix, Inc. They start construction of a winery and plant a vineyard on Howell Mountain. Jean Brun was a native of Bordeaux and maternal grandfather of William A. Hewitt. Their winery is now known as Ladera Vineyards. 1879 Finnish sea captain Gustave Niebaum buys Inglenook ranch. By 1881, he owns more than 1,000 acres. Niebaum announces his plans to bottle all of his wine himself instead of selling in bulk, which was unheard of at the time. 1880 St. Helena Star (May 27, 1881) lists D. Hanrahan as having 10 acres of vineyard in 1880. The number of acres rises to 15 in 1881. December 26, 1885 Dennis Hanrahan drowns while trying to cross the flooded Napa River by horse team and wagon. His estate goes to Mary Hanrahan. 1894 County assessment shows Hanrahan had 15 acres of vines bearing, producing 80 tons of grapes the previous year. 1900 Georges de Latour purchases a 4-acre parcel of land adjacent to Hanrahan and Niebaum. 1902 County assessment shows Hanrahan property has 12 acres of vineyards, producing 18 tons of grapes the previous year. The description of the property lists Georges de Latour on the east, Gustav Niebaum on the south, and the border of Caymus Rancho to the west. 1905 County assessment reports that the name of the Georges de Latour's property was changed to Beaulieu Vineyard. 1914 Mary Hanrahan dies. Her ranch is passed to her daughter, Julia, and her husband, Joseph Gagetta. He makes wine prior to Prohibition. During Prohibition According to the history of the Gallerons, another grape-growing family in the area, they and the rest of Rutherford growers brought their grapes to Mr. Gagetta, who shipped their grapes east under the 'Mohawk' label. 1929 Electricity became available at the Gagetta property. 1932 Joseph Gagetta makes wine at Lombarda Winery (now the site of Freemark Abbey), owned by Mrs. Forni. February 1934 After Mrs. Forni sells the winery to Gagetta and Walter Martini (not related to Louis M. Martini) they create a company to buy and make wine to sell in bottle and in bulk, using the name Lombarda. Gagetta soon dies, leaving his half ownership in Lombarda to his estate, to be managed by his son, Dennis. Martini moves Lombarda Winery north of St. Helena. March 2, 1962 William A. and Patricia W. Hewitt purchase the Gagetta land. Walter Sullivan, Jr., husband of Georges de Latour's granddaughter, helped Hewitt locate the property, which adjoins the Beaulieu Vineyard residence. Hewitt states in his family history that André Tchelistcheff, Beaulieu Vineyard's famed winemaker, helped him plan the vineyard. Hewitt is the son-in-law of Charles Deere Wiman, head of the agricultural equipment company started by John Deere. Hewitt became president of Deere and Company in 1955. 1982-1985 William Hewitt serves as US Ambassador to Jamaica. May 16, 1998 William Hewitt dies from a heart attack at age 83. February 2000 Chalone Wine Group purchases Hewitt Ranch and renames it Hewitt Vineyard. July 1, 2000 Tom Rinaldi, Duckhorn Wine Company's winemaker for 22 vintages, joins Chalone Wine Group as winemaker and general manger for the company's new Napa red wine program, which includes Hewitt Vineyard. 2004 The inaugural release of Hewitt Vineyard is its 2001 vintage Cabernet Sauvignon. 2005 Diageo Chateau & Estate Wines purchases the Chalone Wine Group, including Hewitt Vineyard. |
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