Our History

Rutherford is named after Thomas Rutherford who, in 1864, married Elizabeth Yount, the granddaughter of Napa Valley's founding settler George Calvert Yount. Included in Elizabeth's dowry was a 1,040-acre parcel that became Rutherford.

In 1868 the Napa Valley railroad was completed. Three years later, on September 25, 1871, the first Post Office in Rutherford was established, and the charming brick building that is now the Elizabeth Spencer tasting room was completed the following year in 1872. 

In 1879, Gustave Niebaum, a Finnish fur-trading sea captain, and the person who did more than any other to establish Rutherford's reputation, built Inglenook, the Napa Valley's first palatial chateau-style winery. The vineyard was planted with noble French varieties, including Cabernet Sauvignon. He was indeed a pioneer in quality control, recognized as one of the first in Napa to focus on estate-bottling, ensuring strict control over production from grape to bottle.

In 1900 a French immigrant, Georges de Latour, purchased a 4-acre parcel adjacent to Inglenook in the heart of Rutherford which he called Beaulieu, meaning "beautiful place."

In 1938 de Latour met Andre Tchelistcheff in Paris and convinced him to move to Napa Valley to become his chief winemaker of Beaulieu Vineyards. It was Tchelistcheff who coined the term "Rutherford dust" to describe the distinctive aroma, flavor and texture of Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignons.

Napa Valley was named California's first AVA in 1981 and 12 years later, in 1993, Rutherford formerly received designation as an American Viticultural Area.

The realization of a dream by husband-and-wife team, Spencer Graham and Elizabeth Pressler, came to fruition in 1998 when Elizabeth Spencer was established. They built the winery on the importance of strong relationships - from the network of growers to the talented team at the winery to ultimately the guests.

In 2006, the historic Rutherford brick Post Office was restored and started welcoming guests for tastings in May.

In 2021, Elizabeth Spencer joined Boisset Collection where it continues its legacy and vision under the leadership of Proprietor Jean-Charles Boisset.