Nestled high in the eastern hills of the Napa Valley, Rutherford Hill Winery commands a spectacular view of Napa Valley's Rutherford Bench and surrounding areas. The dramatic wood-and-glass winery structure, built in the mid-1970s, is an architectural marvel. Its combination of natural materials and hillside location creates a splendid place to visit, picnic, tour and taste.

Regularly scheduled tours take you to the tunnels, galleries and passageways of their nearly mile-long wine caves. The caves provide a unique, natural environment that enhances the wine-aging process. The underground grottos hold over 8,000 barrels of select French and American oak barrels filled with premium Napa Valley wine. The caves naturally maintain a year-round temperature of 59 degrees and a constant humidity of 90 percent. This uniform temperature and humidity level reduces wine evaporation and excess oxygen exposure, producing gracefully aged wines of notable character and consistency.

In 1996 the partnership that owned Rutherford Hill decided to sell the winery to the Terlato family, who has been in wine marketing and distribution for many years, working with some of the most noted names in the industry. Today the winery continues to produce their outstanding flagship wine, Merlot. They also produce Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, a Rose of Merlot, Sangiovese, Gewürztraminer, Sauvignon Blanc and a Zinfandel port.

The tasting room sits at the near end of the winery building, adjacent to the wine caves. There is an assortment of high-end, brightly colored glassware, spices, jewelry, cigars and wine accessories available for sale. The scenic, rustic picnic area sits on the edge of the hillside among mature oak trees and is reminiscent of a national park campground (without the tents or trailers).