Oakville & Rutherford Area, Napa Valley Wine Tours

Oakville and Rutherford in California's Napa Valley are known primarily for the nearby wineries and—among the Northern California vintners—for the high quality of the area's soil, sometimes referred to as 'Rutherford dust'.

Terroir is the word for "soil" in French, but it means much more when used in reference to wine. Soil composition, drainage, exposure to the sun and other aspects of microclimate, geographic location — all contribute to what is meant by terroir. It's the unique environment of each vineyard.

Any discussion of terrior in the Napa Valley inevitibly includes mention of the famous Rutherford Dust.

Scroll down for a map of the Napa Valley, wine tours and Oakville/Rutherford history. Then use the blue column links, right side, to visit other areas in the wine country.

A Brief History of Oakville & Rutherford in the Napa Valley

Oakville, an unincorporated community just four miles north of Yountville, got its name from the dense oak forests that covered the area in the 1800's.

Henry W. Crabb, owner of one of the largest vineyards in the Napa Valley during the 1870's, founded Oakville at a time when Oakville boasted one community store, a steam train depot and a wine warehouse.

The world famous Oakville Grocery, a delicatessen, a post office and local wineries along Highway 29 define Oakville today. The Oakville Grade is a narrow mountain road that can be a used as shortcut between the Sonoma and Napa Valleys.

Rutherford also began around a train depot, which now houses an antique store and a plumbing shop. The man generally considered to be the founder of Rutherford, Judge S. C. Hastings, owned the original vineyards in the area.

If you visit the Niebaum-Coppola Winery you can also see The Chiles house, built in 1856, and one of the oldest in the Napa Valley. Joseph Ballinger Chiles, who first came to California in 1841 and led a party of settlers there in 1843, built a flour mill on Rancho Catacula 1845-56. Chiles was a participant in the 1846 Bear Flag Revolt.

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