Grgich Hills Estate

Grgich Hills Estate opened its doors on July 4, 1977, a date chosen with deliberate symbolism by its co-founders. Miljenko 'Mike' Grgich, a Croatian immigrant who had worked at some of Napa Valley's most storied cellars, partnered with Austin Hills of the Hills Bros. Coffee family to launch the venture just one year after the event that made Grgich famous worldwide. In 1976, while working at Chateau Montelena, Grgich had crafted the 1973 Chardonnay that blind-tasted above all French entries at Steven Spurrier's Paris competition, an outcome that upended assumptions about California wine's potential. The winery's founding gave Grgich his own stage, and the partnership with Hills provided the capital and commercial foundation to build something lasting. From the beginning, the estate operated out of Rutherford, the Napa Valley sub-appellation long associated with powerful Cabernet Sauvignon.

• Winery founded July 4, 1977, by Mike Grgich and Austin Hills in Rutherford, Napa Valley
• Mike Grgich made the 1973 Chateau Montelena Chardonnay that won the 1976 Judgment of Paris blind tasting in Paris
• Austin Hills came from the Hills Bros. Coffee family and served as the financial co-founder
• Mike Grgich was inducted into the Vintners Hall of Fame in 2008

Grgich Hills Estate remains entirely family-owned and is now guided by the second generation. Violet Grgich, Mike's daughter, has served as President and CEO since 2019 and became a co-owner following her father's death. Austin Hills, now in his nineties, continues as Chairman of the Board, maintaining continuity with the founding partnership. Ivo Jeramaz, Mike Grgich's nephew, serves as VP of Winemaking and Vineyards, bringing roughly four decades of experience in the cellar and vineyard; the dedicated winemaker role is held by Sebastian Rodriguez. A third generation is already entering the business, with Ivo's daughter Maja involved in export sales. Mike Grgich also established a sister winery, Grgic Vina, on Croatia's Dalmatian coast in 1996, connecting the family's roots to its American success story.

• Violet Grgich became President and CEO in 2019 and co-owner after Mike Grgich's death
• Ivo Jeramaz, Mike's nephew, serves as VP of Winemaking and Vineyards with approximately 40 years of industry experience; Sebastian Rodriguez is the dedicated winemaker
• Austin Hills, co-founder, remains Chairman of the Board into his nineties
• Sister winery Grgic Vina was founded in 1996 on Croatia's Dalmatian coast, reflecting the family's Croatian heritage

Grgich Hills farms 148 hectares (366 acres) spread across five distinct estate vineyards, each chosen for the way its climate and soils suit specific varieties. The largest site, American Canyon at 164 acres, sits at the southern end of Napa Valley and grows Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot, Riesling, and Gewurztraminer in a cooler, marine-influenced environment. The 88-acre Carneros vineyard similarly benefits from cool bay influence and carries Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc. In Rutherford, 17.4 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot anchor the estate's red wine program on the valley floor's well-drained benchland soils. The 25-acre Yountville Paradise Block, planted to Cabernet Sauvignon in 1959, is documented as the largest old-vine Cabernet Sauvignon block in Napa Valley, and provided fruit for the 2025 limited Paradise Block release. At Calistoga, 34 acres include old-vine Zinfandel planted in 1889. DNA analysis by UC Davis researchers established that Zinfandel is genetically identical to the Croatian variety Crljenak Kastelanski (also called Tribidrag); Grgich grows a small, separately planted block of Crljenak Kastelanski itself.

• American Canyon vineyard: 164 acres planted to Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot, Riesling, and Gewurztraminer in a cool southern Napa setting
• Paradise Block, Yountville: 25 acres of old-vine Cabernet Sauvignon planted in 1959, the largest such block in Napa Valley
• Calistoga vineyard: 34 acres including old-vine Zinfandel from 1889; DNA research matched Zinfandel to the Croatian variety Crljenak Kastelanski (Tribidrag), grown separately by Grgich
• All five vineyards are 100% certified Regenerative Organic Certified as of December 2022

The winemaking approach at Grgich Hills rests on three pillars: estate sourcing, certified organic and regenerative farming, and minimal intervention in the cellar. The estate has been certified organic since 2006 and achieved Regenerative Organic Certified status in December 2022, a designation that goes beyond organic to include soil health, animal welfare, and farmworker equity standards. Native yeast fermentation is standard practice, reflecting a philosophy that the vineyard, not the winery, should set the character of the wine. All fruit is estate-grown, a commitment formalized in 2006 alongside the conversion to solar energy; the winery changed its name from Grgich Hills Cellar to Grgich Hills Estate in 2007 to reflect its 100% estate-grown production. Annual production sits at approximately 70,000 cases across the portfolio of Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc, and Zinfandel. In February 2026, the estate released the 'Timeless' single-vineyard Chardonnay as an exclusive Premiere Napa Valley auction lot, honoring the 50th anniversary of the Judgment of Paris.

• Certified organic since 2006; achieved Regenerative Organic Certified status in December 2022
• Native yeast fermentation used throughout the winemaking process as a core minimal-intervention practice
• 100% estate-grown production only; no purchased fruit used in any wine
• Winery converted to solar energy and moved to estate-only sourcing in 2006; renamed Grgich Hills Estate in 2007

Grgich Hills Estate occupies a singular position in American wine history because its founder's hands crafted the wine that changed global perceptions of California. The 1976 Judgment of Paris was not a minor trade event; it was a moment after which the wine world could no longer dismiss the New World as a footnote, and Mike Grgich was its winemaker. The estate he built afterward demonstrated that the lesson of that tasting was not a fluke: consistent, serious wine could be grown and made in Napa Valley without compromise. Today the estate's commitment to regenerative organic farming across all 366 acres positions it at the intersection of historical prestige and contemporary values around land stewardship. The presence of old-vine Zinfandel planted in 1889, the variety's documented genetic identity with Croatia's Crljenak Kastelanski, combined with a sister winery on the Dalmatian coast, gives Grgich Hills a narrative connecting old-world heritage to California innovation that few estates can match.

• Mike Grgich made the 1973 Chateau Montelena Chardonnay that won the 1976 Judgment of Paris, one of the defining moments in American wine's international recognition
• Among the first major Napa Valley estates to achieve Regenerative Organic Certified status across an entire 366-acre estate portfolio (December 2022)
• The 1889-planted Calistoga vines are old-vine Zinfandel, the variety DNA-confirmed as identical to Croatia's Crljenak Kastelanski, linking Napa viticulture directly to Croatian wine heritage
• Continuous family ownership across two generations, with founding partnership intact through Austin Hills's continued chairmanship