Rutherford Grove Winery: winery information
Winemaker: Andy Pestoni
Andy Pestoni is the fourth generation of his family to live and work in the Napa Valley. Born and raised in St. Helena, today he directs the winemaking for Rutherford Grove Winery.
“Even though I have winemakers in my family history, I didn’t think I’d grow up to be a winemaker,” Andy smiles. He caught the ‘wine bug’ working harvests at Beaulieu Vineyard while attending college. He went on to work in the cellar at Ferrari-Carrano in Sonoma County for several years. While he was at Ferrari-Carrano his father and uncle bought a winery formerly known as Rutherford Vintners, in the town of Rutherford, and asked Andy to ‘come home’ and help them launch it as a new family winery. Ray Corison joined the team for the first few years as a winemaking consultant, as did Bob Pepi; from the 1996 vintage on, though, Andy has directed all winemaking operations.
“I like getting my hands dirty, being able to make something nice which people enjoy,” Andy says. “We’re one of the few family wineries left in the Napa Valley, and we want people to think of Rutherford Grove Winery as a peaceful, friendly, small-scale place to visit often. We know we’re part of a ‘vanishing’ breed, a home-like hands-on atmosphere where the wines are delicious and affordable.”
Annual Production: 10,000 cases
Rutherford Grove produces our wines from a total of 50-acres of estate vineyards located in Rutherford, St. Helena, Howell Mountain and in Lake County.
Grape Varieties Planted