| For more than 3,000 years, cave systems have provided an ideal wine storage environment providing the dark, cool, slightly damp atmosphere that supports fine-wine aging.
The material through which the Rutherford Hill caves run is composed of a 12-foot tuffa (a porous rock) cap, topping a base of various forms of serpentine stone. The first phase of cave construction ran from 1984 to 1986 and included two portals and six caves. The second phase, from 1986 to1989, included a series of short connecting tunnels, a back cave and a dining grotto for special events. The entire system extends for nearly one mile and was dug using a Welsh mining machine. The device, which can cut through material seven times harder than cement, is similar to a handheld auger used to carve through rocky material. After the tunnels were cut, the cave surfaces were stabilized with shotcrete, a material composed of a mixture of sand, cement and pea gravel.
Rutherford Hill was one of the first wineries in the Napa Valley to build caves using modern technology and also one of the first to use a pallet-stacking system in those caves. Year-round, 8,000 French and American oak barrels age wine in an ideal, consistent storage environment of 59ºF, and up to 90 percent humidity.
This high humidity level creates a situation that favors the evaporation of alcohol. This means that grapes can be picked at their ripest point, containing more sugar, which would normally result in wines with higher alcohol content. But because natural evaporation or "angel's share" from cave-stored barrels is largely alcoholic in nature, Rutherford Hill winemakers are able to maintain our wines fruit forward and ripe characteristics without making wines that are out of balance.
Aesthetic improvements to the existing caves were begun in February 2000, including a fresh layer of shotcrete on the interior cave walls and an enhanced lighting system with sconces and chandeliers. These improvements supported Rutherford Hill's expanding demand for special events at the winery.
The continuous attention to detail displayed in the construction of and ongoing improvements to the cave system exemplifies the commitment to quality of the Terlato family, and underscores their dedication to excellence.
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