Trefethen Vineyards

That’s why the winemaking duo of David Whitehouse and Peter Luthi at Napa Valley’s Trefethen Vineyards is so unique. Between the two, they have a collective 55+ years working to craft the wines at the venerable Trefethen. Their trading cards’ backside would look much like those of baseball players from the 50s and 60s who tended to stay with one team for their entire career. That’s rare today in baseball as well as in wine.

Whitehouse is the “Winemaster” at Trefethen and began his stint there in 1975. The very next year he would craft a Chardonnay that was called “"Best in the World" at the World Wine Olympics held in Paris. Prior to finding the right fit at Trefethen, Whitehouse worked with Robert Mondavi and Callaway. Those would have been listed as his years in minor league service given what he went on to do at Trefethen, a winery with a stellar reputation.

Luthi, a native of Switzerland, joined Trefethen in 1983 and took over day-to-day winemaking duties while Whitehouse worked closely with Luthi and played a partnering role in the winemaking. Luthi pursued an elegant style of wines at Trefethen that gave the wines a standout, unique character that would be known to many as the “Trefethen Touch”.

Under Luthi’s guidance, Trefethen would release Napa Valley Cabernets that were named “Top 10 Cabernets of the Year" by Wine and Spirits Magazine and "Top 100 Wines" by Wine Enthusiast Magazine.

There is a real benefit that derives from having consistency at the helm of your winemaking: consistency of style. Trefethen’s consistency shows up most convincingly in its Estate Cabernets and Dry Riesling. The Riesling is thought by many to be year in and year out not only the finest made in Napa Valley, but also one of the under-the-radar great wines of all those made in Napa.

You don’t become a “star winemaker” by staying in one place. And your winemaker trading card will seem boring compared to the here-one-day-gone-the-next winemakers. However, Whitehouse and Luthi have demonstrated that something much more important than fame results from staying in one place: The creation of a legacy.

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This vendor is located at 2545 Napa Valley Corporate Drive, Napa, CA, 94558.