The Rutherford Estate sits on a mineral-rich benchland that was once a riverbed on the floor of the Napa Valley and is now home to vineyards, fruits and vegetables, beehives, and our flock of egg-laying chickens.
VINEYARD AND FARM
Once a riverbed, our benchland Rutherford Estate has 30 acres planted to Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. The estate is also home to our fruits and vegetables, beehives, and our growing flock of egg-laying chickens.
With over 500 varietals of organic heirloom fruits and vegetables, our diverse ranch defies the monoculture that reigns supreme in Napa Valley. Our chefs collaborate with our agriculture team to carefully select varietals that will thrive and provide the finest produce for our restaurant and farmer’s market throughout the year. Our bounty includes Purple Dark Opal basil, Black from Tula tomatoes, Delicata squash, Chioggia beets, Green Globe artichokes, Purple Peruvian potatoes, Blenheim apricots, Arctic Rose nectarines, Pink Pearl apples, Seascape strawberries and, of course, Black Mission figs from our 100-year old tree, to name a few.
Our growing flock of chickens roost in a state-of-the-art coop on our Rutherford Estate. The Ameraucanas, Black Australorps, Buckeyes and Cuckoo Marans savor organic fruits and vegetables we cannot use in our restaurant or sell at the farmer’s market. These supplemental snacks produce the most gorgeous orange egg yolks! In turn, their manure is a vital part of our compost, adding much needed nitrogen to our fertilizer.
Our beekeeper is fond of the quote attributed to Einstein, “If the bee disappears from the surface of the earth, man would have no more than four years to live.” We believe honeybees are an integral part of our sustainable farming methods. Our colony of honeybees is hard at work pollinating our fruits, vegetables, and vineyards, as well as producing Long Meadow Ranch’s delectable organic honey.
