Trefethen Family Vineyards began in 1968, when Eugene and Katie Trefethen bought the historic Eshcol property and six adjoining parcels in what is now the Oak Knoll District of Napa Valley. Eugene had retired from a long career with Kaiser Industries. At the heart of the estate stands the Eshcol winery, a three-story gravity-flow building constructed in 1886 by Hamden W. McIntyre. It fell out of use by 1940, was later restored, was damaged in the 2014 South Napa earthquake, and was restored again; it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Trefethen's 1976 Chardonnay placed first at the 1979 Gault-Millau Wine Olympics and beat Puligny-Montrachet in a 1980 rematch in Burgundy. Today the family, including John, Janet, Lorenzo and Hailey Trefethen, farms the estate at 1160 Oak Knoll Avenue and makes Cabernet Sauvignon alongside its famous Chardonnay, Riesling and other estate wines.