7 Things You Should Know About Rombauer, One of California’s Most Iconic Chardonnays

Some grape and region combinations work so well that, together, the two become an unofficial title. California Chardonnay is one such case. But how did Chardonnay from the New World state become so revered? Rombauer Vineyards is largely to thank.

Koerner and Joan Rombauer — two native Californians — established Rombauer Vineyards in 1980. The married couple’s first foray into the Napa wine business was in 1976 when they became partners in the still-operational Conn Creek Winery, but four years later, they sold their stake to launch their private venture. Its first wines were made with Cabernet Sauvignon grapes sourced from external vineyards, but Chardonnay, the second grape they used, quickly became the brand’s trademark.

From crushing its first grapes in 1980 to releasing its first Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay vintages in 1984 for $12.50 per bottle — or around $40 today — through now, Rombauer has become a mainstay in California Chardonnay. Here are seven things to know about the iconic American brand.

In its early days, Rombauer had deep connections with another famed Napa winery.

In 1981, Joan was hired onto the sales team at Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars — the producer that basically put Napa Cab on the map — and was later promoted to national sales director. She sought the job to gain a better understanding of the business behind wine, as her family’s budding winery had only recently launched. The Rombauer brand’s relationship with the famous winery continued into 1982, when it bottled its first-ever wines at the Stag’s Leap packaging facility.

Its first wines were crafted in a garage.

Rombauer sourced its inaugural fruit from the Stag’s Leap district in 1980. As business owners in the earliest stages, the Rombauers needed to work with minimal resources for their vision to come to fruition. According to its website, some of Rombauer’s first Cabernet Sauvignon was made in the family’s home garage, which was legally bonded as a winery. In 1982, Koerner and Joan purchased property in St. Helena and began building their first winery.

Rombauer served as an incubator for soon-to-be Napa classics.

When the Rombauers began construction of their winery, the vision was more expensive than they could afford. To cover the construction cost, they established it as a “custom-crush business,” meaning they welcomed other nearby producers to conduct their winemaking on the Rombauer property. The wineries that worked in the space would become some of Napa’s most well-known estates, including Dominus, Duckhorn, and Spottswoode.

The head winemaker began as an intern.

The current head winemaker is Richie Allen, whom the company attributes to leading Rombauer into the modern age by introducing new technologies like machine-operated sorters to the winemaking process. But Allen didn’t join Rombauer from another famed winery. He started at Rombauer in 2004 as a harvest intern and worked his way to the lead role in 2008.

Gallo acquired Romabuer in 2023.

E. & J. Gallo’s Luxury Wine Group purchased Rombauer Vineyards in August 2023 for an undisclosed amount. The acquisition handed Rombauer’s name, production facilities, two tasting rooms, and Northern California and Central Coast vineyards to Gallo. It marked yet another expansion of Gallo’s portfolio of big-name California wines, joining Louis M. Martini, Talbott Vineyards, and others.

A second white wine joined the portfolio in 2014.

Though Chardonnay helped catapult Rombauer to fame, the winery added a Sauvignon Blanc in 2014, making it just the second white wine produced by the brand. Rombauer now owns and farms vineyards along California’s coast, but the Sauvignon Blanc comes from its Napa Valley plots.

One of the founders is related to a world-famous cookbook author.

Bottles of wine with blue labels aren’t the only place consumers see the Rombauer name. They can also find it on one of the seminal American cookbooks: “The Joy of Cooking.” Koerner Rombauer’s great aunt, Irma Rombauer, co-wrote the book, which was published in 1931. Professional and home cooks around the country laud it as the holy grail of cookbooks, as it landed during a time when American home cooks weren’t nearly as knowledgeable as they are today. Gustatory prowess seems to be in the Rombauer blood.

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