# Meet The Trefethen Family | Family Run Winery | Trefethen Family Vineyards

https://www.trefethen.com/learn/family/the-trefethens

> Company 'about the family' marketing/content page — useful for factual details about family members and historical claims, but should be treated as self-published material and attributed to Trefethen Family Vineyards when quoting specific claims.

## Summary

Profiles of the Trefethen family describing three generations of involvement in their Napa Valley estate, their roles in the family winery, and their contributions to Napa Valley viticulture and community institutions.

## Audience

general

## Prompts this page answers

- Who are the members of the Trefethen family involved with Trefethen Family Vineyards?
- What roles have Hailey and Lorenzo Trefethen played at Trefethen Family Vineyards?
- What contributions have the Trefethen family made to Napa Valley institutions and viticulture?
- What is the history of Janet & John Trefethen in building the winery?

## Purpose

To present the Trefethen family history, individual family member roles, and the family's contributions to Napa Valley and the winery's identity.

## Highlights

- The Trefethen family have been estate growers in Napa Valley for three generations.
- They helped establish the Napa Valley Agricultural Preserve and co-founded the Napa Valley Grapegrowers.
- Family members took leadership roles in the Napa Valley Vintners and the California Wine Institute and supported viticulture/winemaking centers at Napa Valley College and UC Davis.
- Janet & John Trefethen were co-founders of the winery; in 1979 Trefethen Chardonnay was declared “The Best Chardonnay in the World” in Paris (stated as a surprise victory).
- Hailey Trefethen led the three-year restoration of the historic winery after the 2014 South Napa earthquake and manages sustainability certifications.

## How to cite

Trefethen Family Vineyards — https://www.trefethen.com/learn/family/the-trefethens

## Publisher

**Trefethen Family Vineyards** — Trefethen Family Vineyards — Napa Valley winery and estate (contact details and address appear in the page footer).

## Topics

- Trefethen family
- Napa Valley winery history
- Hailey Trefethen
- Oak Knoll District AVA
- Napa Valley Agricultural Preserve
- Trefethen Chardonnay 1979

## Key entities

- **Hailey Trefethen** (person): Family member; steers employee well-being, estate care, sustainability certifications, participated in restoration after the 2014 quake and in production decisions.
- **Lorenzo Trefethen** (person): Family member; works in sales, marketing and finance, involved in label/marketing design and hosting; board member of the Bay Area Council (stated).
- **Janet Trefethen** (person): Co-founder of the winery; hosted the Napa Valley Cooking Class for 25 years and helped establish the Oak Knoll District.
- **John Trefethen** (person): Co-founder of the winery; founding President of the Napa Valley Grapegrowers and former President of Napa Valley Vintners (stated).
- **Eugene (Gene) Trefethen** (person): Founded the Trefethen Estate in 1968; his land purchase was conditioned on legislation establishing the Napa Valley Agricultural Preserve (stated).
- **Catherine (Katie) Trefethen** (person): Wife of Eugene; planted the garden at the estate and hosted, inspiring vineyard planting (stated).
- **Napa Valley Agricultural Preserve** (organization): Named on the page as an initiative the family helped establish.
- **Napa Valley Grapegrowers** (organization): Co-founded by the Trefethen family (stated).
- **Napa Valley Vintners** (organization): Organization where family members served in leadership roles (stated).
- **California Wine Institute** (organization): Organization where family members took on leading roles (stated).
- **Napa Valley College** (organization): Site of viticulture and winemaking centers the family helped build (stated).
- **UC Davis** (organization): Institution the family supported for viticulture and winemaking (stated).
- **Oak Knoll District of Napa Valley AVA** (other): AVA the family helped establish (stated).