To-Kalon Vineyard, 1350 Walnut Drive, Oakville, Napa County, CA

Significance: The To-Kalon Vineyard has played a pivotal role in the establishment of Napa Valley as a world renowned grape-growing region. Original proprietor H. W. Crabb established the vineyard in 1868 and during his lifetime performed viticultural research and varietal experimentation, which led to significant advancements in the American industries of wine and grape production. His extensive collection of grape varieties was considered to be the largest in the United States and credited for greatly improving the California stock. Crabb's recommendation that Cabernet Sauvignon was one of the highest quality grapes suited to the Napa Valley predated that realization by almost a century. His 1884 varietal labeled Cabernet Sauvignon was described as "historical" and was one of the first commercial Cabernet Sauvignon wines produced in the Napa Valley.

As a winemaker, Crabb helped establish the reputation of California wine throughout the country and abroad. To-Kalon was the first winery to market and sell wine through their own sales agencies located throughout the United States. Crabb was also an innovator in winemaking techniques and credited as the first winery to mechanize grape processing. Under his guidance the To-Kalon wines are thought to have garnered more awards that any other winery in the pre- Prohibition era.

In 1890, the Chicago Herald praised Crabb's contributions to California wine when they stated, "...it must be understood that Crabb is the most prominent vine grower and wine producer on the Pacific coast. His name is inseparably a part of the growth of the wine production of California. No one has done as much as he toward raising the purity and high standard and the consequent popularity of the native wines of California....His practical experience of over thirty years has placed him justly at the head of the wine trade of this country, and has made the brand of his vintage familiar to every table where good wine is served."

The decimation of the California wine industry in the late 1800s due to the root louse phylloxera placed To-Kalon at the forefront of the search for a resistant American rootstock. Crabb ultimately prescribed Vitis riparia, which was not widely adopted but has since become a primary breeding component of the most popular rootstocks in modern day viticulture. After Crabb's death, To-Kalon experienced additional periods of historical significance under subsequent ownership.

The E. S. Churchill family purchased a portion of the To-Kalon Vineyard from Crabb's estate and continued wine production throughout prohibition. The continuation of Crabb's research inspired the United States Department of Agriculture to establish the Oakville Experiment Vineyard on the Churchill property in 1903, making To-Kalon one of the most important research vineyards in the state. In addition to continuing Crabb's viticultural legacy the Churchill's crowning enological achievement came in 1909 at the Alaska-Yukon World's Fair when To-Kalon wines received five gold medals.

In 1966, Robert Mondavi established his namesake winery on historic To-Kalon land. Over time, Mondavi purchased additional portions of the historic To-Kalon Vineyard from the estate of Martin Stelling Jr., who had intended to resurrect the To-Kalon name prior to his death. In the late 1970s, Mondavi, along with two neighboring growers, reapplied the historic To-Kalon name to their surrounding vineyards. Subsequent legal disputes between the Robert Mondavi Winery and Andy Beckstoffer over To-Kalon trademark usage emphasizes the importance of maintaining the historical authenticity of this fabled site. The evolution of these disputes will serve as a precedent and likely influence the future of vineyard designation in America.
Survey number: HALS CA-139
Building/structure dates: 1944 Subsequent Work
Building/structure dates: 1868 Initial Construction
Building/structure dates: 1903 Subsequent Work
Building/structure dates: 1966 Subsequent Work
Building/structure dates: 1879 Subsequent Work
Building/structure dates: 1880 Subsequent Work
Building/structure dates: 1876 Subsequent Work
Building/structure dates: 1922 Subsequent Work
Building/structure dates: 1943 Subsequent Work
Building/structure dates: 1947 Subsequent Work
Building/structure dates: 1951 Subsequent Work
Building/structure dates: 1954 Subsequent Work
Building/structure dates: 1962 Subsequent Work