History
The legacy of Pritchard Hill began in the 1870s when Charles Pritchard homesteaded the top of the now-famous knoll and planted vines. At the time, the Northern Californian wine industry was lucrative and already supported by 139 major wineries whose wine and brandy crop was valued at more than two million dollars in gold. Pritchard’s success led to continued vine propagation on the hill and earned the area the nickname, Pritchard’s Hill.
The site of Gandona Estate had its beginnings just a few years earlier, when in 1862 Daniel K. Dille homesteaded
the property, located just downhill from Pritchard’s future home. California had just experienced the silver rush and Napa County had recently been formed. Here, Dille worked as a laborer and maintained the land. The property was sold several times throughout the years until the Bob Long family purchased it in 1966 and planted the site’s first vineyard. In 1977, they entered the wine business in earnest and founded a small winery called Long Vineyards, producing Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and a late harvest Johannisberg Riesling.