About Us

John Crellin purchased the original property of approximately 450 acres. He purchased 450 acres in the area with the fortune he made in the oyster shell business. 

"Situated in the Livermore Valley proper, but belonging to the Pleasanton township, is Ruby Hill Vineyard, the property of Mr. John Crellin and Sons. The tract contains 450 acres and is named from a red knoll back of the handsome country house. There are 220 acres in vineyard devoted wholly to foreign varieties, which were planted in 1883.".

Crellin named the area Ruby Hill after the red dirt he found on the property. Crellin, who hailed from the Isle of Man off the coast of England, made his first plantings in 1883 and 1884. By the time the vines matured, the winery building was finished.

Crellin's son, Charles, ran the business after his father's death but sold it in 1921 to Ernest Ferrario, subsequently the property went through a number of owners, Prohibition.

A friend and business partner of Jack Nicklaus’ approached luxury home developer Jim Ghielmetti with the idea of building the area’s first-ever Jack Nicklaus Signature Design Golf Course in Northern California.

The original Crellin Winery was eventually abandoned, and in 1989, burned in a suspicious fire, leaving only a few brick walls standing.

The land was then transferred to the Catholic Church and subsequently to Wente Vineyards.  

Wente Vineyards planted the still current Merlot block while construction of the golf course began with Jack Nicklaus supervising.

Wente Vineyards planted the still current  Cabernet Sauvignon block. 

The current Misson Wines building construction was completed by Signature Properties on the vineyard.

Misson Vineyards grafted a new block of Sauvignon Blanc, Petite Syrah, Pinot Noir, and additional Cabernet Sauvignon