ABSTRACT
After the death of Gustave Niebaum in 1908, his widow, Susan Niebaum, closed the Inglenook winery for three years. Never directly involved in the business or day-to-day operations of Inglenook, Susan Niebaum preferred to live in San Francisco. She used the estate as a weekend and summer getaway, and typical of the well-married women of the late Victorian age in America, knew nothing of business. Seeking advice from her husband's former business associates and attorneys, Susan Niebaum made some important decisions that ensured her husband's dreams for Inglenook did not die with him. From 1911 until 1919, when the 18th amendment to the Constitution — Prohibition—was ratified, fine wines were produced at Inglenook under contract with B. Arnhold & Co. of San Francisco. The vineyards and cellars were managed by Herman Lange, and the winemaking was supervised by Lafayette Stice, who lived in St. Helena.
