In 1970, Bully Hill Vineyards evolved from Bully Hill Farms founded in 1958 by Walter S. Taylor and his father Greyton Taylor. In 1970, Walter S. Taylor was fired from Taylor Wine Cellars, the winery that bore his family name for speaking out against the common practice of fortifying New York wines with wine from California.
In 1977, the original Taylor Wines that had fired Walter S. Taylor was sold to Coca-Cola who, later in the same year, started a lawsuit against Bully Hill Vineyards to prevent them from using the Taylor family name in promoting or on the bottles of Bully Hill Wines. On top of the court order, Bully Hill Vineyards was also ordered to destroy all paintings, artwork, poetry, and promotional materials that mentioned Taylor by name or described his heritage.
Ever since the court order, the motto "They got my name and heritage, but they didn't get my goat!" appears on numerous labels shirts, and signs. Also, "Walter S. blank" with the Taylor name blacked out is used on its promotional materials to lampoon the court order.
The publicity surrounding the court order has helped Bully Hill Vineyards become one of the largest wine producers in the Finger Lakes region. The winery is now managed by Walters' wife Lillian who took over management of the vineyards after Walter was seriously injured in a car accident in 1990 (and passed on in 1999). The vineyard has expanded to grow some traditional wine grapes as well as the hybrid and native wine grapes that had made bully hill wines popular.