Marilyn Wines

Location:

St. Helena, CA

In the late 1970s, Bob and Donna Holder left behind their city lives, and purchased a small plot of land on the outskirts of Rutherford, California.  As longtime wine connoisseurs with successful backgrounds in the art and CPA business, the Holders became home winemakers in 1980, producing unforgettable wines with equally unforgettable labels, created by their friend and the professional illustrator, Denys Cazet.  The “Maneater Cannibal Sauvignon” and “Thin Zin” were instant hits.

Their success prompted the Holders to become further involved in the wine business, investing in one of their most beloved wineries, and beginning the production of Merlot in the early 1980s.  From 1983 to 1985, the Holders purchased and crushed a ton of Merlot grapes in their home’s carport every year.  In 1985, they bottled their first Merlot, although it did not have a label.  One evening, while drinking the Merlot with Denys Cazet and his wife Donna, the group began brainstorming clever labels for the wine.  It was Donna who came up with the winning name: Marilyn Merlot.  Putting his artistic talents to good use, Denys subsequently designed the label.

As their friends raved about their wine, the Holders decided to produce it commercially.  After receiving permission from Marilyn Monroe’s estate to use her name and image on the wine, the Holders purchased the merlot juice for the 1985 vintage Napa Valley Merlot, and bottled it with a newly revised label by Charles House.  Publically released in 1987, the wine quickly sold out.  It was show time for Marilyn Merlot.

Since that time, Marilyn Merlot began making its own wines.  The original winemaker, Alan Phillips, was followed by John McKay, who has now been with the company for over a decade.  Marilyn Merlot has continued to grow over the years, with the involvement of the Holder’s two sons.  The Holder’s loyalties extend beyond their family, to their company’s icon, Marilyn Monroe.  Although the company has been asked to create wines in honor of other celebrities, it remains dedicated exclusively to the enduring Hollywood icon.  As the Holders remarked, no one can capture the glamour of our merlot quite like Marilyn Monroe.”