Robin Daniel Lail Founder 1995
FOURTH GENERATION VINTNER ROBIN DANIEL LAIL
Robin Daniel Lail came to Napa Valley in a receiving blanket in 1940 and grew up at the fabled Inglenook Vineyards. Inglenook was established by her greatgranduncle Gustave Niebaum in 1879, and his magnificent property was home to four generations of her family and their legendary wines. Due to internal circumstances, the winery and front vineyards were sold in 1964. The legacy seemed to be coming to an end. Fortunately, John Daniel, Jr. was a traditionalist and placed responsibility for carrying the tradition forward into Robin s hands shortly before his death in 1970. Robin and her sister were able to preserve the iconic Napanook vineyard in Yountville from ensuing sales.
The question was, how to carry on? Inglenook was gone, with its stunning stone winery and superb vineyards. Not only was the physical evidence of the family history in the valley sold, there was little money available to try to create new magic. During the late 70 s, Robert Mondavi (who was John Daniel, Jr. s protégée) hired Robin and became her mentor. Including the education in the wine business she received, every day Mondavi encouraged me to honor my father s legend and our generations in Napa Valley and carry forward the legacy. So began the odyssey. (L-R) Robert Mondavi & John Daniel, Jr., 1968
Dominus Co-partner with Christian Moueix and Marcia Daniel Smith - 1982 Merryvale Co-partner with Bill Harlan - 1983 Lail Vineyards Founder with partners Erin and Shannon Lail -1995 (L-R) Christian Moueix, Robin Daniel Lail and Marcia Daniel Smith. (L-R) Shannon and Erin Lail
C A P T A I N G U S T A V E N I E B A U M Having built a fortune by the age of 34, this Swedish man from Helsinki, Finland was l ooking for a new business venture. Being a wi ne connoisseur and a visionary, he was drawn to Napa Valley and its potential to make the finest wines in the world. After purchasing the Inglenook property in 1879, Niebaum planted 200 acres of vineyards from cuttings from Europe and built an imposing stone winery. This man, obsessed with excellence, produced the first estate-bottled, Bordeaux-style wine in California.
Gustave Niebaum was a leader in the California wine business and pioneered planting blocks of vineyard with tight spacing, double sorting grapes at harvest, packaging in glass bottles and establishing a brand and a nationwide marketing organization. A follower of Louis Pasteur, Inglenook wine was pristine. His motto of "Quality, not quantity." inspired new standards of excellence in California winemaking, for his generation and generations to come. At the 1889 Paris World Fair, his wine received a unique award for purity and excellence.
J O H N D A N I E L, J R. He taught not by words alone, but by example the mark of a truly knowledgeable man. -Robert Mondavi Great-nephew to Inglenook's founder Gustave Niebaum, John Daniel, Jr. played a key role in a small, dynamic group of vintners who rebuilt the fine winemaking practices of Napa Valley and California following the repeal of Prohibition in 1933.
(L-R) Robert Mondavi, Charles Forni, Madame Depins, John Daniel, Jr. and Al Hunsinger Daniel apprenticed at Inglenook for three years and became owner and Managing Director in 1936. Robert Mondavi was his protégée and shared the vision that Napa Valley could produce wines second to none. He had an intense passion for Inglenook s history and potential and for the wines of Napa Valley and California. He was extensively involved in the foundation and leadership of the Wine Institute of California and the Napa Valley Vintners as well as the State Wine Advisory Board. Daniel was the first to put Napa Valley as an appellation on wine, and pioneered vintage-dating and varietal labeling. He produced the first Rose in California following Prohibition. The back labels for his wines were written to be informative, friendly and fun. He created small bottlings of cask Cabernets.
While restoring Inglenook's fame, Daniel made what many considered to be some of the world's best Cabernet Sauvignons from the mid 1930s to the 1960s, creating a legacy of excellence for Cabernet Sauvignons for future generations of California winemakers. 1993 Inglenook Cabernet Sauvignon The first vintage produced after the repeal of Prohibition
WINEMAKER P H I L I P P E M E L K A One of the most highly respected and successful of the French-born, Bordeauxeducated oenologists working in California, Melka has worked with Lail Vineyards since its first vintage. My recent naming as one of the top 9 wine consultants in the world by Robert Parker has been truly humbling, and a terrific honor. But my pursuit of excellence in this field I m so passionate about has only just begun. - Philippe Melka
Philippe has been making wines for Lail Vineyards since 1995. He is considered by the Lails as both a winemaking genius and a member of the family At Lail, the philosophy is that brilliant wines originate in the vineyard, but the brilliance is polished importantly by the winemaker at two specific times the decision of when to pick the grapes and the making of the blend. With the work of our outstanding farming team at Silverado Vineyard Management and Mother Nature, the magic of the winemaker enables the wines of Lail to sing opera.
Each new vintage is both a challenge and an inspiration. Every year we focus on the care of our land and our vineyards and to produce wines that are just a little bit better than the year before. Each year we have a new opportunity to bring a touch of magic into the world. R O B I N D A N I E L L A I L
Y O U N T V I L L E T O T E M V I N E Y A R D
Totem Vineyard in Yountville is on the site of the first vineyard planted in 1839 by George Yount. Our family has worked this vineyard for generations since 1946. We are custodians of more than land at Totem, we are caretakers of a piece of history. The current vineyard was planted in 1988 and grafted to Merlot. In 2006 the vines were t-budded to Sauvignon Blanc. This clay soil vineyard is dry-farmed.
Today, these 3 acres in Yountville produce the fruit for our highly lauded Georgia Sauvignon Blanc. Only 300 cases are produced each year.
H O W E L L M O U N T A I N M O L E H I L L V I N E Y A R D
In 1996, the Lail family acquired a special vineyard site high atop Howell Mountain. Mole Hill was named in homage to a wine created by Robin s father, John Daniel, Jr. The story goes that when Daniel s great friend, Louis Martini Sr., made a wine in the 1950s, the irony of him labeling it Mountain Red was not lost on Daniel since Martini s wine was from a rolling hillside vineyard versus the precipitous mountain vineyards of Europe. A brilliant man with a celebrated sense of humor and a particular love of puns, Daniel responded with Inglenook Mole Hill Red, whose whimsical label featured a very cute mole with a magnifying glass checking a small pile of dirt.
The 3 acre vineyard s west-facing gentle slope has shallow soils with rocks that rise to the surface like cream in coffee, creating a spartan home for the vines and generating a stunning concentration of flavors in the grapes. Each year, we harvest Mole Hill multiple times to capture the unique flavors expressed in each part of the vineyard.
Our Portfolio
B L U E P R I N T W I N E S Blueprint wines are Lail Vineyards modern interpretation of Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon, capturing the abundant sunshine of Napa Valley and transforming it into intensely flavorful wines meant for early release and enjoyment in a delicious crowd-pleasing style. Whimsically named Blueprint as a nod to Jon Lail s highly regarded architectural design achievements, these are wines from impeccable vineyards made by our great winemaker.
B L U E P R I N T S A U V I G N O N B L A N C 1 0 0 % S A U V I G N O N B L A N C C R O C K E R V I N E Y A R D ( S T. H E L E N A ) F A R E L L A V I N E Y A R D ( C O O M B S V I L L E ) R E W A V I N E Y A R D ( C O O M B S V I L L E ) F E R M E N T E D I N F R E N C H O A K ; A G E D I N S T A I N L E S S S T E E L 1000 C A S E S P R O D U C E D
B L U E P R I N T C A B E R N E T S A U V I G N O N 90% C A B E R N E T S A U V I G N O N 1 0 % P E T I T V E R D O T M O L E H I L L E S T A T E V I N E Y A R D ( H O W E L L M O U N T A I N ) V I N E H I L L R A N C H V I N E Y A R D (OA K V I L L E ) H E I M A R K V I N E Y A R D ( C A L I S T O G A ) E V A N S V I N E Y A R D ( C O O M B S V I L L E ) L A M B E R T V I N E Y A R D ( C O O M B S V I L L E ) S A N S A V I N O V I N E Y A R D (YO U N T V I L L E ) ~ 1 8 M O N T H S I N F RENCH OAK ; ~ 6 0 % N E W 1700 C A S E S P R O D U C E D
F L A G S H I P W I N E S Georgia Sauvignon Blanc represents the first family member of our sixth generation and uniquely expresses a Graves-like style. J. Daniel Cuveé Cabernet Sauvignon is named after Robin s father, our ancestor to the Lail legacy. Mole Hill Cabernet Sauvignon comes from our Howell Mountain estate vineyard and is made only from exceptional vintages.
G E O R G I A S A U V I G N O N B L A N C 1 0 0 % S A U V I G N O N B L A N C T O T E M E S T A T E V I N E Y A R D ( Y O U N T V I L L E ) ~ 1 8 M O N T H S I N 1 0 0 % N E W F R E N C H O A K 3 0 0 C A S E S P R O D U C E D
For my palate, Lail s Georgia is California s most complex and multi-dimensional Sauvignon Blanc. R O B E R T P A R K E R, J R.
J. D A N I E L C U V E E C A B E R N E T S A U V I G N O N 100% C A B E R N E T S A U V I G N O N H E I M A R K V I N E Y A R D ( C A L I S T O G A ) M O L E H I L L E S T A T E V I N E Y A R D ( H O W E L L M O U N T A I N ) V I N E H I L L R A N C H V I N E Y A R D (OA K V I L L E ) ~ 1 8 M O N T H S I N F R E N C H O A K B A R R E L S, ~ 9 0 % N E W 8 0 0 C A S E D P R O D U C E D
The 2012 J. Daniel Cuvee Cabernet Sauvignon is Absolutely Perfect. 100 Points R O B E R T P A R K E R, J R. W I N E A D V O C A T E, O C T O B E R 2 0 1 4
M O L E H I L L C A B E R N E T S A U V I G N O N 1 0 0 % C A B E R N E T S A U V I G N O N M O L E H I L L E S T A T E V I N E Y A R D ( H O W E L L M O U N T A I N ) ~ 1 8 M O N T H S I N F R E N C H O A K B A R R E L S, 100% N E W 1 2 5 C A S E S P R O D U C E D
The Mole Hill Cabernet Sauvignon is a rare wine, made only in exciting vintage years. The mole trail on the label is a unique design each release. This is Howell Mountain at it s finest! - Philippe Melka, Winemaker
With all the beautiful grapes at Mole Hill, somebody has to guard them!
The 21 st Century incarnation of the unending quest for perfection since 1879. 33