Robin Daniel Lail

Founder

1995

FOURTH GENERATION VINTNER

ROBIN DANIEL LAIL

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 just a few miles south in Yountville from ensuing

sales.

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 great-

granduncle Gustave Niebaum in 1879,

and his magnificent property was home

to four generations of her family and

their legendary wines.

During the late 70s, 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-founder and Partner with

Christian Moueix and Marcia

Daniel Smith - 1982

Merryvale Co-Founder and President

with

Bill Harlan - 1983

Lail Vineyards Founder with partners

Shannon and Erin Lail -1995

(L-R) Shannon, Robin and Erin Lail (L-R) Christian Moueix, Robin Daniel Lail and Marcia

Daniel Smith.

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

looking for a new business venture. Being a

wine 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

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.

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.

(L-R) Robert Mondavi, Charles Forni, Madame Depins,

John Daniel, Jr. and Al Hunsinger

At 26 years old, Daniel 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.

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 information, 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.

1933 Inglenook Cabernet Sauvignon

The first vintage produced after the repeal of Prohibition

P H I L I P P E M E L K A

WINEMAKER

One of the most highly respected and

successful of the French-born, Bordeaux-

educated oenologists working in California,

Melka has been 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 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

OUR VINEYARDS

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

Totem Vineyards 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 and the clay and

loam soil vineyard is dry-farmed.

Totem Vineyard in Yountville is on the

site of the first vineyard planted in

Napa Valley in 1839 by George Yount.

Our family has worked this vineyard for

generations since 1946. Today, these 3

acres in Yountville produce the fruit for

our highly lauded Georgia Sauvignon

Blanc. Only 300 cases are produced

each year.

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

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.

B L U E P R I N T S A U V I G N O N B L A N C

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

~ 1 0 0 0 C A S E S P R O D U C E D

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 )

1 0 0 % S A U V I G N O N B L A N C

C A B E R N E T S A U V I G N O N

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

( O A 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 ( Y O U N T V I L L E )

~ 1 8 M O N T H S I N F R E N C H

O A K ; ~ 4 0 % N E W

~ 1 5 0 0 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

Georgia Sauvignon Blanc

represents the first family

member of our sixth

generation and uniquely

expresses a Graves-like

style.

F L A G S H I P W I N E S

J. Daniel Cuvée 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.

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

G E O R G I A S A U V I G N O N B L A N C

–R O B E R T P A R K E R , J R .

“For my palate, Lail’s Georgia is California’s most complex and multi-

dimensional Sauvignon Blanc.”

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 )

V I N E H I L L R A N C H V I N E Y A R D ( O A 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 )

~ 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 , ~ 8 0 % N E W

~ 8 0 0 C A S E D P R O D U C E D

J . D A N I E L C U V É E C A B E R N E T S A U V I G N O N

–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

“The 2012 J.Daniel Cuvée Cabernet Sauvignon is

…absolutely perfect.” 100 Points

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 , 1 0 0 % N E W

~ 1 2 5 C A S E S P R O D U C E D

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

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 21st Century incarnation of the unending

quest for perfection since 1879.

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