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

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 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.

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.

(L-R) Robert Mondavi & John Daniel, Jr., 1968

DominusCo-partner with

Christian Moueix and Marcia

Daniel Smith - 1982

MerryvaleCo-partner with

Bill Harlan - 1983

Lail Vineyards Founder with partners

Erin and Shannon Lail -1995

(L-R) Shannon 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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

John Daniel, Jr. and Al Hunsinger

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

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 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

T O T E M V I N E Y A R D

YOUNTV I L L E

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.

M O L E H I L L V I N E Y A R D

HOWE L L MOUNTA 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.

Each year, we harvest Mole Hill multiple

times to capture the unique flavors

expressed in each part of the vineyard.

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.

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

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

9 0 % 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

( 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 ; ~ 6 0 % N E W

1 7 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 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.

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

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( O A 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

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

–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 Cuvee 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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