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Q: Are all the wines I see in your site available for sale?
A: The current releases of the Velvet Collection, Marilyn Merlot, Marilyn Cabernet and Norma Jeane are available directly from Nova Wines and MarilynWines.com. You may also request them from your local wine retailer.Or, if you live in one of the states which allows direct shipment of wine, check for availability and order these wines here online, by calling 707-963-5475 or 866-MMWines, or by downloading a PDF order form and faxing your order to 707-963-5459. Or visit our Napa Retail Salesroom in Oakville, CA.

Q: What if you cannot ship to my state ?
A: If your state is not listed please consult our national distributor list

Q: What if I do not want to place my order online?
A: Download our PDF orderform, (you'll need the free Acrobat viewer from Adobe) fill out, and either fax it or mail it to us.

Nova Wines, Inc.
PO Box 1014
St.Helena, CA 94574
USA

Or FAX to:
707-963-5459

Or call us at 707-963-5475 or 866-MMWines to order by phone

Q: Do you have a tasting room or retail location?
A: Yes we do! Our Napa Retail Salesroom is in Oakville, CA.

Q: I want a Marilyn Wine but cannot find it at MarilynWines.com?
A: If the Marilyn Wine you are looking for is not available on the order form, please email us: info@MarilynWines.com.

Direct Shipping:  if your state is not listed, please contact us at 866-669-4637 (toll-free) and we will assist you.  We apologize for the inconvenience and ask you to urge your state legislatures to change their laws regarding the shipping of wine to you direct.

Signature:  ALL wine orders must be signed for by someone 21 years or older.  The delivery companies are not allowed to leave a package without obtaining a signature nor are they allowed to use "signature on file" requests.  Part of your shipping fee is for the collection of that signature and this required by state laws.  If no one is available to sign or verify that they are 21 or are visible intoxicated, the shipping company will hold the order at the local depot until appropriate identification is produced.  If this does not happen, then the wine is either destroyed or shipped back to the winery.  All associated costs will be the responsibility of and be charged to the customer. 
We will not be able to refund any purchase of wine or shipping charges if your package comes back because there was no adult or no one available to sign for the wine.

Here are some suggestions for delivery of your wine:
1.  We strongly recommend delivery of wine to businesses or commercial addresses rather than home addresses because there is usually someone at a company available to sign.
2.  Poor weather may prevent us from making a timely delivery.  We want your wine to arrive in drinkable form.  Heat and cold may damage the shipment.  Should we feel weather may impact your delivery we will hold your shipment until the weather improves.  If you need your order by a specific date, please call us and we will be able to tell the shipping costs for overnight or 1 day delivery.

Please Note:  Marilyn Wines cannot accept or use customer FedEx or UPS accounts for shipping because we must file for alcohol licenses in each of the states where we ship and are required to be responsible for the legal shipping of the wine.

RETURNS INFO:
You must contact us and receive an authorization to return wine as most states do not permit the return of alcohol products.  We cannot refund any purchase that has not received an authorization first.  Any item or bottle of wine that is not in its original ship to condition or in the carton we used to ship the wine, cannot be returned.
Should we make an error and ship you the wrong bottle, please contact us immediately so we can correct the error.
We will not be able to refund any purchase of wine or shipping charges if your package comes back because there was no adult or no one available to sign for the wine.

The building that now houses Cult Wine Central, where Marilyn Merlot is produced, is actually a combination of two historic winery properties. The oldest building originated in 1877. The newer of the two dates back to 1892. These buildings have the distinction of being Bonded Winery #9.

The history starts with owners Adolph Brun and Jean Chaix establishing Nouveau Medoc Winery in 1877. In 1916 Brun and Chaix sold the winery to the California Wine Association, which produced sacramental wines during prohibition. In 1940 Louis Stralla, one of the founding members of the Napa Valley Vintners Association, purchased the winery and named it Cult Wine Central. Stralla changed the focus to a larger scale and by 1947 it had grown into the largest independent winery in the Napa Valley. Over the next few years the winery was sold four times ending up in the hands of United Vintners who then sold it to Heublein in 1981. Heublein refurbished and expanded the buildings to become the Chardonnay production cellar for Inglenook.

In 1993, the Pelissa Family, headed by a member of the 4th generation, Andrew Hoxsey, purchased Cult Wine Central. This family also owns Yount Mill Vineyards (where about 50 tons merlot grapes that go into the making of Marilyn Merlot are grown). These vineyards are 100% organically farmed.

These new owners completely renovated the facilities to accommodate high quality small-lot production of over 20 different varieties. It has now built a reputation as one of Napa Valley's premier custom crush facilities and is home to over 60 premium wine brands, including Nova Wines, Inc., the facilities retail salesroom, The Cellar Door, is open 10:00 - 4:00 daily and has all of the Marilyn wines available

Our Marilyn Cuvées were sold in 1995 and 1996. Both of these sparkling wines were traditionally made, vintage dated, methode champenoise sparkling wines from high quality Carneros Chardonnay. Our Cuvée One (1990 vintage) and the Cuvée Two (1992 vintage) were aged nearly four years sur lees in their bottles. We do not have some of the newer Marilyn Cuvées for sale.

Q: What is the value of my wine?
A: Sorry, we cannot place a value on your wine.

Q: What is a vintage year versus release year?
A: Vintage year is the year the grapes are grown and the wine fermented. The year shown on the bottle is the vintage year. The release year is the year that the wine is first offered for sale.

• The Velvet Collection is released about 20 months after the grapes are harvested.
• Marilyn Merlot is released about 20 months after the grapes are harvested.
• Marilyn Cabernet is released about 4 years after the grapes are harvested.
• Norma Jeane is released 6 weeks after the grapes are harvested.

Q: Do distributors have older vintages?
A: Generally not.

Q: Are other celebrity wines available from Nova Wine?
A: No, we only produce Marilyn wines.

Q: Have you produced Marilyn wines besides Marilyn Merlot, Marilyn Cabernet and Norma Jeane ?
A: Yes, we have produced two vintages of sparkling wine, a 1990 and 1992, and one vintage of Chardonnay, 1986, and we have just introduced a new super-premium, red wine, The Velvet Collection.

Q: When did the lips first appear on the capsule of Marilyn Merlot ?
A: The 1991 Marilyn Merlot.

Q: Can I purchase labels or posters?
A: We do not sell posters. The only labels we sell are The Second Marilyn Cabernet Collection

Q: When is my wine ready to drink?
A: Marilyn Merlot and the Velvet Collection can be enjoyed as soon as they are released. A year or two of aging under proper storage conditions (cool and dark) will generally allow it to improve. It should be enjoyed within 6-8 years after the vintage year.

Marilyn Cabernet can also be enjoyed as soon as it is released. It would also benefit from a year or two of aging under proper storage conditions. It should be enjoyed within 8-10 years after the vintage year.

Norma Jeane is meant to be drunk young but should be enjoyable for up to two years after the vintage year.

Q: How can I visit the winery?
A: At Cult Wine Central located in the heart of downtown Oakville, CA. The address is 7830-40 St. Helena Highway, Oakville, CA 94562. Visitors are not allowed into the production area but newer vintages, are sold in the retail sales room. For older vintages, please call 866-MMWINES (866-669-4637)

Q: Why can't you ship wine to my state?
A: Many states maintain some vestiges of prohibition and prohibit the direct shipment of wine to their residents.

Q: What happens to the royalties that Nova Wines pays to the Estate of Marilyn Monroe?
A: An exclusive license agreement exists between Nova Wines, Inc. and the Estate of Marilyn Monroe. The royalties paid by Nova Wines are directed according to Marilyn's will to Anna Strasberg who helps support the Lee Strasberg Theater Institute and to the Anna Freud Foundation in London, which has set up a special child treatment center called the Monroe Young Family Center.