Marilyn Wines traces its origins to 1981, when a small group of friends started
making wine at their home near St. Helena, in Napa Valley. One evening in
1983, over dinner and a bottle of homemade Merlot, the concept of "Marilyn
Merlot" was born. The wine enjoyed a good deal of popularity around
the valley and was often donated to charity auctions and given as Christmas
gifts.
In 1985, the playful idea and the fine wine that bore its name led to the
limited production of Marilyn Merlot for sale to the public. Over the years,
continuing acclaim from critics, collectors, and lovers of fine wine have
led to the production of Marilyn Cabernet, Norma Jeane wines, the Velvet Collection
wines, and our eighteenth vintage of Marilyn Merlot.
Marilyn Wines holds an exclusive agreement with the estate of Marilyn Monroe
for the use of the name and the images. The royalties paid are distributed
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.
