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| velvet collection |
| marilyn merlot |
| marilyn cabernet |
| red dress |
| norma jeane |
| blonde de noirs |
| sauvignon blonde™ |
| verticals |
| specials |
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2004 2004 Marilyn Velvet Collection. Opened in a non-blind setting and tasted both analytically and afterward with food, I'll put it this way: It is a competitive, high-end Napa Bordeaux-style blend, fruity and well-balanced and complex, blending Cabernet fruit and Napa eucalyptus. It's not a laughter at this price.
2004 The Velvet Collection Napa Valley Marilyn Wines - Intense plum, cherry, spice and licorice flavors have good depth and structure. Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Drink now.
"2004 MARILYN STEALS SHOW WITH VELVET COLLECTION 2004" 2003 2003 Marilyn Velvet Collection is medium to dark garnet in the glass, this wine has a dark nose of black cherry, chocolate, and cola aromas. In the mouth it is lush and full with primary flavors of black cherry, chocolate, and hints of spices supported by very fine, dusty tannins that seem well aged already. The wine is well integrated and poised, with a decent finish. Discreetly packaged in a handsome box, a wispy wrap covers Marilyn's less-seen parts. Until you get home, that is... The infamous first-ever centerfold image of the inaugural issue of Playboy now graces the label of the Velvet Collection 2003, a blend of Napa cabernet sauvignon and merlot. Marilyn Monroe bares all in 2003 Velvet Collection...The wine itself is a red blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot made by winemaker John McKay... Marilyn Wines has launched its newest and most revealing vintage, Velvet Collection 2003. A Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot blend, the wine features Marilyn's famous nude centerfold from the inaugural issue of Playboy magazine in 1953 as its label... Marilyn Wines' new 2003 Napa Valley vintage, with her famous Playboy centerfold affixed to the label, won't disappoint. The nude pinup that graces each $200 bottle is protected by a removable "peel and peek" crimson plastic overlay, which veils Marilyn's most intoxicating assets. Take that, Francis Ford Coppola! …a delectable blend of Napa Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. While the bottle arrives with a demure wrap covering Ms. Monroe's most salacious bits, the wrap can be removed for a spirited session of peel ‘n' leer. The palate-pleasing merlot-cab blend arrives ready for her close-up wearing a wispy wrap over her coveted parts from the infamous centerfold in Hef's very first issue of Playboy. Unwrap Marilyn this fall. The latest wines that feature the unforgettable image of Marilyn Monroe have a new twist...buy the wine and you get the pleasure of undressing the lady, peeling off the plastic label that keeps her decent... 2003 Marilyn Velvet Collection – Marilyn wines began by producing the first commercial bottle of Marilyn Merlot in 1985…But, rather than just selling it as a gimmick gift, the producers were also serious about the wine that went into the bottle. The wine? Oh, yes, the wine is 54 percent cabernet sauvignon from Yountville's Blockhouse vineyard and 46 percent merlot from the famed Beckstoffer vineyard in Oakville. It is big and voluptuous with loads of purple fruit, good hints of creamy chocolate, and enough serious tannins that if you buy a bottle for your infant child now, it will be a marvelous present when he or she becomes old enough to drink it. 2002 The wine drinker's mantra is going to have to be revised to "swirl, sniff, sip - and ogle," thanks to a provocative new label from a Napa Valley producer…Marilyn Wines… …new Velvet Collection brand features the famous "Red Velvet" nude photo of Marilyn Monroe on a peek-a-boo label, a first for the wine industry…limited-edition blend of Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah. …the most talked about wine purchase of the season…the famous image has a protective vinyl overlay covering the starlet's assets…the wine is delicious - lush, full bodied, with many layers of flavor… Wine with a classic and provocative Marilyn Monroe calendar photograph was introduced last month by Marilyn Wines of Napa Valley. Marilyn Wines' prior releases of Marilyn Merlot and Norma Jeane wines have consistently risen in value among connoisseurs and collectors, but this latest brand is also guaranteed to raise eyebrows. According to the Wine Spectator magazine, the Marilyn Merlot brand is one of the fastest appreciating wine in the industry. And many believe the Velvet Collection could gain in value as well. "I think it's nice, it's clever and it helps keep Marilyn's image alive," swirl, sniff, sip- and ogle thanks to a provocative new label from a 2002—Velvet Collection. In an era in which wine packaging has become a effective and as important as the quality of the wine itself, I can see members of either gender trying this wine out at first, perhaps, for the label and then maybe discovering a drink they really like. sex sells… features the famous "Red Velvet" nude photo of Marilyn Monroe on a peel-a-peek label, a first for the wine industry…to see all of her, you simply peel away the overlay. SPARKLING WINES 2004 Most bottlings created by Marilyn Wines achieve instant cult-like collectible status, so it's no small wonder that the producers of such kitschy wines as Marilyn Merlot have dreamed up Blonde de Noirs. While the iconic actress cum pinup adorns the label, the limited production bottling's contents are classic, too, blended from pinor noir, chardonnay, and pinot meunier. The 2004 Blanc de Noirs, Cuvee Three, North Coast is the latest Marilyn release. A sparkling wine with a nose of toast and a hint of honey introduces flavors of white grapefruit, grapefruit peel and green tea which sit on the middle of the tongue and are very persistent. Marilyn Monroe is on a sparkling wine (since a lot of sparkling wine went into her). The effervescent beauty of Marilyn Monroe, who has been a source of inspiration for Marilyn Wines since its first vintage in 1985, is celebrated with the release of Blonde de Noirs 2004 — a sparkling wine that is a hand-crafted blend of pinot noir, chardonnay and pinot meunier from the North Coast. 1990
Check out 2008 Marilyn Merlot on the Today Show!
See Today's notes on 2008 Marilyn Merlot on " Bites on Today"  2006 Marilyn Merlot:"90 points: Marilyn Merlot, 2006 Napa Valley Merlot A big, rich red with tart cherry flavors and sweet tannins, this finishes clean. For hanger steak and fries." Wines & Spirits, December 2008 "The 2006 Marilyn Merlot, Napa Valley, $27, contains 15% cabernet sauvignon and has a big, rich, inviting nose of cassis syrup, dark cherry, and white pepper which continues onto the palate which adds very fine, dry tannin before a long broad finish. Well balanced, structured, and integrated. It will be popular. Very Tasty to Good." Colorado Wine News, October-December 2008 "These are good values and are some of our favorites: and one on their list was-- Marilyn Merlot 2006 ($27). You can make a good wine and have with the name. Giving respect to the glamorous actress Marilyn Monroe, this wine has great body (we couldn't resist), soft mouthfeel and generous fruit-forward flavors. Fifteen percent cabernet sauvignon is blended with the merlot." Tom Marquardt and Patrick Darr, Capital Gazette, October 16, 2008 "2006 Marilyn Merlot, $27. Many collect this wine for the label and name, and that demand has driven up the price. A blend of 85% merlot and 15% cabernet sauvignon, the wine had plum and dark fruit flavors. The cabernet added backbone and some aging potential to the soft wine." Frank Sutherland and Kate Sutherland, Gannett News Service, July 2008 "The 2006 Marilyn Merlot, one in a line of wines produced with a label image of Marilyn Monroe, is, of course, a 'fun' wine to give or get. But it is also quite a good red. Serve with beef or lamb stew, pot roast or pasta with cheese. Look for the star struck bottles in wine shops." Bob Hanson, Orlando Sentinel, June 18, 2008  2005Medium brackish ruby: attractive, smokey, cedary, blackberry, and black cherry fruit aroma with notes of bell pepper and charred oak; medium-full body; rich, plush, cedary, black cherry fruit flavors; medium-full tannin; lingering aftertaste. Drinkable now. Recommended. California Grapevine, Sept. 2007 The 21st vintage of the wines that celebrate the Hollywood goddess are not fluff. They are produced off top Napa Valley vineyards at a winery (don't ask me which) in Napa. The recent release, which (as usual) came out on her birthday, June 1, and bears a classic image of the starlet, is a sweetheart. The nose is cassis, smoky oak, and hot spice. The palate is "sweet" and intense, with chocolatey texture and ripe, supple tannins. The finish is long, and rounds out the tasting experience. It's a big, gracious, full-bodied wine, still tightly wound. The label is another exquisite photo of Marilyn -- just her head and arms, resting on a pillow -- the eyes dreamily half open. These are collector's material -- in case you didn't know. Marilyn Monroe is one of les grandes eternales, and she lives on in Marilyn Merlot, with its neatly turned pun and bottle-blonde. That was 21 vintages ago in a wine climate far stuffier than ours, so the humor was welcome as it was rare. MM is no laughing matter now….Collectors are mad for them. The 2005 Marilyn Merlot, Napa Valley, $27, contains 12% Cabernet Sauvignon and has a nose of plum, blackberry, cherry, raspberry, and fresh manure. Fresh, flat flavors of the same fruit plus pepper are laced with good acidity and finish medium-broad and truncated. Pleasant plum, black cherry, and toasty oak round out this soft and mature wine. This full-bodied and voluptuous merlot would make a perfect gift for the wine connoisseur and Monroe fan alike. 2004 But never mind Marilyn, how about the wine? ...the new edition sells at the winery for a more affordable $26 for a standard bottle, and I find it competitive if not head-and-shoulders above the competition at that price point. It makes a party better when you bring a surprise like Marilyn Merlot to the table. Your friends will likely be happy to be introduced to something so clever and so good. It's a collector's item for fans of the blonde bombshell and hey, the wine's got great body, too. Expensive spicy French oak melds with great fruit on the nose. It is still a young wine on the palate with lots of bite, tannin, and bold flavors, with a nice plum follow-through on the finish. Not only is the packaging attractive, the wine also lives up to its reputation. The blend of ninety percent Merlot and ten percent Cabernet Sauvignon is plush, soft, and sultry. These Merlots Can Stand On Their Own---Since 1985, the Napa producer has been making a collector's edition of the wine, which despite the gimmick is surprisingly quite tasty. 2003 …we tried a wine that we've been wanting to try for years - Marilyn Merlot... It turns out it's worth the price, label or not. This is what a merlot should be. It's soft and supple and smooth. It has full, round flavors of chocolate, raspberries and blueberries. Scored 8.5/9---Marilyn Merlot medium ruby in color, this wine has a nose of cherry, vanilla, and light hints of roasted coffee. In the mouth it has good balance and a pleasant mouth feel with primary flavors of black cherries, dark plum, and tobacco notes that surface in its moderate finish. The tannic structure is smooth and very light, making it easy to drink as a young wine. Despite the clever marketing package, this Merlot is a serious wine with deep aromas of sweet fruit and multilayered complexity. On the palate, the wine is chewy, but exhibits the same elegance Ms. Monroe did. Gentlemen prefer Merlots…that's Marilyn Merlot. 2000: 1999: 1998: I found even more to praise in the 1998 Marilyn Merlot than I did an earlier vintage…The aroma is earthy and slightly viny…the wine expands and improves its flavor as it breaths…The wine itself is medium bodied…there is a good deal of complexity and warmth here. 1997 1996: 1995 1993 The 1993 vintage of Marilyn Merlot, a wine that is becoming a collector's item, is appearing in a few shops… Moderately full in body (and dare we say, voluptuous), it is at once both mouth filling and slightly tough. 1991 1990 1989 Toast glamour with Marilyn Merlot, a red wine from Napa Valley. The 1989 Marilyn Merlot was Silver Medal winner in the 1993 Orange County Fair Wine Competition 1988: 1987 …The best full bodied red of 1987. At this time, Marilyn Merlot is available only at upscale vino emporiums in California and New York. A very good reason for a trip to the Coasts. A wine with great legs…The full bodied, red varietal backing up the equal full bodied image of Hollywood's former sex goddess. 1986 1985
These wines are often snapped up by collectors and never drunk at all, but they are delicious.
The wine has a unusually bright, almost candy-like nose in the glass with corresponding highlights on the palate, a seemingly appropriate match considering the wine's youthful icon. The flavor of red currants and slightly unripe red fruits comes through, accompanied by a leafy taste at the back of the palate and dressed with the slightest effervescence. 2004 GENERAL COMMENTS ON THE MARILYN WINES
Production of this wine is limited, which allows a focus on the wine's quality and the elegant Marilyn Monroe images on the labels. I have tasted the Marilyn Merlot a few times over the years and still have a bottle of the first release, given to me by a special wine connoisseur friend. It makes a party better when you bring a surprise like Marilyn Merlot to the table. Your friends will be happy to be introduced to something so cleaver and so good. Sex sells, and these days even porn stars make wines. But buyers seeking classic label allure need look no further than Marilyn Monroe's iconic image. Nova Wines debuted a Marilyn Merlot back in the 1980s, and the latest guises now include a youthful, fresh-and-fruity Norma Jeane merlot and a plush Velvet Collection cab-merlot blend with lip-nibbling tannins and a ``peel-and-peek'' overlay on the label that reveals Monroe in her famous nude calendar pose. "Merlot on the Upswing: Marilyn Merlot Magic Credit the enduring allure of a Hollywood icon. Factor in the consumer appeal of a striking label and a catchy name. For all these reasons, Marilyn Merlot, a brand launched as little more than whimsy, has become an indisputably serious business. Culminating with the 2005s, released on Monroe's birthday, June 1, there have been 21 commercial vintages, with current annual production at about 10,000 cases. "The labels of Marilyn are cool. The customers are looking for a souvenir. And who doesn't like Marilyn Monroe?" says Brent Trojan, director of the Napa Valley Wine Train retail shop in downtown Napa, who expects to sell about 20 cases of the Marilyn Merlot this year. The story behind the brand's success includes a bit of Hollywood serendipity as well. Bob and Donna Holder, principal owners of Marilyn Merlot, moved to Napa in 1977 from Kansas City, Mo. He was a CPA, and she taught at St. Helena High School, but they quickly gravitated to wine. In 1980, the Holders and a few friends started producing a barrel of Cabernet at the couple's Rutherford home. They called the wine Cannibal Sauvignon and, although it wasn't for sale, packaging stood front and center: The "brand" was dubbed "Maneater," and the bottles got a snappy cartoon label designed by Denys Cazet, one of the home winemakers. Using purchased grapes, they produced their first homemade Merlot in 1983. One evening two years later, when the wine had been bottled, dinner conversation turned to a name for the Merlot. "We wanted something cute that fit with the Maneater brand. Donna [Denys' wife], said, 'Why not call it Marilyn Merlot?' The idea just hung there, and it really seemed like a clever name," recalls Bob Holder. By that time, Holder also had some firsthand knowledge of the wine business. In 1980, he became a partner in a commercial venture called Manzanita Cellars, which produced Chardonnay and Cabernet from purchased grapes. Holder, who wears a neatly trimmed beard and comes across as matter-of-fact, credits the idea to take Marilyn Merlot commercial to a friend in the business, Tony Cartlidge, now a partner at Napa-based Cartlidge & Browne. "We gave a case to an auction in 1987, and Tony said, 'You ought to be selling this stuff,'" says Holder. So they did. Another friend connected them with the attorney representing the estate of Marilyn Monroe. They eventually hammered out a licensing contract, which allowed them to use the photo reproductions on the labels and gave exclusive rights to the brand name. Sales of the first commercial vintage, the 1985, which was made with purchased bulk wine, were good. They sold out the initial 2,500 cases they'd made, and then received an order, from Japan, for 2,000 more cases of the vintage. They bought more bulk Merlot and did a second bottling from the 1985 harvest. But the real spark came from an unlikely source, in the form of a criticism by a Los Angeles Times columnist. "He wrote, 'Can you believe this? There's a group in Napa Valley using the image of an unfortunate substance abuser to sell wine," Holder recalls. The next day, a professional photographer called asking for bottles for a shoot. A photo appeared in Life magazine first, then in other magazines and newspapers around the world. A (wine) star was born. "That column proved the old adage that any publicity is good publicity," Holder quips. As of 1997, the Holders shifted from purchasing bulk wine to purchasing grapes. The wine is made at the Napa Wine Co., with fruit from three sources: the Yount Mill Vineyard in Yountville, the Beckstoffer Vineyard X in Oakville and the Beckstoffer Melrose Vineyard in Rutherford. Cabernet Sauvignon makes up about 15 percent of the blend; suggested retail for the 2005 is $27. The quality of recent vintages has been good (80 to 84 points on the Wine Spectator 100-point scale). The parent company, called Nova Wines, makes other Marilyn-themed bottlings, too. There's the nouveau-style Norma Jeane A Young Merlot, made with grapes from Lodi, and The Velvet Collection, a Napa Valley Cabernet-Merlot blend whose current release, the 2004, is bottled in magnum and sells for $150. The inaugural vintage of Marilyn Merlot is offered on the company Web site, www.marilynwines.com, for a hefty $3,800 a bottle, and the Holders say they sell a few a year at that price; a 1985 to 1996 vertical costs $8,000. These prices surprise auctioneers, who've found there's little if any secondary market for the wines. Frank Martell, international director of fine wines at Bonham & Bonham, says he has seen bottles of the 1985 selling for a few hundred dollars. "Lots of wines are worth more at retail than at auction," he explains, "and there's never any rhyme or reason to it." In this case, the paparazzi might disagree. Marilyn Merlot started out as a whim, but has evolved into one of the most collectible of wines; prices for the multi-year collections approach those of fine Bordeaux and Burgundies. It is actually excellent Napa Valley wine… Wine bottles offer unique marketing styles. With so many competing choices, labels become a key to selling. Fine artwork, in fact, appears on many. Not to forget Marilyn Merlot as in Marilyn Monroe. That brand has been around since the mid-1980s. Its labels show sultry Miss Monroe in famous poses, and the bottles have become collector favorites. Those bottles contain "an excellent Napa Valley wine," said Wine Enthusiast magazine in an article entitled "Labels Gone Wild" in its March 2006 edition. Speaking of Marilyn Wines, Fred Rosen, owner of Sam's Wines and Spirits in Chicago, believes they do well in his store because of the quality. How does he know? "Our wine staff tastes every single wine before it comes in the store. We wouldn't sell a wine like…Marilyn Merlot unless we have tasted it ourselves and know it's good enough for our customers." Since 1985, the Napa producer has been making a collector's edition of the wine, which despite the gimmick is surprisingly quite tasty. At first blush, you might think a wine named Marilyn Merlot might be more of a novelty item, but Nova Wines of Napa Valley has been making Monroe-themed wines for more than 20 years to critical acclaim. It is nice to see someone be able to take what others would consider a gimmick, take it seriously, and actually put a decent, if not good, wine inside. The combination of celebrity connection, the punning label and a wine of at least arguably stature came together in what has proved to be an all but perfect commercial storm, prompting it to succeed where scores of velvet-flocked Elvis labels have failed. They (Marilyn Wines) beloved by both wine and celeb-curio collectors, who snap them up quickly after release. The Marilyn Wines..often these wines are snapped up by collectors and never drunk at all, but they are all delicious. Sex sells, and these days even porn stars make wines. But buyers seeking classic label allure need look no further than Marilyn Monroe's iconic image. Nova Wines debuted a Marilyn Merlot back in the 1980s, and the latest guises now include a youthful, fresh-and-fruity Norma Jeane merlot and a plush Velvet Collection cab-merlot blend with lip-nibbling tannins and a ``peel-and-peek'' overlay on the label that reveals Monroe in her famous nude calendar pose. Marilyn Merlot is for those who know blondes rally do have more fun. By far the most expensive wine is perhaps the one you'd least expect, Marilyn Merlot. The 2001 Marilyn Merlot Napa offers a simple medley of berry fruit flavors and is nowhere near the elite from this tremendous vintage. Still, the allure of the famous actress—who is featured in different poses on the label each year—has resulted in one amazing following. The 1985 Merlot sells for $3,500 a bottle, and a vertical case from 1985 to 1996 costs $7,000. The last time I checked most Napa 1985s were selling for a fraction of what Marilyn commands, which goes to show you can't judge a wine by its winery. Marilyn Merlot bottles always get attention in a wine shop. The winery's past and future has many similarities to the woman on the label. The wine itself is very good and the lady that it represents made the winery and wine what it is today. The Marilyn Merlot wines have had a successful track record with the wines going up in value every year. "We made a successful wine first and decided to have a great name for it, which happened to be a movie star's name," Holder said. Says Alan Phillips… president of Monticello and winemaker for Marilyn Merlot, "I think everybody involved with this is trying to put good wine in the bottle. It's just not a gimmick."
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The Velvet Collection is one of the wines in a dream cellar on the cover of Wine Spectator.
2006
The grandmother of all celebrity wines is clearly Marilyn Merlot.