Everyone Was Wrong About Merlot—And This Generation Knows It

For 20 years, one movie line had people treating Merlot like a punchline. Sideways turned a generation of wine drinkers into Pinot fanboys overnight, convincing them that Merlot was basic, boring, and best left behind. But what if we told you that you—and the movie—got it all wrong?

Let’s set the record straight.

Back in the ’90s and early 2000s, Merlot was a victim of its own success. It was easy to drink, easy to grow, and easy to sell—which meant everyone wanted in. Industrial-scale vineyards flooded the market with forgettable, flabby Merlot. Corporate wine killed Merlot, not the grape itself.

But real Merlot—the kind that built Bordeaux, the kind California winemakers with guts and patience have been quietly perfecting—never stopped being great.

Great Merlot is textured, structured, and unapologetically complex. It’s the backbone of some of the most legendary wines in history. It’s got depth, power, and the kind of layered elegance that takes patience to appreciate.

And that’s exactly why we made our 2023 "All You Need" Merlot—shaped by a label that mirrors its spirit: layers of color and story resurfacing over time, not erased but rewritten.

If you've held the bottle, you know:
it isn’t just a label—it’s a metaphor. A visual reminder of a grape that’s been painted over, dismissed, overshadowed… only to rise again with more character than ever. Not nostalgia. Not a comeback. Just Merlot, honest and impossible to ignore. Pure love.

Our 2023 release comes from a single site in the Calistoga AVA—gravelly volcanic soils, warm afternoons, and the kind of concentrated fruit that only Napa’s northern edge can deliver. We fermented it in small open-top bins, pulled maximum color and texture, and aged it 18 months in 50% new American oak. The result? Ripe plum. Blackberry. Cocoa-dusted tannins. Violet lift. A finish that doesn’t quit. Plush but structured. Smooth but serious. Calistoga grit wrapped in velvet.

So why are we still talking about Sideways?

Because the last generation let a movie tell them what to drink.
This generation is smarter. They’re not here to follow trends—they’re here to break them.

And nothing breaks a trend faster than pouring a Merlot so good it shuts people up mid-sentence.

If you’re ready to drink for yourself instead of following a script, start here. Pour a glass of our 2023 "All You Need" Merlot —a 40-case, single-vineyard statement piece that turns heads before the cork even pops. A bottle for people who appreciate a little rebellion in their glass and a little meaning on their label.

Merlot never left. The real question is—where the hell have people been?

Stay Optimistic. Think For Yourself. Drink Merlot.

And if you want the bottle that proves the point?
Our 2023 "All You Need" Merlot is right here waiting.