To many Romans, the Latin maxim memento mori meant, “Remember you must die.” A conquering general returning to Rome with the spoils of war, welcomed with laurel wreaths and showers of flower pedals, would often have a slave stand behind him to whisper in his ear and warn him that all glory is temporary and hollow, as even generals die. For the great and powerful, memento mori was a warning and a call to humility. But history tells us the phrase can serve dual purposes.
The sentiment is more lighthearted when you consider its alternative interpretation: Remember to live. For lovers of the grape, the saying serves as a reminder to enjoy every moment to its fullest because we only experience our lives once for a very short time.
Hidden away in Napa Valley’s northern forests of Calistoga, there’s no prominent sign advertising the presence or even the existence of Memento Mori winery. It’s a deliberate distinction from the likes of Sterling, Gallo and Trinchero, who run tours and tasting rooms that rival theme park attractions. For now, Memento Mori doesn’t want too many Napa visitors knowing they’re on the scene. Its keepers decide who to invite onto their historic premises and when they want to open the gate to their vine- and redwood-studded acres.
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Traveling to the famed region is easier than you think“We start every morning here with a glass of sparkling wine,” Genevieve Echavarrie, Memento Mori’s co-general manager, tells a small cluster of privileged visitors as she fills flutes with a taste of her chosen vintage. “The concept of embracing life is essential to us and the wine we make.”
The property’s core building resembles a cave leading into the wooded hillside. Built as the Napa home of San Francisco fine art philanthropists Norman and Norah Stone, that 5,750-square-foot hall is sized to house their extensive private art collection and anchors a small, intimate vineyard that now specializes in Cabernet Sauvignon. A renovated 1887 farmhouse holds both offices and intimate tasting rooms.
The artistic heart of the property is “Stone Sky,” a large installation designed by artist James Turrell, a major player in the Light and Space movement that began in the late 1960s. His interactive pieces blend natural light and open spaces with shifting colors to make a physical space come alive. “Stone Sky,” which was completed in 2005, places a white square structure in a calm pool, where visitors are welcome to swim in and around the monolith to explore how sunlight changes the environment throughout the day. Inside the structure, an open space in the ceiling allows sunshine to fill the interior with different colors, values and angles of light.
While modern art enhances the atmosphere of Memento Mori, the people inhabiting it every day never forget that its hidden world is all about the creation and enjoyment of wine. Founded in 2010 by Hayes Drumwright, Adriel Lares and Adam Craun, Memento Mori sits on a 17-acre estate with a four-acre vineyard. While the company sold wine made from carefully-chosen, off-property fruit since its opening and garnered a cult-like following with its deliberately limited production, 2023 proved a breakthrough year.
With its own vines fully matured, the 2023 vintage included the first use of Memento Mori’s own grapes. Under the guidance of veteran winemaker Sam Kaplan, Memento Mori blended and produced 300 cases of its initial wine under “The Estate” moniker and brought it out only for the rare guests who found themselves on its quiet, sun-drenched grounds.
“My idea is that the sum of all the parts is always going to make better, bigger, different wine,” Kaplan says. “While we have the ability to highlight each of the various terroirs or the soil where these grapes are growing, we’ve come to understand the layers and complexity you get when blending them together. And we can show it in every bottle.”
According to Echavarrie, Memento Mori releases wines on a consistent schedule throughout the seasons. The late summer sees the arrival of Memento Mori Cabernet Sauvignon, and mid-fall brings Memento Mori Vine Hill Ranch Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon. After a mild winter passes in Napa Valley, early spring opens with Memento Mori Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, alongside Las Piedras Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon. Finally, Memento Mori Sauvignon Blanc rounds out the year in late spring.
Those vintages sell via allocation throughout the year to restaurants, hotels and resorts in very limited quantities amidst high demand. Its current wines in release include the Memento Mori “flagship” Cabernet Sauvignon for $300 per bottle, Beckstoffer Dr. Crane for $395, Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon for $350 and Vine Hill for $350 per bottle.
“As with so much of this valley between St. Helena and Calistoga, the terroir here is distinct and makes wine that’s just as distinct,” Kaplan says. “That’s the beauty of this valley. In less than a mile of any region, you could be talking about completely different microclimates that create a different terroir that ultimately creates a different grape quality. Having all of these different tools in the toolkit does wonders for the wines.”
For now, Memento Mori and its tasting experiences and art collection remain closed to the public, opening its doors only by special appointment or invitation. Echavarrie explains that co-founders Lares, Drumwright and Craun hope the site will one day open for visitors, perhaps by 2027. Until then, Memento Mori is a private enclave.
“The connection between the art and our wines is essential to who we are here,” Echavarrie says. “We find it’s all about capturing and preserving those little moments of joy.”
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