Marilyn Wines

Company History

John McKay Biography

2003 Velvet Collection

2006 Marilyn Merlot

2001 Marilyn Cabernet

2007 Norma Jeane

2003 Velvet Collection

2006 Marilyn Merlot

2001 Marilyn Cabernet

2007 Norma Jeane

All Recent Press

Velvet Collection

Marilyn Wines Logo (JPG)

2004 Velvet Collection

2006 Marilyn Merlot

2001 Marilyn Cabernet

2007 Norma Jeane

Marilyn Monroe lips


"Discreetly packaged in a handsome box, a wispy wrap covers Marilyn's less-seen parts. Until you get home, that is..."
	Cleveland Magazine, October 2005
"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."
	Paul Franson, Napa Register, September 28, 2005
"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..."
	Novus Vinum, September 16, 2005
"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..."
	Melanie Stuparyk, Wine Spectator Online, September 19, 2005
"Marilyn Wines' new 2003 Napa Valley vintage, with her famous Playboy centerfold affixed to the lavel, won't disappoint. The nude pinup that graces ech $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!"
	Premiere Magazine, September, 2005
"…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."
	Men's Edge Magazine, September, 2003
"The Velvet Collection is a conversation piece, a collectible, a fine wine and the opportunity to have Marilyn Monroe home to dinner."
	Accent on Tampa Bay, September 2005
"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."
	Instinct magazine, September 2005
"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..."
	Luxist, September 16, 2005
"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…"
	Jerry Shriver, USA Today, October 8, 2004
"…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."
	MaryAnn Worobiec Bovio, Wine Spectator Online, September 17, 2004
Velvet Collection - Press Montage


"This is what a merlot should be. It's soft and supple and smooth."
	Dan and Krista Stockman, FortWayne.com, March 11, 2006
87pts (Two Puffs) "15% Cabernet Sauvignon. Fairly outgoing in fruit and helped along by suggestions of chocolate and sweet oak, this supple, nicely balanced Merlot is firmed by a light bit of finishing tannin but is built in a buxom, generally accessible style that invites early drinking. Admittedly on the showy side, Marilyn has done well with her well-endowed Merlots."
	Connoisseur's Guide to California Wine
"Collectors snap up each year's release as the wines have appreciated more rapidly than first-growth Bordeaux and other ‘serious' wines. Twelve-bottle sets of the 1985 through 1996 vintages sell for as much as $7,500."
	Paul Franson, Napa Valley Register, July 20, 2005
"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."
	Alan Goldfarb, St. Helena Star, August 25, 2005
"Gentlemen prefer Merlots…that's Marilyn Merlot."
	Larry Lipson, Los Angeles Daily News, July 25, 2005


"It's evident that what's in the bottle transcends what's on the outside, which in some cases amounts to nothing."
	Alan Goldfarb, St. Helena Star, August 18, 2005
"Tying wines to celebrities...is turning out to be good business. The lineup now includes a Marilyn Cabernet...a Norma Jean Merlot (young, of course...) and a limited-edition "Velvet Collection" in magnum..."
	Paul Gregutt, Yakima Herald-Republic, September 28, 2005


"These wines are often snapped up by collectors and never drunk at all, but they are delicious."
	The Detroit News, Sandra Silfven, February 10, 2007
"This Merlot is remarkably complex for the price, serving up a lush texture and deep, dark fruit flavors. "
	Leslie Sbrocco, San Francisco Chronicle, March 9, 2006