What Memento Mori does

Memento Mori is a privately held, allocation-only Napa Valley winery founded in 2010 by three childhood friends - Hayes Drumwright, Adriel Lares, and Adam Craun - and operating from a 17-acre estate at the former Stonescape property in Calistoga, California. The winery produces a portfolio of ultra-premium Cabernet Sauvignon-led wines sourced from some of Napa's most coveted sites, including Beckstoffer Dr. Crane, Beckstoffer Las Piedras, Vine Hill Ranch, Weitz Vineyard, and Oakville Ranch, all vinified by winemaker Sam Kaplan and aged 22 months in 100% new French oak. Production volumes are deliberately constrained - one single-vineyard release was limited to 125 cases - and the portfolio is augmented by an estate-grown Cabernet, a Napa Sauvignon Blanc, and a Las Piedras block-specific bottling.

The company sells exclusively through direct-to-consumer channels, bypassing traditional three-tier distribution. Customers access wines through a mailing-list allocation system and the Kaleidoscope wine club, which offers annual allocations of 3, 6, or 12 bottles of the flagship Cabernet, with single-vineyard wines released to established members as allocations become available. Pricing is not publicly disclosed but is reported to typically exceed $200 per bottle, complemented by private tasting experiences at the Calistoga estate prioritized for loyal collectors. The brand identity centers on the butterfly motif and the philosophy "Remember to Live," and the label artwork was redesigned in 2025 to celebrate the winery's 15-year anniversary.

The business is scaled-down operationally (1-10 employees) but capitalizes on outsized critical acclaim - including multiple 100-point scores from James Suckling, 95+ point reviews from Wine Spectator, and editorial features in Forbes and Robb Report - that drives allocation-list demand. Geographic reach is currently limited to California, with shipping restricted to all U.S. states except California, and the company operates with no disclosed institutional or venture capital backing aside from a $1.75M funding round in March 2023.

Name

Memento Mori

Legal name

Memento Mori

Website

https://mmwine.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Memento Mori is a privately held, allocation-only Napa Valley winery founded in 2010 that produces ultra-premium, critically acclaimed Cabernet Sauvignon from single-vineyard sites and sells exclusively via mailing-list allocations and the Kaleidoscope wine club to affluent wine collectors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Premium Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Winemaking

NAICS

Wineries (312130)

akta.pro primary industry

Wineries & Vineyards (Tasting Rooms) (THAFALAE)

Keywords

• Premium wine production
• Single-vineyard cabernet
• Napa valley wines
• Wine club allocation
• Direct-to-consumer wine

Headquarters

HQ city

Napa

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Direct-to-Consumer Wine Sales: Wines are sold exclusively through the winery's website and allocation system. Customers join a mailing list to receive notifications of releases and secure wine. The Kaleidoscope wine club offers annual allocation tiers of 3, 6, or 12 bottles of the flagship Cabernet Sauvignon.
2. Wine Club Membership: The Kaleidoscope program offers standing annual allocations of the flagship Cabernet Sauvignon with three tiers: 3, 6, or 12 bottles per vintage. Members gain access to single-vineyard wines as allocations become available.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Memento Mori is a Napa Valley winery producing extremely limited quantities of ultra-premium Cabernet Sauvignon from prestigious single-vineyard sites, including Beckstoffer Dr. Crane, Beckstoffer Las Piedras, Vine Hill Ranch, Weitz, and Oakville Ranch, along with a Sauvignon Blanc and estate-grown wines. The winery sells exclusively through a direct-to-consumer allocation model via its website and the Kaleidoscope wine club, with private estate tastings reserved for top collectors.

Product overview

Memento Mori is a limited-production Napa Valley winery specializing in Cabernet Sauvignon from acclaimed single-vineyard sites. Founded in 2010 by three childhood friends, the winery produces a portfolio centered on its flagship Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon—a blend combining fruit from Beckstoffer Dr. Crane, Beckstoffer Las Piedras, Vine Hill Ranch, Weitz Vineyard, and Oakville Ranch. The portfolio includes four single-vineyard wines (Dr. Crane, Las Piedras, Vine Hill Ranch, plus Weitz and Oakville Ranch as blending components), an estate-grown expression from their 17-acre Calistoga property, a Sauvignon Blanc, and a Las Piedras Duo from a singular block. Wines are sold exclusively via the Kaleidoscope allocation program, with private estate experiences available to collectors. The brand philosophy translates memento mori ('remember you will die') as 'Remember to Live.'

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Kaleidoscope: Memento Mori's flagship wine allocation program. Collectors receive annual allocations of the flagship Cabernet Sauvignon with various tier options (3, 6, or 12 bottles). The program name derives from the collective noun for butterflies, which represent hope, transformation, new beginnings, and the soul.

Products and services

• Memento Mori Cabernet Sauvignon (Flagship) The flagship Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, a blend sourced from Beckstoffer Dr. Crane, Beckstoffer Las Piedras, Vine Hill Ranch, Weitz Vineyard, and Oakville Ranch, aged 22 months in 100% new French oak. Sold via allocation to collectors.
• The Estate Cabernet Sauvignon First estate-grown 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from Memento Mori's 17-acre Calistoga property (formerly Stonescape), a refined yet powerful expression from the home vineyard.
• Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon

Quantifiable outcome

• 100-point score from James Suckling for 2023 Memento Mori Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley and Vida Valiente Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley Oakville Beckstoffer To Kalon 2023
• +2 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• OffsetminorOthersWebsite and commerce platform provider for Memento Mori's online store and e-commerce operations.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Harlan Estate: Oakville-based cult Cabernet producer with a single estate wine, allocated exclusively through a private mailing list. Same direct-to-collector model and same ultra-premium price point as Memento Mori, and explicitly cited in Robb Report's coverage as a comparable.
• Screaming Eagle: The archetypal Napa cult Cabernet, sold via mailing-list allocation at ultra-premium pricing from Oakville. Memento Mori is repeatedly benchmarked against Screaming Eagle by Robb Report and Forbes as a 'next generation' cult Cab, sharing the same allocation-only DTC model and price ceiling above $200/bottle.
• Arkenstone Estate: Napa Valley estate where Sam Kaplan is winemaker and GM; shares the same winemaker talent and similar single-vineyard sourcing model as Memento Mori and is part of the broader Kaplan portfolio of 100-point labels.
• Vida Valiente: Co-founder Hayes Drumwright's other Napa wine project, including a Beckstoffer To Kalon Cabernet that received a 100-point James Suckling score in 2023. Overlapping founder, sourcing and brand positioning make it a direct adjacent peer.
• La Pelle: Allocation-only Napa Cabernet with similar sourcing strategy and pricing discipline. Co-cited with Memento Mori by Robb Report as part of the next wave of Napa cult producers.
• Hundred Acre: Napa cult Cabernet producer sourcing from elite single-vineyard sites with allocation-only distribution and six-figure case production. Cited alongside Screaming Eagle and Harlan as the analog Memento Mori is being compared to by major wine publications.
• Bryant Family Vineyard: Napa cult Cabernet producer on Pritchard Hill sold almost exclusively through a private mailing list at prices above $200/bottle. Shares Memento Mori's small-scale, allocation-driven, critic-dependent model.
• Vice Versa: Napa Valley cult Cabernet sourced from prestigious vineyard sites and sold via mailing-list allocation. Robb Report groups Memento Mori with Vice Versa and La Pelle as the trio generating the most excitement in the current Napa cult cycle.
• Araujo Estate / Eisele Vineyard: Historic Napa Valley single-estate Cabernet producer (Eisele Vineyard, Calistoga) sold via allocation at cult-level pricing. Comparable estate-driven, terroir-focused positioning and was acquired by a major luxury group at a benchmark valuation for the category.

Broad incumbents

• Opus One: Iconic Oakville Napa estate Cabernet with global distribution at ultra-premium price points. Operates at far larger scale with international reach, but is the standard benchmark for aspirational Napa Cabernet brands and competes for the same collector dollars.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/mementomoriwine
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/memento-mori-winery

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Memento Mori