Chateau Mouton-Rothschild, one of the five First-Growths from the Left Bank of Bordeaux has worked with some of the greatest artists of the 20th century to create original artwork to adorn their grand vin. Back in 2003, I borrowed this idea and made it as personal as possible by inviting family and friends to contribute to our collection of wine labels. Nearly 20 years later, the breadth and beauty of the paintings, collages, sculpture, and photography has added mightily to the quality of the wine experience for my team and for our wine club members.
Revisiting our gallery of label images from our original wine club, I found this label for Icarus, a Syrah I made from Ghielmetti Vineyard, then one of our estate sites. 2005 was an auspicious year, as it was the first true vintage from Ghielmetti and it was the year we moved La Rochelle, our former Pinot Noir brand, from San Jose to the Livermore Valley. I painted the label in 2002.