Memento Mori is a limited-production winery that specializes in Cabernet Sauvignon from some of the most internationally acclaimed vineyard sites in Napa Valley. Memento Mori was founded in 2010 by three childhood friends, Adriel Lares, Hayes Drumwright, and Adam Craun, who have committed themselves to crafting sophisticated wines of tremendous balance, honesty and profundity.
The name, Memento Mori, is taken from an ancient Latin philosophy that reminds us of our mortality and the inevitability of death. Inspired by the serious health scares, family tragedy and times of trial they have experienced together throughout their friendship, Memento Mori is a shared mantra which the founders interpret as “Remember to Live.”
That ethos is palpable in every bottle.
Winemaker Sam Kaplan translates each vineyard site into balanced, terroir-driven wines that tell the story of Napa Valley. This winemaking philosophy culminates in Memento Mori’s flagship Napa Valley Cabernet.
Memento Mori wines seek to capture the essence of each of the famed vineyard sites from which they are sourced—Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard, Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard, Vine Hill Ranch Vineyard, Weitz Vineyard, and Oakville Ranch Vineyard. As the founders see it, life is too short to not make the best wine possible from the best sites available.
