Momento Mori

Memento Mori Winery is a limited-production, luxury wine producer based in Napa Valley, California, specializing in terroir-driven Cabernet Sauvignon sourced from some of the region's most prestigious and internationally acclaimed vineyard sites. Founded in 2010 by three childhood friends — Adriel Lares, Hayes Drumwright, and Adam Craun — the winery has built its identity around crafting sophisticated, balanced wines that authentically express the character of their source vineyards. The winery operates on an allocation model, reflecting both the scarcity of its production and the high demand among collectors and wine enthusiasts. Winemaker Sam Kaplan leads the winemaking program with a philosophy centered on translating each individual vineyard site into wines of balance, honesty, and depth. The flagship offering is the Memento Mori Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, a wine that serves as the culmination of the team's terroir-focused approach. The winery sources fruit from a curated selection of highly regarded Napa Valley vineyards, including Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard, Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard, Vine Hill Ranch Vineyard, Weitz Vineyard, and Oakville Ranch Vineyard — all sites with strong reputations for producing world-class Cabernet Sauvignon. The brand's name is drawn from the ancient Latin philosophical concept of memento mori, a meditation on mortality that the founders reinterpret as a call to embrace life fully. This philosophy was shaped by personal experiences of health challenges and family hardship shared among the founders, giving the winery a distinct and meaningful narrative identity. Memento Mori occupies the ultra-premium and luxury segment of the Napa Valley wine market, appealing to serious collectors, high-end restaurateurs, and discerning consumers who seek wines with both critical pedigree and a compelling story. Its allocation-based distribution model positions it alongside other boutique cult producers in the region.