Dedicated to Elegance
Virgil by RARECAT
A wine of vivacity, tension, and elegance showcasing the quality possible in Napa Valley.
Introducing
An Exciting Beginning
Over the last four years, I’ve been quietly working with a Cabernet Sauvignon from the Virgil Rock Ranch Vineyard on Spring Mountain. It is exquisite wine that helps define quality in Spring Mountain and Napa Valley. The story of this wine is best shared over a glass and hope we find that opportunity.
Fate? Destiny?
You Decide.
The coin I chose in 2008, without knowing why, connects to a vineyard I hadn't yet discovered, through a poet whose work begins with a love affair with the queen and founder of the city that gave me my seal. If you believe there are no such things as coincidences, then you understand why Virgil by RARECAT was always destined.
Founded in 2008
A RARECAT is a woman of such magnificent beauty, she is a rarity. Like a great wine, she has a temptress quality, revealing herself slowly and drawing you back to the glass again and again.
When I founded RARECAT in 2008, I went searching for a seal, something with a sense of place and purpose baked into it. I found it buried in an antiquities book: an ancient coin bearing a lion and a palm tree. The lion for the mountain cats prowling our vineyard. The palm for our home, Eight Palms.
Chosen for the Image...
We found the image in a book of antiquity. I didn't know the origin of the coin, but it had an immediate sense of place. We lived in a house called Eight Palms and had mountain lions roaming our vineyards. The coin was from Carthage, a powerful, sophisticated city-state founded by Queen Dido in 814 BC. Known for her beauty and intelligence, she was arguably the first RARECAT. The Carthaginians were masters of trade, seafaring, and agriculture. And here is where it starts to get interesting. The only text the Romans chose not to destroy was a farming treatise written in 350 BC by a man named Mago of Carthage, considered the father of viticulture and winemaking. His single most important piece of advice? Plant your vineyard facing north.
Fateful Meeting
Years laters, I reconnected with the friends at a birthday party who own Virgil Rock Ranch Vineyard on Spring Mountain, and it led to working together. Virgil Rock Ranch Vineyard faces due north, as Mago from Carthage advised. The exposure contributes significantly to the freshness as well as the phenolic ripeness and quality.
Another Coincidence
A few years into making wine, I asked about the origin of the vineyard's name. I knew Virgil had written a poem called The Aeneid, but nothing more than that. At the vineyard, there is a carved rock with a quote from the poem. The quote traces directly back to a quote from Virgil based on Mago's teachings. Another coincidence.
No Such Thing as Coincidence
What I did not know was that The Aeneid opens with a shipwreck on Carthage's shores. There, the hero falls in love with Queen Dido, founder of Carthage and our RARECAT's coin. If there are no such things as coincidences, then maybe this wine was destined. Or is it luck?
Collecting and Giving
5,000 Opportunities to Give
Releasing this wine is about the generosity that changes lives. Over the next seven years, in partnership with our Virgil Circle members, RARECAT hopes to gift 5,000 bottles to positively impact others. There are two options to join the Virgil Circle.
The Circle
The Virgil Circle is for those who naturally open irreplaceable bottles for others. People who understand that offering an extraordinary wine at the right moment is more than hospitality; it is a gesture that builds trust, deepens relationships, and creates possibility. Two membership levels to choose from:
12 Bottle
- Guaranteed access to 12
- Custom wooden case
- 4 bottles and 4 coins to bestow
- Private Virgil Tasting for 6
- Invitations to quarterly culinary events
- Flat fee shipping
6 Bottle
- Access to 6 bottles
- Custom wooden case
- 2 bottles and 2 coins to bestow
- Private Virgil Tasting for 4
- Invitations to quarterly culinary events
- Flat fee shipping
The Allocation
For those who prefer knowing they have access to something exceptional. Open it occasionally, privately, and let the wine speak for itself.
3 Bottle Allocation:
- Second access to 3 bottles of Virgil
- Custom wooden case
- Flat Fee Shipping
Bestowing of Coins and Gifts
Giving Back
At every Virgil Circle membership level, RARECAT places coins and bottles of wine in your hands to give as you see fit. Inspire someone, celebrate a cause, donate to charity. The wine comes from our cellars and we take care of the logistics. Over the next seven years, and in partnership with our members, we hope to gift over 5,000 bottles. Ten thousand moments of generosity add up to doing something good.
In Napa Valley
Engaging Tastings
Engaging, in-depth tastings and seminars designed to open doors for those just beginning their wine journey. Circle and Allocation members are welcome to join any of our four annual events hosted in Napa, and may extend invitations to adult children, emerging leaders, or special guests. Attendance is complimentary for members and their guests.
In San Francisco, New York, DC, & Palm Springs
Virgil Private Tastings
Quarterly private Virgil tastings across the country for Virgil Circle members and their guests. Follow how Virgil by RARECAT is progressing with other shared owners and have the chance to meet interesting people to expand your personal circle. This is a great opportunity to mentor others into the world of fine wine. We will host events in Napa, New York, Washington DC, San Francisco, Palm Springs and with other cities added every year. Private tastings are complimentary for our Founding Virgil Circle Members.
Question about Virgil?
Frequently Asked Questions
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