A New Definition of Excellence
Virgil by RARECAT
Redefining Napa Valley Cabernet through restraint, patience, and a profound sense of place on Spring Mountain.
Introducing
An Exciting Beginning
Over the last four years, I’ve been quietly working with a Cabernet Sauvignon from the Virgil Rock 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 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.
Choosen 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, 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 on Spring Mountain, and it led to working together. Virgil Rock Vineyard faces due north, as Mago from Carthage adviced. 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 the face on RARECAT's coin. If there are no such things as coincidences, then maybe this wine was destined. Or is it luck?
Collecting and Giving
10,000 Opportunities to Give
Releasing this wine is about the generosity that changes lives. Over the next seven years, in partnership with our members, RARECAT hopes to gift 10,000 bottles to positively impact others. There are two options to join Virgil: The Circle, and The Allocation
The Circle
Created for those who instinctively use rare things socially. Open the special bottle when it is not expected, recognize someone, deepen trust, or quietly bring people together.
- 12 bottles annually
- 6 bottles and 6 coins to bestow
- Invitations to quarterly culinary events
The Allocation
For those who prefer knowing they have access to something exceptional. Open it occasionally, privately, and let the wine speak for itself.
- Options for 3 or 6 bottles annually
- Includes 1 or 2 additional bottles to gift
- Complimentary access to wine seminars
Bestowing of Coins and Gifts
Giving Back
At every Virgil 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 10,000 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
Culinary Experiences
Partnering with celebrated chefs, creators, and producers, RARECAT brings together curated wine and culinary experiences where the table is always set for something memorable. Circle members are welcome to gather, taste how Virgil by RARECAT is evolving in the cellar, and enjoy the kind of conversations that linger long after the last glass. Virgil by RARECAT is poured directly from the winery cellars.
Question about Virgil?
Frequently Asked Questions
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