Nova Wines

The story behind the brand's success includes a bit of Hollywood serendipity. Bob and Donna Holder, principal owners of Marilyn Merlot, moved to Napa in 1978 from Berkeley, CA. He was a CPA, and she worked at St. Helena High School, but they quickly gravitated to wine. In 1980, the Holders and a few friends produced a barrel of Cabernet at the couple's Rutherford home. One evening two years later, when the wine had been bottled, dinner conversation turned to a name for the Merlot. “Why not call it Marilyn Merlot?” . From here began the Marilyn wines!