The E99 label at its core, was created simply because I thought it'd be fun to play with the varietals that have made it onto the world stage for centuries. Let’s face it, some of the most sought after wines in the world are made from Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay. I wanted to see if I could make an enormous Cabernet comparable to Napa, and a white that might resemble one of the great Chardonnays of France; obviously done in my own style with a Californian/Santa Barbarian touch. I wanted to play in the Big Leagues. That’s really it. The label depicts a butterfly landing on a bull skull. At its most basic form, the butterfly represents a graceful white wine, and the bull represents an enormous red wine. But there’s more. If you'd like to dig a little deeper..

I've always loved the idea of contrast. Black and white. Power and grace. Male and female and how each form not only accentuates the other, but also strangely and desperately need one another. No matter what, both forms balance each other.

The label is a wood cut print I made. At first glance you can assume the bull has died, but the butterfly is still by his side, fluttering and full of life & color. It is my belief that true lovers will stay like this forever.

The name E99 is a short way of representing infinity on a calculator. I learned this in a college stats class where Sabreena and I met. Since that class, she and I have always used this as a little secret code to mean "forever." It has always stuck with us. 

Butterflies are very free creatures, dancing from flower to flower, shrouded in color and beauty. They are graceful, but also incredibly powerful. Imagine if we didn't have these beautiful pollinators coloring brown hills into vivid wildflower rainbows. Butterflies essentially bring color to our world, and are a perfect representaton of the female form. Butterflies are gentle, but they are also very powerful and it is in this spirit that I strive to craft our white wines. 

To me, bulls are physically very powerful, but often quite stubborn, and headstrong. None the less, they work hard, put their heads down, lead the heard and watch out for the weak. I thought that was a fitting way to represent the male form, and our new massive Cabernet bottling. Our E99 wine is dedicated to Cabernet Sauvignon, with portions of Petite Verdot and Petite Sirah making an appearance. This is a behemoth wine that cannot be tamed by anything but time... or pretty butterflies.

While we made next to nothing of the white wine (and it isn’t included in the wine club shipment) I urge you to add on a couple bottles to your order before it is gone. You will not be disappointed. And besides, that bull needs its butterfly...