Small group of friends, started making wines at Napa Valley and the Marilyn Wines traces its origins to 1981, and one evening in 1983, over dinner and a bottle of homemade Merlot, the concept of "Marilyn Merlot" was born.

In 1985 limited production of Marilyn Merlot for sale to the public. Marilyn Wines holds an exclusive agreement with the estate of Marilyn Monroe for the use of the name and the images. The royalties paid are distributed according to Marilyn's will to Anna Strasberg who helps support the Lee Strasberg Theater Institute and to the Anna Freud Foundation in London, which has set up a special child treatment center called the Monroe Young Family Center.

Over the years, continuing acclaim from critics, collectors, and lovers of fine wine have led to the production of Marilyn Cabernet, Norma Jeane wines, the Velvet Collection wines, and our eighteenth vintage of Marilyn Merlot.