Until Green Lion, all of my winemaking was in Australia.  I decided to make wines in Napa because I was intrigued by the notion of bringing R Wines’ Australian style winemaking to Napa fruit. In general, there is great homogeneity and conservative winemaking in Napa, and we wanted to bring a new perspective, to transform Napa into something with the innovation and creativity found in Australia. So it felt a bit like alchemy. We decided to make the classics: Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.

I called designer Alan Aldridge to discuss a label with a theme of alchemy.  I was nervous when I went to meet Alan as he was a personal friend of John Lennon's. He told me, “John was cute.” I had seen Alan’s work in the fashion section of the New York Times magazine in a layout on haute couture.  He agreed to take a stab at a wine label. The green lion and the symbols on the label are symbols from the history of alchemy.  

Back Label:

The one is spirit -- The other is body

This is the Father -- This is the Mother

This is the Universal Agent -- This is the Universal Patient

The Hammer -- The Anvil

This is Chris Ringland -- The other is Douglas Danielak

This is The Grateful Palate -- This is Napa