Memento Mori

Memento Mori was established in 2010 by Hayes Drumwright, Adam Craun, and Adriel Lares, three childhood friends whose bond deepened through serious personal trials including illness, family tragedy, and health scares. Hayes Drumwright survived a cancer diagnosis at age 20, and the winery's name, most commonly translated as 'remember death,' is reframed by the founders as 'Remember to Live,' a declaration that life's fragility demands full engagement. The project's seriousness of purpose was confirmed quickly on the auction circuit: a bottle at the 2016 Premiere Napa Valley event sold for $130,000, a result that earned the young brand international attention. From the outset, the focus was narrow and intentional, Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa's finest named sites, sold through a private allocation list.

• Founded 2010 by Hayes Drumwright, Adam Craun, and Adriel Lares, childhood friends who met through swimming
• Name reinterpreted by founders as 'Remember to Live,' honoring personal health crises and loss
• Hayes Drumwright survived cancer at age 20, a formative event in the winery's founding philosophy
• 2016 Premiere Napa Valley auction lot achieved a $130,000 winning bid

All three original co-founders remain active owners and the winery has never changed hands since its founding. Winemaking is led by Sam Kaplan, one of Napa's most decorated craftsmen, who earned three separate 100-point scores in a single vintage and simultaneously holds winemaking roles at Arkenstone and Vangone, as well as a partnership stake in Vida Valiente. Vida Valiente operates with a philanthropic dimension, with proceeds supporting the Vida Valiente Foundation, which funds first-generation and low-income students. In 2026, Hayes Drumwright, joined by wife Susana and 20 private investors, purchased the historic Edge Hill estate in St. Helena from Joel Gott for $21.5 million; Edge Hill is slated to temporarily house Vida Valiente operations while a new Memento Mori label called Ultra Mortem is planned for release in 2030.

• Sam Kaplan is winemaker for Memento Mori, Arkenstone, Vangone, and Vida Valiente (partner)
• Kaplan earned three separate 100-point wine scores in a single vintage
• Edge Hill estate in St. Helena acquired March 2026 for $21.5 million by Drumwright with wife Susana and 20 investors
• Ultra Mortem label planned for 2030 from the Edge Hill property

Memento Mori has always pursued fruit from Napa Valley's most prestigious named vineyards, relying on long-term sourcing relationships to secure allocations from sites with established track records. Key sources include Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard and Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard, two of the Beckstoffer portfolio's most coveted addresses, alongside Vine Hill Ranch, Weitz Vineyard, and Oakville Ranch Vineyard. The 2023 acquisition of a 17-acre estate in Calistoga, the former Stonescape property owned by art collectors Norman and Norah Stone, marked a turning point: the estate contains a four-acre vineyard, and the 2023 vintage was the first to incorporate estate-grown fruit. The Calistoga estate gives the project its first owned source of grapes after more than a decade of working exclusively with purchased fruit.

• Beckstoffer Dr. Crane and Beckstoffer Las Piedras are among the flagship single-vineyard sources
• Additional sourced sites include Vine Hill Ranch, Weitz Vineyard, and Oakville Ranch Vineyard
• 17-acre Calistoga estate acquired 2023 (formerly Stonescape, ex-Norman and Norah Stone property)
• Estate's four-acre vineyard produced its first Memento Mori fruit in the 2023 vintage

Memento Mori specializes exclusively in Cabernet Sauvignon, producing a flagship blend alongside single-vineyard bottlings that allow each site's character to speak separately. Total production is held to approximately 4,000 cases per year, a deliberate ceiling that keeps the wines on a private allocation list and the winery closed to the public except by special invitation. Flagship bottles are released at $300 for the 750ml format. The winery's visual identity received a notable refresh in May 2025 for its 15th anniversary, with butterfly imagery symbolizing transformation designed by co-founder Adam Craun, who handles the creative direction of the brand. The Estate Cabernet Sauvignon from the Calistoga property, first produced with the 2023 vintage, adds a new chapter to the lineup as the winery's first estate-grown wine.

• Annual production capped at approximately 4,000 cases of Cabernet Sauvignon
• Flagship Cabernet Sauvignon priced at $300 per 750ml on release
• Wines sold exclusively through private allocation; winery open only by special invitation
• 2025 label redesign features butterfly imagery by co-founder Adam Craun, marking the 15th anniversary

In a region crowded with cult Cabernet producers, Memento Mori stands out for the coherence of its founding story, the caliber of its vineyard sourcing, and the winemaking pedigree behind each bottle. Sam Kaplan's multiple 100-point scores across a single vintage place him in a very short list of American winemakers operating at that level of critical recognition, and his simultaneous work across several Napa estates gives Memento Mori access to institutional knowledge that newer projects rarely possess. The founders' decision to frame a Latin phrase about mortality as an affirmation of life gives the brand an authenticity that sets it apart from purely commercial cult wine narratives. The move into estate ownership in Calistoga and the planned Ultra Mortem label signal that the project has long-term ambitions beyond its already strong position in the allocated Napa Cabernet tier.

• Winemaker Sam Kaplan achieved three 100-point scores in a single vintage, a rare benchmark in California
• Beckstoffer Dr. Crane and Las Piedras sourcing connects Memento Mori to Napa's most scrutinized vineyard addresses
• Estate ownership from 2023 onward adds a permanent terroir anchor to a previously negociant-style model
• Edge Hill acquisition and Ultra Mortem label indicate continued expansion into the ultra-premium Napa tier by 2030