Marilyn Monroe has a legacy of talent, pathos and passion (along with interesting taste in men). Her enduring popularity extends to a wine made in her honor: Marilyn Merlot.

"Every vintage sells out in just a few months," said Robert Holder of Nova Wines, which makes Marilyn Merlot. "A new 'celebrity' wine seems to pop up every day, but there is only one Marilyn, and we've enjoyed years of growing demand."

Robert and his wife Donna came up with the idea for the destined-to-be-cult wine one night in St. Helena over a bottle of homemade Merlot. One of their friends enjoying the wine suggested they call it Marilyn Merlot.

They did, initially passing around bottles casually as Christmas gifts or for use in local charity auctions.

Demand transforms hobby into thriving Nova Wines

That was in the early 1980s. Soon, the Holders realized the wine had legs and officially made Marilyn Merlot a business. They called the new venture Nova Wines and worked out an exclusive agreement with Monroe's estate for the use of her name and a number of famous photographs.

The Holders, along with winemaker John McKay, a veteran of Hanzell, Charles Krug, Monticello and Napa Wine Co., source grapes for Marilyn Merlot from throughout the Napa Valley, including vineyards in Yountville, Oakville and Rutherford.

The wine is released every year on June 1, Monroe's birthday. The current vintage, 2008, is, a blend of 84 percent merlot and 16 percent cabernet sauvignon from vineyards in Oakville and Yountville. It is distributed nationwide and costs $29.

For the first time ever, there will also be a Sauvignon Blonde, 2009 vintage, a 100 percent sauvignon blanc from the Yount Mill Vineyard, also available nationally for $16.

Marilyn fans are ardent supporters of the wine

While critics have given their blessings to the wines, vouching for their quality, the real frenzy comes from Monroe fans, who clamor each year to add a new label to their lineup.

The shopping area of Nova’s website, http://www.marilynwines.com/, provides a glimpse into how much past vintages can go for these days. One bottle of 1985 Marilyn Merlot, for example, is listed at $3,800. Collectors are very, very particular about the condition of the label and foil atop the cork, which has featured a pair of ruby red lips since the 1991 vintage.

Nova also makes "Norma Jeane," a merlot released each year in November, Beaujolais-style; the 2009 is out now for a modest $10.50. A Marilyn Cabernet Sauvignon ($45) was also made from 1993 through 2002. The Holders chose instead to focus on making "Blonde de Noirs" sparkling wine. The 2001 vintage is a blend of mostly pinot noir (76 percent) with chardonnay (24 percent), sourced from Russian River Valley and Mendocino vineyards.

These bottlings feature label art derived from a single photo of Marilyn Monroe: From 1993 through 1997, the photo is a headshot; from 1998 on, it has been a classic full-body pose of the star.

And then there's the Marilyn Velvet Collection, a magnum (1.5 liters, the equivalent of two standard bottles) Bordeaux blend draped in a red velvet box with Monroe's racy 1953 Playboy centerfold shot. The picture -- which depicts her reclining nude on red velvet -- is known officially as "Pose 8," and it's the first time the photo has been available on a product. One bottle will set you back $200.

"We've seen Marilyn Merlot and its sisters appreciate in value more dramatically than other wines," said Holder. "Twelve-bottle sets of the 1985 through 1996 vintages sell for as much as $7,500, appreciating well beyond the levels of many first-growth Bordeaux."

Photo: The Marilyn label from blonde de noirs.

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Licensing her image for crack cheapens what exactly? Didn't she die of a drug overdose?

a guest , June 16, 2010

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This is just another money grab by Marilyn's estate. They'd license her image for crack if they could get enough $$. There's nothing admirable about this venture at all.

a guest , June 10, 2010