THE MILL KEEPER Wines-Women at the Heart of Napa's History

Did you know that many of Napa's early pioneers were women? California's burgeoning wine brand, The Mill Keeper, was inspired by the legacy of Napa's State Park, The Bale Grist Mill, which borrows its name from Dr. Edwin Bale and María Ignacia Soberanes Bale. After the premature death of her husband, María took over ownership as the new mill keeper. Through her auspicious sensibility and hard work, she grew the Bale Grist Mill into an early center of social activity as the Napa Valley community gathered to have their grain ground into meal and flour. Today, The Mill Keeper helps maintain The Bale Grist Mill as a community gathering space through ongoing sponsorship.

Our readers will like to know about two of The Mill Keeper's newly released wines, Mill Keeper Chardonnay MV and The Mill Keeper 2022 Rosé. These are ideal for pairing with your spring and summer meals, sipping on the patio or enjoying with a picnic on the beach.

The Mill Keeper Chardonnay MV is a bright fruit forward varietal wine made with grapes sourced from select vineyards in Napa Valley. It is an elegant Chardonnay characterized by citrus flavors and peach balanced with hints of vanilla that highlight a lovely, lingering finish.

The Mill Keeper 2022 Rosé is a deliciously crisp and beautiful blend made of Bordeaux varieties. It has the refreshing aromas of ripe strawberries and vanilla bean. This well-balanced wine is mineral driven on the palate with notes of juicy watermelon and dragon fruit. The summery salmon hue is gorgeous in the glass

By featuring the attractive, unique label artwork from renowned scratchboard artist Mark Summers, several of The Mill Keeper labels pay tribute to pioneering women such as Maria Soberanes Bale. Many of the laborers and vineyard workers who built Napa into a booming industry town were women. As a brand built on honoring the hard work and artisanship of Napa's first mill keepers of the mid-19th century, The Mill Keeper is honored to pay homage to the great female artisans of the time.

The Mill Keeper Chardonnay MV label depicts a woman mid-stride, shouldering a basket of fruit that she would carry to a horse-drawn wagon drop-off point-a cycle that continued throughout the harvest season. The Mill Keeper 2022 Rosé depicts a woman at work in the cellar, hand-corking bottles.

The success of Napa's wine industry today rests with many, yet its start is entwined with the countless women whose expansive vision and relentless enterprise would go on to earn a place for Napa on the world's wine stage.

For more information on The Mill Keeper, their portfolio of wines and to shop, please visit https://themillkeeper.com/.

Photo Credit: Provided by The Mill Keeper

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