Helena, CA, winery as it launched its M. Trinchero brand. M. Trinchero is a new, ultra-premium Napa Valley wine produced by the proprietors of Sutter Home, the Trinchero family, to honor their father and the man who revived Sutter Home 50 years ago, Mario Trinchero. Bottles for both chardonnay and cabernet sauvignon come from several suppliers. Design work, however, was executed by Landor & Assoc. (San Francisco, CA). Both bottles bear the signature of Mario Trinchero in the form of applied ceramic labeling. Applied near the bottom of the bottle is a more traditional paper label supplied by fp Label (Napa, CA). It's printed offset in four colors for chardonnay, five for cabernet sauvignon, and given a distinctive gold touch via hot stamping. Applied to the back of the bottle is a similar, though larger, label carrying the story behind the commemorative wine and other information about Sutter Home. Glass acknowledges that ACL is an expensive method of decoration, especially compared to the similar "no-label look" achieved by using clear film labels carrying elaborate graphics. But the ACL upcharge is worth it, says Glass. "On a high-end wine like this, we wanted to make the ultimate quality statement," says Glass. "This looks like the bottle has been actually signed. With a clear film label you would still see the edges of the label." M. Trinchero was released May 1 in white-tablecloth restaurants and fine wine shops in 30 select markets. Its selling price: $25 for chardonnay, $30 for cabernet sauvignon.
