I was asked by Napa Valley vintners Carl Doumani and Steve Girard to design a package for their newly acquired grass roots winery in the Willamette Valley, Oregon. Since it was a clean slate project, there were no design parameters. It was a dream come true for someone in my business.
I collected stamps when I was kid. I learned about one of the rarest stamps in American history, the Inverted Jenny. There was an error on its initial release – an airplane was printed upside down. This stamp inspired the design of the Benton-Lane label. I even incorporated postal imagery into the capsule design.
It was unanimously approved upon presentation. That seldom happens. The package has stood the test of time since Benton-Lane’s initial Pinot Noir release in 1992. More varietals have been added plus case designs for both the estate and reserve wines. The package still stands out on the shelf and continues to thrive.
2016