2009 Norma Jeane

For several years - before she became Playboy Magazine’s first nude centerfold as “Marilyn Monroe” - Norma Jeane Baker was an aspiring Hollywood starlet and pinup model.  Several of her swimsuit photos graced calendars in the late 1940s, and one of these has been chosen for the label of Norma Jeane 2009 - A Young Merlot.

The "Sittin' on top of the World" pose calls to mind the song of the same name which was popularized in a 1949 recording by Ray Charles.  The image of the vivacious young Norma Jeane in a coy pose with her 40s hairstyle perfectly captures the breezy spirit and charm of that time. As ever, the emphasis in making this wine was to bring out the bright and fresh fruit flavors that make it youthfully exuberant as the images of Norma Jeane herself.