Napa Valley’s Most Exclusive Wine Shop Has Launched Some of the Region’s Most Legendary Cabernet Brands
(St. Helena, Calif.—September 11, 2023)— St. Helena’s ACME Fine Wines, named a “secret society for oenophiles” by the San Francisco Chronicle, today announced its move to a new St. Helena location. The new shop, located just off Main Street at 1118 Hunt Street, is set inside a historic 1892 stone building that was originally home to The Wonderful Drug Store for more than 50 years.
Until now, ACME’s previous off-the-beaten-path location has kept it under the radar of most visiting tourists. But the move to the heart of this bustling destination — which serendipitously lines up with ACME’s 20th anniversary as Napa Valley’s most exclusive wine shop — will bring owner Karen Williams’ niche collection to more wine enthusiasts each year.
For two decades, ACME has built a reputation among wine insiders as Napa Valley’s best-kept secret. Williams is known for being the first to launch some of the region’s most renowned cult Cabernet Sauvignon brands, including Hundred Acre and Scarecrow. Many of ACME’s finds begin as small-production passion projects from the most sought-after consulting winemakers in California, like Thomas Rivers Brown, Michel Rolland, and Francoise Peschon — and ACME gets to carry them long before wine shops in bigger markets, such as New York and San Francisco. Williams has an innate ability to foster close-knit relationships and trust with local winemakers. In return, her customers get access to allocations from legendary brands that are nearly impossible to access, like Harlan, Screaming Eagle, and Dalla Valle.
The new location, which preserves much of the building’s original structure and design, features ACME’s famed “Wall of Wine,” showcasing the launches (think newcomers like Impensata, Almacerro, and Glorious Revolution) and legends (Bond, Eisele, and TUSK) for which ACME is known. It also fulfills William’s longtime dream. “I have loved this location from the first moment I moved to St. Helena 25 years ago,” she said. “Upon learning that the prior tenants were vacating after several years, I said to the ACME team, ‘We’re going to make this happen one way or another.’”
ACME is open for private tastings Monday-Friday at 10:30am, and the wine gallery is open for shopping hours from 12pm – 4pm. Guests can immerse themselves in ACME’s new, art gallery-inspired space and reserve the IPO Tasting ($125 per person) for an in-depth introduction to the latest debut brands long before most collectors, sommeliers, and journalists have discovered them. ACME also offers a range of unique wine clubs, like Kahuna, Under the Radar, and Pulse; the latter is designed for adventurous sippers looking to discover new wine regions, grape varieties, and styles. Club members can reserve the Launches & Legends tasting ($350 per person) featuring ACME’s most exclusive and allocated partnerships.
About ACME Fine Wines
Owner Karen Williams founded ACME Fine Wines in 2003, five years after she moved to Napa Valley to pursue a career in wine. For 20 years, the gallery-style wine boutique has specialized in discovering and launching the finest of the inaugural release, Napa Valley brands while keeping a secondary focus on the lauded wines of the world. These wines are distributed to a robust list of members via ACME’s four unique wine clubs, who are also granted rare access to Napa’s most highly allocated brands, like Harlan and Screaming Eagle. Previously located off the beaten path and down a country lane in St. Helena, ACME moved to a new location this September. ACME is now located at 1118 Hunt Street inside a historic 1892 stone building just off Main Street. ACME is open for private tastings Monday-Friday at 10:30am, and the wine gallery is open for shopping hours from 12pm – 4pm. For more information, please visit acmefinewines.com.
