An unexpected collaboration kicked into gear in Napa Valley this month when Rombauer Vineyards, the beloved St. Helena winery that first rose to fame for its rich and buttery chardonnay, introduced the newest member of its extensive portfolio.
It’s not a new estate-grown blend—it’s not even sold in a bottle. For the first time ever, Rombauer is dipping a toe into the world of fashion.
At first glance, a winery joining forces with Lane Boots—the 20-year-old, Texas-based brand specializing in stylish, artisan-made leather cowboy boots—may seem a bit of a head-scratcher. But creating the Rombauer Vineyards x Lane Boots Joy Boot “felt like a natural partnership,” says Jill Gathmann, president of Lane Boots.
The Rombauer x Lane Boots Joy Boots are is the distillation of the vineyards’ namesake wines in footwear form.(Courtesy of Rombauer Vineyards)
“Craftsmanship and quality are the most important things for both Lane and Rombauer,” she explains. “We’re really blending our philosophies together.”
Indeed, the Joy Boot—named in honor of Rombauer’s tagline, “The Joy of Wine”—is the distillation of the vineyards’ namesake wines in footwear form. The soft leather is chardonnay-washed. Its painstakingly-stitched metallic embroidery braids together grapevines and leaves with mustard blossoms, the vineyards’ post-harvest cover crop that blooms gold with the winter rains. Look closely, says Gathmann, and you’ll find an “R” hidden in the needlework.
Instead of Lane’s typical turquoise soles, the soles of the Joy Boots are dressed in royal blue, the signature color found wrapped around the neck of Rombauer’s bottles. Stamped smack in the center is the Rombauer logo. Founder Koerner Rombauer, who moved to Wine Country from Dallas in the early ‘70s, would have been proud.
“He had an authentic love and connection to the West and Western culture that he passed on to his children, involving them in 4-H, horseback riding, and rodeo,” says Heather McCarthy, director of marketing at Rombauer. One of them even grew up to run a cattle ranch in Montana. Creating a proprietary cowboy boot was one way of commemorating that heritage.
The Joy Boots made their debut this month at Rombauer's Blue Party in Nashville.(Courtesy of Rombauer Vineyards)
With each pair taking more than two weeks and 100 different steps to hand craft, the Joy Boots aren’t just beautiful, they’re functional. “One of the things I love about these boots is that you can wear them right out of the box,” says Gathmann. “I walked 18,000 steps on the first day I had them. There’s no break-in time.”
Those who got a first look at the boots at their debut during Rombauer Vineyards’ famous Blue Party—an epic celebration that pops up each year in different locations around the country—were just as enthusiastic. As a live band belted out Music City’s favorite hits on the rooftop of Nashville’s Thompson Hotel, women queued to pull them on and spin around on their 2.25-inch heels.
Though visitors to the vineyard’s tasting rooms in St. Helena and the Sierra Foothills won’t have the same opportunity to try the boots IRL—the Joy Boots are available exclusively online—they’ll find no shortage of craftsmanship and quality on display, including senior director of winemaking Richie Allen’s most recent addition to Rombauer’s roster: a punchy, almost tropical sauvignon blanc that has quickly become one of the winery’s best sellers.
As Gathmann says: “Both the boots and the wine are made with so much love, they can’t help but spark joy.”
// The Rombauer Vineyards x Lane Boots Joy Boot is available at rombauer.com/lane-boots. Visit Rombauer’s tasting rooms in Napa Valley at 3522 Silverado Trail N. (St. Helena) and the Sierra Foothills at 12225 Steiner Rd. (Plymouth) or online at rombauer.com
The Rombauer Vineyards estate in St. Helena(Courtesy of Rombauer Vineyards)
