NAPA: The valley's newest portrait project has nothing to do with harvest. Jameson Humane announced on Oct. 20 that it will publish The Real Cat Men of Napa Valley, a 2027 calendar that sits 13 wine men down in front of a camera with the cats who share their homes, cellars, and vineyards. The photographs are by Alexander Rubin, and the calendar makes its debut at a release party on Sunday, Nov. 15, from noon to 2 p.m. at the Borreo Building, 930 Third Street in downtown Napa.
The party is built as a meet and greet. Guests can talk with the calendar's sitters, taste wines the men make, and leave with a signed copy; the afternoon also brings food, music from DJ Kirill, and what the organization promises will be a few surprises. Jameson Humane's own ticket page prices the party at $100, with the calendar itself included in every ticket, and offers the calendar on its own for $55, shipping included. Proceeds from both go to Jameson Humane, a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit.
Nobody involved is playing it straight. "After flying UH-60 Black Hawk rescue missions, growing grapes in Rutherford, and fighting fires from the air and ground, I really thought cat modeling was my next logical step," said Chris Morisoli of Morisoli Vineyard. His thanks went to his co-star: "Big thanks to Chip and Jameson Humane for helping me achieve my dreams." Chip is not a publicist. Chip is Morisoli's cat, and his fellow sitter.
I really thought cat modeling was my next logical step
The roster, cats included
The 13 pairings run the length of the valley's wine trade. Bob Foley of Robert Foley Vineyards appears with Tommy Howler, Marc Gagnon of Gagnon-Kennedy Vineyards with Ozzy, and Tom Garrett of Dakota Shy Winery with Leon. Hi Sang Lee of Dana Estates sits with Milo, Graeme MacDonald of MacDonald Vineyards with Whiskers, and Adam McClary of Gamling & McDuck with Theadosia Purr. Marc Mondavi of C. Mondavi & Family is paired with Mozie, and Morisoli with Chip.
The remaining five are Dustin Mowe of MOWE Napa Valley with Pepe, Drew Neiman of Neiman Cellars with Fluffy Paws, Will Phelps of Hensel West with Maverick, Aaron Pott of Pott Wine with Soxy Lady, and Matt Sands of Lithology with Whitey. The Borreo Building hosts the party, and the project's backers include the Kirkorian Family Foundation, Portocork, Gabriel-Glas, and Nova Terra Creamery, with DJ Kirill also among the supporters.
It started at the cathouse
The calendar began, improbably, with an adoption trend. Monica Stevens, who founded Jameson Humane, said the idea came from what staff were watching at Ella's Cathouse and Adoption Center, the organization's cage-free, no-kill cat adoption center in Napa. "I reached out to my guy friends in the wine industry that have cats and asked them to be part of this fun tribute and they all said, yes, I AM IN!" Stevens said. She traced the project to a noticeable rise in cat adoptions at Ella's over the past six months, driven, she said, by men.
Ella's, on Old Sonoma Road, describes itself as the first center of its kind in Napa Valley, a cage-free room where cats young and old wait for homes and walk-in visitors are welcomed on Fridays through Sundays. It is named for a rescue cat of board member Vanessa Conlin, and it doubles as the organization's classroom for responsible pet care and for its spay and neuter work. The calendar takes that room's logic valley-wide: put cats in front of people who did not come looking for one, and let the introductions happen.
Portraits, wrangling, and design
Making 13 cats cooperate took a crew. Stevens turned to Alicia Mora, who assembled the team behind the calendar: Rubin on photography, Jenny Patrick in charge of styling and of wrangling the cats themselves, and design and production led jointly by Ross Patrick and CJ DeWaal. Jameson Humane says high-resolution calendar images and interviews with the sitters are available on request, which suggests the organization expects the joke to travel well beyond one afternoon in November.
Jameson Humane was founded in 2014 by Monica and David Stevens, first under the name Jameson Animal Rescue Ranch, and it has built its name on answering animal needs as the community presents them rather than following a rescue template. The calendar fits that habit exactly. "Every calendar sold goes straight back into our work for animals here in our community," Stevens said. "We can't think of a better way to kick off the holidays."
