Raise a Glass to Trailblazing Women With Imagery Estate Winery’s Street Art Cabernet

Imagery Estate Winery’s new Street Art Cabernet doesn’t look like most other reds on the shelves — that’s intentional.

A collaboration between Imagery’s second-generation winemaker, Jamie Benziger, and acclaimed street artist ELLE, the striking label not only reflects the wine’s rich, full-bodied flavor but also the estate’s unconventional approach to expressive wines that make everyday life more inspired.

ELLE, who started her career in New York’s underground graffiti scene, is now considered one of the top touring street artists. Her large-scale works have appeared in unexpected places, from a four-story tribute to Ruth Bader Ginsburg in the Lower East Side to the exterior hull of a Norwegian Cruise Line ship.

So, when Benziger first encountered ELLE’s work, she knew they were kindred spirits. “I was captivated by her use of color and, of course, the fact that she was using such massive canvases to display her art, which showed so much boldness and vulnerability,” Benziger recalls. “Whenever you are displaying an original piece of art to viewers or releasing a new wine to consumers, you are putting yourself out there to be criticized, whether positive or negative, and that takes guts — especially in our respective fields that are both male-dominated.”

While Benzinger grew up between her family’s two Sonoma wineries and spent summers selling tour tickets to visitors, her path to leading the family business required plenty of confidence and conviction to venture beyond her comfort zone. She learned the chemistry of fine wine working in the labs at St. Francis and Bogle, traveled to New Zealand to work harvest at Villa Maria, and got her hands dirty in the field at Enterprise Vineyards.

When her father and biggest mentor, Joe Benziger, retired in 2017, Benziger didn’t just step up to fill his big shoes; she walked forward in her own. And her audacity has been noticed. In 2019, Jamie earned recognition as International Women’s Wine Competition’s Best Woman Winemaker as well as other high-profile accolades.

“I always felt like I had to prove myself, as I was working my way up not just because of my last name or because I was a woman, but also because I did not have the formal winemaking education like most,” Benziger says. At every job she had, she says she worked hard, constantly soaking in and learning new information or ways to do different tasks from those around her. “This helped build my confidence to get where I am today. Everyone who has made a name for themselves in this industry has had to prove himself or herself at one point or another, and others just starting must do the same,” she says.

For Benziger, the launch of Imagery’s Street Art Cabernet with ELLE is a celebration of her family’s estate as much as their similar journeys as trailblazers. “This collaboration not only celebrates women, artistic expression, and fine wine but also celebrates my family’s motto of going beyond the expected and having fun doing it,” she says.

Even though ELLE is used to working in larger canvases, she embraced the challenge of creating a wine label that included Imagery’s iconic painter’s drop. “Using the classic, minimal Imagery label marked by a striking drip as the canvas, I infused the design with my signature style, bringing depth, movement, and visual storytelling to the bottle,” she says. The limited-edition Street Art Cabernet marks the first time she has designed a piece of art in this medium and also the first time Imagery has given its branded label to an artist to redesign for a national audience.

Before she began painting, ELLE visited Benziger at the vineyard, where they tasted the 2023 vintage together. “As a Sonoma native, I’m very in tune with the wine world and drew a lot of my inspiration from the bold flavors and colors of the Cabernet Sauvignon, including dark cherry, plum, and blackberry intermingled with complex notes of vanilla, caramel, and spice,” ELLE says.

“What many people may not know about me is that, in addition to being an artist, I’m also a passionate gardener,” she adds. During her college days at the nearby University of California-Davis, she worked on an organic farm, where she developed a deep interest in permaculture and regenerative agriculture. “When I learned about Imagery’s commitment to sustainable and regenerative farming practices, I was genuinely thrilled to collaborate,” ELLE says. “I love it when passions collide in the interest of bettering our planet through art and wine!”

Aged for four months in a barrel, the wine’s finish is rounded and velvety, leaving a lasting, elegant impression. Likewise, Benziger and ELLE hope the meaningful inspiration behind every bottle of Imagery’s Street Art Cabernet makes an impact — sparking creativity and conversation while challenging traditional notions of femininity.

“My work doesn’t conform to softness or passivity. Instead, it embraces scale, grit, vulnerability, and surrealism — all qualities that I believe are deeply feminine but in ways that haven’t always been celebrated. It’s about claiming space, complexity, and agency,” explains ELLE, who credits fellow artists like Wangechi Mutu, Kiki Smith, and Kara Walker as some of her key influences. “Collaborating with a female winemaker for this label felt aligned because both of us are navigating and redefining industries that have been historically male-dominated. We’re both telling stories — hers through the earth and the vine, mine through visual language — that are rooted in intuition, vision, and craft, but unapologetically on our own terms.”

For every sip of Imagery’s Street Art Cabernet, Benziger envisions people living in the moment, surrounded by good company. “I hope people experience the celebration of bold flavors and artistic expression,” she says. “Just like the street art that inspired it, this wine is meant to be a vibrant, immersive experience.”

This article is sponsored by Imagery Estate Winery.

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