We found further inspiration in two additional sources. First was The Bar Sinister, published in 1903, by Richard Harding Davis, a friend of Theodore Roosevelt’s and one of America’s greatest war correspondents, who reported from the front lines during the Boer War, the Spanish American War, and the First World War. His classic tale of a white English bull terrier called Kid had a special place in our upbringing; the first edition copy that once sat on the shelves of my grandparents’ library became well-worn by our hands. The indomitable spirit and latent nobility of Kid carry him through tough times on the streets of Montreal to glory as a blue-ribbon winner in Long Island. But familial loyalty and a passion for justice, above all, fuel his fight for survival and ultimately secure his redemption.
Our second cue - and the source of The Mascot’s label - came from our family’s collection of favorite engravings. The image to which we were drawn was of a white English bull terrier named Prince that the Farmers Deposit National Bank of Pittsburgh commissioned to illustrate its stock certificates. One version of Prince’s career suggests he also possessed a distinguished lineage, but rather than show him, his owner, the bank’s president, kept him at the flagship branch. Prince lived at the bank and stood watch there, enthusiastically greeting customers and employees alike. He also served as mascot to the local baseball, football, and hockey teams that the bank sponsored and, as legend has it, by retrieving a long fly on the diamond, brought his teammates a victory. We think of Prince and Kid as blood brothers, akin in their attitudes of integrity, conviction, and loyalty.
Both of these four-legged figures remind us that true honor lies not in quarterings or heraldry but in the abiding courage and generosity of spirit that open new doorways of understanding - for ourselves and for others. In keeping with this belief (and with Prince’s fondness for warm welcomes), The Mascot continues to acquaint newcomers with the profound and convivial pleasures of Napa Valley Cabernet, opening the doorway to the family’s grands vins whose still deeper roots await.
— Will Harlan