Founded by Ernesto Catena, a fourth-generation winemaker of Italian descent, Alma Negra means Black Soul due to the deep, intense color of the wines made from the Bonarda grape. The first wines made, which were all reds, had a real “black soul” when you saw them in the glass. Ernesto also wanted to create a wine about which little was known concerning the composition or technical details, so that the wine was judged solely on how the taster perceived it. When the line was launched in 2006, the wines were named Misterio, and the mask on the label was a symbol for a hidden identity or mystery.