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Huneeus Family and Cellar Door Launch duo Wines
duo reflects the artistic and stylish lifestyle of Latin AmericaGonzales , Calif., May 16, 2006–Latin America is alive with the heartbeat of an energetic, hip and stylish culture. This month, American wine consumers will have the chance to experience Latin America ’s cosmopolitan, modern lifestyle with the launch of duo wines—a Chilean collaboration between the Huneeus family and Cellar Door.
“duo is an exciting new project that captures the vibrant and stylish lifestyle of Latin America in two great wines,” said Nick Withers, Marketing Manager for Cellar Door. “Our wines were created to showcase that lifestyle and to celebrate the youthful energy of Chile’s next generation”.
duo offers two wines from two premier regions in Chile: a 2005 Casablanca Valley Sauvignon Blanc and a 2003 Maipo Valley Cabernet Sauvignon-Merlot. Both wines are available nationally at select retail locations for a suggested retail price of $14.00.
Under the watchful eye of Agustin Francisco Huneeus, winemaker Rafael Tirado crafts wines of distinction using fruit sourced from Huneeus family vineyards and those of long-term trusted growers. “Chile is more exciting today than ever before and the world is starting to recognize that. We have drawn in some of the world's most prominent vintners to invest and make wines here. And this is also what duo is about. We will make wines from great vineyards within Chile’s most recognized appellations, and make them affordable to consumers,” says Huneeus.
The Sauvignon Blanc is 100% varietal, with vibrant, luscious fruit characters and vivacious freshness. The grapes are selected from estate vineyard blocks in the higher elevations of Casablanca Valley. The Cabernet Sauvignon-Merlot, blended from fruit from established 25-year old vineyards in the warmer Alto Maipo region, is bold, smooth and enticing with fresh red berry and black currant characters.
Cellar Door’s focus is fine wines. Its portfolio includes three Australian wines (Leasingham, Chateau Reynella and Starvedog Lane), one Californian wine (Hayman & Hill) and The Jibe wines from New Zealand. Cellar Door is a division of Pacific Wine Partners, a Constellation Wines U.S. company and a leading producer of premium California wines and importer of wines from Australia and New Zealand. Constellation Wines U.S. is part of Constellation Wines, the world’s largest wine business, an operating division of Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE: STZ and STZ.B) ("CBI"). Constellation Wines U.S. encompasses four of CBI's U.S. wine businesses: Icon Estates, Centerra Wine Company, Pacific Wine Partners, and North Lake Wines.
CONTACT: Charla Metcalf (425) 482-7359 / Emily Collins (707) 255-7667.
The Jibe 2004 Marlborough Pinot Noir Sails Into Stores
New Zealand Pinot Noir Continues To Impress Winemakers and Outpace ExpectationsGonzales , Calif., March 13, 2006 – Cellar Door has released a new Marlborough Pinot Noir from The Jibe, bringing one of New Zealand's hottest varieties to American wine lovers. New Zealand Pinot Noir is a relative new comer to the U.S. wine market, but has seen phenomenal success over the past year, growing 220% and even outpacing New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc in dollar sales.*
The Jibe 2004 Pinot Noir
The Jibe Marlborough Pinot Noir is a silky and elegant wine, crafted from exceptional quality fruit. Grown in vibrant coastal Marlborough vineyards, the fruit is youthful and refreshing with flavors of ripe plums, cherries and raspberries. The Jibe also produces a 2005 Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. Bottled in screw cap, both the Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc retail for $14.99 at fine wine merchants.
Cellar Door, a division of Pacific Wine Partners, introduced The Jibe last March to bring to life the essence of New Zealand and one of its favorite sports. The Jibe label features a billowing white sail, and there is full color photography of a New Zealand landscape on the case box. The Jibe takes its name from a sailing term that means “to shift a sail from one side of a yacht to the other in order to turn.” In 2005, The Jibe was the official sponsor of the 12 Metre World Championship Yacht Races hosted by the New York Yacht Club in Newport, Rhode Island.
New Zealand Pinot Noir Sourcing – Awatere Valley and Wairau Region
The grapes for The Jibe 2004 Marlborough Pinot Noir hail from the Awatere Valley and Wairau regions within Marlborough . Vines in both valleys lie on stony, free draining, light clay soils. The Awatere Valley vineyards are exposed to cold, sea breezes, which serve to decrease vigor in the vines, reducing the size of the crop. Harvest in the Awatere is often later than surrounding regions, allowing the grapes to reach full maturity while intensifying aromas and flavors.
The Wairau Valley is where the vast majority of vines are planted in New Zealand and is warmer than Awatere, but still cool by most standards. The valley shares many general climatic characteristics with Awatere Valley, such as the low rainfall, intense sunshine, warm summers, cool nights and long dry autumns, ideal for producing high quality wines.
“The Marlborough region offers a diversity of sites with different soil structures and micro climates that allow us to produce excellent fruit at reasonable cropping levels,” said Brian Wells, Awatere Vineyards Manager for The Jibe. “The ability to fully ripen fruit in these regions produces wines with richness, texture and silky smooth tannins. These wines tend to be very fruit driven, vibrant, and clean with lots of intensity.”
A brief glimpse - New Zealand 2006 Pinot Noir Harvest
As the 2006 harvest in the southern hemisphere gets underway, Kiwi winemakers and vineyard managers are optimistic about the future of Pinot Noir from New Zealand . “We’ve had a lot of recent international success with Pinot Noir and believe this will continue to build as more consumers taste and enjoy our unique offerings,” says winemaker Alistair McIntosh. “Pinot Noir has tremendous potential for the wine industry here as the varietal seems to grow well in diverse regions throughout New Zealand .”
According to the winemaking team for The Jibe, the 2006 season so far has delivered near ideal growing conditions which should produce excellent flavors. At pruning, low bud numbers were left to ensure that crop loading was kept down. A dry start to the growing season followed by good early summer rainfall resulted in healthy plant growth and fruit set. Vine growth has been controlled with careful timing and regulation of irrigation. Overall, this season has been warmer than average and with current stable weather patterns producing fine warm days, harvesting is expected to be a week to two weeks earlier than the norm.
Cellar Door’s focus is fine wines. Its portfolio includes three Australian wines (Leasingham, Chateau Reynella and Starvedog Lane ) and one Californian wine, Hayman & Hill. Cellar Door is a division of Pacific Wine Partners LLC, a Constellation Wines U.S. company and a leading producer of premium California wines and importer of wines from Australia and New Zealand . Constellation Wines U.S. is part of Constellation Wines, the world’s largest wine business, an operating division of Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE: STZ and STZ.B) ("CBI"). Constellation Wines U.S. encompasses four of CBI's U.S. wine businesses: Icon Estates, Centerra Wine Company, Pacific Wine Partners, and North Lake Wines .
* Source: IRI Infoscan Data, 52 weeks ending 1/1/06
CONTACT: Charla Metcalf (425) 482-7359 / Jennifer Scott (707) 255-7667.
The Jibe Wines Named Official Sponsor of the 12 Metre World Championship Yacht Races
Event Slated for September 14 to 18 in Newport, Rhode IslandGonzales, CA., August 3, 2005 – Building on its goal to bring to life the essence of New Zealand and one of the country’s favorite sports, The Jibe wines will be the official sponsor of this year’s 12 Metre World Championship Yacht Races. This event will be hosted by the New York Yacht Club in Newport, Rhode Island, and take place September 14 to 18, 2005.
“The Jibe is excited to sponsor this exclusive race,” said Nick Withers, Brand Manager for The Jibe. “Yacht racing is a perfect fit for The Jibe with its nautical theme, and it’s a terrific way to pay tribute to New Zealand’s history and involvement with the sport. We’re looking forward to this event – and the chance to show our wines, which feature a billowing white sail on the label, to a yachting crowd.”
The World Championships will be hosted by the New York Yacht Club at their prestigious Harbor Court facility in Newport, Rhode Island. Sixteen boats from around the world are expected to compete in World Championships, including all three “Plastic Fantastics” from New Zealand (Kiwi KZ 3, Kiwi Magic KZ 7and Hissar KZ 5). The classes will be divided into Grand Prix (built 1983 and after with wing keels), Modern (1967-1983 skeg/rudder), Classic Traditional (pre-1967 with keel hung rudders), and Vintage (built pre-1950).
“The partnership with The Jibe has enabled the USA Twelve Metre Class to stage this world class event and attract a fleet of boats not seen in such number since the early 1980's, when 12 Metres competed in these same waters for the America ’s Cup,” said Paul Buttrose, Vice President of the International 12 Metre Association.
Event participants will see The Jibe signage and battle flags on boats throughout the event and The Jibe Sauvignon Blanc will be featured at social events, such as the Captain’s Meeting and opening reception, dinners and the trophy presentation on Sunday.
The Jibe takes its name from a sailing term that means “to shift a sail from one side of a yacht to the other in order to turn.” Sailing is a national pastime in New Zealand, a country that has twice won the America’s Cup – in 1995 and 2000 – and boasts the highest ownership of boats per capita in the world.
Two varietals make up The Jibe portfolio—a Sauvignon Blanc and a Pinot Noir. Grapes for the wines come from one of Marlborough’s finest coastal vineyards in the Awatere Valley. Perched on the edge of Cook Strait, a renowned sailing spot, these vineyards have Sustainable Agriculture New Zealand accreditation.
About the 12 Metre World Championship
The Metre classes (6, 8, 10 and 12) were founded in 1906, and the first regatta was held in Cowes, England, in 1907. The Centennial World Cup is scheduled for Cannes, France, in August 2007. The previous 12M World Cup was held in conjunction with the Cowes Jubilee, organized by the Royal Yacht Squadron. Thirty-four boats competed, the largest collection of twelve metres ever gathered on a racecourse.
Cellar Door’s focus is fine wines, and its portfolio includes The Jibe as well as five Australian wines (Leasingham, Chateau Reynella, Starvedog Lane, Brookland Valley and Yarra Burn) and one Californian wine, Hayman & Hill. Cellar Door is a division of Pacific Wine Partners LLC, a Constellation Wines U.S. company and a leading producer of premium California wines and importer of wines from Australia and New Zealand. Constellation Wines U.S. is part of Constellation Wines, the world’s largest wine business, an operating division of Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE: STZ and STZ.B) ("CBI"). Constellation Wines U.S. encompasses three of CBI's U.S. wine businesses: Canandaigua Wine Company, Pacific Wine Partners, and North Lake Wines.
CONTACT: Charla Metcalf (425) 482-7359 / Jennifer Scott (707) 255-7667.
