Ste. Michelle Wine Estates and Marchesi Antinori Announce Purchase of Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars
July 31 2007
Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars, one of the world’s most highly regarded winery estates, is being acquired by the joint venture partnership of Ste. Michelle Wine Estates of Washington State and Marchese Piero Antinori of Italy.
The sale includes the estate’s extraordinary brand, spectacular Napa Valley winery, and its signature Napa Valley estate vineyards, S.L.V. and Fay. The Winiarski family looks forward to continued grape growing and will retain its Arcadia property to furnish grapes for the winery’s estate Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon.
Warren Winiarski, the founding winemaker, will also remain in an advisory role for three years.
“Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars perfectly fits our shared vision of producing wines from historic vineyard sites, and for Ste. Michelle this is a terrific complement to our estate wineries in Washington, Oregon and California,” said Ted Baseler, President of Ste. Michelle Wine Estates.
“There are few opportunities in one’s lifetime when such a rare site is available,” said Piero Antinori in describing Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars’ vineyards. “I am looking forward to being involved with this historic estate and becoming intimately familiar with its terroir,” he added, referring to the combination of micro-climate and soil.
Antinori – whose family has been making wine for more than 600 years – introduced traditional Bordeaux grapes to Tuscany in the early 1970’s. His experiment resulted in Tignanello, the first of the “Super Tuscans.” In doing so, Antinori revolutionized Italian wines with his innovative, dynamic and visionary views. His three daughters have joined the family business.
The Winiarski family’s decision to transfer their legacy to the Ste. Michelle and Antinori partnership is rooted in the land. After careful consideration of possibilities, the family identified Ste. Michelle Wine Estates-Antinori as ideal stewards of its brand and property.
“Ted and Piero appreciate the unique, terroir-based characteristics of this estate, so loved by our family,” said Warren Winiarski, “and they understand its pivotal importance to Napa Valley’s history, and its future. This visionary alliance provides the assurance that the wines will continue to excel as they express the beauty of the land.”
This alliance is also grounded in shared historical turning points. After acquiring an appreciation for wine in the mid-1950’s as a graduate student in Florence, Italy, Warren Winiarski moved to the Napa Valley during the mid-1960’s, where he apprenticed under several influential figures, including legendary Andre Tchelistcheff.
During this period, Tchelistcheff also played an important role as consultant for Ste. Michelle Wine Estates in the development of premium vinifera wines called Ste. Michelle Vintners.
Ste. Michelle was a leader in Washington’s nascent wine industry, starting in 1967. Tchelistcheff also influenced Piero Antinori to join forces with the Chateau Ste. Michelle winery to produce the luxury wine Col Solare. The first vintage was 1995.
Warren Winiarski was among the early visionaries to believe that the Cabernet Sauvignon grape was uniquely suited to the Napa Valley, and he focused on locating the ideal site that ultimately would produce a classically-styled wine that reflected, but was not overpowered by, the region. Stag’s Leap Vineyards (now known as S.L.V.) was planted with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in 1970, and the winery was built near the vineyard in 1972.
Four years later, Warren Winiarski’s 1973 Cabernet Sauvignon, produced from the vineyard’s first commercial crop, stunned the wine world when it bested four top-ranked Bordeaux wines, including two First Growths, in a blind tasting held in Paris. At that time, the premium California wines were considered curiosities, hardly in the same class as the best French wines.
This seismic event has been described as “sparking a staggering revolution in vineyard technology,” “a major turning point in consumers’ attitudes,” and “a moment that shook the global wine establishment to its roots.”
A 2005 book documented the tasting, Judgment of Paris: California vs France and the 1976 Paris Tasting That Revolutionized Wine by George Taber.
Today, Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars’ Estate S.L.V., Fay and Arcadia Vineyards are known for their distinctive world-class wines, and their icon brand CASK 23 has been recognized as one of the top luxury wines of California for three decades. Its Napa Valley collection, including ARTEMIS Cabernet Sauvignon and KARIA Chardonnay, are crafted with the same approach to winemaking as the limited-production Estate wines, resulting in wines of supple firmness and elegance.
Ste. Michelle Wine Estates has become the most prominent wine company in Washington State, known for its top-quality, pioneering, world-class wines. Its wineries include Chateau Ste. Michelle, Columbia Crest, Northstar and Spring Valley Vineyards in Washington State; Erath Vineyard Winery in Oregon; and Conn Creek and Villa Mt. Eden wineries in Napa Valley, California.
The joint partnership between Antinori and Ste. Michelle is the latest in a series of ventures, including the April 2006 alliance granting the Woodinville, Washington-based company exclusive U.S. distribution of Antinori’s acclaimed wines, and the 2007 opening of the partners’ Col Solare winery on Red Mountain, Washington.
For further information:
Kari Leitch
425-415-3673
kari.leitch@ste-michelle.com