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Exclusive: Ste. Michelle Unveils Borne Of

Fire, First Release From Proposed New

Washington AVA

Ste. Michelle Wine Estates has released Borne Of Fire, a new wine brand sourced from a proposed Washington AVA called The Burn, SND has learned. The new label is a Cabernet Sauvignon, and will hit the retail shelves nationwide by March.

Borne of Fire ($23) is being given a good runway for growth. Some 35,000 cases were produced from the inaugural 2016 vintage, and a further 60,000 cases are planned for the 2017 release.

The Burn is an agricultural area located in south central Washington by the Columbia River, between the AVAs of Columbia Gorge and Horse Heaven Hills. Its name is inspired by the region’s early settlers, who burned their fields every autumn to regenerate the soil. The land was planted to vines in 2002, initially with just a few acres of Cabernet Sauvignon. Plantings were expanded significantly in 2015, and while the varietal mix is mainly Cabernet Sauvignon, it also includes Malbec, Syrah, Chardonnay and Sangiovese. In fact, Malbec comprises 10% of Borne of Fire, with Cabernet Sauvignon accounting for the remaining 90%.

For the moment, Ste. Michelle isn’t planning additional varietal expressions for Borne of Fire, as it seeks to showcase Cabernet Sauvignon as the top expression from the region.

Borne of Fire will have a Columbia Valley designation for now, but if the newly proposed AVA is approved, the wine will carry The Burn appellation. Ste. Michelle submitted the AVA proposal September of 2017. There’s no specific timetable for a decision.

Ste. Michelle has a long-term contract to develop The Burn’s vineyards with Washington’s Mercer family, their partners of many years. The Mercers farm 2,000 acres of vines in the Horse Heaven Hills, Columbia Valley and Yakima Valley AVAs, contracted to Ste. Michelle. The Mercers also make their own wines through their Mercer Estates division.

“We have a planting program for The Burn that will take us to about 2,100 acres within the next couple years,” says Juan Muñoz-Oca, director of winemaking, Paterson Group of Wineries, at Ste. Michelle. The Burn’s scale would then be on a par with some very established Washington AVAs such as Red Mountain (nearly 2,000 planted acres) and Walla Walla (about 1,650 planted acres).

The Burn’s microclimate is warmer than most other Washington growing areas, but it also gets more precipitation and greater moisture-retention in its soils—factors that allow for longer hang time for the grapes, says Muñoz-Oca. Borne of Fire is aged in large-format, 120-gallon puncheons made of Hungarian oak. “Using larger oak is about respecting the things that make this area’s Cabernet unique,” says Muñoz Oca. “Borne of Fire’s taste profile bridges the ripeness, richness and intensity of New World Cabernets with the elegance and brightness of the Old World.”

News Briefs:

•The Bardstown Bourbon Company, minority-owned by Constellation Brands, has announced that it will produce Bourbon and other whiskies for Castle Brands’ Jefferson’s portfolio beginning this year. Currently the Bardstown Bourbon Company can distill 3 million proof gallons per year, but the group has recently begun an expansion that will double the distillery’s capacity by June. The Jefferson’s portfolio has steadily grown since 2010, and sells above 60,000 cases annually.

•VSPT Wine Group, Chile’s second-largest wine producer and exporter, has sold a 12.5% stake to China’s Yanghe Distillery Co. for $65 million. Control of the Chilean company remains with brewer CCU S.A., which controls 67.22% of the wine producer. VSPT Wine Group comprises nine wineries and produces brands like Gato Negro, Castillo de Molina, 1865 Selected Vineyards, Leyda, Santa Helena, and Argentina’s Finca La Celia. Yanghe Distillery Co. entered China’s wine market in 2012 with Sidus, a sourced Chilean label. The Chinese company reports over $3 billion in sales annually.

•Astral Tequila, part of the Davos Brands portfolio, has unveiled its first ads featuring Jonathan Goldsmith, known for his previous role in Dos Equis’ long-running “Most Interesting Man in the World” campaign. The new Astral campaign, called “This calls for Tequila,” was created by Erich & Kallman and includes 10 video spots featuring Goldsmith. It will run across both traditional and social media channels. In addition to Astral ($45), Davos Brands’ portfolio also includes Ty Ku saké, Aviation gin ($30) and Sombra mezcal ($40).

•Foley Family Wines has promoted chief administrative officer Hugh Reimers to president of the company. Reimers had been expected to eventually become president after joining Foley from Jackson Family Wines late last year. Company founder and owner Bill Foley remains CEO. Reimers says he expects Foley’s luxury wineries, including Chalk Hill, Roth and The Four Graces to “drive the next phase of growth at Foley Family Wines.”

•Rudy Buratti, chief winemaker for Castello Banfi, died January 13 at the age of 56. Buratti joined the Castello Banfi winemaking team in 1983 and became chief winemaker in 1999. A passionate advocate for Sangiovese, Buratti was part of the original team that isolated 15 optimal clones tailored to the microclimate of the Castello Banfi estate in Montalcino, and is credited with introducing a number of technical innovations to the winery. He is survived by his wife Ursula Ciola and two daughters.

Craft Brewing And Distilling News:

•San Diego’s Green Flash Brewing Co. is planning to slash its distribution footprint to 17 core states, down from 50, and cut 15% of its staff. The company will retain both its San Diego and Virginia Beach breweries in order to serve Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Nebraska, Nevada, Texas and Utah (from San Diego); and Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Virginia (from Virginia Beach). Green Flash still plans to open its Brewhouse & Eatery in Lincoln, Nebraska in the first quarter of 2018.

•San Antonio, Texas-based Rebecca Creek Distillery is expanding into the Florida market through a new deal with Republic National Distributing Co. (RNDC). Rebecca Creek’s lineup includes Fine Texas Whiskey, Texas Ranger Whiskey, Enchanted Rock Vodka and Enchanted Rock Peach Vodka. The craft distillery is targeting sales of 100,000 cases this year. With entry into Florida, Rebecca Creek’s distribution footprint covers a total of nine states, also including Texas, Kansas, Colorado, Louisiana, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Georgia and Missouri.

•Join us for the Impact Marketing Seminar, March 8, 2018. Limited seats available.

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