Clos LaChance Winery launches new Hummingbird Series of wines

01/02/06 Clos LaChance Winery has announced the launch of the new Hummingbird Series of wines - a line of quality and affordable wines from the Clos LaChance Estate Vineyard in San Martin and other select Central Coast vineyards. www.clos.com

Each wine in the Hummingbird Series is named for a true species of Hummingbird that displays similar characteristics to the wine varietal's style. The first wine released under this new designation is the 2003 Buff-Bellied Zinfandel. This wine is strong, hearty, and rich - similar to the Buff-Bellied Hummingbird. The majority of the fruit for the Hummingbird Series is sourced from the Clos LaChance Estate Vineyard - where the hummingbirds roam amongst the gardens and the vines. Other wines bottled under the Hummingbird Series include:

- Ruby-Throated Cabernet Sauvignon

- Violet-Crowned Merlot

- Black-Chinned Syrah

- Pink-Throated Brilliant Rose

- Glittering-Throated Emerald Chardonnay

The Hummingbird has been a part of Clos LaChance Winery lore since the first vintage in 1992. Vintner's Bill and Brenda Murphy chose the hummingbird as the symbol for their winery because of its territorial nature and ability to chase away other grape-eating birds from the vineyards.

The Hummingbird Series wines represent the winery's new focus on producing estate-based wines from their 150-acre Estate Vineyard in San Martin, CA. In 2006, Clos LaChance has introduced a new three-tier brand architecture that better defines the winery's focus on estate and vineyard-designated wines. This change also allows Clos LaChance Winery to transition from a purchased fruit winery to Estate grown fruit. Under this new strategy, Clos LaChance Winery will produce wines under three categories:

- Special Selections Series. Each vintage Clos LaChance Winery produces a small amount of wine from exceptional sites that merit the distinction of Block or Vineyard Designate. Past vineyard-designated releases that will continue under this new distinction include: Biagini Pinot Noir, Krause Vineyard Pinot Noir, and Erwin Pinot Noir.

- Estate Series. On an annual basis, the winery produces wines that are worthy of the name "estate." The fruit for these wines are grown in the Clos LaChance Estate Vineyard and several of the CK Vines Santa Cruz Mountains vineyard sites. The 2003 and 2004 vintages produced Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier, Petite Sirah, and Grenache from the Estate vineyard, along with Pinot Noir and Chardonnay sourced from the Santa Cruz Mountains sites.

- Hummingbird Series. The Hummingbird Series is a line of quality and affordable wines from the Clos LaChance Estate Vineyard and other select Central Coast vineyards. Each wine is named after a species of Hummingbird that demonstrate similar characteristics of each wine varietal.

Clos LaChance is a family-owned winery located in San Martin, California, 30 minutes south of San Jose and 45 minutes north of the Monterey Peninsula. Owners Bill and Brenda Murphy strive to provide customers with high quality, stylistically consistent wines that are varietally distinct. Clos LaChance takes its name from the small fenced-in area encompassing a vineyard (Clos) and from co-owner Brenda Murphy's maiden name.

The Clos LaChance Winery features a state-of-the-art winemaking facility, estate vineyards and hospitality center.