Paterno Wines to market Tour des Laurets in the U.S.

14/04/06 Paterno Wines International has announced an exclusive, long-term agreement to market Tour des Laurets in the United States, bringing a classic right-bank Bordeaux to its luxury portfolio, and establishing a partnership with the Rothschilds, the world's pre-eminent wine family.

"We are thrilled to welcome the Rothschild family's unparalleled tradition of excellence," said William A. Terlato, President and CEO of Paterno Wines International. "Baron Benjamin de Rothschild has spared no effort or expense at Tour des Laurets, and we are pleased to add its classic Bordeaux and the legendary Rothschild name to our luxury portfolio."

From a banking business founded in the 18th century, the Rothschilds built modern Europe's most influential business dynasty. The Rothschilds financed the Duke of Wellington's defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte at Waterloo, founded France's railroads, and shaped history through the family's business and philanthropic interests.

The Rothschild wine tradition began in 1853, when English-born Nathaniel Rothschild purchased a winery and vineyards in Bordeaux. Other family members followed, and generations of Rothschild cousins have been producing some of the world's greatest wines ever since. In the process, the family helped establish Bordeaux as one of the world's most esteemed wine regions.

Situated near the Atlantic Coast in southwest France, Bordeaux produces a third of all French wines. Bordeaux's namesake blend of classic grapes, primarily Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, is widely regarded as the royalty of all red wines. Bordeaux's appellations and subappellations are precisely defined and regulated, and its wines fall into one of two categories: right-bank or left-bank.

Tour des Laurets Puisseguin St. Emilion is a right-bank Bordeaux, so named because its vineyards lie east of the Gironde River, which splits the region. Cabernet dominates left-bank blends, but Merlot takes the lead in right-bank Bordeaux, and for good reason: St. Emilion is renowned as the heartland of the Merlot grape. The area's clay and limestone, combined with the moderating effects of both the sea and the river, produce rich, sweet fruit, with low acidity and soft tannins.

Tour des Laurets Puisseguin St. Emilion is 80 percent Merlot blended with 20 percent Cabernet Sauvignon. Paterno will initially import and market a limited quantity of the 2000 and 2001 Puisseguin St. Emilion, both considered outstanding Bordeaux vintages.

Only the finest fruit, hand-picked from the south-facing Puisseguin St. Emilion vineyards, is used to create Tour des Laurets Puisseguin St. Emilion. Winemaker Fabrice Bandiera, working in consultation with world-renowned Bordeaux enologist Michel Rolland, maintains low yields in the vineyards. Grapes are sorted by hand in the cellar and, after pressing, are fermented in temperature-controlled stainless steel vats. The result is a classic, well-structured, full-bodied Bordeaux with soft tannins. Fruity and spicy in its youth, Puisseguin St. Emilion ages up to twelve years, growing more smoky and fleshy with time.

Baron Benjamin de Rothschild who took the helm of his family's holdings in 1997 owns Tour des Laurets. Today, he oversees wine interests around the world, including Chateau Clarke, another renowned Bordeaux producer.

Like generations of Rothschilds before him, Baron Benjamin de Rothschild is driven by a commitment to excellence. He is also driven by a healthy sense of competition with his esteemed winemaking cousins in the Bordeaux region. Since purchasing Tour des Laurets in 2003, he has made substantial investments to modernize winemaking facilities to create a Bordeaux worthy of the legendary Rothschild name, which appears on every bottle of Tours des Laurets Puisseguin St. Emilion.

Paterno Wines International, The Experts in Luxury Wine has a global portfolio of more than 40 brands from a host of world-class wine producers and presently markets more than one out of eight bottles of wine over $14 sold in America. Paterno is the flagship company of the Terlato Wine Group, the parent company of several independent businesses specializing in the marketing and production of exceptional wines. Owned and operated by the Terlato family, the Group also includes the family's winery investments and partnerships in some of the world's most esteemed wine regions, including: Napa Valley; Sonoma County; Santa Barbara County; Victoria, Australia and the Rhone Valley.

The Paterno Wines International portfolio of brands includes: Napa Valley: Chimney Rock, Cuvaison Estate Wines, Markham Vineyards, Rutherford Hill and Terlato Vineyards; Sonoma County: Alderbrook, Hanna, Rochioli and Terlato Vineyards; Santa Barbara County: Sanford; California Appellation: Glass Mountain; Oregon: Argyle and Sokol Blosser; Italy: Baglio di Pianetto, Barone Ricasoli, Ca' del Bosco, Ca' Marcanda (Gaja Toscana); Florio Martinez Marsala, Gagliole, Gaja, Il Poggione, Kettmeir, Lungarotti, Santa Margherita, Torresella; and Distilleria Nonino (Grappa); France: Champagne Bollinger, Chapoutier, Domaine Chanson, Domaine Louis Moreau, Josmeyer, Langlois-Chateau and Tour des Laurets; Australia: Domaine Tournon, Heathcote Estate, Mitchelton, Petaluma, St Hallett, Terlato-Chapoutier, Two Hands and Yabby Lake Vineyard; Argentina: Tamari; Canada: Peller Estates Icewine; Chile: Vina Tarapaca; Greece: Boutari; New Zealand: Wairau River and Wither Hills; Belgium: Chimay.

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