Terlato, Chapoutier release first wines in Australian venture

24/03/06 Anthony J. Terlato and Michel Chapoutier have announced the release of the inaugural wines from their highly anticipated Australian joint venture -- the single-vineyard 2004 Domaine Terlato & Chapoutier Shiraz lieu dit Malakoff from the Australian Pyrenees, and the 2004 Domaine Terlato & Chapoutier Shiraz-Viognier Victoria.

Domaine Terlato & Chapoutier synthesizes the ingenuity of two legendary wine-industry innovators: Terlato, architect of Paterno Wines International, the foremost luxury-brand wine marketer in the United States, and owner of celebrated wineries in key California appellations; and Chapoutier, whose Domaine-produced Rhone wines have elicited awe from critics and made him the world's recognized leader in biodynamic viticulture.

Associates and friends for nearly two decades, Terlato and Chapoutier began their Australian partnership in 1998, after Chapoutier called Terlato excitedly, telling of a remarkable vineyard site he discovered in a relatively remote region of Australia. "When Michel Chapoutier says, to you, 'If we plant vineyards here, we can make great wines in this soil, we should do this together' -- it's impossible to say no," Terlato said.

Thus was born the Malakoff Vineyard, located on an eastern-facing slope in the southern edge of the Pyrenees in western Central Victoria. In trademark Chapoutier fashion, the 2004 Malakoff -- made from 100% Shiraz -- was bottled unfined and unfiltered, and reflects the low-yielding uplands vineyard where the fruit was grown. The wine is intensely red, with powerful black fruit aromas and a round but sturdy structure.

After a barrel tasting of the wine in late 2004, the critic Robert M. Parker Jr. called it a "lusty Australian blockbuster" and awarded it 90-92 points. Six hundred forty cases of the wine are available in the United States, with a suggested retail price of $35.

The 2004 Shiraz-Viognier from Victoria follows the Cote Rotie practice of blending a small amount of the white Viognier with Syrah. The result is a deliciously spicy and aromatic Shiraz. 1,745 cases are available in the United States with a suggested retail price of $19.

"We are not interested in making wines that are anything less than beautiful and provocative," Chapoutier said. "The vineyard is young but already we can see that greatness is possible."

Said Terlato: "Michel and I became friends the first day we met. He's a charming rascal and an absolutely brilliant winemaker. We have a remarkable vineyard site in Australia and we both have a passion for quality, so this is a good recipe for creating wines that will have real meaning and substance. We want our Malakoff Shiraz to become one of the most important wines from Australia."

Terlato's career began in his father's retail wine and spirits store in Chicago at age 21 and has spanned virtually every segment of the wine industry, including distributing, importing, marketing, production and vineyard ownership.

Terlato is known as the "father of Pinot Grigio" for introducing Santa Margherita to the United States and building it into one of the most successful wine imports in history. In 2002 he was named Man of the Year by Wine Enthusiast magazine and in 2004 he received the Distinguished Service Award from Wine Spectator.

Michel Chapoutier is one of the most highly regarded winemakers in France. Since taking over his family firm in 1989 at age 25, Chapoutier has transformed the winery into the leading Rhone Valley producer. He combines the modern and the traditional: crusading for biodynamic winemaking, while expanding operations around the globe and experimenting with cutting edge winemaking techniques.

Chapoutier's restless energy and unconditional commitment to quality has produced tremendous success. In 2003 alone, Maison M. Chapoutier's wines garnered an incredible 88 ratings of 90+ points as well as broad acclaim from the most widely regarded publications including The Wine Advocate, Wine Spectator, International Wine Cellar, Wine & Spirits, and Wine Enthusiast. In the last three years, Robert Parker has awarded five of Michel Chapoutier's wines perfect 100 point scores.

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. Paterno 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, Terlato Vineyards; Sonoma County: Alderbrook, Hanna, Rochioli, Terlato Vineyards; Santa Barbara County: Sanford; California Appellation: Glass Mountain; Oregon: Argyle, Sokol Blosser; Italy: Baglio di Pianetto, Barone Ricasoli, Ca' del Bosco, Ca' Marcanda (Gaja Toscana); Florio Martinez Marsala, Angelo Gaja, Gagliole, Il Poggione, Kettmeir, Lungarotti, Santa Margherita, Torresella; and Distilleria Nonino (Grappa); France: Bollinger, Chapoutier, Domaine Chanson, Josmeyer, Langlois-Chateau (Loire), Louis Moreau Chablis, Tour des Laurets; Australia: M. Chapoutier Australia, Mitchelton, Petaluma, St Hallett, Terlato-Chapoutier, Two Hands; Argentina: Tamari; Canada; Peller Estates (Ice wine); Chile: Vina Tarapaca; Greece: Boutari; New Zealand: Wairau River, Wither Hills; and Belgium: Chimay.

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