The head of Seattle-based Precept Wine said he hopes to boost thevisibility of Idaho wine with the company's purchase of thatstate s oldest and largest producer, Ste. Chapelle Winery.Privately-held Precept bought Ste. Chapelle from Ascentia WineEstates for an undisclosed price, the company announced May 14. With its higher elevations, cool climate and good viticultureopportunities, Idaho s untapped potential is unbelievable, saidAndrew Browne, Precept s CEO, who started the company with the Baty family in 2003 . Sommeliers want to try new things.
I m optimistic that if weput the right stuff in the bottle, it will be a cool and intriguingstory and we ll put Idaho wine on the map. Founded in 1976 and located in the Snake River Valley AVA insouthwest Idaho, Ste. Chapelle produces about 130,000 cases a year.It s best known for its Riesling, off-dry whites and reds, and icewines, generally priced in the $8 to $12 range and distributednationally. Browne is familiar with the winery. The Baty family sCorus Brands, which Browne headed, owned Ste.
Chapelle beforeselling it to Constellation in 2001. Ascentia acquired it from Constellation in 2008 , along with seven other wine brands. Sonoma County-based Ascentia, which owns Geyser Peak and AtlasPeak, among other California properties, has been struggling. It sreportedly in talks with E&J Gallo to sell its two Washington statebrands, Columbia Winery and Covey Run.
Last year, it sold Gary Farrell Winery and Buena Vista Winery . Ascentia did not return calls for comment. The Ste. Chapelle acquisition gives Precept, Washington ssecond-largest wine company, a portfolio of 13 core brands inWashington, Oregon, Idaho and Australia. Precept owns more than3,700 vineyard acres, mostly in Washington s Horse Heaven HillsAVA, and operates eight production facilities.
It currentlyproduces about 800,000 cases a year across all its brands. Browne said his company would like to gradually increase Ste.Chapelle s production to 300,000 cases, keeping the off-dry lineof wines while creating a higher-tier series of drier wines,including Riesling, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot andSyrah. I m optimistic on the reds, he said. With vineyardelevations ranging from 1,800 to 3,000 feet, this red thing inIdaho is going to be silly fun. Precept will keep Ste.
Chapelle s winemaking team in place buthave its other winemakers and growers collaborate with them, Brownesaid. He suggested a need for improvement in Ste. Chapelle sproduct. What s in the bottle now isn t what we ll deliverwith the 2012 vintage, he said.
Ste. Chapelle and two Washington wineries Precept recentlyacquired, Canoe Ridge and Sagelands, were tired brands thatweren t being aggressively marketed, said Allen Shoup, CEO ofSeattle-based Long Shadows Vintners and former head of Stimson Lanewine group. It s good for everyone in the state when afinancially strong, sophisticated company like Precept takescontrol and ensures they are marketed nationally andinternationally. Rob McMillan, executive vice president of Silicon Valley Bank sWine Group in St. Helena, said the Ste.
Chapelle purchase is a gooddeal for Precept if only because it gives the company capacity toproduce more wine at a time of a looming production shortage on theWest Coast. This is the right time for this kind of purchase, he said. The need is there for grape supplies. Browne said the purchase is in line with Precept s history oftaking good brands, dusting them off, and raising theirperformance.
We re going to invest a ton of dough, do the rightthing with the winemakers and the facilities, and make greatwine, he said. Idaho has the same potential Washington had 20years ago. I am a professional writer from Clothes Dryers, which contains a great deal of information about calcium silicate board , string knit gloves, welcome to visit!
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