Press Releases
Folio Fine Wine Partners Launches Spanish Wines From Priorat and Montsant
Napa | CA
NAPA, Calif., June 30 /PRNewswire/ -- Michael Mondavi, Founder of Folio Fine Wine Partners, announced today an exclusive marketing agreement with four wineries from Spain:
Cims de Porrera -- producer of Cims de Porrera "Classic" and Solanes from Priorat; Clos Dominic -- producer of Vinyes Altes, Vinyes Baixes, and Clos Dominic Blanc from Priorat; Cellers Capafons-Osso -- producer of Mas de Masos, Masos d'en Cubells and Sirsell from Priorat, and Masia Esplanes and Vessants from Montsant; and Mas de l'Abundancia -- producer of Mas de l'Abundancia and Fluminis from Montsant, adding twelve wines to the portfolio of Folio Fine Wine Partners.
Michael Mondavi said, "I have personally enjoyed the delicious wines from Spain for many years. Their balance, style and finesse complement foods in a very exciting way." He continued, "We are honored and very privileged to be representing some of the very best producers from Priorat and Montsant. These distinctive Spanish wines offer a very strong fit for Folio Fine Wine Partners."
About Cims de Porrera
Five pioneering families rediscovered Priorat in the late 1980s leading in large part to the international acclaim for Priorat wines today. Each family had deep wine histories outside of the region, and each is currently producing top wines in Priorat at present -- including the innovative Perez family. Jose Luis Perez, a Professor of Enology with an avid interest in viticultural research, founded the renowned Mas Martinet winery in the Gratallops region of Priorat in 1989. In 1996 the Perez family began managing the local cooperative in the village of Porrera, producing old-vine Carinena-based wines under the name Cims de Porrera. Currently eighteen growers cultivate the 133 acres of vineyards comprised of head-pruned vines ranging from 60 to over 100 years old, with extremely low production of just 300 -- 700 grams per vine. The flagship wine -- Cims de Porrera "Classic" -- is only made in the finest vintages, consisting of a majority of old-vine Carinena and a small minority of old-vine Garnacha. These vines are grown on steep rocky slopes, or 'Cims,' for which Priorat is famous.
Cims de Porrera's second label -- Solanes -- is a blend of the five major grape varieties grown in Priorat, including a majority blend of old-vine Carinena and old-vine Garnacha, with a small amount of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah blended in for depth and structure. Previously made by Sara Perez, Jose Luis Perez' daughter (who nowadays runs her own Montsant winery Venus Universal), these wines are now made by Adria Perez, son of Jose Luiz Perez. The Perez family and Cims de Porrera wines are icons of innovation, quality and history in Priorat.
Current vintages in the U.S.
Cims de Porrera "Classic" 2001, Priorat ($84 SRP)
Solanes 2002, Priorat ($28.50 SRP)
About Clos Dominic
Clos Dominic embodies the region of Priorat with its very small production wines, hand-crafted by a passionate, perfectionist husband and wife team. Born and raised in Priorat, Dominic Baigauret and her husband Francisco 'Paco' Castillo-Serrano purchased an old-vine vineyard outside the town of Porrera in 1998 and soon began producing their own wine. In order to ensure the utmost attention to detail and quality, the husband and wife team manage and harvest their vineyards with help only from family members and friends, ensuring a very strict selection. Their over 100 year-old vines produce fruit for their Vinyes Altes wine, mostly old-vine Carinena blended with old-vine Garnacha. Their second label, Vinyes Baixes, is typically a blend of Carinena, Garnacha, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah. Clos Dominic Blanc, one of the only white wines made in the Porrera region, is a blend of old-vine white varietals indigenous to Spain.
Never before released in the U.S.
Vinyes Altes 2003, Priorat ($75 SRP)
Vinyes Baixes 2003, Priorat ($40 SRP)
Clos Dominic Blanc 2004, Priorat ($30 SRP)
About Cellers Capafons-Osso:
Francesc Capafons and Monserrat Osso married in the late 1960s, merging their historic family vineyards to create the winery Cellers Capafons-Osso. Both families have been making wine in the Priorat region for over five generations, and the Cellers Capafons-Osso wines from Priorat and Montsant were first introduced in Spain in the early 1990s. All members of the Capafons-Osso family are involved with the winery, and winemaker Toni Coca is the husband of Francesc and Monserrat Capafons-Osso's eldest daughter, Montse. Francesc Capafons considers his vineyards 'natural laboratories' and strives to maintain equilibrium between his land and nature by using only organic pesticides and herbicides.
The Capafons-Osso top-tier wine from Priorat -- Mas de Masos -- is produced from their south-facing, centennial vineyard of the same name and is typically composed of a majority blend of Garnacha and Cabernet Sauvignon, with a small percentage of Carinena and Syrah. The two other Capanfons-Osso Priorat estate-grown wines, Masos d'en Cubells and Sirsell are also blends of the five major grape varieties grown within the D.O.Q. Priorat.
The Capafons-Osso top tier Montsant wine -- Masia Esplanes -- is also named for their property of the same name and is typically a blend of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, with smaller amounts of Syrah, Garnacha and Carinena. In a region containing five different soil types, the Capafons-Osso family has experimented with plantings of Garnacha, Carinena, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah to achieve the best expression of each grape variety. The results of this research are also evident in their other estate-grown Montsant
wine -- Vessants -- which has a similar blend but is made from younger vines grown on the hillsides.
Current vintages in the U.S.
Mas de Masos 2002, Priorat ($70 SRP)
Masos d'en Cubells 2002, Priorat ($55 SRP)
Sirsell 2004, Priorat ($37 SRP)
Masia Esplanes 2002, Montsant ($36 SRP)
Vessants 2003, Montsant ($24)
About Mas de l'Abundancia:
The Mas de l'Abundancia winery's name translates as 'land of the abundant harvest', and stems from the 15th century when the current vineyard site was farmed by monks from the nearby Scala Dei monastery. Winemaker Jesus del Rio, whose family has cultivated land in the region for generations, purchased the Mas de l'Abundancia vineyards and winery in the heart of Montsant twelve years ago. A self-trained viticulturalist, Jesus del Rio planted every vine himself and in 2002 bottled his first flagship wine, Mas de l'Abundancia, made from Cabernet Sauvignon, old-vine Garnacha and old-vine Carinena. Jesus del Rio's vibrant second label Fluminis, Latin for 'from the river' or 'del Rio,' is also a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Garnacha and Carinena, and is only partially barrel-aged to retain its fruit-forward character.
Never before released in the U.S.
Mas de l'Abundancia 2002, Montsant ($42 SRP)
Fluminis 2003, Montsant ($28 SRP)
Founded in 2004 by the Michael Mondavi family, Folio Fine Wine Partners is an importer, agency and producer of quality wines from the world's premiere and emerging wine regions. Folio Fine Wine Partners currently provides sales, marketing and public relations services to wine brands from California, Italy, Austria, Spain and New Zealand. Headquartered in Napa, California, Folio Fine Wine Partners was built with a focus on the customer, and with a commitment to applying the highest standards of excellence across all business practices.
The Folio Fine Wine Partners portfolio includes: California: Bocce Cellars; Hangtime Cellars; Hunterdon; I'M Wines; Mayro-Murdick; Medusa; Oberon Wines; Spellbound; Italy: Attems; Danzante; Luce della Vite; Marchesi de' Frescobaldi; Tenuta dell'Ornellaia; Austria: Laurenz V; Spain: Mas de l'Abundancia; Cellers Capafons-Osso; Clos Dominic; Cims de Porrera; New Zealand: Vinoptima.
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