Oakland, Calif. (June 16, 2020) – St. Huberts The Stag, a distinctive brand within the Treasury Wine Estates portfolio, is set to debut three new wines, available nationwide in June 2020, as part of a collection from the Central Coast of California, highlighting the regions of Santa Barbara County and Paso Robles. Featuring a Santa Barbara County Chardonnay for $16.99 (750ml), as well as a Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon for $19.99 (750ml) and a Paso Robles Red Blend for $19.99 (750ml), St Huberts The Stag is looking to compete in the fast-paced Ultra-Premium category of wines priced between $15-19.99.
Currently the brand has seen strong momentum in this category and has outpaced the competition, growing faster than many other brands featured in the top ten for the cabernet sauvignon variety*. St Huberts The Stag anticipates this Ultra-Premium category will continue to show rapid growth, giving the launch of this new Central Coast collection a clear runway to success. Optimal sourcing has also provided a great transition opportunity for St Huberts The Stag to the Paso Robles and Santa Barbara County regions, as the central coast now represents more than half a billion dollars in wine sales, and 15% of California’s total state wine production*.
Speaking on the launch of the new wines, Carl Evans, SVP of Marketing at Treasury Wine Estates stated, “We noticed a gap in the offerings available for the older millennial-male target audience, who is looking to the wine category for fun, enjoyment and discovery. St Huberts The Stag is a pioneering lifestyle led brand that will cater perfectly to the millennial males’ adventuresome spirit, and by offering familiar varietals like Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon, but from exciting, up and coming California regions, like Santa Barbara County and Paso Robles, we’re also leading the charge on a regional trend we’ve seen is growing as well.”
Originally established in 1862 as one of the first wineries in Victoria, Australia’s, Yarra Valley, St Huberts began by helping to position the region as a premium wine producing area and was a champion of the Valley’s wine renaissance in the 1960’s. In 2016, St Huberts took the leap to the United States and began producing Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon from the North Coast of California under The Stag label. The brand continues to champion new up and coming wine regions bringing new focus and innovation as the brand continues to evolve.
All the wines will be available nationwide and will be supported by a 360-marketing campaign to promote the launch. The adventurous spirit of the brand will translate in a commitment to encourage consumers to enjoy an outdoor lifestyle. The wines are being crafted by winemaker, Richard Shelton, who is responsible for every step of the winemaking process – from harvest to blending and bottling, while overseeing winemaking for St Huberts The Stag, at the Treasury Wine Estates Paso Robles winery location.
About St. Huberts The Stag
St Huberts The Stag is a wine of a different breed. To harness the wild Paso Robles and Santa Barbara County terroir, St Huberts The Stag comes to California with renewed purpose and commitment to create bold wines for adventurous people. A pioneering spirit lives on in each bottle and reflects the best varietals from Paso Robles and the central coast. Following our instinct and passion, St Huberts The Stag creates high quality, confident wines. Every glass is crafted to celebrate adventures had, and the journeys to come. To learn more, please visit: https://www.facebook.com/StHubertsTheStagUS/ or https://www.instagram.com/sthubertsthestag.us/
About the Wines
St. Huberts The Stag Santa Barbara Chardonnay
The grapes are sourced primarily from two Santa Barbara vineyards, Cat Canyon and North Canyon Vineyard, located at a slightly higher elevation and set deeper into the canyon than other vineyards in Los Alamos, with sloping hills and well-draining sandy loam soils. While, on the eastern boundary of the Santa Maria Valley AVA, the remainder of the fruit is sourced. The wine is made using a modern approach to winemaking, with very minimal intervention in order to reflect the uniqueness of the vineyards. Oak fermentation, sur lie aging (on the lees), along with French oak and partial malolactic fermentation, allowed for a layered and balanced expression of this vineyard-driven Chardonnay. The Chardonnay offers lush tropical aromas of fresh peach blossom, coconut and marzipan, supported by delicate lemon citrus fruit. The palate is bright with a bounty of ripe flavors, including passion fruit, pineapple, lemon curd and lime zest, alongside hints of spiced oak and cardamom, leading to a soft, round, creamy finish.
St. Huberts The Stag Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon & St Huberts The Stag Paso Robles Red Blend
The Cabernet Sauvignon and Red Blend are both sourced entirely from the Paso Robles AVA, along California’s Central Coast, where the region enjoys greater day-to-night temperature swings than any other appellation in California. There is great diversity here with distinct microclimates and over 45 different soil types with a long growing season, which allowed for selecting the ideal fruit to make these red wines. Using a modern approach for crafting both wines, the grapes were crushed and fermented an average of 7- 10 days in stainless steel tanks. Pump-overs were gently performed three times a day to extract optimum color and tannin. Post fermentation, a portion of both wines integrated with French and American oak for up to two years to smooth and round the tannins, adding complexity and depth of flavor. Finally, each of the lots were tasted daily to determine exactly which would be selected to go into crafting these wines.
The St. Huberts The Stag Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon shows a deep ruby, garnet, crimson color, with perfumed aromas of inviting bramble berry, wild raspberry, dark cherry, and red currant, alongside baking spice notes of allspice, cedar, tobacco leaf and clove. The wine is rustic, rich and bold, with good weight and body, offering flavors of macerated red berries, plum, warm red currant and cherry compote, alongside allspice, sweet tea leaf and cinnamon notes from the oak integration. This well-balanced wine is opulent and refined, providing great structure alongside a plush texture with velvety smooth tannins and lengthy finish.
The St. Huberts The Stag Paso Robles Red Blend is a deep burgundy, crimson color, offering inviting aromas of macerated blueberries, raspberry pie, and plum preserves alongside holiday baking spice notes of brown sugar, vanilla, nutmeg and clove. The wine is rich, round and soft, with good weight and body, offering flavors of ripe juicy red berries and raspberry custard alongside allspice and graham cracker crust notes from the oak integration. This well-balanced wine has a bright core of acidity, providing great structure alongside a plush texture with velvety smooth tannins and lingering finish.
