Thoroughbred Wines From The Pacific Coast’s Most Esteemed Vineyards
SONOMA, Calif., July 6 , 2021 – Uniting a shared passion for luxury wine and elite horses, decades-long friends and wine industry mavericks Barbara Banke and Peggy Furth have launched a singular luxury brand, WindRacer Wines. Hand-crafted with superior grapes sourced from extreme viticulture vineyards on the Northern California coast, WindRacer Wines are best-in-class examples of the special places they come from. The collection of six single vineyard wines, which include cool-climate Chardonnay and Pinot Noir bottlings, takes inspiration from Thoroughbred racehorses.
Long before getting involved in the wine industry, Banke and Furth enjoyed successful independent corporate careers. Once they arrived in wine country, they poured considerable talents into their respective family businesses to create world class wineries: Banke with her late husband, Jess Jackson, to build powerhouse Jackson Family Wines and Furth at the elite Chalk Hill Estates & Vineyards (since sold). Along the way Banke and Furth became fast friends and colleagues, raising millions of dollars for local charities, collaborating on new business ventures and sharing a love of horses. At Chalk Hill, Furth built an exquisite indoor equestrian center and show ring for her international dressage horses. Banke meanwhile, turned to the racetrack and established the family’s Lexington, Kentucky-based Stonestreet Farms raising world-class Thoroughbred racehorses.
The creation of WindRacer luxury wines is the natural evolution of Banke and Furth’s friendship, lifelong passions, mutual track record for success and characteristic drive to produce the very best. As Furth explains, “WindRacer wines are made with fruit from rare and special places. We hope they’ll excite connoisseurs and other enthusiasts who know the level of detail it takes to make wines of this caliber.”
Adds Banke, ”The world of Thoroughbred racehorses is a rarified atmosphere for only the very top horses. That’s what we hope to achieve with WindRacer Wines as well, where only the most exceptional grapes, given the utmost care are selected to produce something that is truly special.”
Just as the finest Thoroughbred horses require pedigree and a nurturing approach at every stage of their development, so do the Thoroughbred wines from WindRacer. Viticulture Director Shaun Kajiwara tends extreme vineyards throughout the year to provide the best fruit sourcing for Winemaker Nikki Weerts to make minimal intervention, small lot, single vineyard wines. WindRacer Wines are a spectacular expression of place – beautifully balanced with complex fruit flavors, great texture and a vibrant, natural acidity evocative of their unique sites.
The WindRacer 2018 portfolio of luxury wines includes two single vineyard Chardonnays and four single vineyard Pinot Noirs:
- Saralee’s Vineyard Chardonnay, Russian River Valley – 265 cases – SRP $65
- Alexander Mountain Estate Chardonnay, Alexander Valley – 208 cases – SRP $65
- Bloomfield Vineyard Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley – 110 cases – SRP $75
- Skycrest Vineyard Pinot Noir, Anderson Valley – 206 cases – SRP $75
- Edmeades Vineyard Pinot Noir, Anderson Valley – 237 cases – SRP $75
- Sealift Vineyard Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast – 237 cases – SRP $75
The limited production wines are launching first in California, Florida, Kentucky and New York and are available online at https://www.windracerwines.
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