French winemaker Barton & Guestier is celebrating 290 years in 2015 and has launched a new expression called Héritage to mark the anniversary.
In a release about its latest developments, the company also noted that it was seeing strong sales in the USA. Since its 18th century beginnings, foreign markets have been important in the company’s development; even in the early 1800s Barton & Guestier had a US office in Baltimore.
Miami-based Barton & Guestier USA was created following the company’s acquisition by Catel in 2010. It aimed to reintroduce France’s oldest wine brand to American wine consumers.
Héritage, a Syrah and Grenache blend, is described by Barton & Guestier as the “ultimate wine brand” This year, Barton & Guestier said, sales in the USA were “back on the upswing, benefiting from better category conditions and a new focus on AOC wines with higher price points”. Sales are up about +30% this year, it noted, with annual volume rising to nearly 150,000 cases.
With depletions accelerating and continuous investments, the B&G portfolio should reach 250,000-300,000 cases in the next three years in the USA.
“Like the great Cognacs, the most exclusive whiskies or the most illustrious Champagnes, Héritage is the reference of high end consistent quality,” the winemaker stated. A blend of Syrah and Grenache sourced from the region north of the Languedoc and south of the Rhône, Héritage is presented in bottles reminiscent of original Barton & Guestier wines. Priced at US$19.99 (€15), it is available in the USA and other markets in selected amounts on allocation.
As part of its anniversary celebrations Barton & Guestier has offered its fans the chance to win a trip for two to visit the company’s Chateau Magnol, a noted AOC Haut-Médoc, Cru Bourgeois wine, the company’s headquarters, guesthouse and site of its Food & wine Academy. Details of the offer, which runs until 30 November, are available on the company’s new website.
