Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/347498
M E T R I C S A fter looking last month at the top-selling brands priced $20 and higher, we decided to raise the ante this month and focus on domestic wines priced $40 and higher per bottle. The table shown at right, based on IRI off-premise data, ranks the top 20 brands in this price range based on sales figures for the 12 months ending June 1. Seventeen of the 20 brands are based in the Napa Valley, including the No. 1 brand in this price range, Caymus Vine- yards. Caymus sold $6 million worth of mostly Cabernet Sauvignon in the hundreds of U.S. food, drug, liquor, club and convenience stores monitored by IRI, the Chicago, Ill.-based market-research firm. The volume of Caymus wine sold was 6,545 cases, and the average price was $76.57 per bottle. In second place and $2 million behind was Stag's Leap Wine Cellars of Napa Valley. In third place was Sonoma County's Jordan Vineyard & Winery, with $3.8 million in sales and the largest case volume among the 20 brands: 7,382. The top three brands mentioned are the only ones that also made last month's ranking of $20-plus brands. Dominated by Cabernet Examining the brands by their most valuable varietals or types, 17 of the top 20 get their sales largely from Cabernet Sauvignon or Bordeaux-style blends. Two of the exceptions are California brands known for their Pinot Noir: Flowers from the Sonoma Coast and Goldeneye from Mendocino County. Opus One was the clear leader in terms of average price per bottle at $203.42, up $4.15 from a year earlier. Joseph Phelps Insignia took a price increase of $14.48 for the year and had the second-highest bottle price at $172.43. In lower price tiers new brands often rise quickly into the top-sales rankings, but not in this range. Beaulieu Vineyard Reserve wines at No. 8 are produced by a con- tinuously operating 114-year-old winery. Many of these names are iconic brands started or revived in the 1960s through 1970s, including Caymus, Heitz, Robert Mondavi, Joseph Phelps, Silver Oak, Jor- dan, Chateau Montelena and Shafer. Sales up 5% in June Combined domestic table wine and sparkling wine sales grew 5% in June from their June 2013 level, IRI reported. Twelve-month sales through June 15 grew 6%. Sparkling wine makes up only 5% of the sales total, and it grew by 7%. The fastest growing price segment for bottled wine was $20-plus, up 21% in June and 19% for 12 months. Premium boxed wines grew 23% in June and 21% for 12 months. —Jim Gordon M E T R I C S W i n e s & V i n e s A U G U s T 2 0 1 4 11 Caymus Leads Off-Premise Brands at $40-plus Top 20 Off-Premise Brands at $40-Plus sales in thousands Price change cases sold Bottle Price 1 caymus Vineyards $6,014 $0.31 6,545 $76.57 2 stag's Leap Wine cellars $4,004 – $0.28 7,145 $46.71 3 Jordan Vineyard & Winery $3,774 $0.81 7,382 $42.60 4 silver Oak $3,324 $0.02 3,905 $70.94 5 Heitz Wine cellars $1,898 $2.61 3,848 $41.11 6 Flowers Vineyard & Winery $1,443 – $0.12 2,911 $41.31 7 chimney rock $1,017 $2.70 1,426 $58.99 8 Beaulieu Vineyard reserve $886 $3.43 1,440 $51.25 9 Opus One $828 $4.15 339 $203.42 10 chateau Montelena $794 $2.60 1,400 $47.27 11 Faust $628 $1.49 1,199 $47.38 12 Darioush Winery $589 $4.76 946 $51.90 13 Goldeneye Winery $531 $2.44 839 $52.72 14 Joseph Phelps Vineyards $511 $5.16 770 $55.28 15 Joseph Phelps insignia $500 $14.48 241 $172.43 16 Franciscan estate signature $467 $4.59 971 $40.06 17 robert Mondavi Winery rsv. $440 $9.73 466 $78.60 18 shafer Vineyards $405 $8.48 481 $70.25 19 Paraduxx Winery $391 – $2.14 789 $41.36 20 Nickel & Nickel $310 $2.60 377 $68.47 12 months ending June 1, 2014. All brands Californian unless noted. Source: , Wines & Vines HoytShepston_Monthly09 10/31/08 4:44