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J ANU AR Y NEWS MARCH NEWS Headlines PlumpJack Group Expands Holdings N apa Valley, Calif.—PlumpJack Group, owner of PlumpJack and CADE wineries in Napa Valley, is acquiring the Steltzner Vineyard property and winery in the valley's Stags Leap District. The group, owned largely by Gordon Getty and California Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, along with John Conover, general manager of 10,000-case PlumpJack Winery and partner, co-owner and general manager of 12,000-case CADE Winery, will use the 40-acre property to develop a new Stags Leap wine brand. The property contains 36 acres of vine- yards planted to Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec, Cabernet Franc, Tinto- ria and Pinotage. "PlumpJack Group was presented with an opportunity to purchase an exceptional vineyard from a pioneering grapegrower, Dick Steltzner," Conover said. "This vineyard reflects our vision and com- mitment to estate-grown wines, allows us to produce wines from the Stags Leap Dis- trict and helps meet the growing demand for extraordinary wines." The group has properties on the valley floor in Oakville, the steep terrain of Howell Mountain and now in the Stags Leap District. The sale does not include the Steltzner brand or the other vineyards owned by the Steltzner family in the Stags Leap and Oak Knoll districts or the Steltzner vineyard in Carneros. The 15,000-case Steltzner Vine- yards winery will move to a new location. Dick Steltzner said, "We are happy that the PlumpJack Group will continue the tradi- tion of this historic property acquired by the Parker family in the 1880s and then by me in 1965. Our family will continue to grow grapes and make wine in the Napa Valley." 14 Wines & Vines MARCH 2012 Producer acquires Stags Leap property NEWS BY TE S T Learn more: Search keywords "Oregon gris." CAN PINOT GRIS RULE IN OREGON? he Oregon Pinot Gris Marketing Group is looking to raise awareness of the grape alongside Oregon's best- known variety, Pinot Noir. "Oregon has done a phenomenal job at letting the world know that we produce fine Pinot Noirs, but that's it," said Oak Knoll Winery president Greg Lint. Lint and others feel Pinot Gris presents a prime opportunity for Oregon growers, because no other state has laid claim to the variety, and it is well suit- ed to Oregon's cool growing conditions. California-based wine publicist Jo Diaz said plans for raising awareness include not only a website but regular outreach to media and the industry. winesandvines.com BULk WINE ExPORTS GROWING H Jeff Owens will be responsible for making wines from the new vineyard property. The PlumpJack Group has appointed a new winemaker for the acquisition, Jeff Owens, formerly assistant winemaker at CADE. The first vintage of the new brand's estate Cabernet Sauvignon will be 2011, to be released in 2013. A second brand of wines will be available only in the tasting room beginning this summer. Priced from $30 to $150 per bot- tle, some 10,000 cases will be produced annually. A temporary hospitality room will open winesandvines.com Learn more: Search keyword "Steltzner." this summer, with a new hospitality room scheduled to open in 2015. —Paul Franson uge growth in the exports of bulk wine from New World countries is having a big impact in their target markets—including the United States. Driven primarily by currency fluctuations and costs of shipping and importing bot- tled wines, bulk wine exports have risen from 23% of total wine exports from New World countries in 2001 to 43% in 2010, according to a report released by Rabobank. Most of the bulk wine is mod- erately priced; the commodity has grown because of price pressure in markets in the U.S., the UK and Germany. TABLAS CREEk ADDS TO ESTATE T ablas Creek Vineyard has acquired a neighboring 150-acre parcel with some 15 acres of planted vineyard and a stream-fed lake. The winery already had been leasing a portion of the new prop- erty when the owner decided to sell. The 18,000-case winery, which recently com- pleted an expansion of its winemaking fa- cility, is also in the process of transition- ing to Biodynamic practices.