Villa Arceno Makes Its American Debut
Kendall-Jackson Wine Estates Collection Offers Wines From Tuscany
The Tuscan soil has borne celebrated
wine grapes for centuries.
Kendall-Jackson Wine Estates can only look back over two short decades.
Now, that age-old Tuscan heritage
combines with Kendall-Jackson's
fresh perspective to deliver the first Kendall-Jackson wines from Italy.
They will appear under the Villa Arceno label in four offerings: Merlot,
Syrah, Chianti Classico Riserva and Arguzzio, a Super-Tuscan.
"Everything is in place,
and Villa Arceno is ready to take on a
Herculean task," said Vincent Valverde, marketing director for Villa
Arceno. "We're about to show the world something new about Tuscan
wines."
Kendall-Jackson Wine Estates has
spent the last seven years
preparing for this day, renovating and replanting the estate on the
southern edge of the Chianti Classico region near Siena, selecting ideal
grapevine clones and vineyard sites, and matching barrel-aged lots to
achieve the ideal blends. Villa Arceno has been established in this spot
since 1617.
Winemaker Jonathan Rodwell, a Briton
with worldwide winemaking
experience, has supervised the Villa Arceno renaissance. His goal is
matching the heart of the Tuscan terroir, what he calls "the spirit of the
place," with Kendall-Jackson's artisan approach to winemaking.
"Building on the nuances
of a particular vineyard creates an
identity that makes a wine unique," Rodwell said. "It can make a
winery and
'old friend' for those who take the time to appreciate wine's incredible
diversity."
The thin Spartan soil of Tuscany has
yielded for centurieswines
that have become legends around the world. "We are humbled at
the
challenge, but we're also confident that we can add still another chapter
to the history of Tuscan wines," Rodwell said.
Villa Arceno will first be available
at select restaurants and
retailers in New York, Chicago, Boston and California. The Kendall-Jackson
website will also offer the wines for sale to those in selected states
where such sales are legal.
Kendall-Jackson Wine Estates bought
Villa Arceno in 1994 with a
goal of putting "American hands in Tuscan soil." The estate dates back
to
the 11th century. The current 2,200-acre (880-hectare) property was
established in 1617, and in the ensuing years has served as a hunting
preserve and producer of olive oil, in addition to producing wine. For the
past few vintages, Kendall-Jackson has produced wine for the overseas
market alone.
About Jonathan Rodwell, Winemaker
Having made wine in seven nations,
Jonathan Rodwell is better able
than most to capture what terroir can mean for wines.
"Our goal is to maximize
the potential of the fruit grown in the
unique soil and climate of southeastern Chianti Classico," he said as he
prepared to showcase the first Villa Arceno wines for market.
He took command of Villa Arceno
winemaking when Jess Jackson found
him working with Romanian wineries in the early 1990s. The road that led
him there wound through the major winemaking countries of the world.
Early on his journey, a laboring job
in France led the teenage
Rodwell to return to his native London for a food science degree. When he
graduated in 1980, he sought out more wine training at the University of
California, Davis. During breaks he interned at Robert Mondavi Winery in
Napa Valley.
He worked more harvests in France and
Napa Valley before gaining
the chief winemaking job at Franciscan Estates.
Then began his career as a flying
winemaker. He ceaselessly jetted
in and out of the world's wine hot spots, eventually advising winemakers in
Chile, Russia, France, Corsica and Tuscany. When he met Jess Jackson, he
was coordinating the efforts of seven cooperatives in Romania. Yet Villa
Arceno is his most satisfying challenge to date, he said.
"We intend to work hard with the
traditional varieties of Tuscany,
yet give something back in terms of diversity to the region," he said.
"We
expect to create one of the finest and most diverse winemaking estates in
the region."
Villa Arceno History
Villa Arceno estate rests amid the
rolling hills of the Chianti
Classico district, in the commune of Castelnuovo Berardenga, province of
Siena. There, winemakers have produced wines of exceptional depth and
character for hundreds of years.
Historically known as the "Tenuta
di Villa Arceno," the estate once
produced wheat, olives, grapes and pigs. The name Arceno derives from an
Etruscan word for "border" or "riverbank." Two rivers, the
Ambra on the
east side and the Ombrone on the west, border the estate.
Historical mention of the site dates
back to the 11th century,
naming the Tenuta (or autonomous land holding) part of the feudal holdings
of the Counts of Berardenga. The current 2,200-acre (880-hectare) estate
was officially founded in 1617 during the "Rinascimiento" that
established
Florence and Siena as important European centers of trade and artistic
expression.
Villa Arceno saw its golden age in
the 17th and 18th centuries with
construction of the neo-classical villa. The Tenuta di Arceno emerged as
one of the great estates of the Province of Siena. Renowned for its wine
and olive oil, its setting reflected the Arcadian ideal of landscape
architecture.
Kendall-Jackson, recognizing the
immense potential of Arceno, in
1994 purchased the agricultural concerns of the estate--880 hectares of
vineyards, olive orchards, woodland and unplanted arable land.
Since 1995, an ambitious project of
modernization and replanting
has taken place under direction of Winemaker Jonathan Rodwell. The
winemaker and vineyard managers match sites with prized rootstock and
clones, using scientific methods unknown until recent years. The team has
upgraded winemaking equipment and practices with an eye to fostering what
is richest and most unique in their Tuscan vineyards.
Initial Releases
Arguzzio™, 1998 Super Tuscan,
Toscana I.G.T.
A proprietary blend of Sangiovese,
Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon,
aged 20 months in French oak from Allier and Nevers, medium-plus toast.
Layers of ripe dark cherry, black currant, vanilla and complex earthy
flavors. 100% estate grown. Alcohol: 13.7%, TA: 0.62, pH:
3.2
$50 retail, 3,250 six-bottle cases.
Chianti Classico Riserva, 1997, D.O.C.G.
Sangiovese and noble Bordeaux grapes.
Aged 12 months in French
oak. Full-bodied with intense aromas of blackberry, cherry and toasted
oak. 100% estate grown.
Alcohol: 13.7%, TA: 0.67, pH:3.3
$19.99 retail, 2,673 cases
Syrah, 1998, Toscana I.G.T.
100% Syrah, aged eight months in
French oak. 100% estate grown.
Concentrated, mature berry character. Deep, rich color, high acid and
luxuriant flavors of licorice, plum, dark cherry and exotic spices.
Alcohol: 13.5%, TA: 0.63, pH:3.3
$17.99 retail, 560 six-bottle cases
Merlot, 1998, Toscana I.G.T.
100% Merlot aged 14 months in French
oak. 100% estate grown.
Distinct flavors of chocolate, ripe cherry and blueberry. Alcohol: 13%,
TA: 0.54, pH:3.4.
$17.99 retail, 1,250 six-bottle cases
Contact: Mike Winters
(707) 525-6217
(Mwinters@kjmail.com)
James Caudill (707)
525-6229
After Hours
(707) 939-3788
(Jcaudil@kjmail.com)
Digital Art Available, JPEG or TIFF Hi Res
James Caudill, (707) 525-6229
JCaudil@kjmail.com or
BigJim_Caudill@compuserve.com
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