ST. HELENA, CA (April, 27, 2020) — Two initiatives from Boisset Collection have been established to help give back to communities impacted by the COVID-19 virus. A portion of proceeds from a new wine, Victory Day, developed to commemorate the 75thanniversary of the end of World War II, will support veterans, while the Raymond Vineyards Sommelier Select Cabernet, usually an on-premise wine, is available direct to consumers and retailers to help out-of-work wine professionals.
Victory Day Red
To commemorate the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II on May 8, 1945, Boisset Collection has released a new wine and is donating a portion of the proceeds to support veterans’ causes. Victory Day, a blend of Sonoma County fruit, is named after the historic day that marked the conclusion to the world’s deadliest conflict. Boisset Collection is proudly donating $1 for every bottle sold to veterans’ charities.
“We feel it is so important to remember the day when the free world joined together to celebrate peace, and that is why we are proud to release Victory Day,” said Jean-Charles Boisset, Boisset Collection Proprietor whose grandparents served in the French Resistance. “Seventy-five years later this wine will also mark the triumph over a modern-day enemy, the virus that the entire world has joined together to fight.” Go here to view a video message from Jean-Charles.
The black and white image on the wine’s label is from a photo taken on Victory Day and shows American troops in Paris holding up copies of a newspaper with the headline reading “Peace.” The wine is a testament to Boisset’s Franco-American roots and business operations with winemakers on both continents as well as the long-held friendship between the two countries. Victory Day wine marks another chapter of celebration, commemoration, peace and commitment to our common culture and values.
Director of Sonoma County Winemaking Brian Maloney crafted the special 2018 red wine, which is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Petite Sirah, Grenache, Petit Verdot and Merlot. The wine has dark fruit aromas of black plum, raspberry, brambleberry and cassis and is rich and dense on the palate with flavors of blackberry, dark chocolate and a touch of baking spice. Victory Day has well-balanced acidity, nicely integrated tannins and a long finish.
The wine is being sold direct to customers in three-bottle packs for $135 through the following Boisset property websites: Buena Vista Winery, DeLoach Vineyards, Oakville Wine Merchant, JCB Collection and Wattle Creek. Free shipping is available when purchasing at least 6 bottles with the code 1945VD. Victory Day can also be purchased at Oakville Grocery’s locations in Oakville and Healdsburg. Join Jean-Charles and Brian Maloney on Thursday, May 7 at 6 p.m. as they discuss Victory Day wine and on Friday, May 8 at 6 p.m. as Jean-Charles celebrates the anniversary during a special installment to his online happy hours. Both sessions will be broadcast here.
Sommelier Select Cabernet Sauvignon
For the first time ever, Boisset Collection is making its 2017 Raymond Vineyards Sommelier Select Cabernet Sauvignon available directly to retailers and consumers (link here as well as at http://bit.ly/SommSelectWine) and is donating a portion of the proceeds to The United Sommeliers Foundation.
The wine, which has an SRP of $20 and is usually only sold to on-premise accounts (restaurants, bars, nightclubs, etc.), is crafted by rotating teams of sommeliers from around North America that Raymond brings to its Napa Valley winery each year. Given the unprecedented circumstances that has led to the unemployment of countless sommeliers and wine professionals, Boisset is inviting customers and retailers from around the country to purchase the wine in an act of solidarity and to help support them while they are unable to work due to business closures.
“We felt it was important to give back to these dynamic and knowledgeable members of our world who are usually on the floor every day sharing their love for our family of wines,” said Jean-Charles.
The Sommelier Selection Cabernet Sauvignon is blended from Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc from Napa, Sonoma and Lake counties. It has aromas of cherry and plum with floral undertones and lush flavors of raspberry, black currant, nutmeg and a sweet cocoa characteristic that is compliment by white pepper. It has an elegant mouthfeel with a juicy finish and is an excellent pairing with many hearty dishes. Join Raymond winemakers Stephanie Putnam and Thane Knutson on Wednesday, May 6 at 1 p.m. here to hear more about the Sommelier Select Cab during their weekly virtual session.
In addition, Boisset Collection is inviting sommeliers and other wine professionals to join its Ambassador program, a direct-to-consumer sales channel of independent contractors who sell Boisset wines to their personal networks of colleagues, friends and family. In an effort to make it easy and affordable for industry professionals to get started, the fee to join the program is only $1. Boisset provides its Ambassadors with their own personalized website, handles all the financial transactions, and conveniently ships wine orders on their behalf. Ambassadors earn generous commissions of 10% to 35%. Learn more about the opportunity here and watch Jean-Charles explain the program further on Thursday April, 30 during the “Global Terroir” seminar at 9 a.m. PST hosted by The SOMM Journal and SommCon; register here. Webinar registration is free, but there is a “Pay What You Want” option to help industry professionals, with 50% of all contributions benefitting the SOMM Relief Project, which provides aid to wine professionals and grants to organizations including The United Sommeliers Foundation, a non-profit organization created to help wine professionals impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic cover basic necessities including costs associated with housing, medical care, family support and child and adult care.
ABOUT BOISSET COLLECTION
Boisset Collection is a family-owned collection of historic and unique properties bound together by a common cause: authentic, terroir-driven wines and luxury goods in harmony with their history, their future and the land and people essential to their existence. With more than twenty-five historical and prestigious wineries and tasting salons in the world’s preeminent terroirs, including the Côte d’Or, Beaujolais, Rhône Valley, California’s Russian River Valley and the Napa Valley, each house retains its unique history, identity and style, and all are united in the pursuit of fine wines expressive of their terroir. Boisset Collection has also branched out beyond wine to the gourmet food realm as well as offers luxury goods including jewelry, perfume and home accessories of its own design and from partnerships with historic companies such as Baccarat, Lalique, Christofle and Bernardaud. To learn more about the Boisset Collection, visit www.boissetcollection.com.
