The Biltmore Estate Wine Company is pleased to introduce four new red wines for the premier Biltmore™ Reserve collection. The new releases include a 2007 Dry Creek Valley Cabernet Franc, 2007 Napa Valley Merlot, 2007 Chalk Hill Zinfandel and a 2007 Sonoma County Passport. These fine wines reflect their source and honor long-standing partnerships—some spanning two decades—with superb California growers. For this collection, Biltmore Winemakers, Bernard Delille and Sharon Fenchak select superb domestic vintages. The label features a dinner plate from the Vanderbilt family china as a mark of the legendary hospitality of Biltmore.

 

“The Passport name, for example, was inspired by George Vanderbilt’s world travels and collections. This wine is a Bordeaux-style blend of three different grapes; it is medium to full-bodied with round tannins and a lingering finish,” notes Sharon Fenchak, Biltmore Winemaker.

 

Delille and Fenchak travel to the West Coast several times each year to monitor progress, tasting samples, providing direction on winemaking techniques, and personally selecting the best wines for the collection. The recent addition of these wines expands the depth of Biltmore’s current portfolio to nearly 50 different wines.
 

The first vineyards at Biltmore were established in 1971 in an area below Biltmore House. French-American hybrids were planted initially, with vinifera plantings following in a few years. Inspired after several years of experimenting, William A.V. Cecil, then president and owner of Biltmore, decided that a winery was the natural outcome of ongoing research and a logical extension of his grandfather's intention that the estate be self-supporting.

 

Cecil’s grandfather, George W. Vanderbilt, was the man who conceived and created Biltmore, with its 250-room French Renaissance-style chateau, landscaped gardens and original 125,000 acres of land. Built between 1889 and 1895, Biltmore House is a National Historic Landmark and the largest privately owned home in America. When vineyard experiments indicated a wine operation was feasible, Cecil did just as his grandfather would have done—sought the best possible help available. 

 

Today Biltmore’s winemakers work together on experimentation with different grape varietals, yeast, barrels and new equipment to constantly improve Biltmore Wines and help the winery continue to please the ever-changing consumer palette. Demand for Biltmore Wine continues to grow and the company draws inspiration from its rich history, producing new wines as a natural continuation of George W. Vanderbilt’s vision.

 

Biltmore wines are currently available in Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Georgia, Florida, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington, D.C., and West Virginia.

 

To learn more about Biltmore Wines or to access the regional wine-buying guide, please visit www.biltmorewine.com.