Russian River Valley icon Gary Farrell Vineyards and Winery has entered into a long-term exclusive distribution agreement to partner with VINTUS in the United States effective January 1, 2020.
In 1982, Healdsburg, California based Gary Farrell released 55 cases of his first wine in the not-yet-defined appellation of the Russian River Valley. With a seminal group of winemakers, Gary Farrell became one of the most acclaimed California producers of artisanal Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, bringing attention to the picturesque, redwood-studded Russian River Valley AVA of Sonoma. Purchased in 2011 by Bill Price, Managing Partner of Kistler, and a group of investors, the current Gary Farrell team has pushed its vision of creating detailed, complex and extraordinary wines from the greatest cool climate sites in the Russian River to ever higher levels.
Since winemaker Theresa Heredia joined in 2012, Gary Farrell has been named 2015 Winery of the Year by Pinot Report; 2016 Winery of the year by Pinot File; its Chardonnay Russian River Valley Selection 2015 was named #1 Wine Enthusiast Wine of the Year in 2017; Wine & Spirits Magazine named Gary Farrell a Top 100 Winery of the Year in 2019 and a range of its Pinots and Chardonnays as top U.S. entries for the year; and, in sum, the wines have garnered over 500 reviews of 90+ scores in the last 6 years.
General Manager Nancy Bailey stated, “We are truly grateful for the support of and work with all of our partners over the last decade. We have decided to make this change as we believe VINTUS is completely aligned with our long term vision of how to sell our Pinot Noir Russian River Selection, Hallberg Vineyard Pinot Noir, Chardonnay Russian River Selection and Olivet Lane Chardonnay through wholesale in the United States.”
VINTUS is a preeminent U.S. fine wine and spirits importer and marketing agent that represents a diverse, international range of extraordinary wineries. The company has five times been named a Wine & Spirits Importer of the Year (2015-2016-2017-2018-2019) and in 2017 was named Wine Enthusiast Importer of the Year. VINTUS Founder and CEO Michael Quinttus commented, “Anyone who has visited the Gary Farrell winery has been enchanted by the panoramic views of the Russian River forest below. Even more impressive is the ultimate dedication to quality and terroir-driven wines from the Russian River pursued by the entire team at Gary Farrell. It’s an honor to work with this iconic estate, and thrilling to know that its greatest days are still ahead.”
VINTUS’ portfolio today includes Champagne Bollinger, E. Guigal, Chateau Minuty, Ornellaia, Masseto, Chateau Montelena, Ponzi Vineyards, Pétrus, Château La Fleur-Pétrus, Château Margaux, Masciarelli, Tommasi, Sandrone, Le Macchiole, Quinta do Noval, Dog Point Vineyard, Errazuriz, Finca Decero, and others totaling 40 leading global estates.
Gary Farrell will be distributed nationally by the VINTUS network of distributors.
