Foley Family Wines Purchases Ramal East Vineyard

Carneros Property Will Provide Fruit For Chalk Hill Estate's New Sonoma Coast Tier

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Nov 21, 2012, 05:00 ET

HEALDSBURG, Calif., Nov. 21, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Foley Family Wines announced it has purchased the Ramal East Vineyard in the Carneros appellation of Sonoma County. The purchase includes approximately 206 acres planted mainly to Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

The grapes will be used primarily to support Chalk Hill Estate's new Sonoma Coast tier of wines. The tier is scheduled to launch in 2013 with the release of a small amount of the 2011 Sonoma Coast Chardonnay into limited distribution. Future plans call for increased production of Chardonnay in 2012 and 2013 and the introduction of a Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir with the 2013 vintage. These wines will be marketed at a lower price point than Chalk Hill's Estate wines.

According to proprietor Bill Foley, "With the launch of the new Sonoma Coast tier we needed to make sure the winemaking team had access to a consistent supply of high-quality fruit. When the opportunity arose to purchase a first-rate vineyard in Carneros we jumped at the prospect. This great piece of land will provide Chalk Hill with enough Chardonnay and Pinot Noir to support the growth we have projected for this new tier of wines."

About Foley Family Wines
Foley Family Wines was established by Bill Foley in 1996 with the acquisition Lincourt Vinyards in California's Santa Ynez Valley. Since then, Foley Family Wines has grown to become a major producer, marketer and distributor of highly-acclaimed, handmade wines from some of the world's greatest vineyards. Every brand in the company's portfolio is distinct and autonomous with its own identity, style, techniques and personnel. Foley Family Wines owns the following properties: Foley Estates (Santa Rita Hills, CA), Lincourt Vineyards (Solvang, CA), Merus (Napa Valley, CA), Foley Johnson (Napa Valley, CA), Kuleto (Napa Valley, CA), Altus (Napa, CA), Chalk Hill (Sonoma County, CA), Sebastiani (Sonoma County, CA), Lancaster Estate (Sonoma County, CA), Three Rivers Winery (Walla Walla, WA), Firestone Vineyard (Santa Ynez Valley, CA), Eos (Paso Robles, CA), Vavasour (Marlborough, New Zealand), Clifford Bay (Marlborough, New Zealand), and Te Kairanga (Martinborough, NZ). Bill Foley is Chairman of the Board of Directors for Fidelity National Inc and Executive Chairman of Fidelity National Information Services. Both are Fortune 500 companies.