Press Release: Chateau Margene Acquires Roxo Port Cellars

We just got this Press Release from our buddies over at Parker Sanpei. We think this is pretty exciting news for the Paso Robles wine industry.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Chateau Margene Acquires Roxo Port Cellars
Paso Robles’ preeminent Port-style producer is now part of Michael & Margene Mooney’s family of award-winning craft wineries, including Chateau Margene, Mooney Family Wines, El Pistolero and J Mooney Wines.

Sept 6, 2016 (Paso Robles, Calif.) – Michael and Margene Mooney are proud to announce they have officially taken over the operations of the award-winning Port-style producer Roxo Port Cellars, roxocellars.com, of Paso Robles, California.

“We are excited to add Roxo Port Cellars to our family of wines,” says Michael Mooney, co-owner and winemaker of Chateau Margene, Mooney Family Wines and El Pistolero, chateaumargene.com. “Having shared a tasting room with Roxo Port Cellars, we are very familiar with Jeff and Kim, their Port offerings and the time and care they put in to their program. This is an excellent addition to our portfolio of Central Coast brands.”

Roxo Port Cellars was founded in 2005 by Jeff and Kim Steele. The winery specializes in producing small-lot Port-style wines from handpicked grapes from Paso Robles and the Cienega Valley, CA. The Steeles’ unbridled passion and winemaking talent elevated Roxo into a leader in American Port-style wines.

Roxo Port Cellars and the Mooney Family have a long relationship, having shared a tasting room for three years on Vineyard Drive in Paso Robles. Starting Sept. 16, Roxo Port wines will be available at Chateau Margene’s two tasting rooms: the Estate Tasting Room in the Creston District AVA of Paso Robles and its coastal Tasting Room on the Embarcadero in Morro Bay, CA.

The Steeles will still be active with Roxo, working with the popular wine club, consulting on Port-style winemaking and pouring at special events and wine-event weekends.

“In order to propel Roxo Port Cellars to the next level, we are passing the torch,” says Jeff Steele. “We are confident the Mooney family, who continually strives for excellence and shares our values, is the best choice to bring Roxo Port Cellars to a place above and beyond what we dreamed for our family-owned winery.”

About The Chateau Margene Family of Wines

CHATEAU MARGENE
The Chateau Margene label, founded in 1997, is dedicated to growing and producing world-class Cabernet Sauvignon and Bordeaux-style blends from the Paso Robles region that have a legacy of garnering  high critical acclaim. The wines of Chateau Margene are available in their tasting rooms in Creston and Morro Bay on weekends and at fine wine retailers and select restaurants. Chateau Margene’s online home is chateaumargene.com.

ROXO PORT CELLARS
Launched in 2005, Roxo Port Cellars specialize in ultra-premium Port-style wines. “Metodo Portugues” adorns the label and translates to “the Portuguese method.” Roxo Port Cellars produces Port-style wine using only traditional methods with minimal interference.  The grapes are exclusively hand-picked and sourced from esteemed Paso Robles and Cienega Valley vineyards in California. Each vineyard was carefully selected for its location, farming practices and superior fruit. For more information, please visit roxocellars.com.

MOONEY FAMILY WINES
The Mooney Family label’s singular focus is presenting the best, limited-release, vineyard-designate Pinot Noir from some of the top vineyard estates in the cool-climate Santa Lucia Highlands (SLH) appellation. Michael Mooney works closely with four well-known SLH properties: Boekenoogen, Vigna Monte Nero, and Tondre & Hahn. Highly rated by Wine Enthusiast and Wine Spectator, Michael’s close association with these winegrowers assures that only the very best Pinot Noir grapes are harvested.  The limited Mooney Family wines are available at the Creston and the Morro Bay tasting rooms on weekends and online at mooneyfamilywines.com.

EL PISTOLERO
The El Pistolero wines (Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir & Chardonnay) are wines of superior quality and offered daily at the tasting room on the Embarcadero in Morro Bay.  The “El Pistolero” name refers to Michael’s forefathers on the Central Coast – who, in 1842, held a 32,000 acre Mexican land grant (Cañada de Los Osos) in the Los Osos Valley of San Luis Obispo, California.  The 2013 El Pistolero Pinot Noir received 94 points and Editor’s Choice from Wine Enthusiast. For more information, please visit elpistolerowines.com.

J MOONEY WINES
J Mooney, Michael & Margene’s son Jon’s label, produces bold, complex Rhône style wines using Syrah, Grenache & Mourvèdre. The grapes are sourced from the Adelaida and Willow Creek AVAs of Paso Robles, CA. With over fifteen years of experience working in all facets of the family wine business, Jon strives to express his unique style with a fruit-forward approach and minimal intervention in the winemaking process.

For more information about The Mooney Family Portfolio of Wines, please contact Michael Mooney at: Michael@ChateauMargene.com or by calling (805) 238-2321.

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CONTACT:
Linda Sanpei
Parker Sanpei
Linda@ParkerSanpei.com
805.543.2288