California’s Bogle Taps Innovation Pipeline To Spur Growth

Clarksburg, California-based Bogle Family Wine Collection ranks among the top 20 wine marketers in the U.S. at approximately 2.7 million cases, with the portfolio led by its namesake brand at around 2.3 million cases. The family-owned company has zeroed in on innovation to drive growth in recent years, and is now launching an entirely new brand, Elemental, with lofty expectations.

Elemental is part of the alternative packaging movement, packaged in lightweight aluminum bottles and retailing at $17 a 750-ml. across a lineup that will initially include Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, Rosé, and Pinot Noir. The brand’s aluminum bottle—which the company says imparts no difference in taste compared with glass—is in response to the fact that glass wine bottles represent the biggest contributor to the industry’s carbon footprint. Bogle notes that Elemental’s bottles are 80% lighter than typical glass packaging and can be infinitely recycled.

Early response from the trade has been strong, and Bogle is gearing up for a large launch starting this month. “We already have commitments from retailers that have national footprints, so we will be shipping it to every state this year,” Bogle vice president of marketing Paul Englert told SND. “Our entire portfolio that we sell through the three-tier system is $8 to $20. So this fits nicely within our current price segments and it also acknowledges where the growth is and that consumers are trading up into this $15 to $20 price range.”

Jody Bogle, vice president of consumer relations, noted that while Elemental fared well across demographics during testing, “Where we saw the biggest spike was women age 21 to 39. That is a demographic that everyone’s trying to hit right now.” She added, “It’s important to note that these are not Bogle Family Vineyards wines put into an aluminum bottle; they’re specifically made for the Elemental program.” The new brand is gaining visibility at the Sundance Film Festival this month as the official wine brand, and in the spring it will be backed by a consumer advertising push.

Elsewhere in the Bogle portfolio, the Juggernaut brand ($18-$20) continues to be a growth driver for the company, cresting 300,000 cases last year, roughly doubling in size from 2020. “The original Hillside Cabernet Sauvignon has tremendous sales velocity, and our distribution still has a lot of room for growth,” said Englert. This year Juggernaut is adding a Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc to the lineup. Meanwhile, the Phantom label ($15-$18), which began as a reserve selection of the Bogle brand and receives extra barrel aging, is at around 125,000 cases.

“The company five years ago was pretty much Bogle Vineyards, a couple SKUs, a few premium selection wines, pretty tight, pretty low profile,” said Bogle. “(Now we have) brands at different strategic price points, different demographics, different marketing groups. It’s become a diverse stable of wines under the portfolio and we’re moving forward in that manner.”—Daniel Marsteller

Tagged : bogle, Elemental, Juggernaut, Phantom

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