News Briefs for July 14, 2014
July 14, 2014•Daniel and Florence Cathiard, the dynamic owners of Château Smith-Haut-Lafitte, are taking their talents for managing top Bordeaux wine properties to several new estates, Wine Spectator reports. Partnering with the Moulin family, owners of the upscale Paris shopping center Galeries Lafayette, the couple has acquired a stake in four châteaus. As part of the deal, the Cathiards will manage the estates. The price of the agreement wasn’t disclosed. The wineries include 43-acre Château Beauregard in Pomerol, 20-acre Pavillon de Beauregard in Lalande-de-Pomerol, 138-acre Château Bastor-Lamontagne in Sauternes and 84-acre Château St.-Robert in Graves. The Moulin family will be the majority shareholders. This is the first joint venture for the Cathiards, and the first time they’ve signed on specifically as managers.
•Massachusetts has approved direct-shipping for both in- and out-of-state wineries along with its 2015 budget, which was signed Friday by governor Deval Patrick. As of January 1, 2015, wineries may apply for a direct shipping permit that costs an initial $300 and can be renewed annually for $150. Licensed wineries will then be able to ship 12 nine-liter cases per purchaser per calendar year. Massachusetts has been one of the most important wine-consuming markets to remain a holdout on direct shipping. In terms of per-capita consumption, it ranks third after Washington, D.C. and New Hampshire, at nearly 6 gallons annually, according to Impact Databank. Advocacy group American Wine Consumer Coalition has pointed out that the new law still leaves significant restrictions on direct-shipping, including the barring of foreign-produced wines and shipments directly from retailers.
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