Wynns Coonawarra Estate John Riddoch Cabernet Sauvignon and Jim Barry The Armagh Shiraz will soon be launched through La Place de Bordeaux and distributed through the fine wine network.
The deal sees the two wines join the company of Californian and Italian wine icons, in reaching a wide network of international fine wine buyers and collectors in over 100 countries.
This milestone has been facilitated by Australian wine brokers Tom Portet and Emma Thienpont and their company Australian First Growths.
Portet said: “The launch of John Riddoch and The Armagh through La Place de Bordeaux is a new chapter in Australian wine history. It highlights the increasing recognition and potential of Australian fine wine in the international market. It also gives us an opportunity to tell our unique story to the most engaged fine wine buyers in the world.”
Both Wynns John Riddoch and Jim Barry The Armagh enjoyed landmark vintages in 2016 and this deal will see them distributed by some of Bordeaux’s most powerful and influential négociant houses.
Thienpont said: “Wynns John Riddoch is one of Australia’s most visionary red wines. It exemplifies the modern era of winemaking where science, 19th Century ambition, a unique terroir and contemporary technology all interconnect to make something lasting and beautiful.”
Portet added: “Jim Barry The Armagh Shiraz is an Australian classic combining power, generosity and elegance. It distils a strong family winemaking tradition, generations of winemaking and a feeling for a unique place. This highly expressive wine has incredible polish, balance and a proven track record for long term ageing.”
The choice of these wines to spearhead Australia’s fine wine agenda through La Place de Bordeaux is described as “calculated and deliberate”. It is timed to take advantage of a relatively weak Australian dollar and the movement towards value in the ultra-premium markets and also maximise sales sales into multiple fine wine markets in a post-covid world.
Thienpont said: “Australian First Growths will steer these two great wines through the Bordeaux system with the intent of building the prestige and moving story of Australian wine. It may seem like a small step but this breakthrough is massive. For over 100 years La Place de Bordeaux has been the traditional sales channel for the most prestigious wines from Bordeaux, and now around the world.
“By launching Wynns John Riddoch and Jim Barry The Armagh, a select number of Bordeaux Négociants have shown an enlightened belief that our best wines can compete with the greatest wines in the world. As an Australian living in Bordeaux, I think that’s very exciting.”