Roberson adds Cali wines to London Cru

By Lisa Riley

Published: 29 October, 2020

Roberson Wine has expanded its own London Cru brand with two Californian producers, marking the first wines from the wine country to join the portfolio.

Part of a new ‘London Cru in California’ project, the initiative will see the addition of a Californian Pinot Noir and Chardonnay to London Cru’s range.

The business said it has partnered with Domaine de la Cote and Tatomer Wines to give UK wine lovers "their first ever” opportunity to compare wines made using the same winemaking protocols, from two entirely distinct regions in California and England.

For this first vintage, London Cru’s head winemaker Alex Hurley will be collaborating with Sashi Moorman of Sandhi / Domaine de la Cote and Graham Tatomer of Tatomer Wines to match their winemaking protocols with those followed by London Cru’s own winery near Earls Court.

This will mean that both London and California will be producing Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from the 2020 vintage, using the same winemaking methods.

The project would “leverage Roberson Wine’s unparalleled reputation for US wine specialism to expand its operation”, said MD Talya Roberson.

“When we opened London Cru in 2013, it was the UK’s first urban winery, and we want to be the first to extend our brand into the US.

“We’re not interested in slapping our label on someone else’s wine; we’re building a true long-term partnership and aim to open a permanent base in California,” she said.

Commercial director Simon Huntington added: “In a time of unparalleled business uncertainty, we see an opportunity to be bold and to invest in new projects that interest us and keep us interesting.

“With the latest releases from Sashi Moorman and Graham Tatomer selling out in record time, we think our trade and retail customers will be hugely turned on by these new wines, made both in California and London.”

The 2020 vintage London Cru Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs will be available to purchase in the UK via Roberson Wine from 2021.

As part of our sustainable vision for London Cru, since 2017 the wines made in the winery have come from grapes exclusively sourced from English vineyards.

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