SIP Away with WINDRACER

This wine is quite good, we’ll probably make it our official deadline Pinot Noir, it’s exceptionally tasty. (I’m pretty sure that’s not a proper calibration of fine wine but clearly I’m not an aficionado of wines apart from the fact that I like to drink them while doing layouts in the office.) I will admit however that over the course of the last few years, I’ve had some amazing opportunities to taste and learn from some of the masters of the trade so I’m confident enough to say I know a good Pinot Noir when I taste one. The WindRacer Pinot Noir, out of SEALIFT Vineyard on the Sonoma Coast, has not only made layouts more interesting but lives up to its peers/labels emerging from the extensive Jackson Family Wines umbrella.

In addition to the wine being top notch, the story was even more interesting as it’s the result of true #horselady drive and is compared to the spirit of raising Thoroughbreds. According to the label, Elite racehorses and fine wines have more than a few things in common. Cultivating both requires extensive effort, exceptional care and a nurturing spirit. Barbara Banke and Peggy Furth are visionaries rooted in friendship that have proven both women to be unstoppable in business. WindRacer is their newest venture and comes from their shared passions for horses and wine and exemplifies their dedication to excellence in everything they do. Connoisseurs of fine wines, owners of some of the most successful racehorses in the world and friends for decades both women were eager to combine their two shared passions into a singular, luxury brand. WindRacer wines are created to elegantly express a sense of place, earn best-in-class accolades and stay competitive, worldwide.

Both women built successful independent careers long before getting involved in the wine industry, then poured their talents into family businesses to create world class wineries. Before working with her late husband, Jess Jackson, to develop Jackson
Family Wines, Barbara was a Land Use and Constitutional Law Attorney. She spent more than a decade arguing cases before the United States Supreme Court and Courts of Appeal. That background ultimately helped her grow the Jackson’s vineyard holdings with world-class properties. Likewise, Peggy held the distinction of being the first female executive at Kellogg’s as Vice President of Public Affairs. This business acumen became especially important as she and her late husband, Fred Furth, founded and grew Chalk Hill Estates & Vineyards. From the beginning, she had a hand in all aspects of the family business and later took over all winery operations. Entrepreneurs at heart, Peggy and Barbara have worked together for years on multiple ventures. They have both been actively involved in supporting and raising funds for a variety of foundations and nonprofits for families and children. In 2004, they founded the Imagine Wine Auction (now known as Sonoma Paradiso), which raised upwards of
$6 million for local children’s causes. They also are the visionaries and co-authors behind the innovation at Sonomaceuticals and WellVineTM, which creatively uses grape pomace for highly nutritious food ingredients. In 2020 they launched a luxury winemaker’s chocolate company, Vine to Bar, featuring WellVineTM Chardonnay Marc.
For both Barbara and Peggy, raising and riding top flight horses is a passion and a business as important as their wine interests. At Chalk Hill, Peggy built an exquisite indoor equestrian center and show ring for her international dressage horses. Barbara took on the race track and established the family’s Lexington-based equestrian racing stables, Stonestreet Farm in Kentucky where she raises world class race horses. WindRacer Wines is the culmination of Barbara and Peggy’s lifelong passions, producing luxury wines from extreme vineyard sites with dedication and hard work to make the very best. From these handpicked vineyard lots they produce Thoroughbred wines from the Pacific Coast’s most esteemed vineyards.

From the Wine Maker

Like raising an elite racehorse, producing a world-class wine requires a skilled hand to turn the pedigree into a champion. Confident, precise and hands-on, WindRacer Winemaker Nikki Weerts transforms the raw beauty and power of these grapes into refined, elegant wines.WindRacer is a natural fit for Nikki, who has always been attracted to Burgundian varieties, one for its versatility the other for its flawless expression of place. “I have a history with Chardonnay and have always loved the way it acts as a canvas for a winemaker’s style, while Pinot Noir is the ultimate expression of a site. With minimal intervention and no manipulation, the delicacy and character of the Pinot Noir grape can be captured perfectly in the glass.”

In a Nut Shell or Wine glass

By combining their passionate pursuit of the very best in wine with their deep affection for the Thoroughbred racing lifestyle, Barbara and Peggy’s decision to pursue nothing less than excellence in world-class viticulture and winemaking has resulted in extraordinary, award-winning Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. WindRacer wines met and exceeded the exacting standards of visionary Vineyard Director Shaun Kajiwara and renowned vintner Nikki Weerts, and a new pedigree of luxury wines was cultivated with care. From the rugged North Coast vineyards of Sonoma and Mendocino Counties, these wines display exceptional quality that comes from the highest pedigree. Sourced from individual blocks within uniquely-positioned vineyards, the small-lot Chardonnay and Pinot Noir bottleings display an elegant sense of terroir, reflective of these extreme viticulture sites. Sites include EDMEADES VINEYARD, SEALIFT VINEYARD, SKYCREST VINEYARD, SARALEE’S VINEYARD, BLOOMFIELD VINEYARD, ALEXANDER MOUNTAIN ESTATE.