Dear friends and fellow wine lovers,

We are very pleased to announce the inaugural release of Stephanie Wines; the newest collection of Bordeaux-styled wines from our family’s acclaimed Hestan Vineyards in Napa Valley. Crafted by well known consulting winemaker Jeff Gaffner, these wines showcase all five of the classic Bordeaux varietals – Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc and Malbec - planted to our hillside vineyards. We consider these wines a virtuoso expression of our vineyard and so have named them for our only daughter Stephanie, whose symphony harp is pictured on the label.

The 2005 Stephanie Red Bordeaux Blend, 2005 Stephanie Cabernet Sauvignon and 2005 Stephanie Merlot are scheduled to release June 1, 2008. As a special thank you to our valued Hestan and Meyer customers, we’d like to make these exclusive wines available to you now, in advance of their release to the public. Further, we’d like toextend the following special pricing on your order of Stephanie Wines received before June 1, 2008. Due to the extremely low case volumes and high demand for these wines, allocations have been applied.

2005 Stephanie Red Bordeaux Blend - $55/bottle. Limit 6 bottles ($65 suggested retail at release)

2005 Stephanie Cabernet Sauvignon - $40/bottle. Limit 6 bottles ($50 suggested retail at release)

2005 Stephanie Merlot - $32/bottle. Limit 6 bottles ($40 suggested retail at release)

Please click here for online ordering or to download an order form. Orders must be received by June 1, 2008 to take advantage of this preferred pricing.

And now, a little bit about the wines. Helen and I had been toying with the idea of another line of wines for some time; wishing to build on the critical success of our Hestan and Meyer Cabernet Sauvignons made by consulting winemaker Mark Herold. We were eager to showcase the full expression of our vineyards in a line of wines crafted from all five of the red Bordeaux varietals we’d planted. Serendipity led us to winemaker Jeff Gaffner, whose wines we discovered during a tasting of Merlots from neighboring Nepenthes Vineyard. We were impressed by the elegant, seductive quality of his wines as well as his expertise with Bordeaux varietals and blends (he was part of the team responsible for the legendary 1996 Cinq Cepages). In 2004, we asked Jeff to come on board as consulting winemaker for the new Stephanie Wines.

Here are Jeff Gaffner’s notes on the inaugural releases:

2005 Stephanie Red Bordeaux Blend : A “wow” wine boasting incredible richness and complexity that unfolds through the elegantly long finish. Core notes of deep dark chocolate cake, dried cranberry, cassis and eucalyptus highlighted by floral tones of lavender, violets, bottle brush and clove. A blend of 72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Petit Verdot, 7% Cabernet Franc, 5% Merlot, 4% Malbec. Aged 24 months in French oak. 940 cases produced.

2005 Stephanie Cabernet Sauvignon : A rich, long and complexly layered wine with ample weight and structure to carry the sweet oak to finish. Notes of violets, sweet pipe tobacco and cedar, black currant, black cherry and decadent dark chocolate. A blend of 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot, 3% Cabernet Franc, 2% Malbec. Aged 24 months in French oak. 930 cases made.

2005 Stephanie Merlot : A concentrated yet supple wine with lovely color, elegant texture and great length. Notes of brown spice, cedar, plum, black cherry, black currant, slight dried herb and mocha with a touch of dried cranberry on the end. A blend of 84% Merlot, 16% Cabernet Sauvignon. Aged 24 months in French oak. 475 cases made.

We are very excited about these new Stephanie Wines and are thrilled to be able to offer you first access to them. We hope they bring you as much pleasure as they have us, and as always we want to thank you for your wonderful support of our family’s vineyard and wines. To learn more about Stephanie Wines, please visit our Wines page.

Warmly,

Stanley and Helen Cheng

“Stephanie” by Hestan Vineyards

Overview: The provenance of Napa Valley’s Hestan Vineyards, the pedigree of Bordeaux’s classic red grape varietals and the artistry of consulting winemaker Jeff Gaffner come together in the inaugural release of “Stephanie” by Hestan Vineyards. Named for owners Stanley and Helen Cheng’s only daughter -- “Stephanie” is the virtuoso expression of Hestan Vineyard’s full varietal composition.

Founded : 2005

Proprietors: Stanley and Helen Cheng

Vineyard: Hestan Vineyards, Napa Valley

Winemaker: Jeff Gaffner

Wines: 2005 Stephanie Red Bordeaux Blend

($65, 940 cases), 2005 Stephanie Cabernet Sauvignon ($50, 930 cases), 2005 Stephanie Merlot ($40, 475 cases) – Release June, 2008

Viticulture: Situated in the rolling hills of eastern Napa Valley, Hestan Vineyards is a 41-acre tapestry of small, individually farmed blocks, planted to the five principle red Bordeaux varietals: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc, and Malbec. The vineyard’s unique mix of soils, slopes, exposures, rootstocks, clones and varietals contribute to the spectrum of flavors and nuance found in each limited edition bottling of Stephanie Wines.

Winemaking: In keeping with the Bordeaux tradition, winemaker Jeff Gaffner blends for depth, nuance and balance using all five of the Bordeaux varietals planted to Hestan Vineyards. The lots are kept separate throughout winemaking to retain individual block and varietal characters. Small capacity fermentation tanks, carefully timed pump-overs and punch- downs, a mix of native and cultured yeasts, tight grained cooperage and extended aging result in signature wines noted for their elegance and longevity.

Distribution: Stephanie Wines are sold directly to mailing list customers and offered in select markets nationally. Hestan Vineyards is not open to the public.

Contact:

Stephanie Wines
Consulting Winemaker - Jeff Gaffner

Consulting winemaker and grape-grower Jeff Gaffner brings more than 25 years of experience to his role at Hestan Vineyards. Jeff began his career in 1981 at Chateau St. Jean under the tutelage of legendary winemaker Richard Arrowood. At Chateau St. Jean, Jeff was part of the winemaking team responsible for winery’s celebrated 1996 Cinq Cepages, a classic blend of all five Bordeaux varietals that was named Wine of the Year by Wine Spectator Magazine.

Over the years, Jeff has developed a reputation as a specialist both in the vineyard and cellar, receiving critical acclaim for his site-expressive winemaking and signature elegant style. The Wall Street Journal said, of his own Saxon Brown Wines made from his family’s 100 year old Casa Santinamaria Vineyard, “We love his vineyard’s voice.” Wine Spectator Magazine called Jeff’s first wine for Napa Valley client Xtant (a proprietary Bordeaux blend) “outstanding” and upon its release, named the winery to its list of “ Napa’s Impressive Newcomers.” The Wine Spectator also praised Jeff’s winemaking for client Black Kite Cellars as “deft” while naming that winery to their list of “2007 Hot Dozen New Pinot Producers.”

In 2004, during a chance tasting of Merlots from neighboring Nepenthes Vineyard, Hestan Vineyards owner Stanley Cheng was introduced to Jeff’s winemaking. “I was blown away,” recalls Stanley, “by the seductive quality and varietal expression of the wine; it was precisely the type of Merlot that I wanted to make from our vineyard.” At the time, Cabernet Sauvignon from the vineyard was being made under the critically acclaimed Hestan Vineyards and Meyer labels by consulting winemaker Mark Herold. Stanley, though, wanted to launch a new line to showcase all five of the vineyard’s red Bordeaux varietals, and felt that given Jeff’s expertise with Bordeaux blends and his reputation for crafting elegant, well balanced wines, he was just the winemaker to lead that effort. Jeff’s first Stephanie Wines, the 2005 Merlot, 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon and 2005 Red Bordeaux Blend will release to the public in June of 2008.