Actor, designer and wine lover Sarah Jessica Parker has announced today via Instagram that her new Sauvignon Blanc wine in partnership with the New Zealand-based Invivo & Co will hit stores this fall on September 18th, 2019.
With grapes from Marlborough, New Zealand “Invivo X, Sarah Jessica Parker Sauvignon Blanc” will have a suggested retail price between $18 – $20 and will be available across the U.S. via national importer Taub Family Selections. At the same time, the wine will also have a global footprint in New Zealand, Australia, Japan, Canada, UK, Ireland and Hong Kong.
“I have thoroughly enjoyed the collaboration with Rob and Tim from Invivo,” explains Sarah Jessica Parker. “Every part of the process from our initial conversations discussing wine styles, to the creative process on the brand and label design and of course, the Sauvignon Blanc blending session; it’s all been one exciting step after another. And a thrilling education in the business of winemaking, but more importantly, the love and passion behind Invivo.”
The new Invivo X, Sarah Jessica Parker Sauvignon Blanc is described by Invivo’s co-founder & winemaker Rob Cameron as, “Lifted notes of grapefruit, honey suckle flower, passionfruit and citrus zest. The palate is expansive and leads with a wall of sweet-scented fruits and a soft, but balanced acid spine.”
Sarah Jessica Parker’s wine was perfected in May when the founders of Invivo, Tim Lightbourne and Rob Cameron, traveled to New York City for a private blending session with Sarah Jessica to finalize the blend and taste of her new Sauvignon Blanc. They brought the latest samples of the 2019 vintage that was harvested in April from different sub-regions of Marlborough – the home of New Zealand’s world-famous Sauvignon Blanc.
Over a three-hour session, Sarah Jessica and the Invivo team finalized the proportions from each vineyard to create the exact blending recipe used in the wine. “While I’m new to winemaking, the Invivo fellows generously taught, showed and shared as much of the art and science of their business and hopefully I have absorbed some of their Kiwi confidence,” states Sarah Jessica Parker. “I’m so looking forward to releasing my Invivo X, Sarah Jessica Parker Sauvignon Blanc in September and sharing our wine with the world! I feel very fortunate to have this opportunity offered by Rob and Tim.”
WATCH A SNEAK PEEK FROM THE SJP BLENDING SESSION HERE: https://vimeo.com/349806095/f0cc736d10
As a passionately creative person, Sarah Jessica Parker has naturally been instrumental in both naming the wine and designing the label. The X and the comma directly after it, is an intentional and personal touch, referencing her signature email and Instagram post signoff: “X, SJ.”
Sarah Jessica also hand-painted the X on the original label and found the teal paint to match the exact shade of one of her favorite satin shoe colorways, “Hamilton”, from her SJP Collection label.
In Spring 2020, a Rosé Wine from the South of France will also be added to the Sarah Jessica Parker collection of wines with Invivo and will be a new vintage 2019 blend from the grapes being harvested this September.
Invivo’s other co-founder Tim Lightbourne adds, “It has been a pleasure working with Sarah Jessica. It’s fantastic how hands-on she’s been with the whole process and she has a great palate too! Within minutes into the blending session, she was picking up subtle differences between the samples. It’s a privilege for us, two old school friends from New Zealand and our winery, to work with her. We look forward to a long-term partnership.”
This celebrity partnership is not unchartered territory for the growing New Zealand wine brand as Invivo & Co has also launched a successful wine brand with the UK talk show host Graham Norton. His brand debuted in 2014 selling 12,000 bottles in the first year and now today sells 3.5 million bottles globally. They have also recently extended his brand with the launch of Graham’s new pink Gin earlier this year.
Invivo & Co looks forward to growing Sarah Jessica Parker’s collection of wine to reflect her personal preferences and love for wine similar to what they have accomplished with Graham Norton. “Invivo X, SJP” received its first review – just days after bottling – and landed a 95point rating from New Zealand wine reviewer Sam Kim at Wine Orbit. Kim describes the wine saying: “The palate delivers excellent concentration and weight, wonderfully complemented by fine texture and brilliant focus.
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