Sonoma-Loeb's Private Reserve Chardonnay Goes Carbon Neutral

HEALDSBURG, CA (April 22, 2009) -- Private Reserve Chardonnay from Sonoma-Loeb -- praised by critics and wine lovers for its richness, intensity, balance and depth -- now holds another distinction: It is America's first carbon-neutral wine.

To offset the carbon generated through growing, harvesting, producing, bottling and shipping its wine, Sonoma-Loeb has purchased carbon credits for The Van Eck Project to replant and maintain redwood forests in Humboldt County, California. Carbon Solutions America made the calculations for determining the wine's carbon footprint and the number of credits required to offset it.

Sonoma-Loeb is operated by John Loeb, Jr., former Ambassador to Denmark and a pioneer in environmental initiatives. Ambassador Loeb was the first chairman of the New York State Council of Environmental Advisors, resolving conflicts among environmentalists, business operators and farmers.

"The rush to be perceived as 'green' and as 'earth-friendly' has created tremendous confusion, so we sought both to serve as an example to other wineries and to help establish easily-understood and transparent measurements by which products could be judged," Ambassador Loeb said.

Private Reserve Chardonnay's carbon footprint was determined using the Climate Registry General Reporting Protocol, and the International Wine Calculator. Additional information is available at sonomaloeb.com/carbonneutral.

"The wine industry straddles the fence between agriculture and manufacturing," Ambassador Loeb said. "So while we are not at all major polluters, we can help lead the way for others, not just to identify a marketing advantage, but to make a real difference."

First bottled in 1991, early in the California wine revolution, Sonoma-Loeb Private Reserve Chardonnay is modeled after the Montrachet wines from Burgundy but, at about $30 per bottle, available at a fraction of the price of the great French wines. Private Reserve has earned ratings as high as 93 points from The Wine Spectator and 90 points from Robert Parker.