Maisons Marques & Domaines USA, Inc. (MMD) Expands Its Alliance With Moueix Family and Sells Chateau Petrus in the U.S.

OAKLAND, Calif., Feb. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- Maisons Marques & Domaines (MMD), the United States importer and distributor specializing in fine wines and champagnes from distinguished family-owned estates from France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, South Africa and California, has just added four Bordeaux chateaux (Petrus, Certan de May, de Sales and Puy-Blanquet) from the Right Bank to its portfolio from Etablissements Jean-Pierre Moueix, the world renowned "negociant" from Libourne, France. Effective immediately and beginning with the 2008 vintage, MMD has leading representation of Chateau Petrus, Chateau Hosanna and Chateau de Sales as well as exclusive importing, marketing and distribution rights in the United States for Chateau Certan de May, Pomerol, and Chateau Puy-Blanquet, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru.

In announcing the agreement, Gregory Balogh, president and chief executive officer of MMD, states: "With the addition of these esteemed properties to our portfolio, we celebrate the 10th anniversary of a successful relationship with Christian Moueix, president of Ets. Jean-Pierre Moueix, and his family. For us, Christian is not only one of the most respected people in the wine industry, but he is also an outstanding business partner and a friend. We are both proud and humbled by his renewed token of confidence in Maisons Marques & Domaines. Our company, as a key player in the high-end segment of the market and a trusted partner of the wine trade for over 20 years, is committed to the continuing success of Etablissements Jean-Pierre Moueix in the U.S. market."

"Wine enthusiasts are attracted to the famous names of Petrus, Hosanna, Certan de May and Magdelaine because of their reputation, their history and their extraordinary quality," says Christian Moueix. "With that said, when it comes to a great value proposition from Bordeaux, wines like Chateau Puy-Blanquet, St. Emilion Grand Cru, and Chateau de Sales, Pomerol, offer to any consumer the opportunity to enjoy the beautiful fruit and the fine balance of a flawless Bordeaux wine at an affordable price. We are confident in MMD's ability to further build the reputation and to maximize the distribution of the wines of Ets. Jean-Pierre Moueix."

MMD is proud to represent the following wines from the esteemed portfolio of Etablissements Jean-Pierre Moueix: Chateau Petrus, Chateau Hosanna, Chateau Magdelaine, Chateau Certan de May, Chateau Lafleur Gazin, Chateau Puy-Blanquet and Chateau de Sales.

Maisons Marques & Domaines USA, Inc.

Maisons Marques & Domaines USA, Inc. (MMD), www.mmdusa.net, is headquartered in Oakland, Calif., and has an office in New York. It was founded in 1987 as the marketing company for Champagne Louis Roederer (Reims, France), www.champagne-roederer.com, and Roederer Estate (Philo, California), www.roedererestate.com. MMD also represents the French properties of Champagne Deutz, Domaines Ott, Chateau Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande, Chateau de Pez, Chateau Haut-Beausejour, Delas Freres, Domaines Schlumberger, de Ladoucette, Albert Pic, Regnard and a selection of Bordeaux wines from Ets. Jean-Pierre Moueix. Also in the MMD portfolio are Christian Moueix's Dominus Estate; Scharffenberger Cellars; Portugal's Adriano Ramos Pinto; the South African properties of Meerlust and Fleur du Cap; Italy's Pio Cesare and Querciabella; and Spain's Marques de Murrieta and Pazo de Barrantes.

Etablissements Jean-Pierre Moueix

Situated in Libourne along the Dordogne River, the Etablissements Jean-Pierre Moueix, founded in 1937, is internationally known for its expertise in the Bordeaux wines of Pomerol and Saint-Emilion. The Company began its history as a wine merchant, specializing in the wines from the right bank of Bordeaux. Its founder, the late Jean-Pierre Moueix, became one of the most influential people of the area when he began investing in properties of the region in 1952. At this time, the vineyard owners had no control over the finished product, since the "negoce" (negociants) of Bordeaux controlled the bottling and the sales. Mr. Moueix understood the market and what needed to be done. He was a visionary. The Company is now being managed by his son, Christian, President, and his grandson Edouard, Director of Sales.

SOURCE Maisons Marques & Domaines