Back in January we received an email from Monsieur Laurent Peugeot, the French Chef from Le Charlemagne Restaurant in Burgundy. Monsieur Laurent let us know that he tasted our Chardonnay at Nobu in NY and was interested in bringing the wine into his restaurant. We let Monsieur Puegeot know that we do not have a distributor in France but our distributor in London might be able to provide him the wine.

Voila! Today we received an email from Douglas Harrison our English distributor. “OK, we’ve made our first export of Californian wines to France. Never, ever could have imagined I would be selling Pinot Noir and Chardonnay to the Burgundians !!!” ZD Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are being served at Le Charlemagne Restaurant in Burgundy. Douglas included a picture of he and Monsiuer Laurent holding a bottle ZD Reserve Pinot with wine glasses in hand.

As our family prepares for our 40th harvest, we are honored to know our wines are being served in both the Country of our forefathers and where Chardonnay and Pinot Noir were first made famous. We thank Monsieur Peugeot for offering our wines at Le Charlemagne and look forward to a time when we can enjoy the experience first hand!

Brett deLeuze
President / Partner

ZD Reserve Chardonnay & THE Lobster

Should you be so fortunate to visit Santa Monica in your summer travels, a stop to the historic Santa Monica Pier is a must. Built in 1909, the pier hosts a Ferris wheel, merry-go-round and numerous retail shops to entertain anyone.

Really though, any food/wine lover will be more enthusiastic to visit the restaurant at the entrance of the pier. Greeting locals and tourists alike on Ocean Avenue is none other than The Lobster! Regardless of whether or not you take a spin on the carousel, you must visit one of the most stunning restaurants around. Serving classic American seafood, guests sitting at any seat in the restaurant or bar can enjoy 180 degree views of the Pacific Ocean while dining on fresh Maine Lobster, Big Eye, Artic Char or John Dory.

For as long as I’ve worked at ZD, a highlight to working the LA market is sitting at The Lobster sipping a glass of wine and enjoying an appetizer while taking in the spectacular view (okay and people watching). Fortunately, now everyone can enjoy sipping a refreshing glass of ZD 2006 Reserve Chardonnay. With high hopes, I made a special trip to meet and taste with The Lobster’s Beverage Director, Mr. Francesco Ferrario. He runs a stellar wine program which ZD is very excited to be a part of now. Not only did Francesco like our wines but he thought with the great acidity and elegant minerality, our Reserve Chardonnay would pair well enough with their food to offer it by the glass! Most recently, our ZD Reserve Chardonnay made the perfect companion with their Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes and Seared Day Boat Scallops with shrimp bisque sauce.

This restaurant is an unofficial historical landmark and serves some of the best seafood in California now along with (in my opinion) one of the best Chardonnays in California too! By the way, ZD is celebrating our 40th Harvest this fall... does that make us an 'unofficial historical landmark' also?

Kendra Gillette

Regional Sales Manager