Elite Brands of Colorado

Elite Brands would like to welcome Local Wine & Spirits!  The State of Colorado will now be privy to some of the most unique, eclectic and original Wine and Spirits on the market.  Our goal at Elite is to provide our clients with a continuous supply of innovative and quality products.  We believe that Local Wine & Spirits shares this vision with us, as they have showcased an incessant desire for perfection that we simply could not ignore!  If you are looking for a truly one-of-a-kind portfolio that will attract your customers, then this is certainly it!

A little Background

With a dream and no money Local Wine and Spirits started the old fashioned way, begged, borrowed and stole until they could get their wings under them and in 2002 they released their first wine, Jigsaw Pinot Noir. With the help of a few friends they expanded their wine production to the Eastern Washington high desert. From there they went south to the volcanic soils and jagged mountains of Northern California. Then a few years later they began producing craft spirits with Tad Seestedt in the Willamette Valley, Oregon, USA.

Owner: Christophe Bakunas

Christophe Bakunas is at the helm of a juggernaut; a company that focuses on high-quality wines and spirits that are as fun to drink as they are to talk about. Success has not been easy however; his ability to recognize trends in the marketplace and maintain relations with distributors have been the keys to his success.   Christophe stressed price points and packaging in ensuring the marketability of his product along with long-term relationships with his farmers.

Although the long days and weeks on the road are now coming to fruition at this point, the growth of Local Wine & Spirits did not arrive without some initial struggles.  His foray into the Domestic Rosé market was tenuous at best.  In his own words: “The Lindsay Lohan of the Wine World” – Domestic Rosé has notoriously been a difficult niche to exploit.  Named appropriately Murphy’s Law, he decided to take a “George Castanza” approach to marketing, i.e., doing everything opposite of conventional wisdom.  Unfortunately this sort of logic did not fare well in the market, and soon Local Wine & Spirits made a swift exit from the Rosé business.

The Products

Wine: Murphy’s Law Columbia Valley Riesling, Jigsaw Willamette Pinot Noir, Ransom Selection Willamette Pinot Noir, Sweet Spot Cabernet Sauvignon.

Spirits: Small’s American Gin, Ransom Old Tom Gin, Whipper Snapper Oregon Whiskey. 

Spirit Overview:  Small's American Dry Gin,

When discussing Gin with Chistophe he was certainly forthcoming, in fact he threw down handfuls of knowledge!  The intention of Small’s American Gin is to establish a point of entry for creating a Western Gin Standard.  A great concept and an even better product. 

An Oregon spirit handmade in small-pot batches using naturally-farmed and wild-grown botanicals. It is intensely aromatic from a complex infusion of Juniper, orange, lemon, coriander, cardamom, angelica, caraway, star anise, and raspberry. Small's gin brings together a combination of recipes from the 19th century (circa 1840) with obsessive distillation techniques and the finest regional ingredients. The best of tradition, dedication to quality, and innovation come together to create a remarkable, elaborate and unrivaled spirit that is the convincer of all gins.  To those who say they don’t enjoy gin…well they haven’t tried Small’s and “the people have spoken.”

Wine Overview: Sweet Spot

When a vineyard is in harmony with climate and geology, wines of great depth and character are possible.
 Located in the Northeast corner of Sonoma County, Alexander Valley is known for growing intensely structured, balanced Cabernet Sauvignon grapes. We are pleased to be working with passionate and dedicated farmers like the Warnecke family. At 1200ft elevation in the heart of Alexander Valley, the Warnecke Vineyard and its unique fruit are the soul of 2008 Sweet Spot Cabernet Sauvignon.

All fruit for this wine was de-stemmed and cold soaked for 3 days, followed by a 28 day fermentation at 50 degrees Fahrenheit. It was then barrel aged in a combination of French
and American oak for 19 months and bottled in May, 2010.