PRESS RELEASE

Roche To Open a New Tasting Room in Historic Downtown Sonoma

Carneros Family-run Winery to Open New Location on the Plaza in Downtown Sonoma

(Sonoma, CA) – June 2009 – The Roche family, celebrating their 20th year of producing award-winning wines in Sonoma Valley, will be opening a new tasting room in the heart of Sonoma. The new tasting room located at 122 West Spain Street is just one building off the historic Sonoma Plaza and will be open daily.

The new Roche Winery tasting room is housed in a lovely 1940’s craftsman style building that will offer a relaxed environment for both indoor and outdoor tasting. Customers will be able to taste the family’s award winning wine at the indoor bar, while seated and relaxing on the porch overlooking the square, or at comfortable outdoor tables on the shaded patio while taking in all of the action of downtown Sonoma. Since early May, the Roche family has been busy preparing the new tasting room for its opening in late June or early July.

“We intend to cater to both locals and tourists alike at our new downtown tasting room and to create an environment that continues the down-to-earth, unpretentious wine tasting experience our family and staff have always enjoyed offering our customers” adds Brendan Roche, Managing Partner of Roche Winery.

In 2006, Roche Winery founders Drs. Joseph and Genevieve Roche sold the existing winery property on the southern most portion of Arnold Drive in southern Sonoma Valley in a sale-lease-back agreement. The Roche brand, inventory, and winery assets were not a part of this sale and were retained by the Roche family. Under the direction of the 2nd generation of the Roche family, their plans are to build a modern Carneros winemaking and hospitality facility across the street from the existing winery property. The yet-to-be-built winery is to be constructed on the family’s 500-acre estate where they farm over 120 acres of chardonnay, pinot noir, merlot, and syrah and operate their successful guided vineyard horseback tours.

Brendan Roche says, “We do not expect construction to begin on the new facility before 2011.” Until then, the Roche retail operations will be located at the new downtown Sonoma tasting room. This downtown location will serve the winery’s growing database of more than 10,000 customers and club members who currently buy Roche wine through the winery’s direct-to-consumer business model.

“This move marks an exciting transition for my family as we take the next step in our long-term plans to build a new winery and hospitality venue to better accommodate the growth of our brand while at the same time still maintaining our presence in Sonoma at the highly visible downtown location” adds Brendan Roche.

Roche Winery’s current winery location at 28700 Arnold Drive will remain open through June until the official opening of the new tasting room right off the Sonoma Plaza. The Roche family will continue to farm over 120 acres of vineyards on their 500-acre southern Sonoma Valley ranch during this transition.

About Roche Winery

Roche Winery is a boutique winery with vineyards located in southern Sonoma within both the Los Carneros and Sonoma Coast appellations. Roche Winery makes only limited production wines which are not sold in stores. Roche differentiates itself from other wineries by operating guided horseback rides through its estate vineyards, offering barrel tasting of its reserve wines in its Tasting Room, and continuing to operate as a family-owned and family-run business. The winery’s founders, Dr. Joseph and Dr. Genevieve Roche, purchased their ranch in 1977 and, in the early years, raised over 100 head of cattle continuing the property’s long history of ranching. In 1982, they planted their first grapes (Pinot Noir and Chardonnay) and in 1989 opened their original tasting room in southern Sonoma. Today, the winery and vineyard are operated by the second generation of the Roche family: Brendan, Mara, and Carrie. The winemaker, Michael Carr, has been with the winery for more than 13 years, and continues to shape the Roche family’s high-quality, award-winning wines. Roche produces more than ten wines each year including Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Merlot, Syrah, and Muscat Canelli.

For more information, please visit www.RocheWinery.com.