The legendary rocker Mick Fleetwood is now a certifiable oenophile, with his private label now being sold at … Costco.
By Melonie Magruder / Special to The Malibu Times
“We had no idea that we would start seeing this version of a hit record,” Mick Fleetwood said, “But the proof is in the pudding… how many albums did you actually sell?”
Fleetwood was not referring to a new, chart-topping release with his legendary rock group, Fleetwood Mac. He was speaking of his new oenophilic adventure: the Mick Fleetwood Private Cellar. With the release of his first private label wine, a 1998 Cuvée (which sold out its entire vintage), Fleetwood joined the ranks of so-called “celebrity” wine producers who seem to have proliferated in recent years.
“But the difference between Mick’s and other celebrity labels is that Mick actually tastes his product,” said Jeremy Gruber, Fleetwood’s partner in the venture and main marketing honcho. “This is a very important distinction, because all of Mick’s wines are blended to his taste and direction.”
Mick Fleetwood, the bad-boy rocker of excessive sensibilities, started his venture as a wine connoisseur after living in Malibu.
“I lived several years in Ramirez Canyon,” Fleetwood said. “I built a home not far down the canyon from Barbra Streisand, which I called the Blue Whale, and I indulged in as much lunatic behavior as possible.”
By Fleetwood’s own admission, the subtle niceties of a perfectly aged wine were lost on his palate then.
“But I finally pulled myself together and became a functioning human being again and started to enjoy the finer things in life-a good meal and a good wine to go with it.”
“Actually, Mick’s palate is very sophisticated,” Gruber said. “And a few years ago, he complained about not being able to find the wines he likes when he travels.”
Gruber, a longtime friend, suggested that Fleetwood consider launching a label of wines blended to his taste, utilizing California’s wine growers.
“The result today,” Gruber said, “is that almost all of our grapes come from Santa Barbara and Santa Ynez counties, though we just put out a cabernet sauvignon blend with wine from the Columbia Valley in Washington State.”
Fleetwood was not interested in becoming a gentleman farmer; but the vast availability of excellent varietals from different California growers, combined with the marketing talents of Gruber and his partner, Jonathan Todd, convinced Fleetwood that he could tap the best wineries in an array of regions to create a taste that was uniquely suited for a Mick Fleetwood Private Cellar.
The rocker was undaunted by the scope of such a project. After all, Francis Ford Coppola, another celebrity wine leviathan, launched his successful label more than 30 years ago, capitalizing on a vineyard born in the mid-19th century.
But “nothing should be so serious that it frightens you away,” Fleetwood said, “especially from a good wine.”
The result of such confidence is a series of wines that have already won awards in international competitions, including a gold medal for his ’05 chardonnay at the Long Beach Grand Cru and bronzes at the San Francisco and Indianapolis Internationals the same year.
Gruber recounted other notable citations: “The Wall Street Journal wine columnist named Mick’s ’98 Cuvée as the ‘Best Wine by a Living Musician’ and gave it a rating of ‘Good to Very Good’ in a blind tasting,” he said. “Mick is not just another celebrity licensing his name,” Gruber added. “He is involved in every aspect of creating the blends, from selecting the wineries to determining the percentages. He blends his wine like he blends his music and he doesn’t put anything out until we have it right.”
Gruber and Todd have worked diligently to find the right marketing niche for the Mick Fleetwood Private Cellar and have settled on some surprising, but massively effective, distributors. Their wines can be found at the upscale grocery store Gelson’s and are served at Hyatt Hotels across the nation.
“And we are now available in Costco, both in single bottles and as gift packages,” Gruber said.
Costco? The low-cost, retail megastore?
“Costco has the highest numbers in terms of sales for wines in a variety of price points,” Gruber said. “They are the number one retailer of wine in this country.”
This kind of turnover has resulted in sell-outs of five of Fleetwood’s 12 vintages produced in the past few years.
The Fleetwood team is hoping to expand that success with personal appearances by Mick Fleetwood at a number of local Costco stores, including the store in Culver City, on Dec. 12, from noon to 4 p.m.
“These events are so much fun for both wine and music lovers,” Todd said. “And they are educational. I wouldn’t say we are wine connoisseurs, but we sure know what we like.”
“Fleetwood Mac has been around for 40 years now,” Fleetwood said, “so this is certainly not about the money. It is about huge passion, like the blues. Learning about wine is a journey with elements that resonate like music.”