Pruett Continues Winning On And Off The Track

Subtitle:Pruett's “Championship Cuvée” Wine Named No. 1 Syrah In U.S.

One man is taking the wine business by storm, and aficionados of the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship will not be surprised who it is.

The wine Scott Pruett named “Championship Cuvée” after his racing career has been named the No. 1 Syrah in California (and in the US), by industry-leading Wine Spectator in the March 31, 2015 issue, on newsstands now.The Pruett Vineyard 2012 Championship Cuvée Estate Syrah rated 96 points, the highest-scoring bottling ever from the Sierra Foothills. Wine Spectator called it “an amazing wine that delivers a wide range of flavors in a tightly focused package.”Unlike most larger operations, Pruett, driver of the No. 01 Ford EcoBoost prototype for Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates, directs the work at the vineyard from planting to crushing and bottling, with only his family, a small vineyard team and a group of close friends to help during the busiest times.“It’s insane,” Pruett said. “It’s amazing to be able to do anything like this. It’s not like we’ve gone out and bought a multimillion dollar facility and hired the best winemaker we can find. It’s all been done by us.”All of Pruett’s Estate wines made it into the 90+ point bracket, with selections named after his three children, Lauren (Lucky Lauren 90 pts.), Taylor (Taylor’s Reserve 95 pts.), and Cameron (CSP 93 pts.).Unfortunately for wine lovers and race fans, the top-ranked Championship Cuv¬ée is already sold out. But fear not, other choice varieties are available and can be purchased at http://www.pruettvineyard.com/.“This is my third passion,” Pruett said. “Family is first, racing is second, and wine is third. It’s a huge accomplishment and means so much to me because we’ve established ourselves in such a short amount of time. And it’s all us! They’re our grapes. It’s my winemaking. It’s all of us, my family and friends, and that’s what makes it more special.“I’m proud, excited, and overwhelmed with what we’ve been able to achieve with the whole team. I do the winemaking, but with my mentor (Brian Mox), my wife and my family. Everybody has most certainly played an important part and shares the credit in this success.”