Jeff Gordon will market a series of upscale winesꦦ under a label bearing his own name, starting with a 2004 Carneros Chardonnay, whic🐼h will be available in October, 2005.

Two red wines, a Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon and a Napa Valley Merlot, also of the 2004 vintage, will be released after proper🍰 aging, in January 2007. From that point, Chaꦬrdonnay will be released each October and the Cabernet and Merlot each January.

The 💮wines, labelled Jeff Gordon Collection, are being made by August "Joe" Briggs, owner of Briggs & Sons Winemaking Co. of Calistoga at the north end of the world famous Napa Valley.

"These wines are not intended to be a novelty item, and they are not💫 connected whatsoever with souvenir sales," said Gordon. "Instead, they're being sold in the 'fine wine' market such as restauran🥃ts and upscale wine shops.

"Production is very limited, and thi🎐s is one of the reasons I chose Joe Briggs to make the wines. All of Joe's August Briggs brand of wines are consistently ꧒very good because Joe limits his production in pursuit of the highest quality."

Initially, the wines will be sold in only a few stateꦇs.

"Jeff has shown himself to be a champion in all his endeavours and I'm happy to be making his wines," said Briggs. "Jeff likes quality and so do we here at August Briggs. I like to make a lot of different wines and in small quantities so I can keep the quality hig🐼h. I choose grapes from areas where the variety is best grown. I want the fruit and the essence of each vineyard to stand out, to define the wine."

In later vintages, Gordon is considering adding other varieties, po🦩ssi𝓡bly a Pinot Noir, Syrah and Petite Syrah.

Gordon began his wine experience 11 years ago and his enthusiasm w𝓡ith fine wine has continued to grow. Now he wants ꦦto play a bigger part.

"We're going to have a ಞgreat wine in 🅺a great looking package," Gordon said.