NAPA, Calif. – The Lasallian Education Fund (LEF), the West Coast Educational Foundation of the De La Salle Christian Brothers, announces the official release and pre-sale of the second vintage of the Brother Timothy Mont La Salle Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley, created to honor a grand icon of California’s wine industry. Pre-sale of this highly collectible wine crafted by The Hess Collection Winery begins today. For the first time, this wine was made from a tiny, single vineyard – entirely from Mont La Salle Vineyard estate grapes grown at the site of the original Christian Brothers winery where Brother Timothy worked as cellar master for more than 50 years.

The 2005 Brother Timothy Mont La Salle Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon will release on May 15, 2008 at a reception held at Wilson Daniels Ltd. The wine retails for $94 per 750-mL ($194 per 1.5 liter), and approximately 100 cases were made, including a number of large-format bottles. Pre-sale orders, which will receive a 10% pre-release discount, will be taken by phone and by mail May 1 – June 15, 2008. (A maximum of one case per family will apply.) Orders will be accepted until the wine is sold out, and orders will be shipped upon receipt of order. All proceeds benefit the Lasallian Education Fund, the fundraising arm of Lasallian schools located in the District of San Francisco, which exists to serve low-income families who do not have access to a quality education.

Elevating the collector pedigree of Brother Timothy bottling, the 2005 vintage is made from the two-acre Mont La Salle Vineyard surrounding the estate where Brother Timothy served as winemaker for more than half a century. This Brother Timothy wine was carefully crafted by Dave Guffy, winemaker for The Hess Collection Winery.

“Growing wine on the same land that Brother Timothy cultivated links The Hess Collection Winery in a unique way to this project,” said Tom Selfridge, president of The Hess Collection Winery. “We are pleased to be part of a tradition that cares in a special way about the Mont La Salle Vineyard and the communities it enhances.”

The 2005 Brother Timothy Mont La Salle Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon is a blend of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Malbec and 5% Petit Verdot. This blend displays sweet black cherry, plum and cassis. The wine was aged for 18 months in French oak and is well integrated with subtle sandal wood and cedar box aromas. On the palate the wine starts with a soft entry of red raspberry and cherry. The mountain tannins are ripe and smooth that lead to a seamless but lingering finish. Enjoy this wine through 2018.

This Mont La Salle Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon is truly “a message in a bottle” – a message of hope for youth at risk. All proceeds from wine sales help the LEF provide educational opportunities for disadvantaged young people at the 12 Lasallian schools in the western United States. This wine is a labor of love, donated by Hess Collection to help young people achieve a better future through education. Such efforts are part of the Christian Brothers’ three-hundred-year tradition of offering education to the poor that is transformational and helps break the cycle of poverty.

Currently, some 10,000 students in four western states are benefiting from education in the tradition of the De La Salle Christian Brothers. By maintaining their established schools, and by continuing to found new schools in impoverished neighborhoods, the Christian Brothers and their colleagues are helping youths to achieve a better future. This was Brother Timothy’s true passion and dream.

To be placed on the waiting list for the highly collectible 2005 Brother Timothy Mont La Salle Vineyard Cabernet, please call (415) 835-5969 or visit http://www.nexternal.com/schottwine/Category3.