Clos LaChance To Manage Additional 80 Acres At CordeValle Santa Cruz Winery to Farm and Harvest Fruit From Exclusive Housing Development in Silicon Valley September 1, 2000, Saratoga, California Clos LaChance Wines, a family-owned and operated winery in the Santa Cruz Mountains, has recently made an agreement with Northern California home builder, The O'Brien Group, to maintain a new vineyard development in the Silicon Valley. Clos LaChance's expertise will be utilized to farm and maintain approximately 80 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah vines. The vineyard will surround the homes at CordeValle Vineyard Estates, a luxury community of 36 new estate homes surrounding 23 acres of private lakes being built by The O'Brien Group. Planting will begin in summer of 2000 with the first crop arriving three or four years later. "This is an extraordinary property," said Bill Murphy, co-owner and president of Clos LaChance. "San Martin is an ideal region for Bordeaux, Rhone and Italian varietals. We installed our own 80-acre vineyard at CordeValle last year and are thrilled to be involved in this new project with The O'Brien Group. Both sites possess excellent soils, little precipitation during the growing season and the warm days and cool nights necessary for ripe flavor development and great natural acidity." Located in the foothills of San Martin, CordeValle Vineyard Estates homesites, secluded behind privacy gates, will average 3 acres with views of the lakes, open space, the vineyard or the adjacent CordeValle Golf Course.The O'Brien Group has commissioned three highly respected architectural firms to design homes reminiscent of the finest Mediterranean, Provence and Napa wine country estates. The homes will be approximately four to over seven thousand square feet. Anticipated pricing is from approximately $3 million. San Martin is just 20 minutes from Silicon Valley and has attracted growing interest from the Silicon Valley business community. CordeValle Golf Club, where Haas and Haynie of San Francisco and Hix Rubenstein of Los Altos are building a world class private golf club that will be managed by Auberge Resorts, is adjacent to CordeValle Vineyard Estates. "There is really nothing like CordeValle Vineyard Estates in Northern California," said Beth Bartlett, Senior Vice President of The O'Brien Group. "Each home and homesite is unique. The views to the vineyards, the lakes, the golf course and the open space are truly breathtaking. The proximity to an exclusive private golf club like CordeValle is obviously a wonderful amenity. This is a community for people who love wine, sun, beautiful vistas and a 5-star lifestyle." About CordeValle Vineyard Estates and the O'Brien Group Construction of the first estate home at CordeValle Vineyard Estates is underway. The temporary Information Center is open on weekends from10 am to 6 pm and on weekdays by appointment. Interested homebuyers should call Tom Gentry at 408. 686.0290 for further information and a tour. Founded in 1976, The O'Brien Group is dedicated to building outstanding new communities and homes of superior design, quality and value. The builder has been awarded Outstanding Community of the Year five times in the last decade. Oak Valley and Oak Valley Estates in Cupertino are other Silicon Valley communities by The O'Brien Group. About Clos LaChance Wines Clos LaChance is a small, family owned and operated winery, focusing on producing hand-made wines from the Santa Cruz Mountains and other premium appellations in Northern California. Founded in 1992, Clos LaChance takes its name from a small fenced in area encompassing the vineyard (clos) and co-owner Brenda Murphy's maiden name (LaChance). Clos LaChance currently produces nearly 15,000 cases of wine per year, including Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Zinfandel. More information about Clos LaChance can be found on the World Wide Web at www.clos.com. ### MEDIA CONTACT: Cheryl Murphy Durzy, Clos LaChance Wines (408) 686-1050, ext 101, cheryl@clos.com. Sarah Jones, Benson Marketing Group (707) 254-1114, jones@bensonmarketing.com