PRINCE PIRATE

Why the name "PRINCE PIRATE"?

In response to the Anglo French hospitalities during the rise of Napoleon, a French Imperial Decree of 1807 ordered the seizure of any French vessel destined for a British port. British retaliation was swift and prohibited the export of Bordeaux wines into the Northern European markets. All the traffic in the port of Bordeaux ceased; the Bordeaux wine merchant was then forced to seek other outlets for his wines.

Encouraged by Napoleon who had granted a loan of 3 million francs to stimulate the Bordeaux economy, the negociants of Bordeaux, in the true spirit of Corsairs, established their own fleet of sailing vessels of 300 tons which were equipped to break the English blockade.

Laden with wines and food products, these ships set out for Guyana, Antilles and ultimately for the United States. In 1808, 40 ships out of 48 leaving the port of Bordeaux belonged to the Bordeaux export trade. Unfortunately, over 50% of the ships were stopped by the British and never reached their destination.
In 1810, direct commerce between the United States and Bordeaux began to improve. It had been interrupted by the British blockade, the Jefferson Embargo and later by the "Law of Non-Intercourse" which prohibited American boats from docking in English and French ports. These last two measures were rescinded by the U.S. government on May 1, 1810 and a decree promulgated by Napoleon on July 5, 1810 issued permits allowing direct commerce between France and the United States.
At that time the U.S. possessed swift moving ships that succeeded in breaking the British blockade. During this period the principal ports for unloading wines were Baltimore, New York, Charleston, Philadelphia and Boston.

As Negociants-exportateurs since 1734, the Johnston Family participated actively in the events of that era. One of the sailing vessels dispatched by their family carried a letter from Lafayette recommending their wines to General MacHenry in Baltimore (July 8, 1807). Maison Jomere has reproduced a limited number of prints showing this letter along with the copy of the envelope. 

In remembrance of this remarkable past, Nathaniel Johnston, in their eighth generation decided to offer a wine which he proposed to name "PRINCE PIRATE" - a name that invokes their colorful history as well as the Johnston family's close ties to the American marketplace. Although categorized as just a table wine, it is produced and aged in the the tradition of an AOC wine and is the only "French Vin de Table" that improves with age.