THE BRAND
Cousins, A.J. Foyt IV, and Larry Foyt began Foyt Family Wines due to their passion for fine wines. What they chose to do was use the vintages to pay tribute to A.J. Foyt and his incredible racing career. Each wine offering produced is labeled with a number and story that's significant to A.J. Foyt's career, either a car number (his famous No. 14 was the first) or a year in which Foyt won an important race. These stories are designed to help people to learn, respect and acknowledge what A.J. Foyt has accomplished and what his name means to American motorsports, the Indy 500 and its fans.
A.J. FOYT
A.J. Foyt Jr. is unique in the world of motorsports with a career of excellence unmatched in its versatility and longevity. Foyt's professional career spanned four decades, from the 1950s to the 1990s, a feat in that he not only survived racing’s most dangerous era but also thrived in it. He suffered his share of traumatic injuries but his determination to come back from them only added to his legendary status. He excelled in a variety of racing disciplines and claimed the crown jewels: the Indianapolis 500 (Indycars), the Daytona 500 (NASCAR) and the 24 Hours of LeMans, the world’s premier endurance race. For these reasons, in 1999, Super Tex, as he is known to his legions of fans, was named by the Associated Press as the Driver of the Century.
THE WINES
Our mission is to produce small-lot wines of distinctive quality and character. We achieve this by combining the talents of many experts, yet specifically that of our boutique winemakers Tom Meadowcroft and Petar Kirilov, and by sourcing grapes from some of the finest vineyards in Napa and Sonoma counties.
Located in the great town of Sebastopol, CA., our wines are crafted utilizing minimal new oak barrel exposure with low fermentations which give the wines the ability to express the true core of the fruit, as well as their environmental exposure from their vineyards.
Our grapes are crushed on site which we feel gives us optimal control in the winemaking process. By utilizing small fermentation tanks and a massive temperature-controlled cellar for barrel aging, we can create the bold, expressive and smooth ultra-premium wines that we desire. With such small production of only 200 cases or less of each varietal, our wines are primarily available online, where we ship direct-to-consumer in nearly most states, or in our tasting room, The Foyt Wine Vault.
AWARDS
TEAM
A.J. Foyt IV
CO-FOUNDER, OWNER
Anthony Joseph Foyt, IV (Anthony) is currently a scout for the Indianapolis Colts NFL Team. Having a previous career in motorsports, Anthony is the youngest driver to compete in the history of the Indianapolis 500 mile race! As co-founder of Foyt Family Wines and the Foyt Wine Vault in Speedway, In., Anthony’s role is primarily overseeing all operations of the Foyt Wine Vault tasting room and strategic planning for growth of both companies.
Larry Foyt
CO-FOUNDER, OWNER
Larry Foyt is the President of AJ Foyt Enterprises Inc., the corporation that underpins AJ Foyt Racing. As co-founder of Foyt Family Wines and the Foyt Wine Vault in Speedway, IN, Larry is passionate about the wine business and specifically the quality of the wines produced. Larry’s role in the wine businesses is that of the Chief Financial Officer in addition to strategic growth opportunities. Larry is currently planning expansion.
Chris Perry
CO-FOUNDER, OWNER
Chris Perry is the Managing Partner of the Foyt wine endeavors. Having co-founded the companies with the Foyt family, the concept of Foyt Wines was inked back in 2008 in his living room in North Carolina. The companies have evolved, and Chris now resides in the town of Sonoma, CA. Over a decade in the trenches has taught Chris premium wine production, all aspects of the wine business and countless facts of A.J.'s Foyt's career.
Tom Meadowcroft
WINEGROWER
Winegrower Tom Meadowcroft carefully selects all the vineyard sources for wine grapes used in any Foyt Wines offerings, including grapes from his own Mt. Veeder property in Napa Valley which are used to produce the double gold winning #77 Cabernet Sauvignon. Early in life, he started the journey of winemaking by working the harvest of 1979 in Bordeaux. Later in life, Tom worked at wineries in Washington and Napa, attended UC Davis and Napa College, and then became a vineyard manager focused on sustainable farming and environmental advocacy. Managing dozens of properties for the top wineries in Napa and Sonoma taught him the principles of winegrowing and gave him a vision for the kinds of grapes he uses in the wines today.. Checkout Tom's tasting room in Sonoma.
Petar Kirilov
WINEMAKER
Petar Kirilov joined Foyt Family Wines in 2008 as a winemaker to oversee the production of Foyt’s high-quality wines. Kirilov grew up in Bulgaria, graduating from the prestigious University of Food Technologies in 2002 with a Master’s degree in Beverage Technology, with a specialization in spirits and wine making. In 2003 . Petar interned at Truchard Vineyards in Napa Valley, being promoted to assistant winemaker. In 2005 he joined Vinovation, a hi-tech wine company, as winemaker he was involved in numerous research and development wine projects. Petar's brands are here.