<figure> 
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  <img src="https://imageproxy.lbkrs.com/https://specials-images.forbesimg.com/imageserve/60706574e61729aa09bd8456/960x0.jpg/query-Zml0PXNjYWxl" alt="Post Malone sits in a field with a bottle of rose wine" original-src="https://specials-images.forbesimg.com/imageserve/60706574e61729aa09bd8456/960x0.jpg?fit=scale"/> 
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   <p>Post Malone poses with the latest vintage of his own brand of rose, sourced from Provence </p> 
   
  <small>Maison No. 9</small> 
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</figure><p>Last year Post Malone took the wine world by storm when he introduced his own brand of rose: <strong>Maison No. 9</strong>. Shortly after hitting shelves in May of 2020, the celebrity-backed label achieved the auspicious accolade of biggest launch in industry history, according to data from Vivino—an online merchant that stocks its slender pink bottles. Where do you go from there? Well...Onto the next vintage, of course. </p><div></div><p>“Posty”, as he is known to his millions of adoring fans, formed the concept for the brand with his manager, Dre London, and <strong>James Morrissey</strong>—founder of Global Brand Equities. As one of the most prominent entertainers on the planet, Mr. Malone is obviously the public face of the enterprise, yet each part of the trio is now tasked with sustaining the initial success of launch. In an exclusive interview with <em>Forbes, </em>James Morrissey explains how he plans to make that happen, on the heels of the label’s latest release.</p><figure> 
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  <img src="https://imageproxy.lbkrs.com/https://specials-images.forbesimg.com/imageserve/607070a2a7ccc7def4ac600a/960x0.jpg/query-Zml0PXNjYWxl" alt="James Morrissey sits at a dinner table, founder of Maison with Post Malone" original-src="https://specials-images.forbesimg.com/imageserve/607070a2a7ccc7def4ac600a/960x0.jpg?fit=scale"/> 
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   <p>James Morrissey, co-founder of Maison No. 9</p> 
   
  <small>James Morrissey</small> 
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</figure><div></div><p><strong>How did the Maison No. 9 project come together?</strong></p><p><em>The rosé came about over conversations at dinner in 2019 between myself, Post and Dre. It was the night before the Grammy Awards (February 2019), and we met at the Nice Guy in LA to catch up. I had just returned from a winery in the South of France which was producing incredible liquid, and was telling Post and Dre about my plans to create a new brand. Coincidentally, Post and Dre had been getting more familiar with great wines and wanted to do something in that space. There was instant chemistry regarding our shared passion for wine, and in particular we all agreed that there were no rosé blends or brands which spoke to us. Post insisted that we visit the winery and taste the liquid together, and the following week we were on the French Riviera together. We spent a lot of 2019 traveling frequently to the winery (which seems like a lifetime ago!). Dre had the team re-arrange plans and logistics on Post’s tour to facilitate our visits, which was no easy task but everyone made it a priority. Post insisted on creating a blend that he personally loved, and it turned out he has incredible taste. The synergy between him and our wine-maker was magic. We launched in May 2020 and we sold-out of our initial pre-sale of 50,000 bottles in a record breaking 48 hours. A few weeks later we launched the product nationwide throughout the US.</em></p><p><strong>How was Maison No. 9 received at launch? </strong></p><p><em>Quite positively I’d say! Our pre-sale resulted in the highest-ever demand for a single item on Vivino in one day. Vivino’s site crashed as a result of over-demand on the launch morning, but the team quickly increased the capabilities and bandwidth to deliver a sell-out result. Following the success online, we launched across the US thereafter. Taking the strategy to launch in all states immediately is uncommon for new brands in the wine &amp; spirits sector, but myself, Post and Dre insisted on having the product available to everyone. By September 2020, Maison No. 9 was available in over 9,000 outlets, supported by our exclusive distribution partner E&amp;J Gallo, a global leader in the wine industry.  </em></p><div><div id="recirc-unit"><div>MORE FOR YOU</div><div><div>Drinking Alcohol After Getting A Covid Vaccine: What To Know</div><div>This New Collection Of Globally-Sourced Craft Beer Was Created By A Master Sommelier And Master Brewer</div><div>Ian Somerhalder And Paul Wesley Discuss How Their New Bourbon Supports Regenerative Agriculture</div></div></div></div><p><strong>Beyond the launch, how has the rest of the first year been?</strong></p><p><em>We ended 2020 having produced and sold all of our inventory in the first six months – over 500,000 bottles, delivering a very strong $12MM in retail sales. This is an impressive volume milestone in comparison to market trends, particularly as it was a year where no bars, restaurants, or hotels were open to serve the product and E&amp;J Gallo did a great job managing our distribution network.</em></p><p><strong>Tell us what’s new for the brand. </strong></p><p><em>The 2020 vintage launches at noon [April 8th] and has a new look, including an updated logo and color scheme. We intended for the brand to evolve with team and this new look has been so well received by our consumers online.</em><strong><em> </em></strong><em>The grapes we harvested</em><strong><em> </em></strong><em>last year for this vintage were exceptional – though it tastes almost identical, it has a crisper, paler, Provencal pink color. The bottle retails for $21.99 and is on sale through </em>Vivino<em>.</em></p><p><strong>A large part of your story is how you, Post Malone, and co-founder Dre London spent time in Provence, trying the grapes and working with the winemaker to craft the perfect blend. How did you solve for that this year while travel was restricted? </strong></p><p><em>The last year’s travel restrictions put a lot of in-person meetings online. We all adapted and shifted our communication methods to a more online-world, and spent a lot of time on Zoom with our wine-maker and team of professionals in Provence. Shipping samples back and forth between France, New York, Los Angeles and Utah was a logistical challenge but we made it work. As partners, we are committed to persevering together through challenging times to make things a success and we saw this time as an opportunity to reset and focus on the work that needed to be done. Dre and Post also released an online platform called AuxLive to help bring live entertainment into people’s living rooms. It’s hugely innovative and an incredibly dynamic platform – we don’t sit around waiting very much for things to change, we try and stay positive and adapt to our surroundings whatever they may be. We always find a way. </em></p><p><strong>What else can we expect from Maison No. 9 in 2021? </strong></p><p><em>Post, Dre and I knew from the start of this project we would take a non-traditional approach to marketing and developing a product that’s usually conventional in both style and messaging. We have truly created a lifestyle brand and this year we’re introducing “Seasons,” with each season launching new seasonal Maison No. 9 merchandise; new Post Malone content —inclusive of campaign imagery, social imagery, website content; seasonal cocktail recipes; and correlating events, activations, either digitally or in real life—as current mandates allow.</em></p><p><em>Maison No. 9 is the first-ever alcohol brand to adopt this “drop” marketing concept, a tactic typically reserved for fashion and streetwear brands. We also intend to roll out the product in the US in a larger capacity this year, hoping to include bars, restaurants, hotels, and music venues into the expansion plans, COVID permitting, of course. Given the global demand for the brand, we will be expanding in several major new countries this year – a type of expansion model that typically takes most brands 5+ years. </em></p><p><strong>What is your ultimate goal for the brand? </strong></p><p><em>We want Maison No. 9 to be a global brand which brings a superior level of quality to all consumers at an affordable price. The brand is intended to break down the walls of inaccessibility often associated with the wine industry, and we want to give everyone a taste of the French Riviera and have fun while doing it.</em></p><figure> 
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  <img src="https://imageproxy.lbkrs.com/https://specials-images.forbesimg.com/imageserve/60706a0521b3b38740bd8456/960x0.jpg/query-Zml0PXNjYWxl" alt="A bottle of rose sits next to a grape stem" original-src="https://specials-images.forbesimg.com/imageserve/60706a0521b3b38740bd8456/960x0.jpg?fit=scale"/> 
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   <p>A bottle of the latest vintage of Maison No. 9 Rose</p> 
   
  <small>Maison No. 9</small> 
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<p>9 Last year Post Malone took the wine world by storm when he introduced his own brand of rose: Maison No ... I had just returned from a winery in the South of France which was producing incredible liquid, and was telling Post and Dre about my plans to create a new brand ... A large part of your story is how you, Post Malone, and co-founder Dre London spent time in Provence, trying the grapes and working with the winemaker to craft the perfect blend.</p>

What’s Next For Post Malone’s Record-Setting Rose