Randy Lewis, Debbie Lewis, & Dennis Bell
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Lewis Cellars
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Carlton McCoy, Weston Lawrence, Jim Burgess & Steve Burgess
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Burgess Cellars
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IWA represented Louis Roederer Champagne
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Louis Roederer Champagne
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IWA represented Wallula Gap Vineyards |
Wallula Gap Vineyards
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IWA represented Komes Ranch (Flora Springs)
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Komes Ranch (Flora Springs)
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Merry Edwards & Frederic Rouzaud
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Merry Edwards Winery
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IWA represented Michael David Winery |
Seven Deadly Zins
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Mike Chelini, Winemaker
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Stony Hill Vineyard
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IWA represented Germain-Robin |
Germain-Robin
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IWA represented Calera Wine Company
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Calera Wine Company
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IWA represented Beaux Frères Winery
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Beaux Frères Winery
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IWA represented DIAGEO |
Chalone Vineyard
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IWA represented Talbott Vineyards |
Talbott Vineyards
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Thibault Gagey & Jacques Lardière, Maison Louis Jadot
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Resonance Vineyard
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IWA represented Mayacamas Vineyards |
Mayacamas Vineyards
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IWA represented Edna Valley Vineyard |
Edna Valley Vineyard
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IWA represented Hangar 1 Vodka |
Hangar 1 Vodka
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IWA represented Constellation Brands |
Constellation Brands
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IWA represented Wild Horse Winery & Vineyards |
Wild Horse Winery & Vineyards
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IWA represented Chalone Wine Group |
Hewitt Vineyard
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IWA represented Sonoma-Cutrer Vineyards |
Sonoma-Cutrer Vineyards
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IWA Represented Jim Beam |
Geyser Peak Winery
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IWA represented Heublein, Inc. (a subsidiary of DIAGEO) |
The Greystone Building
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With over 75 separate transactions completed since 1990 for a combined value of over $2 billion, IWA is the leading boutique mergers and acquisitions advisory firm that specializes in the wine and spirits industry.
From companies in California, Oregon and Washington, IWA represents family owned wine estates, all the major U.S. and international wine and spirit companies and a number of financial institutions in exclusive sell-side mandates.
Over the years IWA has sold some of the best known and most celebrated names in the U.S. wine and spirits business that has included the sale of over 6,250 acres of premium vineyards.
IWA’s primary business is selling wine and spirits businesses, brands, wineries and vineyards. IWA provides valuations and the necessary due diligence to prepare businesses for sale, manages the contact and approach to buyers and represents sellers to the close of transactions.
Please contact Robert Nicholson or Josh Grace at IWA to hear what our company can do for you.
Click here for our complete history of our transactions.
Following the Diamond Creek and Flora Springs Komes Ranch Transactions that IWA completed earlier this year IWA represents Burgess Cellars in the Sale to the Lawrence Family from Heitz Cellar
Healdsburg, California – September 14, 2020 – Robert Nicholson announced that International Wine Associates (IWA) represented Burgess Cellars in the sale to the Lawrence Family of Heitz Cellar.
“We are pleased to have worked with Steve and Jim Burgess on the sale of their classic Napa Valley winery and hillside vineyard to Gaylon Lawrence.” said Robert Nicholson. “Following on from IWA’s representation of Louis Roederer in their acquisition of Diamond Creek in March and our sale of Flora Springs Komes Ranch to Chateau Smith-Haut-Lafitte in January we are gratified to have now completed three important Napa Valley winery transactions in 2020. We continue to seek out buyers throughout the world to sell prominent wine estates that IWA represents in California, Oregon and Washington.”
About International Wine Associates
Incorporated in 1990 and now celebrating 30 years of M&A service to the U.S. and international wine business this year, IWA is the leading mergers and acquisitions firm specializing in the wine industry and has initiated and closed numerous prominent transactions for a combined value of over $2 billion. Total IWA 2020 transactions year-to-date are now valued at over $175 million.
In addition to representing Burgess Cellars, IWA has completed other prominent winery and vineyard transactions including Diamond Creek, Merry Edwards, Stony Hill, Beaux Freres, Mayacamas, Flora Springs Komes Ranch, Calera, Sierra Madre, Wildwood, Washington’s Wallula Gap and Klipsum Vineyards, Oregon’s Resonance Vineyard, Ladera, Talbott, Chalone, Laurel Glen and Edna Valley.
Over the years IWA has represented major multinational companies in the business including Treasury, Constellation, DIAGEO, Jim Beam, Brown-Forman, Southcorp, Moet-Hennessy, a number of well-known wine estates including those noted above and Lancaster Estate, Sonoma-Cutrer, Hop Kiln, Geyser Peak, Buena Vista, The Four Graces, Sausal, Wild Horse, Hogue Cellars, Fieldstone, Stryker Sonoma, among others, various important vineyards including Washington’s Sagemoor Vineyards, Olsen Agriculture, Komes / Garvey Napa Valley vineyards, Pinnacle Vineyard, Sleepy Hollow Vineyard, and others, craft liquor businesses including Hangar One vodka and Germain Romain brandy and various banks including Wells Fargo, EBRD and Banco Banesto.
For more information please visit www.intlwine.com or call Robert Nicholson at +1 707 / 974-6032.
Frédéric Rouzaud, President & CEO, welcomes another gem to his family’s collection of iconic properties: Maison Louis Roederer to Acquire Fabled Diamond Creek Vineyards.
Oakland, CA, March 12th, 2020 – The story of Maison Louis Roederer’s passion for unique terroirs of Cabernet Sauvignon dates back to the early 1990s with the purchase of Château de Pez in 1995 in the renowned Bordeaux appellation of Saint-Estèphe. 2007 marked the entry of the family into the select group of 1855 Classified Grands Crus wines with the purchase of the iconic super second Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande.
“The acquisition of Diamond Creek is the continuation of our journey into the greatest appellations in the world and our relentless quest to produce great wines with strong identity. Reflective of their pioneering characters, Al and Boots Brounstein built Diamond Creek from the ground up, producing some of the most celebrated and singular wines of the region. I am delighted that, once again, we have the opportunity to carry on the opus of an iconic family and embody its values and savoir-fair,” states Frédéric Rouzaud, President and CEO of Maison Louis Roederer.
“Most important to my Mom, myself, and the family was finding the right partner who would respect the legacy that she and Al built over the last 50 years, and who could even elevate that legacy. Frédéric and his family are the perfect fit,” says Phil Ross, Boots Brounstein’ son and Managing Partner.
The mutual respect and admiration between Roederer and Diamond Creek runs deep – in 1997, Al and Boots Brounstein were among a small group of wine luminaries invited to Paris by Jean-Claude Rouzaud, Frédéric’s father, to celebrate the 30 greatest wines in the world on his 30–year anniversary at the helm of Louis Roederer. Their friendly relationship endured until Al’s passing and Jean-Claude’s retirement in 2006; it was carried on by Frédéric and Boots who were exploring ways to partner until she passed in July 2019 at age 92.
Phil Ross has agreed to stay at the winery for a period of time. Winemaker Phil Steinschriber, who has been with Diamond Creek since 1991, has also agreed to stay. The majority of employees, many of whom have worked at Diamond Creek for decades, will also continue there.
Maison Louis Roederer
Originally founded in 1776, Champagne Louis Roederer continues as one of the very rare Champagne houses to remain firmly in the hands of the same family, since 1832. For three centuries, seven successive generations have been responsible for building a reputation for unparalleled quality and continuity. Its focus on meticulous viticulture, best demonstrated with an ongoing conversion to organic and biodynamic vineyards, as well as precise winemaking, account for the Houses’s enduring excellence and success.
Since 1990, Maison Louis Roederer has strategically acquired esteemed family–owned wineries with an approach centered around identical core values, long–term vision and continuity.
Ramos Pinto (1990), Champagne Deutz and Delas Frères (1993), Château de Pez (1995), Domaines Ott (2004), Scharffenberger Cellars (2004), Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande (2007) and Merry Edwards (2019).
Roederer has also established new ventures: Roederer Estate (1982) and Domaine Anderson (2012) and owns Descaves, an historic wine merchant on the Place de Bordeaux.
Diamond Creek
Founded in 1968, Diamond Creek is California’s first exclusively Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Vineyard. Visionary pioneer, Al Brounstein, assisted by his wife Boots, defied modern conventions and planted Bordeaux varietals on secluded Diamond Mountain. The four vineyards – Red Rock Terrace, Volcanic Hill, Gravelly Meadow and Lake – produce a small amount of long–lived wines that are elegant with great depth and richness, honored and cherished by connoisseurs the world over.
Frédéric Rouzaud Wins the Heart of Merry Edwards: Louis Roederer to Acquire Merry Edwards Winery
The story of Louis Roederer’s pursuit of the Merry Edwards Winery is the stuff of a Henry James novel. Merry Edwards, one of the first women winemakers in California, has had to overcome personal challenges and adversities to build her winery. She is tough, fearless and independent. Humble yet ambitious, Frédéric Rouzaud is the great-grandson of Madame Camille Olry Roederer. He was born into an established French Champagne house and has continued to grow his family business into one of the most prestigious wine companies in the world.
What may seem like an attraction of opposites, however, belies the many similarities that drew Merry
and Frédéric together. Both were born entrepreneurs, willing to take risks to build their companies while adhering to their core values: producing wines emblematic of their distinct terroirs, all the while pushing the boundaries of land stewardship.
“Over the years, we have had opportunities to look at renowned wineries in Northern California but it is not until I met Merry Edwards that I felt my heart beating. Her personality, her story, her wines won me over. I knew it was the right moment. Going forward it is our mission to ensure continuity as we have done with our other acquisitions since 1990,” says Frédéric Rouzaud.
“In Frédéric, I have found a true soulmate to pass on the company to which I have devoted my life these past 21 years. I know my legacy is in good hands for the years to come as a member of the Maison Louis Roederer family” says Merry Edwards.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Originally founded in 1776, Champagne Louis Roederer continues as one of the very rare Champagne houses to remain firmly in the hands of the same family, since 1832. For three centuries, seven successive generations have been responsible for building a reputation for unparalleled quality and continuity. Its focus on meticulous viticulture, best demonstrated with an ongoing conversion to organic and biodynamic vineyards, as well as precise winemaking, account for the House’s enduring excellence and success.
Since 1990, Maison Louis Roederer has strategically acquired esteemed family-owned wineries with an approach centered around identical core values, long-term vision and continuity.
Ramos Pinto (1990), Champagne Deutz and Delas Frères (1993), Château de Pez (1995), Domaines Ott (2004), Scharffenberger Cellars (2004), and Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande (2007). Roederer has also established new ventures: Roederer Estate (1982) and Domaine Anderson (2012).
In 1997, family and friends joined Merry to found Merry Edwards Winery, with a focus on producing pinot noirs, sauvignon blancs and chardonnays with a sense of place from Russian River Valley and Sonoma Coast. In 2008, she and her husband, Ken Coopersmith, completed their winery, where tastings are hosted to educate visitors about Merry’s handcrafted wines and site-specific viticulture. In addition to this property, their estate vineyards include Meredith Estate, Coopersmith,
Georganne, Warrens’ Hill and Richaven. Merry and Ken have also partnered with several trusted growers to supplement this estate production.
International Wine Associates worked with Merry Edwards Winery in this transaction.
NAPA VALLEY, Calif. – August 15, 2017– Duckhorn Wine Company (“DWC”), which includes Duckhorn Vineyards, Goldeneye, Paraduxx, Migration, Decoy and Canvasback, announced today that it has acquired Calera Wine Company (“Calera”). Founded by Josh Jensen in 1975, Calera played a pivotal role in establishing Pinot Noir as one of North America’s great varietal wines, and helped to establish the Central Coast as one of the New World’s most exciting wine regions. Hailed as a “Pinot Pioneer” on the cover of Wine Spectator, and referred to as “California’s Romanée-Conti” in another premier wine publication, Calera is one of California’s most acclaimed Pinot Noir producers, and has been named a “Top 100 Winery” by Wine & Spirits four times in the past decade. The sale includes the Calera winery, time-honored brand, tasting room, estate vineyards, and all inventory and assets.
“Like our own founders, Dan and Margaret Duckhorn, Josh is a visionary and pioneer who has spent more than four decades shaping the modern American palate for luxury wines. What he has achieved at Calera has been nothing short of remarkable,” said Alex Ryan, president and CEO of DWC. “Calera is one of the world’s great wineries, and we will ensure that Josh’s legacy of quality and excellence will continue to flourish for decades to come. For us, this is a fantastic opportunity to establish a presence on the Central Coast with one of the region’s most iconic wineries.”
Calera will continue to produce its acclaimed portfolio of wines at its seven-level, gravity-flow winery in Hollister, California. All key personnel, including Winemaker Mike Waller, will remain
with the winery. Jensen, who is 73, will continue to remain involved at Calera, and will join the Duckhorn Wine Company Board of Directors, where he will serve alongside his longtime peer, Dan Duckhorn.
“Calera is my life’s work. In this era of industry consolidation, it was vital to me that I choose a partner that not only shares the values that have always defined Calera, but that also has the market presence to provide our wines a continued strong and secure route to market,” said Jensen. “Duckhorn is one of the most respected luxury wine companies in the world, and for good reason. They have integrity, and they are absolutely focused on making great wines. I’m proud to be entrusting Calera to their expert hands.”
“Duckhorn and Calera are both innovators and leaders that have spent decades building the trust and respect of their customers and industry partners,” said Jamie O’Hara, president of TSG Consumer Partners, which owns DWC. “Calera will benefit from the strength of Duckhorn’s sales and marketing platform, its phenomenal distributor network, including its powerful California-direct model, and a best-in-class management team that will continue building on the legacy established by Josh. For Duckhorn, this is an opportunity to add one of America’s great wineries to a portfolio that already includes some of the most respected wineries in the United States.”
In addition to the winery and tasting room, the sale includes Calera’s renowned Selleck, Jensen, Reed, Mills, Ryan and de Villiers estate vineyards in the Mt. Harlan AVA. Totaling 85 planted acres, these vineyards are between 2,200 and 2,500 feet above sea level, and feature the limestone-rich soils that originally drew Jensen to this spot in the Gavilan Mountains, 100 miles south of San Francisco. With plantings dating back to 1975, these vineyards feature some of the oldest vines in the region, and are the source for Calera’s renowned single-vineyard wines.
While vineyard and winemaking operations will remain unchanged at Calera, the winery will benefit from leveraging the sales and marketing experience of DWC, which maintains an
in-house sales team of more than 50 people, with placements in more than 30,000 accounts throughout the United States, and in 50 countries around the world.
International Wine Associates (IWA) served as the exclusive advisors to and represented Calera Wine Company in this transaction.
About Duckhorn Wine Company
Duckhorn Wine Company has helped set the standard for American fine wine for four decades. Founded by Dan and Margaret Duckhorn with the launch of Duckhorn Vineyards in 1976, the Duckhorn portfolio has evolved to include Goldeneye, Paraduxx, Migration, Decoy and Canvasback, each with its own dedicated winemaker. With more than 600 acres of acclaimed estate vineyards, along with grapes from the finest growers, each winery has its own focused winegrowing program from which to make its wines. Duckhorn Wine Company wines are available throughout the United States, on five continents, and in over 50 countries. For more information, visit Duckhorn.com.
About Calera Wine Company
In 1975, taking his cue from the great domaines of Burgundy, which have grown grapes in limestone-rich soils for centuries, Josh Jensen founded Calera in the Gavilan Mountains of California’s Central Coast. His goal was to create wines unique to the world, but in the style of the greatest wines of France. Today, Calera’s wines still express this pioneering spirit, and are revered the world over for their elegance, complexity and terroir-driven character. For more information, visit Calerawine.com.
Robert Nicholson is a Principal of IWA and a leader in wine industry mergers & acquisitions and has completed over $2 billion in... [Read More]
Robert Nicholson is a Principal of IWA and a leader in wine industry mergers & acquisitions and has completed over $2 billion in transactions.
Before establishing IWA in 1990 Robert was Vice President of Christian Brothers in California and held positions with Seagrams in New York and with Louis Eschenauer in Bordeaux (when the company owned Chateau Rauzan Segla, Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte and Chateau Olivier, among other leading Bordeaux estates). At IWA Robert has completed numerous transactions and has worked with many family owned and independent wineries, most of the major multinational companies, and a number of banks, including Burgess Cellars, Diamond Creek, Merry Edwards, Flora Springs Komes Ranch, Stony Hill, Wallula Gap Vineyard, Sierra Madre Vineyard, Calera, Beaux Freres, Chalone Vineyard, Talbott Vineyards, Hop Kiln Winery, Sagemoor VineyardsLancaster Estate, Edna Valley Vineyard, Yalumba, Davis Bynum, Buena Vista, Cline Cellars, Havens, Gary Farrell, Geyser Peak Winery, Chateau Potelle, Charles Krug, Hogue Cellars, Pacific Rim Winemakers, Columbia, Covey Run, Ste. Chapelle, Errazuriz, Sonoma-Cutrer, Wild Horse, Sausal, Bonny Doon, Hangar One Vodka, DIAGEO, Treasury Wine Estates, Constellation, Grupo Codorniu, Moet-Hennessy, Brown-Forman, Jim Beam, Gruppo Campari, Heublein, Chalone, Fosters, Southcorp, Mildara Blass, Masi, Wells Fargo, European Bank, Banco Banesto, and many others.
Robert was educated in England at Millfield and studied oenology at the University of Bordeaux under Professor Emile Peynaud.
Robert is an active industry commentator at U.S. and international industry conferences and speaks fluent French.
CloseJosh Grace is a Managing Director at IWA and has over twenty years of financial management, valuation, accounting, mergers and acquisition and... [Read More]
Josh Grace is a Managing Director at IWA and has over twenty years of financial management, valuation, accounting, mergers and acquisition and corporate advisory experience, with a specialization in the wine and liquor industry.
Before joining IWA in 2002, Josh was a Financial Manager at Robert Mondavi where he worked on California vineyard acquisitions and on financial management of the company’s flagship Napa Valley winery. At IWA Josh has worked on a number of prominent wine industry transactions with a combined value of over $1.5 billion with the following companies among others, Diamond Creek, Burgess Cellars, Flora Springs, Merry Edwards, Wallula Gap Vineyard, Sierra Madre Vineyard, Calera, Beaux Freres, Chalone Vineyard, Talbott Vineyards, Hop Kiln Winery, Sagemoor Vineyard, Lancaster Estate, Sausal, Bonny Doon, Wild Horse, Havens, Davis Bynum, Chateau Potelle, Cline Cellars, and Wells Fargo that have included the sale of various businesses including Edna Valley Vineyard, Pacific Rim, Hangar One Vodka, Big House, Red Truck, DIAGEO, Treasury Wine Estates, Constellation, Grupo Codorniu, Brown-Forman, Gruppo Campari, Fosters, and many others.
Josh graduated from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, California with a BSc degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Accounting.
CloseSally Nicholson is a Principal of IWA and a Licensed Real Estate Broker specializing in the sale and acquisition of winery and vineyard... [Read More]
Sally Nicholson is a Principal of IWA and a Licensed Real Estate Broker specializing in the sale and acquisition of winery and vineyard properties. Under Sally’s management IWA has completed deals valued at over $2 billion including the following transactions among others of Diamond Creek, Burgess Cellars, Merry Edwards Flora Springs Komes Ranch, Stony Hill, Wallula Gap Vineyard, Sierra Madre Vineyard, Calera, Beaux Freres, Chalone Vineyard, Talbott Vineyards, Hop Kiln Winery, Sagemoor Vineyards, and others. Sally has broad professional experience in Australasia, Europe and the United States with a comprehensive knowledge of winery and vineyard business valuations and transactions.
Sally has thirty years of international experience in brand development and marketing of luxury goods and held a number of senior management positions with direct report responsibility to Calvin Klein and Ralph Lauren and was a Design Consultant in the development of the Dockers Division at Levi Strauss.
Sally graduated with a BS degree in Design from University of California, Davis and has attended Harvard Business School Executive Education.