Napa Valley, CA (October 31, 2022) — The Lawrence Family, owners of Napa Valley’s iconic Heitz Cellar and Managing Partner and Master Sommelier Carlton McCoy, Jr. have acquired iconic Château Lascombes. Château Lascombes is a storied Second Growth with origins dating back to 1681, when vines were first planted, located in the Margaux appellation of Bordeaux. This marks Lawrence Wine Estates’ first acquisition in Europe joining a portfolio which includes Burgess, Ink Grade, and Stony Hill Vineyard.

“We are honored to become the new stewards of such a historical estate. This Chateau has some of the greatest vineyards in Margaux and our family looks forward to caring for Chateau Lascombes for many generations to come,” said Lawrence.

Combining power, elegance, smoothness and tannins, Château Lascombes crafts age-worthy wines with great complexity. The wine produced here was classified as one of fifteen Seconds Crus (Second Growths) in the original Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855. The estate vineyard (spanning roughly 100 Ha) is made up of the most sought-after plots in Margaux, composed of a unique mix of soil-types for this appellation: a gravelly outcrop planted with Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot, a block of clay-gravel made up of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, and clay-limestone plots which produce an optimal expression of Merlot.

From the 17th century to modern day, ten generations of owners have succeeded each other and left their stamp upon the history of Château Lascombes. In 1681, Jean de Lascombes bought the Segonnes estate in Margaux, granting it with the family name, and he built up vineyard holdings and bought a small farm with a barrel cellar and vat room. The Lascombes controlled the estate until 1789. Under the Chaix d’Est-Ange family, a new château was built by the famous architect Louis Michel Garros, in the Neo-Classical style. This extension project was completed in 1891 and the present entrance was later built in 1908. Notably Alexis Lichine acquired the château in 1952, driven by a passion for wine and strengthened by the experience he had acquired in sales and international wine trade. He would go on to open Château Lascombes to the public, fostering tourism and leaving his mark until he sold the estate in 1971.

Most recently, Mutuelle d’Assurance du Corps de Santé Français (MACSF) owned the estate for 11 years, undoubtedly furthering the wine quality and hospitality experiences. They presided over land acquisitions and renovations, helmed by Dominique Befve who had been running the Château since 2001. MACSF will continue to be involved as a minority partner in Château Lascombes.

“Château Lascombes is the largest estate in Margaux. With such exceptional vineyard holdings we are confident that we can craft some of the most exceptional wines in the region and we have full confidence that Delphine Barboux can achieve this. Château Lascombes is a special place, and we will spare no expense to ensure that we bring it to its full potential,” said McCoy.

International Wine Associates initiated this transaction for Lawrence Wine Estates and served as their financial advisor.

About Lawrence Wine Estates

Beginning with the acquisition of Heitz Cellar in 2018, owner Gaylon Lawrence and CEO and Master Sommelier Carlton McCoy have been committed to acquiring estates and unique vineyards that craft a new narrative in the Napa Valley. Each estate winery honors traditional wine styles and prioritizes innovative farming techniques to create wines that are the purest expression of place. Today LWE is actively expanding, creating an exciting and fast-paced environment. This endeavor creates a sought-after and unique team culture where winemaking and vineyard traditions are honored and the entrepreneurial spirit is celebrated. For more information about Lawrence Wine Estate please visit www.lawrencewineestates.com.

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.

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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 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).

Merry Edwards Winery

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.