Afternoon Brief, March 18th

Founding Winemaker James Hall Buys Back Patz & Hall from Ste. Michelle Wine Estates: James Hall, the founding partner and winemaker, has repurchased Patz & Hall winery from Ste. Michelle Wine Estates, which has owned the winery since 2016...

Background: Expanding capacity for a growing Chardonnay program Patz & Hall’s highly regarded Chardonnays gain much of their acclaim from the winemaker’s ability to foster the unique expression of the grapes from each small, family-owned partner vineyard. The vineyard crews harvest grapes in the early morning in coastal vineyards from Sonoma Coast and Russian River Valley and from Mendocino to Monterey. As trucks arrive with bins, crews sort the grapes and immediately press the whole clusters to preserve the delicate aromatics and full flavors of the Chardonnay fruit. “Juice quality is the first consideration for winemakers in luxury programs,” says Patz & Hall’s winemaker, Tom Klassen. Klassen guides the grapes through pressing and every step after that, ensuring consistency in the winemaking approach that has been refined to highlight each vineyard’s signature qualities. The importance of quality and consistency is why, when the winery deci

Afternoon Brief, August 29th

E & J. Gallo’s Luxury Wine Group Announces Acquisition of World-Renowned Rombauer Vineyards: E. & J. Gallo’s Luxury Wine Group announced today that it has reached an agreement with the Rombauer family to purchase Rombauer Vineyards, producer of critically acclaimed wines from Napa Valley, Sonoma County, the Sierra Foothills, and the Santa Lucia Highlands...

Afternoon Brief, June 7th

Pix Poised to Re-Emerge Despite Legal and Financial Challenges: Paul Mabray started Pix in late 2020 and launched it the following year. The company cut most all its writers and editors in August 2022 after a round of funding didn’t materialize, but next week a customer-focused website portal for vintners and retailers called Pix Business is set for rollout...