Recent winery-related happenings in Sonoma and Napa County.
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| Kenwood Vineyards tasting room |
Kenwood Vineyards in Sonoma Valley reopened May 15th, now under the stewardship of Gary Heck, the local owner of Korbel Winery. Gary purchased Kenwood from the founders in 1996 then sold to foreign wine corporation, Penrod Ricard in 2014 for a pile of money. He recently bought it back for a much smaller pile of money. They are pouring through the old Penrod wines and did not renew the contract for the Jack London Vineyard, something they've done since 1976.
Ravenswood Winery was purchased by Constellation Brands in 2000 and underwent rapid expansion. Constellation announced it is closing the facility as they concentrate on high-end wines that still sell well in today's market.
Kendall-Jackson recently closed a facility in Carneros, near the town of Sonoma, a site they used for overflow production.
Gallo is closing a production facility in St. Helena. This is part of the theme of cutting back wine production. No doubt this Napa Valley site is more expensive to run than their Central Valley locations. Gallo still maintains a huge facility in Sonoma County's Dry Creek Valley.
Montse Reece Wines opens a tasting room near Healdsburg to showcase her unique wines. Raised in Spain then spending decades in the Sonoma County wine business Reece wants to stand out by not trying to sell the usual Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Cabernet Sauvignon. Current releases are Albariño and Tempranillo, a couple of grapes originally from Spain. Both are low alcohol compared to the usual California wines.
Clos Pegase Winery near Calistoga has recently reopened after going through the bankruptcy of previous owners, Vintage Wine Estates. The new owners have brought back the look and feel of the original winery by restoring the earth tone colors and adding artwork. We'll see what they do with the wines.
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| image from Clos Pegase Winery |
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