Copain acquired by Jackson Family Wines

That’s about all I know but heard it from a source inside. Thought it was April 1st but turns out it’s actually May 16th still.

If true, we’ll be able to order it at every motel bar.

I think the reporter got this wrong.

“Not only does Copain complement our portfolio, but it also elevates it,” Jackson Family Wines President Hugh Reimers said. “It’s stylistically very different from a lot of our wines. Wells is definitely making wine in that (In Pursuit of Balance) style, lower in alcohol.” In Pursuit of Balance is a nonprofit association of wineries, of which Copain is a member. The group espouses lower-acid, higher-alcohol wines that embody a principle of “balance.”

The SF Comical seems a bit confused about several concepts:

The acquisition includes just the brand; Jackson Family will take over Copain’s leases on its Healdsburg winery and three vineyards in Anderson Valley.

Huh? That sounds like the hard assets, too.

And this is hilariously backward:

In Pursuit of Balance is a nonprofit association of wineries, of which Copain is a member. The group espouses lower-acid, higher-alcohol wines that embody a principle of “balance.”

Oh lord… FMIII will require a straight jacket!

Quick! Someone go comfort him before he does something dire.

I was very disappointed to see this. I suppose its all based on what I “think” will happen but I am a huge fan of Copain and I cant imagine this somehow makes them “better”

Good for Wells that he was able to cash out, but I suspect bad for the die hard fans.

The article has been fixed as far as that amusing gaffe, as of looking at it now.

I hope this is a great outcome for Wells. With my familiarity with him, I would be quite surprised if he were staying on in order to turn Copain into a mainstream-type wine or to let it go downhill.

To me and for the style I like, I think Copain makes the best chardonnay in California right now at or near its price point. Or maybe tied with Arcadian. While I enjoy their pinots a great deal as well, the chardonnays are really the stars of their portfolio.

It will be interesting to see what, if anything, changes from the customer perspective - wine, pricing, club/list setup, etc. I’m not one of those who assumes that “bought by a corporation” necessarily equals something negative, so I’ll just keep an open mind.

The vineyards are owned by Jay of the Murano Group (the investor/owner of Copain). I had heard the winery was sold and leased back.

the mailing list email announcement

====

Dear Friends,

I began my career as a wine tasting coordinator at the Wine Spectator magazine, and I quickly fell in love with the portfolio of northern Rhone wines from Kermit Lynch Wine Merchants. Following this inspiration, I secured a job working for Maison Chapoutier a prominent producer in the Rhône region of France. The multiple holdings of Chapoutier in the northern Rhône (Chateauneuf du Pape and Banyuls) allowed me to experience a broad spectrum of wines that not only spoke of place and vintage, but were balanced with lightness and vibrant acidity to compliment the food on your table. I founded Copain in 1999, inspired by my time spent in the northern Rhône valley and the European sensibility towards wine making. This experience instilled in me a belief that wines need to speak of place – and over the past 17 years I’ve been able to hone in on the areas of Anderson Valley that I believe make the best wines.

As I continue my discovery of the terroir of Anderson Valley, I am excited to announce that we have come to an agreement to partner with Jackson Family Wines. Joining the Jackson Family Wines portfolio is an exciting next step for us and we believe the Family’s commitment to preserving the integrity of what we’ve built, while providing the resources to elevate our wines. I will continue making Copain wines and will work with not only our existing vineyards, but with the superb vineyard holdings of the Jackson Family estates.

Thank you so much for your continued support over the years, and please join me as we turn the page on this next exciting new chapter.



Best wishes,

Wells Guthrie

Nothing wrong with cashing out. Hope Wells keeps making good wine for Copain.

looks like it was edited

He did a lot of expansion building a new winery, etc., and from a succession standpoint probably makes good sense to sell at the top of what is apparently nearing the end of this business cycle.

WOW, this is one of those brands that leads me to believe there is no limit to who cashes out. Great for Wells if he can get a nice pay day. I totally get why people are selling. I’d be in line for top dollar if someone wanted to flash 8 figures in my face!

It sounds like this may have a “Pax” type deal behind it (although, amicable). I bet he surfaces in a few years with another project, no strings attached.

ChickenLittle: “The Sky Is Falling”…as reported now, coming across on all the wire services.
Everybody please don your hard-hats.

There have been a number of these buy-outs over the last few yrs. It’s not the end of the World. When Constellation or Diageo
buys out a wnry…maybe so. But I’ve not observed it w/ Qupe/TerroirEstates or Siduri/JFW. My sense is they leave the winemakers
alone to do what they do best…make wine. But it relieves them of all the sales promotion/WebSite building/ payrolls/HR crap/sales trips/etc
that most winemakers are not so good at and hate. These winemakers have a real life, mortgages to pay, kids to get to their soccer
or baseball games, college tuitions to pay…all the stuff us ordinary folks take for granite. I can hardly scold them for wanting to have a real life and if these
buy-outs make that happen for them, at a more sane pace…power to them.
Tom

What percentage did Wells own, I wonder. I wonder if this was his financial backers’ call.

Not to mention Ridge and Otsuka Pharmaceutical (1987).

Isn’t CdP part of Southern Rhone???

It must have been an offer he could not refuse. Good for him and his family. He has been nothing but generous and gracious over the years, but also seemingly independent-minded. Hopefully his deal will allow him the freedom to maintain the style and quality or even improve it.

Plus…he and Adam will be coworkers, no?