Big news for Oregon pinot noir. Evesham Wood, my favorite local producer and the place where I first worked harvest up here in the Willamette Valley, is apparently sold to Erin Nuccio and his wife Jordan of Haden Fig. Includes the property and inventory. Effective immediately, though Russ will apparently still make the wine or consult (isn’t clear from what I’ve heard) for two more years. Great news for Russ and Mary Raney of Evesham Wood. Great news for Erin and Jordan. But what a sudden change. Wow.
More info here:
http://www.avalonwine.com/wordpress/2010/07/oregon-wine-erin-nuccio-purchases-evesham-wood-winery/
Stunned. I truly wish the best for Russ and his family. But as a consumer, only the F word comes to mind.
RT
Agree. The wines will probably continue to be good, but i’m thinking - stock up now!
The article says Russ is retiring from winemaking.
Change in any winery, especially one as important to Oregon wine as Evesham Wood. “F” was a reaction, but I think this is great for all involved. Erin makes good wine and seems like a nice fit to carry the torch.
On his Facebook page, Russ writes that he’ll be “consulting” for the next two years. I suppose that could me a lot of input or…maybe only what’s necessary to help the transition go well. Sounds like Russ is looking for a nice break and he deserves it.
I do wish him the best and will certainly try the wines objectively (08 being his first vintage at Haden Fig?). There is honestly no way to replace Russ Raney. Russ’s experience, practices and connection to Burgundian methods and styles. 2 more years of mentoring will help but… F!
RT
EW was my weeknight wine that offered excellent value. Without an obvious replacement, I will probably give the new owners a try, assuming no significant price increases.
S
Let’s remember that there are the rest of the '08s and all the '09s from Russ still to come. Meanwhile, Erin’s worked with Russ and made his wine at Evesham Wood for the past two years (maybe worked longer, I don’t know). They’ve obviously gotten tight. Change was going to happen. This is about as good of news as I could expect, and simply good news outright for the future.
For me, this is a major bummer. Russ’ talent and experience simply cannot be replaced. Of course I hope the new wines are wonderful, but, man this … just sucks.
Doug
I am very saddened to hear this. Although from a little research about the purchasers I am hopeful that they should be able to carry the torch. And, as others mentioned, you have to be happy for Russ and his family.
I think it is a misnomer to see EW wines, even at thier base level, purely as a “value” wine. I think what EW produces is a fine wine at an everyday price. The quality of thier $15 to $20 PN was EASILY on the level of bottlings at 2x to 3x that price.
EW, as a winemaking operation, is something special both in terms of the quality and
value of what they produce as well they business approach they take. Sometimes I think it might have worked to thier detriment in terms of overall prestige, but I don’t think Russ gave a crap about that sort of thing. So refreshing.
Kudos to Russ and family and good luck to the new folks. I will continue to be a loyal customer until given a reason no to.
Well said, Paul. I have purchased and drunk a lot of wine from Russ for many years, and I will be sad not to be able to buy wine from him anymore. Russ has a certain unique integrity the likes of which is rare in any business, let alone the wine business. He never oversold or artificially puffed his wine. Not only did he make great wine, and charge under-market prices for it, but he really made you personally enjoy supporting his efforts, and you knew that he and Mary were hands-on in everything to do with that wine. When the Seven Springs vineyard grapes became no longer available to Oregon winemakers, I asked him if he was going to go after another big, well-known vineyard name contract to replace it. He said no, he wasn’t really interested in making more expensive wine. That sort of encapsulated his attitude.
I don’t think Russ and Mary would trust their creation to anyone they didn’t feel would continue to honor their way of doing things, so I look forward to working with the new owners in the future.
A little more information from the Oregonian newspaper:
Oregon wine M&A: Evesham Wood under new ownership - oregonlive.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Who knows for sure what the future will bring? But I can tell you one thing: I have 100% faith in Erin Nuccio’s talents. I have had a chance to talk with Erin about his winemaking philosophy and I have tasted just about every wine he has made under his own Haden Fig label. Stylistically I think Erin is on the same page with Russ. And having Russ around for two years to make sure the nuts and bolts of winery operation don’t fall off will be a major help for Erin and Jordan. Hey, another Erin-Jordan combo in the wine world.
Anyway, I’m relaxed and confident this will be a seamless transition…
I know a lot of successful business owners that are/have been looking for the exit this year. This is the last year of the Bush tax cuts and in 2011 capital gains taxes will increase to at least 25% from the current 15%. Congrats on the sale, and here is hopeing for a smooth successful transition! ![[cheers.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/0/0ff9bfcdb0964982cd3240b6159868fbdf215b1a.gif "cheers")
![[welldone.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/f/fc9709a841aa9379fd892a9cf0b535b05f473b86.gif "[welldone.gif]")
This is the email I received from Russ:
To our beloved friends & clientele:
After 24 years of a mixture of euphoria and despair (only a little bit of the latter) - Mary & I faced the golden opportunity to retire early, when we had the great fortune of meeting and working with Erin Nuccio and his wife, Jordan (Haden Fig Wines). The end result is that we were blessed with the perfect candidates to continue the Evesham Wood legacy. So as of August 2010, Erin & Jordan will be the new owners of Evesham Wood Winery & Le Puits Sec Vineyard. Apart from our presence here, virtually nothing will change at Evesham Wood, both in vineyard & cellar. Erin & my wine making & vine-tending philosophies are pretty much identical (esp. as regards organics & irrigation). Mary, our son Aidan, and I will remain in West Salem, and I will be consulting for the new owners over the next 2 years. We also hope to spend 1-2 months per year at a “maison de village” we purchased near Narbonne, France (proof that one doesn’t have to be fabulously wealthy to own property overseas - just willing to speak the language and endure occasional adversity!). We extend our heartfelt gratitude to all of our wonderful friends and clientele who helped us realize our dream. Nothing would make us happier than for Erin & Jordan to sustain that support that you so generously gave us. For the perspective of Erin & Jordan, please read the attached letter below.
Warmest Regards,
Russ, Mary & Aidan Raney
Evesham Wood Vineyard & Winery
Dear Friends,
As many of you know, Haden Fig has been produced at Evesham Wood since its inception. But many of you probably don’t know how that came to be. Through a very bizarre and serendipitous series of events I found myself driving up the long gravel road to Evesham Wood about three years ago. What was meant to be a quick winery and vineyard tour turned into the beginning of a meaningful friendship and an indispensable mentorship. Russ and Mary Raney built Evesham Wood from the ground up and spent nearly 25 years honing their craft. I have learned a lot from them and they have welcomed Jordan, Haden, and me into their family over the last three years while we worked side by side creating something we believe in.
Russ and Mary have decided to move on to the next chapter of their lives and have asked Jordan and me to carry on what they have worked so hard to create. While it wasn’t what I envisioned three years ago, or even more recently, it is an incredible honor and opportunity to carry this legacy forward and I take the responsibility extremely seriously. Russ and Mary will stay close by, living just down the street, and their influence and input will be invaluable as we make this transition of ownership.
Now what does this mean for Haden Fig? Haden Fig will continue down the path started three years ago with even more opportunity for experimentation and allowing me to really push the envelope in working towards creating wine that truly embraces the philosophies of sustainable viticulture and natural winemaking. Jordan and I are thankful to Russ and Mary for making this possible and we are thankful to you for helping us grow. This is exciting news for Haden Fig and good things are to come!
We’ll be in touch!
Erin and Jordan Nuccio