Sapphire Wines acquired by Saint James

Thursday, November 5, 2009, 10:46 am

NORTH COAST — Tennessee-based Sapphire Wines LLC, which acquired the North Coast brands Carneros Creek and Wildhurst earlier this year, has been acquired by publicly traded wine portfolio The Saint James Co. of Santa Monica.

Sapphire Wines was formed in 2007 with the acquisition of the Eos Estate Winery & Vineyards in Paso Robles. The Napa-based brand Carneros Creek and Wildhurst from Lake County joined the Sapphire portfolio in March.

“The Sapphire portfolio has grown by no less than 15 percent in the last year, and represents an excellent complement to our Koala Blue brand from Australia,” said Richard Hurst, chief executive officer of The Saint James Co. “The Eos Estate Winery is one of the largest in the Central Coast area, and Sapphire’s established distribution in the US provides a strong launch platform for those other New World wine businesses that we have agreed to acquire.”

The Eos Estate Winery has been producing wines since 1987 and is known for its zinfandel, petite sirah and late-harvest Tears of Dew moscato wines. Other brands are Cupa Grandis, Lost Angel and Novella.

The Saint James Co. (Bulletin Board: STJC; www.thesaintjamescompany.com) imports brands from New Zealand and Australia, most recently, Olivia Newton John’s Koala Blue label.