NAPA -- West Coast Wine Partners announced it acquired Valley of the Moon Winery and the Lake Sonoma Winery brands from F. Korbel & Bros.
The purchase includes the 60-acre Madrone Vineyards estate in Sonoma County's Glen Ellen, as well as the inventory of both brands. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.
Scott McLeod, formerly at Francis Ford Coppola's Rubicon Estate, will be the consulting winemaker and join Valley of the Moon winemaker Greg Winter to set what West Coast Wine Partners called "a new direction for the wines."
Based in Napa, West Coast Wine Partners noted in the announcement that it intends to develop the Valley of the Moon Winery into a regional destination.
Zepponi & Company, a Santa Rosa-based wine industry merger and acquisition advisory firm, advised Korbel and negotiated the sale to West Coast Wine Partners.
Valley of the Moon is known for its production of zinfandel, cabernet sauvignon, chardonnay and a small lot of other varieties and blends. Lake Sonoma Winery focuses on appellation-driven wines from Sonoma County, including Dry Creek zinfandel and Russian River chardonnay.
F. Korbel in July canceled a plan to sell the 550,000-case-a-year Kenwood Vineyards brand, following negotiations with New York-based Banfi Vinters. In late March, F. Korbel announced that the sale would help it to focus resources on the Korbel brand of methode champenoise sparkling wine plus brandy.
