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SEPTEMBER NEWS Headlines Winery Acquisition Ups French Stake Purchase estimated at more than $100 million C alistoga, Calif.—Araujo Estate Wines, the cult producer of wines from Eisele Vineyard in Napa Valley, has been acquired by France's Pinault family through its holding company the Artémis Group, parent company of Château Latour in Bordeaux, Domaine d'Eugénie in Burgundy and Château Grillet in the Rhône Valley. The purchase includes the 38-acre Biodynamic and organically farmed Eisele Vineyard, the winery and cave complex, the Araujo Estate brand and existing inventory. The purchase price was not disclosed but is estimated by informed sources to be worth more than $100 million. The most recent comparable deal might be the $40 million a Chinese executive paid in late 2011 for the 600-case Sloan winery and vineyard, which winesandvines.com included 12 acres Learn more: of hillside vineyards Search keywords "Araujo Estate." but not the brand. Those wines typically sell for $600 per bottle. Robert Nicholson, who specializes in mergers and acquisitions in the wine business at his International Wine Associates, recently handled the large sale of Mayacamas Vineyards to a former owner of Screaming Eagle, one of the most expensive Napa wines. "Very few transactions of this magnitude occur," Nicholson said. "It validates the efforts of Napa Valley vintners to produce world-class wines, but don't expect a rush of other such deals." The deal follows a long history of California winery startups backed by French money, including the creation of Domaine Chandon (celebrating its 40th year in business this year), Opus One (with its own first-growth connection via Chateau 14 W in es & V i ne s SE PT E M B E R 20 13 NEWS BYTES Oregon State receives funding T he Oregon state legislature approved $1.2 million in funding to enhance Oregon State University's fermentation sciences program. The funding will sup- port university research in winemaking and brewing as well as distilled spirits. OSU, in Corvallis, Ore., plans to install a new research still, making it the first university in the United States with a working winery, brewery and distillery. winery sells for $20 million D avid Edward Sinegal, the son of Costco co-founder and former CEO James Sinegal, bought the The purchase of Araujo Estate Wines includes 38-acre Eisele Vineyard. Mouton-Rothschild) and Dominus. More recently, French vintner Jean-Charles Boisset has made numerous California winery acquisitions. Artémis bought the Araujo property from Bart and Daphne Araujo, founders of the winery. "The Artémis Group is the perfect buyer of this amazing vineyard we have called home for 23 years," Bart Araujo said in a news release. Frédéric Engerer, CEO of Chateau Latour, added, "Araujo Estate and its jewel, the unique Eisele Vineyard, have been producing consistently one of the very best wines of Napa Valley." The North American staff including the winemaking team will remain with the estate, according to Araujo. Bart and Daphne Araujo will stay at Araujo Estate until January to assist in the transition. They bought the 162-acre property under the Palisades southeast of Calistoga in 1990. It was first planted to vines in 1884 and has long produced famed wines bottled by such wineries as Joseph Phelps Winery and Conn Creek. The biggest other recent French buys in California have been by Jean-Charles Boisset, who acquired DeLoach, Raymond, Buena Vista, Lockwood and Lyeth. —Paul Franson historic In- glewood Estate (not to be confused with Ingle- nook) in the Napa Valley town of St. Helena, Calif., for about $20 million. The deal, announced in early July, includes 30 acres (7 acres in vines), a stone winery with tasting room, a 5,500-case permit, main residence, guesthouse, pool, tennis court, lake, olive orchard and gardens. The new name is Sinegal Family Estate. Group buys Cleavage Creek A group from Hong Kong purchased the Cleavage Creek Winery in the Pope Valley area of Napa County. The winery, which is set on 95 acres with 19 acres planted to Bordeaux varieties, had been owned by Robert "Budge" Brown, who died in a plane crash in 2011. The agent for the buyers said they plan to export wine to Asia under the Cleavage Creek and new Calla Lilly brands.