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16 WINES&VINES October 2015 Sonoma growers vote to retain commission Wine grape growers from Sonoma County, Calif., voted to renew a mandatory assessment that will fund the Sonoma County Winegrape Commission (Sonoma County Winegrowers) for the next five years. According to the California Department of Food and Agriculture, 364 growers voted in the referendum (out of 1,298 eligible voters), and 321 (or 88%) voted in favor of continuing the assessment. Kevin Barr, owner of Redwood Empire Vineyard Management and chairman of the commission's board, said the results represented the commis- sion's highest voter approval since its inception in 2006. Feds charge PLCB official James H. Short Jr., who served as director of marketing and mer- chandizing for the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board from 2003 until 2012, was charged with taking bribes from distillers and wholesalers in exchange for stock- ing certain alcoholic beverages at state-owned PLCB stores. Gallo agrees to buy Talbott Vineyards E. & J. Gallo Winery announced its agreement to purchase Talbott Vineyards in Gonzales, Calif., on Aug. 26. Founded by Robb Talbott in 1982, the winery now produces 100,000 cases of wine from more than 500 acres of estate vineyards. Modesto, Calif.-based Gallo is buying the brand, winery and vineyards for an undisclosed amount. The company plans to continue to operate the Talbott Vineyards tasting room in Carmel Valley. The vineyard properties include the 14-acre Diamond T Vineyard in Carmel Valley and the 525-acre Sleepy Hollow Vineyard in the Santa Lucia Highlands AVA. Both are planted to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. The Talbotts have sold grapes from the Sleepy Hollow Vineyard to Gallo since the mid-1990s. Illinois offers solution to shipping scam The Illinois Department of Revenue issued a proposal that could save wineries thousands of dollars in fees in an attempt to resolve dozens of cases where a Chicago lawyer ordered wine to his office and filed claims due to him as a tax whistleblower. (See "Wine Institute Fires Back at Illinois Lawsuits" in the September issue of Wines & Vines for the backstory.) Sonoma auction raises $4.5 million The Sonoma Harvest Wine Auction held at Chateau St. Jean winery Sept. 6 raised a record $4.5 million for charities in California's Sonoma County. The "Fund the Future" lot, which supports literacy programs, raised $1.9 million in 20 minutes of bidding by 180 auction guests, according to the Sonoma County Vintners group. Bayer issues fungicide warning Bayer CropScience issued an advisory to wine grape growers war ning them not to use the Moon Privilege (also sold as Luna Privilege) fungicide. In a letter to growers, the company said there was a "high probability" that the deformed leaves and reduced yields reported by some Swiss users was connected with using the product launched in 2012. Owners sell Lea brand to Roblar Winery After agreeing to sell their Lea Wines brand to 5,000-case Roblar Winery, winemakers Joey and Jennifer Lea Tensley said they will continue to oversee winemaking for the label they founded in 2005. The Lea Wines portfolio includes a Santa Barbara Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and rosé. The Tensleys still own 4,000-case Tensley Wine. Joullian Vineyards gets new owners Jane and Tom Lerum of Los Ange- les purchased Joullian Vineyards winery, which was founded in 1982. Jane Lerum, a director of the Arnall Family Foundation, and Tom Lerum, an officer in the Air Force, said they plan to preserve the winery's 40 acres of Bordeaux variety grapevines as well as the Joullian brand identity. Vintage acquires Swanson Vineyards Vintage Wine Estates of Santa Rosa, Calif., purchased Swanson Vineyards of Napa Valley about a month after it acquired B.R. Cohn Winery of Sonoma. The deal includes the Swanson winery, the Manley Lane tasting room and the case inventory of Napa Valley wines. Founder W. Clarke Swan- son will retain ownership of the vineyards at his estate in Oakville, Calif. Vintage Wine Estates will source from these vineyards for wines produced under the Swan- son label, and Swanson will serve as a consultant. Vintage plans to keep the existing Swanson winemaking team, which includes winemaker emeritus Chris Phelps and winemaker Robin Akhurst. Two fast-moving California fires destroyed a winery in Lake County, a vineyard in Calaveras County and more than 800 homes in the middle of harvest season. Evacuations and road closures made it impossible for many wineries to harvest grapes for the 2015 vintage. See page 17. As the wine grape harvest continued throughout California, grow- ers reported yields that averaged 20% to 30% below normal. Reports of a light harvest stretched from Mendocino County in the north to Santa Barbara County in the south. See page 18. Winemaker Randall Grahm got his project to plant Popelouchum Vineyard with 10,000 distinct seedlings backed by contributors through crowdfunding site Indiegogo. Experts in grapevine breeding say the undertaking has long-term potential, though it is the first of its kind. See page 19. LATEST NEWS More detail on the news at winesandvines.com Top Stories The month in perspective Sleepy Hollow and Talbott winery Iron Horse Vineyards