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14 WINES&VINES November 2015 Jordan buys vineyards in California, Oregon Six months after selling J Vine- yards & Winery to E. & J. Gallo Winery, J founder Judy Jordan announced that she'd purchased three vineyards: Chehalem Moun- tain Vineyard (35 planted acres) in the Willamette Valley of Oregon, Eola Springs vineyard (72 planted acres) in Oregon's Eola-Amity Hills AVA and Sage Canyon Vineyard (60 planted acres) in Napa Valley, Calif. Jordan plans to grow Pinot Noir and Chardonnay at the Or- egon sites and primarily Bordeaux varieties in Napa Valley. Coppola names new winery Virginia Dare After teasing the market for a year by introducing wines called The White Doe, Manteo, Two Ar- rowheads and The Lost Colony, Francis Ford Coppola on Sept. 24 revealed the new name of his winery in Geyserville, Calif.: Virginia Dare, after the histori- cal character who was born on Roanoke Island in 1587 and later disappeared along with the rest of the colony who inhabited the island. "The myth of Virginia Dare always intrigued me," said the leg- endary screenwriter and director, who also owns the nearby Francis Ford Coppola Winery (formerly Chateau Souverain). His Virginia Dare Winery plans to release its flagship wines—Virginia Dare Chardonnay and Virginia Dare Pinot Noir, both from the Russian River Valley—this month. Partnership buys Napa Valley Wine Train Just a month after igniting a media storm by asking members of a primarily African-American book club to leave the train, the Napa Valley Wine Train has new ownership. Noble House Hotels & Resorts of Washington state and real estate developer Brooks Street of California purchased the business. Meanwhile, members of the book club have filed a lawsuit against the Wine Train alleging that racial discrimination was to blame for having them removed from the culinary and tourism attraction. Leigon acquires Jamieson Ranch Bill Leigon, president of Jamieson Ranch Vineyards since February 2013, purchased the Napa Valley wine brand from Colorado-based investment company Madison Vineyard Holdings. The deal was completed Sept. 18, and the pur- chase price was not disclosed. The deal includes the case inventory of Jamieson's Napa Valley wines including Light Horse, JRV Double Lariat, JRV Stagecoach, JRV Silver Spur, Whiplash and Reata Pinot Noir. Ken Laird takes ownership of the real estate and property, including the winery buildings and vineyards. Leigon will lease the winery facility back from Laird. Congress to vote on Pacific Rim trade deal The United States was one of a dozen countries to agree to the Trans-Pacific Partnership on Oct. 5, clearing the way for Con- gress to vote on the deal. The trade agreement stands to lower tariffs for U.S. wineries looking to sell wine in Japan—the third largest export market for American wine, according to Wine Institute. The deal would help level the playing field between the U.S., Canada and wine-producing nations Australia and Chile, which already have trade agreements in place with Japan. Groups respond to fire The Lake County Winegrape Com- mission, Lake County Winery As- sociation and Lake County Wine Alliance started a joint fundraising effort (#LakeCountyRising) follow- ing the devastating Valley Fire that scorched more than 76,000 acres and destroyed Shed Horn Cellars in Middletown, Calif. E. & J. Gallo Winery, Constellation Brands, Beckstoffer Vineyards, Napa Valley Vintners and the Russian River Val- ley Winegrowers also donated funds to fire relief efforts. A preliminary estimate pegged total economic losses from the fire at $1.5 billion. Pierce's disease vector found in shipments Agricultural commissioners in California's Marin and Sonoma counties reported finding glassy- winged sharpshooter nymphs in shipments bound for nurseries Sept. 29-30. The pests are a known vector of Pierce's disease, which they spread by feeding on wine grapes. The shipments, which originated in Santa Bar- bara and Ventura counties, were returned; the pests were sent to the California Department of Food and Agriculture for identification. Constellation wine and spirits sales up 3% Constellation Brands reported that net sales of wine and spirits increased 3% during the second quarter of fiscal year 2016, adding that it had integrated Pinot Noir brand Meiomi into its portfolio and was "working to expand distribu- tion to drive incremental growth for this brand." West Coast grapegrowers from Paso Robles, Calif., to Washington state reported low yields for the 2015 harvest, with some areas seeing tonnage decreased by as much as 50%. While the ongoing drought is partially responsible for the short supply, events such as hail storms in Lodi and frost in the Walla Walla Valley compounded the problem. The bulk wine and grape market tightened up in response this fall, as wineries advertising 2014 supply pulled their excess inventory off the market . See page 15. Diageo made good on its promise to divest its wine brands, saying the future of the British drinks company will focus on beer and spirits. Treasury Wine Estates agreed to purchase the Beaulieu Vineyard, Prov- enance Vineyards, Rosenblum Cellars and Sterling Vineyards brands. Diageo will keep the Chalone Vineyard brand and assets and the Acacia Vineyard property. See page 18. LATEST NEWS More detail on the news at winesandvines.com Top Stories The month in perspective Judy Jordan Virginia Dare Winery Bill Leigon Glassy-winged sharpshooter