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14 WINES&VINES February 2017 WINE INDUSTRY NEWS Trinchero buys Five Rivers, Mason Cellars Trinchero Family Estates (TFE) pur- chased the Five Rivers Winery in Paso Robles, Calif., from Fetzer Vineyards and Mason Cellars in Napa Valley from the Mason fam- ily. The Five Rivers property totals 46 acres, which includes 15 acres of vineyards planted to Petite Sirah and a winery facility that is more than 90,000 square feet. Fetzer Vineyards had owned the winery since 2000 but is consolidating its operations at its corporate head- quarters in Mendocino County. Founded in 1993 by winemaker Randy Mason and wife Megan Mason, Mason Cellars produces wine under the Pomelo and Three Pears brands. Randy Mason will continue to be involved in the pro- duction and promotion of Mason wines. TFE did not disclose the value of the deals. Suspect in French Laundry wine theft pleads guilty Davis Kiryakoz pleaded guilty in December to organizing the theft of nearly $900,000 worth of wine from famed the Napa Valley res- taurant French Laundry in late 2014 and shipping more than 60 of the 110 bottles out of state, ac- cording to prosecutors. Authorities were tipped off by a buyer in North Carolina, who helped them recover bottles worth $370,000. A second suspect has been indicted in the theft, but charges have not been finalized. Sentencing for Kiryakoz is set for March. Law allows sale of UC Davis wine Wine created by viticulture and enology classes at the University of California, Davis, can be sold to the public, thanks to a new law meant to stop the wine from being wasted. The legislation makes it possible for the Department of Alcoholic Bever- age Control to issue a license to a university nonprofit, which in turn will be able to sell up to 20,000 gal- lons of wine to winemakers looking to bottle and sell the product. Rev- enue would be used to fund to the university viticulture and enology program. California State Univer- sity, Fresno, and California Poly- technic State University already sell wine created by students. Cameron Hughes gets new owner Vintage Wine Estates of Santa Rosa, Calif., purchased Cameron Hughes Wine Inc. out of bankruptcy in a deal worth $5.5 million. The Superior Court of San Francisco placed Cam- eron Hughes Wine in receivership in 2015, and much of the purchase price bid by Vintage Wine Estates in an auction will go to pay off debts to Union Bank. Pat Roney, CEO of Vin- tage Wine Estates, told Wine Spec- tator his company plans to operate Cameron Hughes as a stand-alone firm rather than fold it into one its existing assets, which include B.R. Cohn Winery, Clos Pegase, Windsor Vineyards and more. Bank predicts strong 2017 wine market The 16th annual Silicon Valley Bank State of the Wine Industry report forecasts 10% to 14% growth for the premium wine segment in 2017 with slight price increases and con- tinuing mergers and acquisitions. The bank expects volume and price to drop for bottles priced less than $9. The report expects overall sup- ply will be balanced with shortages of high-quality Pinot Noir and Cab- ernet Sauvignon, but with surpluses in non-core varieties and grapes destined for lower priced wine. Or- egon and Washington vineyards will continue to see high interest from larger wine companies. Agajanian Vineyards invests in Napa Valley Distillery Agajanian Vineyards & Wine Co. of Madera, Calif., has invested i n N a p a Va l l e y D i s t i l l e r y a n d agreed to provide raw materials for the family-owned business. The distillery is best known for its single-estate brandy distilled from Sauvignon Blanc. Operated by Arthur and Lusine Hartunian, Napa Valley Distillery has a tasting room at the distillery as well as the Oxbow Public Market. "Agaja- nian is a premiere supplier of the premium raw material we need to make many of our products," Arthur Hartunian said. "They also bring a mountain of resources, e x p e r i e n c e s a n d c o n n e c t i o n s throughout California's beverage alcohol industry. Their investment will help us realize some of our immediate goals." Northern California downpour Vineyard owners who prayed for rain just a few months ago got more than they bar- gained for in Janu- ary, when days of storms flooded parts of Northern Califor- nia and kept winery employees from get- ting to work in some of the state's most visited tasting locations. The deluge was mostly welcome, however, as reservoirs recharged after years of drought. See page 15. Suit questions Wines Til Sold Out prices A complaint filed in the U.S. District Court of New Jersey alleges Wines Til Sold Out (WTSO), one of the leading wine flash resellers, created wine brands with private-label companies and then offered those wines with discounts not based on any actual retail value. WTSO stands behind the quality and price of every wine it offers for sale. See page 16. LATEST NEWS More detail on the news at winesandvines.com Top Stories The month in perspective