![]() Helena tasting room will continue to offer complimentary tastings - a rarity in Napa Valley - Boyd said there are no plans now to start charging. “We’re hoping for continuity in our winemaking team,” Boyd said, “and I’m hoping that means that if you look at a bottle of 2018 Heitz wines, it will have the same characteristics it always has.” Managing winemaker Brittany Sherwood remains on staff. No immediate personnel changes are anticipated, apart from the departures of the Heitz siblings, Boyd said. “There’s always a little bit of mint in Cabernet Sauvignon,” she said in a 2015 interview. While many attribute that flavor to the presence of eucalyptus trees in Martha’s Vineyard, Kathleen Heitz Myers has long maintained that it’s simply a characteristic of the Cabernet Sauvignon grape variety. That’s a crucial statement, since Heitz Martha’s Vineyard Cabernet is famous for its herbal profile - a flavor often described as like eucalyptus. “The main thing that we want to tell people is that there’s no plans to change the wines stylistically,” he said. Find spots near you, create a dining wishlist, and more. “He’s looking at vineyard acquisitions, he’s looking at other winery acquisitions. “It’s hopefully the first of many investments that he makes,” Boyd said of his new boss. Lawrence has expanded his family’s business interests to include seven banks, including Tennessee’s F&M Bank, purchased in 2015 for $85 million in cash.īoyd indicated that this would not be Lawrence’s last winery transaction. His family business, the 75-year-old Lawrence Group, owns one of the largest citrus groves in Florida, in addition to land in Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas and Mississippi. But he is a veteran of agriculture in other forms. Lawrence, who lives in Memphis and whose headquarters are in Arkansas, is a newcomer to the wine industry. “There’s no plan to change any of the existing relationships,” he said. ![]() The Lawrence transaction does not affect the ownership of Martha’s Vineyard, and Boyd expects that Heitz will continue making the wine. Heitz is best known for its Cabernet Sauvignon from Martha’s Vineyard, which is owned by the May family. A bottle of Heitz Wine Cellars Grignolino rosé and a bottle of Grignolino. The winery produces 35,000 to 40,000 cases of wine annually. What began with that modest vineyard has since expanded to include the Ink Grade, Linda Falls and Valley Oak Ranch sites. Helena in 1961, their family has built Heitz Wine Cellars into one of Napa Valley’s leading estates. Since Joe and Alice Heitz bought an 8-acre vineyard in St. While it’s not the first family-owned winery in Napa Valley to be sold to an outside company, it may be the highest-profile one other than Robert Mondavi Winery, which is now owned by Constellation Brands. Family-owned for more than 50 years, it was expected to pass into the hands of its third generation, in particular to David Heitz’s son Harrison. Heitz was not considered a likely candidate for a sale. “The whole Heitz family came to a decision that it was time for someone else to take it on.” Robert Boyd, previously of Joseph Phelps Winery, has been named president and CEO. Winemaker David Heitz and president and CEO Kathleen Heitz Myers, the second-generation stewards of the winery, will be stepping down from their roles. The purchase price was not disclosed, though an unnamed source in Wine Business speculated that it could go up to $180 million. The transaction includes 425 acres of vineyards, the winery and the tasting room. Heitz Wine Cellars, a renowned Napa Valley winery, has been sold to Gaylon Lawrence Jr., whose family owns one of the country’s largest agricultural businesses. Carey Sweet / Special to The Chronicle Show More Show Less Carey Sweet / Special to The Chronicle Show More Show Less 6 of6 Heitz's laid-back tasting room in St. Sarah Rice / Special to The Chronicle 2014 Show More Show Less 5 of6 Heitz remains one of the few Napa wineries that still offers free tastings. Harrison Heitz (left), his aunt Kathleen Heitz Myers, and his father, David Heitz, at Heitz Wine Cellars in St. Sarah Rice / Special to The Chronicle 2014 Show More Show Less 4 of6 The Heitz family founded their winery in 1961. ![]() Sarah Rice / Special to The Chronicle 2014 Show More Show Less 2 of6 Heitz Tasting Room Back Patio Flowers Robert Holmes / Heitz Wine Cellars Show More Show Less 3 of6 Winemaker David Heitz stands in the Grignolino plantings at Heitz Wine Cellars in St. Helena, Calif., on Tuesday, March 4, 2014. 1 of6 From left, David Heitz, his sister Kathleen Heitz Myers, Eric White, Harrison Heitz, and Brittany Dibb at Heitz Cellar in St.
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