Wine Group buys Concannon – News This Month
The Wine Group LLC has purchased Concannon Vineyard from Tesla Vineyard LP. The purchase price was not disclosed, but the sale included the 60,000 case Concannon brand, all inventories and 190 acres of Livermore Valley, Calif., vineyards planted to traditional Rhone and Bordeaux varietals.
Winery founder James Concannon planted heritage vines from notable French vineyards in the 1880s. “The Concannon rootstock has been the father of many of Napa’s great vineyards,” said Jim Concannon, grandson of the founder. Concannon was the first California winery to produce and bottle Petite Sirah.
The San Francisco-based Wine Group intends to expand Concannon vineyard holdings to include world-class Chardonnay and Pinot noir from the Edna Valley, according to CEO David B. Kent. He said that Concannon would continue to produce its traditional range of estate-grown and bottled wines, retailing from $16 to $24 per bottle. In addition, a new tier of “icon” wines will be introduced next year including limited production, estate grown old-vine Petite Sirah and classic red and white Bordeaux blends to retail at $30 to $50. A new range of super premium wines from Central Coast grapes, the “Selected Vineyards” series, will retail from $8 to $12 per bottle.
The Wine Group is the world’s third largest producer of branded table wines. It markets Glen Ellen, Corbett Canyon, Foxhorn and Franzia from California, as well as Austin Vale (Australia), Costa Vera (Chile), Altamonte (Argentina), Mistrane (France) and Mogen David (New York).
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