Santa Rosa, CA. September 23, 2019. Vintage Wine Estates announced the addition of Owen Roe, with locations in Yakima, Washington (winery, vineyards and tasting room) and Willamette Valley, Oregon (tasting room) to its fine wine portfolio. Founded in 1999 by David and Angelica O’Reilly, Owen Roe has achieved cult status as a fine wine producer in the Pacific Northwest with consistent 90+ point scores and numerous awards and accolades. The winery produces a range of white wines, Oregon Pinot Noir and Washington red wines under the marques Owen Roe and Sharecropper’s.
“David is known for his entrepreneurial spirit, commitment to quality at the highest level and expertise in sourcing from superior vineyards sites in the two essential winegrowing areas in the Pacific Northwest,” said Jeff Nicholson, COO of Vintage Wine Estates. “We look forward to his winemaking leadership as we continue to strengthen our presence in these regions.”
In addition to directing winemaking and operations for Owen Roe, O’Reilly will also assume the newly created position of Regional Winemaking Director for the Pacific Northwest. This includes Willamette Valley’s Firesteed Winery, with Bob Cabral as consulting winemaker, and Washington’s Tamarack and Buried Canes wines, helmed by longtime “Maker of the Wine” Danny Gordon.
“Sense of place is critical to our philosophy of winemaking excellence,” said Nicholson. “With David taking the lead in the region, we are confident our Pacific Northwest wine projects are in expert hands.”
O’Reilly expressed similar thoughts.
“We anticipate this will greatly enhance logistic and operational support to grow Owen Roe into the future. I am also looking forward to making my contribution to the entire Pacific Northwest portfolio,” commented O’Reilly.
The purchase includes brand, inventory, winery, estate vineyard and tasting rooms. Financial terms were not disclosed.
Labels: Owen Roe and Sharecropper’s
Appellations: Yakima and Willamette Valleys
Estate vineyard acres: 90 planted; 120 incremental
Sourcing: estate and long-term contracts
Cases produced: 60,000 9L equivalent
Price: USD $20-60
Distribution: National and consumer direct
About Vintage Wine Estates
Vintage Wine Estates is a privately held wine company founded by a group of vintner families with deep roots in the wine business. VWE owns a prestige collection of winery estates and brands—“our string of pearls”—signifying the quality and legacy of these iconic wines. They span the most significant winegrowing regions: Napa, Sonoma, California’s Central Coast, Washington State and Oregon. Labels include Clos Pegase, Girard, Delectus, Swanson, Cosentino, Cherry Pie, B.R. Cohn, Firesteed, Laetitia, Qupé, and an extensive portfolio of lifestyle and exclusive wine brands. VWE also produces the luxury spirits marques from the Splinter Group and Distillery No. 209 Gin. An industry leader across all sales channels and dedicated to providing wine and spirits consumers with a range of wines from $10 to $150. www.vintagewineestates.com
