March 3, 2025 (Napa, CA) — Napa Valley-based Azur Associates, a leader in comprehensive fine-beverage consulting and M&A advisory, served as the exclusive M&A advisor for the McWilliams Family in the sale of their iconic Westside Road estate property to the Underwood Family of Young’s Holding Inc.
The sale was part of estate planning by Arista Winery’s founders, Al and Janis McWilliams, and does not impact Arista Winery’s ownership. The Arista brand remains solely owned by Mark and Ben McWilliams, with winemaker Matt Courtney continuing to lead production. The winery will continue to craft its limited-production wines, and they will continue to be available exclusively to Arista Winery’s mailing list members. Arista will continue to sell select wines in top restaurants and high-end retailers nationwide through its partnership with Wilson Daniels.
Acquiring this renowned estate presents an ideal opportunity to build on what the Underwoods began in 2021 with the purchase of the Moon Dust Vineyard in the Sebastopol Hills of the Russian River Valley. By combining the fruit from both vineyards with a state-of-the-art winemaking facility, the result will be exceptional Pinot Noir and Chardonnay that reflect the unique terroir of the region. With this acquisition, the Underwood’s Jonive brand will transition to a new name that better represents both the new estate and the existing Moon Dust Vineyard.
Pat DeLong, founder and managing partner of Azur Associates, commented on the transaction: “We were honored to serve as the exclusive M&A advisor for the McWilliams Family on the sale of their iconic Westside Road estate property. The Underwood Family is a uniquely suited and ideal steward for the estate.” The McWilliams have known Chris Underwood, CEO of Young’s Holdings, for many years through his family’s ownership of Wilson Daniels, Arista’s national marketing partner. Over the years they developed a close relationship and a shared affinity for the Russian River Valley and Westside Road.
The seller’s legal counsel for this transaction was John Holdredge of Geary, Shea, O’Donnell, Grattan & Mitchell. Young’s Holdings, Inc. is the family holding company of the Underwood family, pioneers in beverage alcohol distribution and founders, in 1888, of Young’s Market Company, now part of Republic National Distributing. Young’s Holdings is now a diversified holding company with interests in real estate and alternative investments and is the parent company of Wilson Daniels, the nation’s premier importer of fine wines, and Infinium Spirits, a leading spirits sales and marketing company.
About Azur Associates
Based in the Napa Valley, Azur Associates is a leader in comprehensive fine-beverage consulting and M&A advisory. The firm has served as a consultant or strategic advisor on numerous transactions for world-class fine-beverage companies. Partnering with clients to address their needs and achieve their vision through financial and strategic planning, mergers and acquisitions, business intelligence, and route-to-market plans, the Azur team has extensive strategic and operational experience behind its team of associates, as well as its C-suite level advisors. The firm offices are based in Napa, California. To learn more about Azur Associates please visit www.azur-associates.com
