North bay vintner in talks to buy French winery

Boisset Family Estates, a pinot noir specialist with roots in the North Bay and Burgundy, is in “advanced negotiations” to acquire France’s Antonin Rodet Winery, which would be its third major acquisition in the last six months.

Decanter.com reported late last month that Boisset has been in talks with Rodet owner Sequana Capital, a Paris-based paper company, “to take over the entire Rodet business” and that the deal could happen this month. President Jean-Charles Boisset and Rodet confirmed to Decanter that talks were under way.

Jean-Charles Boisset, Boisset’s top executive for day-to-day operations, confirmed the talks Wednesday to the San Francisco Business Times, but insisted that “we’re only in conversations. Nothing has happened.”

Still, “we’ll know more in a week and a half,” Boisset told the Business Times on Sept. 9.

On Aug. 10, Boisset’s Sausalito-based U.S. operation said it had acquired St. Helena’s Raymond Vineyard & Cellar from Japan’s Kirin Holdings Co. for an undisclosed amount. That deal included the St. Helena winery, hospitality and production facilities, and 200 acres of estate vineyards, according to Boisset. The Raymond properties produce 150,000 cases of wine annually, most of which sell for $20 to $50 per bottle, although its higher-end offerings sell for as much as $85.

In March, Boisset bought Gigondas, France-based Societe Gabriel Meffre, which owned mass-market brands well-known in the U.S. market such as Fat Bastard, Wild Pig and La Chasse du Pape.

The 48-year-old Boisset family business owns about 20 wine properties in California, Burgundy, Beaujolais, the Rhône Valley, the south of France and Canada. Other local Boisset wineries include Sonoma County’s Lyeth Estate and DeLoach Vineyards in the Russian River Valley.