Boisset completes latest winery deal, of France's Antonin Rodet

The rapidly growing family owned Boisset wine company, a pinot noir specialist with deep roots in the Bay Area and France, said Tuesday that it has completed the purchase of Burgundy wine producer and merchant Antonin Rodet, its third acquisition in the past six or seven months.

Known in French as “Boisset, La Famille des Grands Vins,” Boisset bought Antonin Rodet from Sequana Capital.

Terms were not disclosed.

The Rodet firm was founded in 1875 and was managed by members of the founding family until 2003, although it was bought in 1997 by Sequana, a paper manufacturing and distribution company.

The best of Rodet’s premium wines carry the Cave Privée label, Boisset said Sept. 29, in an announcement that had to be translated from the French, according to a local spokeswoman. About half of Rodet’s sales are from exports to more than 50 countries, including the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Japan and Belgium.

“We are excited by this opportunity to return Antonin Rodet to the deep roots of family tradition,” said Jean-Charles Boisset, vice president of Boisset, La Famille des Grands Vins, and president of of its U.S. arm, Sausalito-based Boisset Family Estates.

Decanter.com, an online wine publication, said Wednesday that the deal "cements Boisset's position as Burgundy's biggest wine producer, and the fifth largest fine wine company in France." The company already owns names including Bouchard Aîné et Fils, Domaine de la Vougeraie, Jaffelin and Ropiteau, Decanter reported.

On Aug. 10, Boisset’s 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. The Raymond properties produce 150,000 cases of wine annually.

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.