San Francisco and St. Helena, CA – (August 3, 2015) – Copper Cane Wines & Provisions—an entity owned and operated by Joseph Wagner, a fifth generation Napa Valley farmer and winemaker—has completed the sale of the Meiomi wine brand and related assets to Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ and STZ.B) for approximately $315 million. This transaction marks the end of independent ownership of one of the wine industry’s leading, high growth brands and represents the largest acquisition of a single wine brand (excluding real estate and production assets) on record. The transaction includes the Meiomi trademark and related inventories of pinot noir and chardonnay.
The Meiomi wine brand was first introduced in 2006, and since inception has grown rapidly to become a leader in the U.S. wine industry. Meiomi pinot noir is among the fastest growing major pinot noir brands across all price points—it ranked number one in dollar sales growth across all pinot noir price points in the latest IRI 12-week period—and has firmly established itself as a differentiated, high-growth luxury brand, outperforming all other brands in its category. Meiomi wine is richly flavored, well-balanced and stylish, with layers of complexity created from a blend of California’s preeminent coastal regions: Sonoma County, Monterey County and Santa Barbara County. Drawing on the success of its pinot noir, Meiomi introduced chardonnay to its portfolio in the spring of 2014, an addition that has bolstered additional growth for the brand.
Copper Cane Wines & Provisions will continue to develop and manage its current portfolio of high quality wines, which include Beran zinfandel from Napa Valley, Carne Humana red blend from Napa Valley and Elouan pinot noir from Oregon.
Aspect Consumer Partners, through its registered affiliate Maher Advisors, Inc. that focuses on vineyards and wineries, acted as exclusive financial advisor to Copper Cane LLC in connection with the transaction.