Burgundy does business in California: Domaine Faiveley takes majority stake in Williams Selyem

Investments by European wine producers outside the Old Continent continue with California proving to be a terroir with strong appeal. The latest news comes from Burgundy with Domaine Faiveley, a prestigious brand from one of the symbolic wine territories of France and the world, which has purchased – four years after acquiring a minority share – a majority share of Williams Selyem, the winery based in Sonoma and founded by Burt Williams and Ed Selyem in 1979. The news was reported by “Wine Specator”, adding that the sale includes the brand, inventory, cellar and more than 135 acres (just over 54 hectares) of vineyards in Sonoma’s Russian River Valley. The annual production is 30,000 cases (9 litres, ed.), while the purchase price was not disclosed. Another great deal which sees top names in European wine investing in California, as done just a year ago by Marchesi Antinori, one of the oldest family companies in the world of wine, with over six hundred years of history behind it, with the acquisition of full ownership of Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars, after 16 years of partnership with the American company Ste. Michelle Wine Estates.
Returning to Williams Selyem, long-time co-owners John and Kathe Dyson will retain a minority stake and John Dyson will remain as CEO for at least the next three years; the director of winemaking, Jeff Mangahas, will not change, as will all the current staff. Therefore a transition in the name of continuity with Erwan Faiveley, the current co-owner of Domaine Faiveley, one of the great wine families, present in Nuits-Saint-Georges for seven generations (since 1825), who told “Wine Spectator” as “we won’t change anything. We have a great team, a great location and I love the style of the wines.” Pinot Noir is a “fil rouge” that links Burgundy to California and Williams Selyem played a pioneering role: the first vintage was produced in 1981, a period in which many thought that California would never be known for Pinot Black. Instead, Burt Williams and Ed Selyem quickly established Williams Selyem as a cult winery, elevating the status of Pinot Noir within the state, where Merlot and Cabernet dominate. The co-founders sold the winery in 1998, and in good hands because the Dysons were no strangers to the wine business, so much so that even today, “Wine Spectator” points out, they also own a company in Tuscany, Villa Pillo. “For many years, we have loved and perfected the winemaking legacy of Burt Williams and Ed Selyem. We have rejected many offers from those who did not share our passion and vision. With the Faiveley family, we have found the right partner with a long-term commitment, who shares our philosophy and who is among the greatest Pinot Noir and Chardonnay wines in the world.” The Faiveley family, with their own winery, is in fact one of the most important names in Burgundy, with 331 acres of vineyards, including 30 acres of Grand Cru vineyard plots and 67 acres of Premier Cru plots.