Former Apple executives acquire Brand winery in Napa

Former Apple executives Jim Bean and Christine O’Sullivan have acquired Napa winey Brand along with 15 acres of vines, planted with Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, for an undisclosed sum.

As reported by Wine Spectator, the Pritchard Hill-based estate has been sold to the technology specialists after it was founded in 2005 by Ed and Deb Fitts.

Speaking to the publication, O’Sullivan said: “We were very aware of the spectacular wines being made on Pritchard Hill, wines like Colgin and Ovid. We have enjoyed these wines for a long time. Brand was very much in line with our philosophy.”

Bean added: “We’ve been part of the Napa Valley for a while. We got married there, had a home there, became growers there. And for us, this is part of a natural progression of our dreams.”

Housed within a 110-acre estate, the Brand winery produces around 1,000 cases a year. The vines are planted between 1,200 and 1,500 feet above sea level – above the fog line – and are divided into an upper and lower site. The higher vineyard is mostly planted with Cabernet Sauvignon while the lower site is predominantly Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.

In a statement, former owners Ed and Deb Fitts said: “We are excited to announce the next chapter of Brand Napa Valley. Since our beginning in 2005, we have taken pride in cultivating the vineyards, building a state of the art winery and producing acclaimed wines on Pritchard Hill. Since inception, our winemaker, Philippe Melka, has continued to raise the bar on wine quality in each successive vintage.

“It is our distinct pleasure to pass the reins of Brand to Jim Bean and Christine O’Sullivan. This acquisition is a natural progression for the Bean/O’Sullivan family who have been a part of the Napa Valley community as grape growers for many years. Jim and Christine each had senior leadership positions at Apple, Inc. for twenty years. For them, Brand is a reflection of the same values, qualities and aspirations that have always guided them.

“Going forward, we have taken on a major new project in Ed’s home town in Littleton, NC where we are embarking on a program to create economic development opportunities for the unemployed in the effort to eliminate generational poverty.”

Bean is Apple’s former vice president of retail while O’Sullivan worked in software engineering. Having left the computer giant, the couple are now both investors in tech start-ups. The couple bought their first vineyard in 2013 and have a home in St Helena.

Bean and O’Sullivan told Wine Spectator that they intend to keep the winery’s existing team, which include director of winemaking Philippe Melka; winemaker Matt Johnson; cellar master, Robbie Crabb, and vineyard manager Josh Clark.

The estate’s first vintage was in 2009 and it now produces three wines: a straight Cabernet Sauvignon, Proprietary Blend and another red blend called Brio.