Jackson Family Wines buys Balo Vineyards in Mendocino

Having just announced a new winery for its Vérité brand,  Jackson Family Wines has snapped up the Pinot Noir-focused Balo Vineyards in Mendocino County for an undisclosed sum.

As part of the sale, Jackson Family Wines has acquired 6.5 acres of organically grown Pinot Noir in the Anderson Valley

As reported by Wine Spectator, the sale includes the 14-acre estate in the Anderson Valley, which boasts 6.5 acres of organically grown Pinot Noir, Balo’s 7,000-case production capacity winery, and it tasting room. Neither the Balo brand nor its existing inventory were included in the sale.

While the price of the sale has not been revealed, according to Wine Spectator, the property had originally been listed on the market with a price tag of US$4.6 million.

The estate will be used for Jackson Family’s Anderson Valley wines, including bottlings from Copain and Maggy Hawk, La Crema and Siduri.

Jackson was attracts to Balo’s hospitality facilities and tasting room

A big clincher in the deal for Jackson was Balo’s hospitality facilities, which will help enhance the company’s direct-to-consumer sales and tourism opportunities.

“Jess Jackson and Barbara Banke fell in love with Anderson Valley in the late ’80s when only a handful of wineries were in existence in the region at the time,” said Rick Tigner, CEO of Jackson Family Wines, told Wine Spectator.

“With the purchase of the winery and tasting room we have enhanced our presence in the valley, adding a resource for our small-lot winemaking and the opportunity to host wine lovers in the region,” he added.

Balo Vineyards was founded by Tim and Michele Mullins in 2003, who made wine under both the Balo and Avenging Angelbrands and sold grapes to local wineries. The estate is named after the Latin for ‘bleat’, hence the sheep motif on its bottles.

The Jackson family first invested in Anderson Valley in 1988 with the purchase of Edmeades Estate. Today it owns over 300 acres of land in the region, most of which is planted with Pinot Noir, though its Chardonnay plantings are on the rise.

Jackson Family Wines produces around 6 million cases of wine a year across its 40 brands. Just last week db reported that JFW is busy building a destination winery in Healdsburg for Vérité, its trio of icon Bordeaux blends from Sonoma County.