Heitz Cellar owner buys Burgess Cellars

The owner of Napa’s Heitz Cellar has boosted his Californian foothold with the acquisition of Californian winery Burgess Cellars for an undisclosed sum.

Arkansas banking billionaire Gaylon M. Lawrence, who acquired St Helena-based Heitz in April 2018 for a rumoured US$180 million has bought Burgess Cellar in Howell Mountain alongside Heitz CEO Carlton McCoy Jr.

The deal includes the Burgess Cellar brand, winey, tasting room and 26acre estate.

The new owners have appointed Meghan Zobeck, who has worked as assistant winemaker at Atelier Melka since 2015 following stints at Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars and Screaming Eagle, will head up the winemaking team at Burgess, taking over from outgoing Kelly Woods.

McCoy said an important factor in the deal was that Burgess Cellars would be keping ts identity. “We are buying a historically significant brand, and a site that has a pedigree for creating exceptional wines,” he said. “We’re just the new owners.”

Burgess Cellars, which produces around 12,000 cases a year from its 30-year old, predominantly Cabernet Sauvignon vines, was originally planted with vines in the 1870’s although it has seen several changes of ownership and replantings during its long history. Between 1946-71, the vineyards were the site for one of Napa’s pioneering wine brands, Souverain, although the winery itself was founded by Tom Burgess who bought the property in 1972 and passed it to his sons in 2012.

In April 2018 Heitz acquired the 54-acre Wildwood Vineyard in Rutherford for a reported US$25 million from Sterling Vineyards, which was owned by Treasury Wine Estates, followed by the historic Haynes Vineyard in Coombsville in October 2019.

Heitz, which is known for its Cabernet Sauvignon was founded by in 1961.