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Brion Wise acquires Pritchard Hill Estate in ‘rare’ deal
Napa wine group Brion Wise has added Pritchard Hill to its luxury portfolio. Given the region’s “extremely limited real estate”, the sale is a “rarity”, according to Wise.
Brion Wise has announced the acquisition of Pritchard Hill Estate, formerly known as Montagna.
Following the sale, the 128-acre estate in the eastern ridges of central Napa Valley, with 42 acres under vine, will now be called Brion Estate and will house the buyer’s flagship wine label Brion, which is currently based in Yountville, California.
According to owner Brion Wise, the vineyard acquisition is a rare opportunity, given the “extremely limited real estate” in this part of Napa Valley, which is home to the likes of Bryant Family, Chappellet, Colgin, Continuum, David Arthur, and Ovid.
Wise says that the purchase advances his commitment to “producing the most authentic, high-quality wines possible”, largely due to Pritchard Hill’s high elevation exposure and well-draining volcanic red soils that produce “superlative Cabernet Sauvignon.”
Immensely important
“As a longtime collector of Pritchard Hill wines, I have long dreamed of building a marquee winery estate here,” said Wise. “This site is home to some of the best vineyards in what is already a rarified subregion of Napa Valley, and its grapes are immensely important to what we have already begun to build with Brion. I’m so grateful to [previous owner] Bob Long and the legacy he and his family have built up here over the years. How honoured we are to be the next stewards of this crown jewel of a property.”
Wise plans to build a winery onsite and integrate the estate grapes into Brion’s existing portfolio of wines.
The site is located next to an additional vineyard property called Upper Range, which is owned in a partnership between Wise and the Bettinelli family. Wise’s other Napa investments include Wise Caldwell Distillers (focusing on Constable Whiskey), and Caldwell Vineyard in Coombsville.
He also owns several vineyards in Sonoma County.