Ex-Google lawyer adds two California brands to growing wine empire
The Overshine Collective, founded by former Google exec David Drummond, has acquired two Sonoma wineries as the group’s wine portfolio expands its Californian footprint.
David Drummond, the former chief legal officer for Google’s parent company Alphabet Inc., has been quietly growing his wine empire for the last few years under a unique business model, where sellers retain equity in their brand.
Last week, Drummond added Reeve Wines and Martha Stoumen Wines to his group The Overshine Collective, which also includes Armida Winery (renamed as Overshine Wines) and Idlewild Wines in Mendocino, along with new label Comunita Wines, focused on Italian varieties grown in Drummond’s own Las Cimas Vineyard.
What do we know about the new acquisitions?
Reeve is a boutique operation in Healdsburg, Sonoma, producing Riesling, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Sangiovese, and more. Rather than a traditional vineyard ownership model it works with growers in prime Californian spots including Anderson Valley, Chalk Hill AVA and Dry Creek Valley, and boasts a tasting room on its 55-acre estate.
Meanwhile, Martha Stoumen has built a reputation for its natural wines and produces around 7,000 cases per year. Around 25% of the grapes it uses to make wine are grown by Martha Stoumen on leased land, while the rest comes from growers it works with in the Ukiah area of Mendocino County, Contra Costa County and Suisun Valley. Carignan, Nero d’Avola, Vermentino and Rousanne all form part of the winery’s varietal toolbox.
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Tempting option
What appears to make Overshine a tempting option for wineries looking to expand is that the group allows each winery to maintain creative freedom with regards to winemaking, while accounting, compliance and distribution is all centralised. However, Overshine has hinted that in future, the brands underneath its umbrella could end up sharing a single winemaking facility.
“All of the collective’s partners are deeply involved and have a stake in the outcome of the business,” Drummond has said previously.
Reeve Wine founder Noah Dorrance explained the benefits of the partnership to The Press Democrat, saying: “Traditionally when you want to expand your business, you seek investment. But there’s just nothing out there right now. Partnering with David is a unique middle ground that will allow us to benefit from the efficiencies of the Collective while continuing to grow.”
Google cloud
Drummond resigned from his role at Google in 2020, one year after The New York Times launched an investigation into alleged “inappropriate relationships” at the firm. It was alleged that Drummond was himself being investigated for relationships with “several women at the company.” Former Google employee Jennifer Blakely, with whom Drummond is said to have had a child, accused him of being “well aware” that the relationship violated a Google policy “discouraging” and later “outright banning” relationships with direct reports. Blakely claimed she was moved to a new department for which she had “zero experience”, while Drummond continued to climb up the corporate ladder.
Speaking to Buzzfeed at the time, Drummond said: “It’s not a secret that Jennifer and I had a difficult break-up 10 years ago. I am far from perfect and I regret my part in that. There are two sides to all of the conversations and details Jennifer recounts, and I take a very different view about what happened.”
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