Oregon in the spotlight as Louis Jadot and Jackson Family Wines snap up properties in the region!

Oregon Pinot Noir has hit the headlines with the news that two leading international wine companies – Jackson Family Wines and Maison Louis Jadot – have made acquisitions in the state.

 Burgundy négociant Jadot has bought the 32-acre Resonance Vineyard in the Yamhill-Carlton AVA of the Willamette Valley, the company’s first acquisition outside France, for an undisclosed sum.

Jadot bought the vineyard from Kevin and Carla Chambers and will produce its first wines from the 2013 harvest, with Jacques Lardière – Jadot’s chief winemaker for 42 years until his retirement in 2012 – installed as winemaker.
Meanwhile, Jackson Family Wines has bought Soléna Estate, a 15,000-case winery and 35-acre vineyard, also in the Yamhill-Carlton district.

The acquisition comes after the company bought a number of top vineyards in the Willamette Valley earlier this year, including Gran Moraine, a neighbour of Resonance, and a three-block, 83-acre collection of vineyards known as Zena Crown.

This week’s buy does not include the Soléna Estate brand or the Domaine Danielle Laurent Vineyard, but covers the Soléna vineyard, winery, barrel cellars, tasting room and hospitality area.

‘In order to fulfill our vision for creating world-class Pinot Noir from the Willamette Valley, we need a winery capable of producing artisan wines,’ said Jackson Family Wines COO Hugh Reimers.

‘The Soléna winery is beautifully designed for boutique, small-lot winemaking.’
Soléna owners Laurent Montalieu and Danielle Andrus Montalieu are to move production to their new Dundee Hills winery, and plan to build a new tasting room and visitors centre at its Domaine Danielle Laurent vineyard, which will open in May 2014.

Source: www.decanter.com