Metis Advises Owen Roe Winery in sale to Vintage Wine Estates
September 24, 2019, Walla Walla, Washington. METIS announced the sale of Owen Roe Winery, one of Washington’s most highly regarded wineries to Sonoma based Vintage Wine Estates. Owen Roe is a vertically integrated wine company founded by David and Angelica O’Reilly in 1999. They produce over 60,000 cases annually and have vineyard holdings in Washington’s Yakima Valley and Oregon’s Willamette Valley. The company’s primary winemaking facility is in Wapato, Washington and have also made wines in the Willamette Valley for twenty years. Owen Roe is one of the most critically acclaimed wineries in the Pacific Northwest with well over 300 scores between 90 and 97 points from the major wine press.
“David is known for his entrepreneurial spirit, commitment to quality at the highest level and expertise in sourcing from superior vineyards sites in the two essential winegrowing areas in the Pacific Northwest,” said Jeff Nicholson, COO of Vintage Wine Estates. “We look forward to his winemaking leadership as we continue to strengthen our presence in these regions.”
In addition to directing winemaking and operations for Owen Roe, O’Reilly will also assume the newly created position of Regional Winemaking Director for the Pacific Northwest. This includes Willamette Valley’s Firesteed Winery, with Bob Cabral as consulting winemaker, and Washington’s Tamarack and Buried Canes wines, helmed by long-time “Maker of the Wine” Danny Gordon.
O’Reilly expressed similar thoughts. “We anticipate this will greatly enhance logistic and operational support to grow Owen Roe into the future. I am also looking forward to making my contribution to the entire Pacific Northwest portfolio,” commented O’Reilly.
Though terms of the deal are not disclosed, Vintage Wine Estates purchased 100% of the assets of Owen Roe including real estate, winemaking facilities, vineyards, brands, equipment, inventory, leases, and supply contracts. The Company sells wine under three brands, Owen Roe, Corvidae, and Sharecropper and includes the Union Gap, Outlook, and Ana Vineyards. All employees were retained by Vintage Wine Estates.
METIS CEO Erik McLaughlin stated, “I’ve admired David’s achievements in wine quality and brand originality for 20 years. He created one of the most important wine companies in the region as a leader in both Oregon and Washington. We are privileged David and his partners trusted us to help them through the process”
Pat Roney, CEO of Vintage Wine Estates said of the transaction, “we have worked with Erik before. He understands our business and our objectives well, so I knew it would be worth our time when he asked me to take a serious look at Owen Roe. As always, he shepherded the transaction through with absolute integrity, providing the creativity and persistence necessary to build bridges between multiple parties.”
“Our transaction with Erik McLaughlin from Metis was thoroughly professional. Metis has exceptional attention to detail and handled the process with precision. Erik immersed himself into our business and articulated a complex business transaction to a diverse group of interested parties. I now understand why he has so much respect among those interested in winery and vineyard acquisitions,” remarked David O’Reilly.
About Vintage Wine Estates
Vintage Wine Estates is a privately held wine company founded by a group of vintner families with deep roots in the wine business. VWE owns a collection of winery estates and brands including Clos Pegase, Girard, Delectus, Swanson, Cosentino, Cherry Pie (Napa), B.R. Cohn, Sonoma Coast Vineyards, Windsor Vineyards (Sonoma), Qupé, Laetitia, Clayhouse. Alloy Wine Works, Purple Cowboy (Central Coast), Firesteed, Tamarack Cellars, Buried Cane (Pacific Northwest) Game of Thrones, Cameron Hughes, Layer Cake, Middle Sister, Bar Dog, Girl & Dragon, Splinter Spirits, No. 209 Gin and a number of exclusive wine brands. An industry leader across all sales channels and dedicated to providing wine consumers with a range of wines from $10 to $150. www.vintagewineestates.com
About Metis
METIS advises Pacific Northwest businesses on capital transactions including mergers, acquisitions, and recapitalizations. With offices in Walla Walla, Seattle, and Portland, Metis offers concentrated experience and expertise in the Pacific Northwest wine, spirits, and hospitality industries. For more information about Metis, please visit www.metisnw.com.
