Two leading wine estates announced acquisitions of lucrative California real estate this week. The Donum Estate purchased Savoy Vineyard, while Shafer Vineyards boosted its production potential by acquiring Altimeter’s vineyard.
Donum announced the move in a June 12 press release, sharing that the company purchased the full 52 acres of Savoy Vineyard in Anderson Valley. Savoy is known for its high-quality Pinot Noir and Chardonnay vines, both of which Donum Estate hopes to leverage for its own portfolio of wines.
It marks the Sonoma-based company’s first acquisition of a well-established vineyard.
“Donum’s experience in regenerative winegrowing will serve us well as we take over as the latest stewards of this remarkable piece of land,” Dan Fishman, Donum Estate vice president of winemaking and vineyards, says in the release. “Our goal has always been to make the best Pinot Noir and Chardonnay possible in each of our unique vineyard sites, and we are excited to continue this mission at Savoy Vineyard.”
The Donum Estate was founded in 2001. Its collection of single-vineyard estates offers terroir-driven wines from northern California, including vineyards in the Russian River Valley, Carnerors, and Anderson Valley.
Farther south, Shafer Vineyards purchased four hectares in the highly-revered Napa AVA of Atlas Peak, according to The Drinks Business. The Altimer vineyard provides a notably high elevation, low rainfall, and cool temperatures for its Cabernet Sauvignon vines. Shafer intends to use the new property to boost its premium Cabernet Sauvignon wine to new heights.
“Acquiring this spectacular world-class vineyard is part of our unwavering, decades-long focus on producing wines of elegance, purity, and balance,” Shafer’s general manager Matthew Sharp told The Drinks Business. “It’s a great privilege to make this site part of the Shafer Vineyard portfolio.”
Shafer Vineyards was founded in 1972, when former publishing executive John Shafer purchased the historic Napa Valley vineyard. In the decades since, it’s grown into a respected line of Cabernet Sauvignon wines.
Financial details of both deals were not disclosed.
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