Two of America’s leading family owned and operated wineries jointly announce that Foley Family Wines has purchased Oregon’s Acrobat wine brand from King Estate Winery in Eugene, Oregon. The two families believe that this transaction marks one of the most important to date for the growing Oregon wine industry. The Acrobat brand is best known for producing award-winning, versatile Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris varietal wines which showcase the complexity of Oregon’s emerging wine growing regions. In October of 2016, Acrobat 2015 Pinot Gris placed #1 on Wine Enthusiast’s Top 100 Best Buy List.
Hugh Reimers, President of Foley Family Wines, stated: “As Foley Family Wines continues down the path of becoming one of the industry’s top Ultra-Premium wine purveyors, the addition of the Acrobat brand addresses the strategy of expanding our offerings from the emerging and rapidly growing region of Oregon. Acrobat Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris will serve as a nice complement to The Four Graces, which has quickly become one of Oregon’s top selling Ultra-Premium Pinot Noir brands in the marketplace. We look forward to working closely with wholesale and customer partners to build on the success of both the Acrobat and The Four Graces brand in the retail and on-premise channels.”
“I have great admiration for Ed King, his family and the entire King Estate organization. I am honored that Ed has entrusted Foley Family Wines with the gem that is the Acrobat brand” stated Bill Foley, Founder and CEO of Foley Family Wines.
“It is with great pride that I transition the Acrobat brand to Foley Family Wines, a well‑respected family‑owned wine company that has been one of the greatest success stories in the industry,” remarked Ed King, CEO of King Estate. “Reflection on the part of the King family led to the realization that we want to reaffirm our foundation family brand, and that King Estate needs to be the centerpiece of our future. We have been on our land in Oregon for almost 30 years. Our recent entry into the Willamette Valley AVA and certification as North America’s largest Biodynamic vineyard bring our focus back to King Estate. Acrobat exceeded all expectations of success for us and really belongs in a growing family of brands like Foley Family Wines.”
Under King Estate’s guidance, the Acrobat brand has consistently garnered industry acclaim for the quality of its wines and represents one of Oregon’s largest wine brands. King Estate will remain independently owned by the King family and continues to be Oregon’s largest family‑owned estate winery.
Zepponi & Company served as the exclusive financial advisor to the owners of King Estate in their sale of the Acrobat brand.
About Foley Family Wines –
Foley Family Wines was established by Bill Foley in 1996 with the acquisition of Lincourt Vineyards in California’s Santa Ynez Valley. Since then, Foley Family Wines has grown to become a top producer, marketer and distributor of highly-acclaimed, handmade wines from some of the world’s greatest vineyards. Every brand in the company’s portfolio is distinct and autonomous with its own identity, style, techniques and personnel. Foley Family Wines owns the following properties: Foley Sonoma (Geyserville, CA), Chalone Vineyards (Monterey, CA), Foley Estates (Sta. Rita Hills, CA), Lincourt Vineyards (Solvang, CA), Merus (Napa Valley, CA), Foley Johnson (Napa Valley, CA), Kuleto (Napa Valley, CA), Altvs (Napa, CA), Chalk Hill (Sonoma County, CA), Sebastiani (Sonoma County, CA), Banshee Wines (Sonoma, CA), Rickshaw Wines, Lancaster Estate (Sonoma County, CA), Langtry Estate (Lake County, CA), Three Rivers Winery (Walla Walla, WA), Firestone Vineyard (Santa Ynez Valley, CA), Eos (Paso Robles, CA), Roth Estate (Sonoma County, CA), The Four Graces (Dundee, OR), Vavasour (Marlborough, New Zealand), Clifford Bay (Marlborough, New Zealand), Grove Mill (Marlborough, New Zealand), Martinborough Vineyard (Martinborough, New Zealand) and Te Kairanga (Martinborough, New Zealand). Bill Foley is the majority owner of National Hockey League team, the Vegas Golden Knights (Las Vegas, NV). He also serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors for Fidelity National Inc. and Vice Chairman of Fidelity National Information Services. Both are Fortune 500 companies.
About King Estate Winery –
Founded in 1991 by the King family, King Estate is located southwest of Eugene, OR, at the southern tip of the Willamette Valley. As one of Oregon’s largest wineries, King Estate is committed to producing wines of exceptional quality under sustainable farming methods. King Estate Winery, complete with renowned restaurant and hospitality amenities, farms over 1,000 acres of Estate vineyards that are certified Biodynamic® by Demeter USA. King Estate produces world-class Oregon Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir, and wines from the inland growing regions of Oregon and Washington, that are distributed throughout the United States and internationally. To this day, King Estate is owned and operated by the King family.
