Ponzi Vineyards purchased by Bollinger

The Ponzi family is one of the true early pioneers, and a huge part of the evolution of Willamette Valley wines. They also were instrumental in the genesis of the micro-brew revolution in Oregon. It’s great to see them succeed and be recognized for their work.

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Yikes!

Wow. Nice to see that Luisa will continue in her role directing wine making and viticulture!

Yes, thanks for mentioned the micro-brewing. I loved hanging out at the old Bridgeport spot (before the renovation). So sad to see that close a few years ago…

Great news for the Ponzis and the WV! I remember buying their white table wine by the case back in the late 70s, and the first case of wine that I ever bought to age was their 1979 Pinot Noir.

Somehow I never realized that the Ponzis started Bridgeport. We lived in Portland for a few years in the late eighties. Of course I remember the winery from that time period but I was also into home brewing and I have a very fond memory of a seminar where we followed along with the brewing of a batch of stout at Bridgeport.

I started with their 1980 Reserve Pinot Noir, and by the time the raging '83s hit - I was a major fan. Dick’s daughter was pretty heavily involved, wonder what she is going to do?

:wink: Well, that’s one way to avoid tariffs :wink:

Solid and beneficial move. Congratulations all around!

Be curious as to the amount of dough involved.

I do have a story that I likely should not tell in public that would be related, tangentially, to this.

Seems to be a different sort of reaction to this than when KJ buys stuff up here. Just saying.

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I think it comes down to who the acquirer is and what their track record is in managing the wineries they acquire going forward. Things like the overall reputation of the acquirer, if the winemakers and other staff staying on, is pricing going to change, are the wines going to be produced in same manner, will wine quality go down in favour of larger volumes, etc all play into how someone reacts to a winery being sold.

I think Bollinger does a lot more for the local brand than KJ, that’s got to be at least part of it Jim.

Headlines I never would have thought up.

Has Bollinger bought other wineries previously? I don’t really see the angle here beyond investment.

Will Bollinger be making sparkling wines in Oregon? Can’t see why not.

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Gallo would’ve gotten an awful reaction as well. But, we haven’t really seen Bolly disrespect a brand that they have purchased (that I can think of). So, the lack of vitriol makes sense.

That said, I do hope when a 6L is sabered that they don’t treat it like that idiot at the French Laundry

Didn’t KJ buy up a bunch of vineyards in 2019?

KJ is a big plus for our little town of McMinnville. Locals are positive about it.

Wine folk are snobs, so it makes sense they view the French attributes with more panache.

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It’s interesting… the fact that it’s Bollinger is definitely eye-catching, and probably adds to a bit of glamour to the valley as a whole, but the list of wineries they own/run is not exactly awe-inspiring. Delamain (the Cognac producer) is definitely the crown jewel of their operations, and they were established as one of the top houses in the region long, long before Bollinger bought them in '17.

Good on the Ponzi’s for getting the deal they wanted (I assume), but count me as mildly skeptical about what SJB will bring to the table.

Star status for Oregon!
Congratulations
:champagne::champagne::champagne:

That would be cool.

Agreed. The sparkling scene here is burgeoning, and there are some really solid bubbles being produced.

That said, someone that I respect quite a bit has stated the upcoming Grand Moraine(KJ) sparkling is amazing. [stirthepothal.gif]

I haven’t had the Grand Moraine bubbles, but their winemaker is making some very good wines.