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John Fetzer Sells Mendocino’s Saracina Vineyards to the Taub Family’s Heritance Vintners (Wine Spectator)
The Taub family, owners of Palm Bay International, one of the nation’s leading wine importers, is expanding its presence in California. The family’s Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon brand Heritance has purchased Saracina Vineyards in Mendocino from John Fetzer and his wife, Patty Rock. The deal, which closed in early October, includes a winery, 250 acres of land with 100 acres planted to vines, along with the Saracina brand and its second label Atrea. The sale price was not disclosed.
The deal gives the Taub family an established winery and a foothold in Mendocino. They plan to move production of their Heritance, Au Contraire and Angry Bunch brands to Saracina’s winemaking facility. Winemaker Alex MacGregor will continue to make the Saracina and Atrea wines.
Marc Taub, CEO of Taub Family Companies, which includes Palm Bay International and Taub Family Selections, had been looking for a home for his growing roster of California brands. “Marc was familiar with the Saracina ranch and loves the property,” Bethany Burke, senior vice president of corporate communications at Taub Family Companies, told Wine Spectator.
Fetzer and Rock will no longer be involved in the winery, but they have retained part of the Saracina property, including a residence. The eldest of 11 siblings, Fetzer launched Saracina in 2001—nearly a decade after his family sold Fetzer Vineyards to spirits company Brown-Forman (Fetzer and its affiliated brands are now owned by Chile’s Concha y Toro). The couple built a tasting room and wine cave on the 600-acre former Sundial Ranch near the town of Hopland, and tapped MacGregor and consultant David Ramey to make the wines.
Saracina makes wine from a variety of grapes including Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel and Sauvignon Blanc from its sustainably farmed estate vineyards and purchased grapes. The winery produces around 7,500 cases of wine annually.
Once one of the foremost dynasties in California wine, the Fetzer family has been divesting its wine holdings in recent years. In 2017, the family sold its 80-acre ranch in Redwood Valley, the site of the original Fetzer winery, to cannabis distributor Flow Kana. The Saracina sale leaves third-generation vintners Jake and Ben Fetzer as the only family members with their own wine label, Masut, in the Eagle Peak appellation of Mendocino.
Marc Taub’s father, David, who passed away in 2012, launched Palm Bay in 1977, importing Italian wine. The family now imports and produces nearly 90 wine and spirits brands from 17 countries around the world, with a focus on Italy. In 2014, Marc turned to California, launching Pinot Noir brand Au Contraire in Sonoma. They later added Heritance, which was founded by wine-industry veterans Bernard Portet and Don Chase.
The Taub family doesn’t plan to make any change to the Saracina wines but they will add new projects down the road. “We definitely want to take advantage of what [Fetzer and Rock] have been doing here,” said Burke. “Marc is looking at this as a long-term opportunity to lay down roots for his family.”
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Mashed Sweet Potatoes
This is an absolute must for your Thanksgiving holiday menu! It’s so easy and so good with the sage-butter and crisp bacon bits!
Say hello to your new favorite Thanksgiving side dish for 2018.
It’s mashed sweet potatoes with maple, sage and bacon. A super fun twist to the usual mashed potatoes.
But to be honest, I think this is actually way better.
Hello, we have sage butter mixed right in! I’m sorry but no, you can’t top that. Not to mention, the crisp bacon bits right on top.
It’s absolutely perfect. And I’ve been eating it by the spoonful for recipe testing to ensure you get the very best mashed sweet potatoes this holiday season.
See, I take my job very seriously, you guys.
Mashed Sweet Potatoes
This is an absolute must for your Thanksgiving holiday menu! It’s so easy and so good with the sage-butter and crisp bacon bits!
Ingredients:
- 3 1/2 pounds medium sweet potatoes
- 5 slices bacon, chopped
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage leaves
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper.
- Place potatoes in a single layer onto the prepared baking sheet. Place into oven and bake until tender, about 1 hour. Let cool before peeling.
- Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add bacon and cook until brown and crispy, about 6-8 minutes. Drain excess fat; transfer bacon to a paper towel-lined plate.
- Melt butter in the skillet. Add garlic and sage, and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat; keep warm.
- Using a potato masher, mash potatoes until smooth. Stir in maple syrup and 6 tablespoons reserved butter mixture; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Serve immediately with remaining butter mixture and bacon.
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