30-07-2025
- Business
- San Francisco Chronicle
A prime Napa Valley winery hits the market for $65 million
A high-end Napa Valley winery with 13,000 square feet of caves is for sale for $65 million.
Founded in 1989 within the St. Helena hillsides, Vineyard 29 is selling its high-tech winery, visitor center and caves; three vineyards totaling 38 acres; an additional tasting room; two brands; and inventory, as first reported by the Sacramento Bee. The sale also includes the estate's 2,700-square-foot residence with a pool.
Vineyard 29 (2929 Hwy 29, St. Helena) is the latest in a string of high-profile winery sales taking place amid a historic, global downturn in wine sales. Just last week, legacy estate William Harrison Vineyards & Winery sold to two longtime Napa Valley wine families. But owner Chuck McMinn said industry headwinds weren't a factor in his and his wife Anne McMinn's decision to sell.
'My kids have other lives and we decided over the last year that they need to pursue what their passions are,' Chuck McMinn said. 'It's time to look for somebody else, who hopefully shares the same passion we do.'
Like the William Harrison deal, Chuck McMinn admitted he'd prefer another family to take over the property instead of a corporate entity. 'We're really looking for someone willing to spend time in the community and with our customers,' he said, 'someone who will treat them like family.'
The winery is set on coveted grape growing soil on the slopes of the Mayacamas Mountains, which it shares with several revered neighbors, including Grace Family Vineyards and Colgin Cellars' Tychson Hill property. Vineyard 29 is best known for its Cabernet Sauvignon, which was once awarded 100 points by wine critic Robert Parker and sells for roughly $200 a bottle.
When the McMinns acquired the winery and its small Cabernet vineyard from its founders in 2000, they embarked on a major expansion, building the sleek, ultra-high-tech winery complete with caves, a wine library and tasting spaces boasting panoramic views. The family purchased two additional vineyards in St. Helena and later launched a second, more accessible label, Cru, which helped grow Vineyard 29's production from 500 cases when the McMinn's acquired it to roughly 10,000 cases a year.
In 2017, the McMinns opened a more casual tasting room next to Napa's Oxbow Public Market to showcase Cru. That eventually closed, but in 2021, Vineyard 29 opened a luxe tasting room on downtown Napa's First Street. The new owner will have the option to extend the lease on the space, which expires next spring.
Chuck McMinn, a former tech executive, retired in 2022 and appointed Vineyard 29's longtime winemaker, Keith Emerson, president and CEO. Emerson, who joined the winery in 2005, said he initially explored organizing a group that could purchase Vineyard 29, but is now 'open to helping whoever the new owner is.'
'We're running on all cylinders,' he said. 'The future is bright, and I'd like to stay on.'
Vineyard 29's two tasting rooms will remain open to visitors throughout the sale process, and Chuck McMinn said he plans to send an offer to his mailing list customers for complimentary tastings through the end of the year.
Chuck McMinn is also the founder of the Napa Valley Vine Trail Coalition, which recently completed a major section of the planned 47-mile Napa Valley Vine Trail.
