Bidding Closes On Glen Ellen Lifestyle Estate Winery

SONOMA VALLEY, CA — A Glen Ellen winery founded by one of Sonoma County’s most prominent winemaking families is up for sale, as its corporate owner continues to reshape its portfolio.

Imagery Estate Winery, launched in the 1980s by Joe Benziger of the famed Benziger winemaking family, has been quietly listed for sale since early December, according to reporting by the San Francisco Chronicle.

Bids for the nearly 20-acre Glen Ellen property were due Wednesday, though the listing agents have declined to disclose an asking price.

The seller is the Wine Group, the country’s second-largest wine company, which acquired Imagery in 2015. While no wine has been produced on the property for the past two years, the sale does not include the Imagery Estate brand , the Chronicle reported.

Imagery’s use permit allows up to 24 large events annually, including two gatherings of as many as 400 people, and permits weddings — a rarity in Sonoma County and a potentially lucrative draw for buyers. Interest has come from both wine industry buyers and so-called “lifestyle” purchasers, Christian Koulichkov, a director at Hilco Real Estate Sales, told the Chronicle, citing the property’s lawn, bocce court and event-friendly layout.

The Imagery brand dates back to 1986, when Benziger introduced the Imagery Series — wines paired with commissioned artwork created in collaboration with Sonoma State University art professor Bob Nugent. Imagery later became its own winery, complete with an art gallery showcasing label artwork, according to the Chronicle.

Kevin Otus, founder of Onyx Asset Advisors, which is representing the seller, said the sale is “not a distress or duress situation,” noting that the Wine Group has been actively buying and selling brands as it pivots toward lower-priced, higher-volume wines. As part of that shift, the company recently acquired several brands from Constellation Brands and sold Healdsburg’s historic Simi Winery to WarRoom Cellars, the Chronicle reported.

The offering includes Imagery’s 19.56-acre estate, nearly four acres of Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec vines, a winery permitted to produce up to 180,000 cases annually, and tank capacity of roughly 250,000 gallons. Pricing remains an open question.