Faiveley family acquire majority stake in Sonoma wine estate

Burgundy’s Faiveley family has acquired the majority stake of Russian River Valley winery Williams Selyem, four years after first investing in the winery. 

The French family, which owns Domaine Faiveley in Nuits-Saints-Georges, bought a minority stake in the Sonoma County winery from owners John and Kathe Dyson in January 2021, after more than a decade of looking for a pied-à-terre in the United States. At the time, John Dyson hinted at the possibility of a smooth ownership transfer to Domaine Faiveley at a later day – which appears to have taken place, with the Faiveley’s extended their share to a majority stake.

Although the terms of the deal have not been revealed, it is understood that the Dysons will retain a minority stake in the winery and that John Dyson will remain as its CEO for at least three years. The existing winemaking team will also continue, working under winemaking director Jeff Mangahas.

The Williams Selyem winery was established by friends Burt Williams and Ed Selyem as Hacienda del Rio (although the name was later changed to Williams Selyem) and produced its first vintage of Pinot Noir in 1981 operating out of a rented garage.

Within ten years it had established a strong reputation, becoming the first US Pinot Noir to be awarded 100-points by an international wine publication, and John and Kathe Dysons bought the estate in 1998 for a reported $9.5 million. Over the next few years the couple bought several parcels of land and a ranch to establish the estate’s own vineyards, experimenting with mass Selection blocks and Pinot Noir clones.  A new production facility with hospitality space was built in 2006, with two further vineyards, 3-Starrs Vineyard and Saitone Estate Vineyard, added in 2014 and 2016 respectively. The estate now comprises nearly 55 hectares of vineyards across five vineyards, and produces around 30,000 bottles of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

In a statement, John Dyson said he and his wife had been looking for “the perfect family to eventually succeed us”, rejecting “many offers from entities that did not share our passion and vision”.

“With the Faiveley family, we have found the right partner with a long-term commitment, who shares our philosophy and themselves make among the world’s greatest Pinot Noir and Chardonnay wines,” he said.

Domaine Faiveley is of one of Burgundy’s largest grand cru site holders and is run by seventh generation owners Erwan and Eve Faiveley, who took over the estate in 2005.

In 2014, Domaine Faiveley made a significant first move into Chablis with the acquisition of  the 20-hectare estate of Domaine Billaud-Simon, which includes four grand crus – Les Clos, Les Preuses, Vaudesir and Les Blanchots – as well as four premier cru sites, Montée de Tonnerre, Mont-de-Milieu, Fourchaume and Vaillons.