Sonoma

Beach weather naturally draws people to the beach but this weekend the National Weather Service has sounded the alarm about very high surf along the Sonoma County coast. As a consequence, beaches there can be — and have been — deadly. … [Read more...] about North Bay Rescue Crews on Alert Following Weekend High Surf Advisory

The idea, Dyson said, is that with this minority stake, both he and the Faiveleys can feel out the partnership to make sure it’s the right fit. Then, in three years, they’ll discuss a transaction in which the Faiveleys might take full control of Williams Selyem. Until then, Dyson will continue to manage the business. The full staff will remain in place, including director of winemaking Jeff Mangahas. … [Read more...] about Legendary California winery Williams Selyem will hand over control to a French producer

By the time Williams and Selyem were ready to sell, in the 1990s, their Pinot Noir was so sought-after and so hyped-up that they surely could have had their choice of buyers. In our conversation yesterday, Dyson told me that one of the other suitors competing for their attention was none other than Joe Montana. (This could almost be a Bay Area soap opera.) Yet Williams and Selyem chose Dyson, a lifelong ag guy who already owned a winery in New York and was developing a vineyard in California’s Central Coast. He must have struck them has having some credibility, as someone who understood the special status of their wine and would work to preserve that. … [Read more...] about With the big Williams Selyem deal, a California wine icon aims to avoid a common fate: a soulless private equity future