One of the hippest and happening wine brands in Sonoma County, Banshee Wines, has entered into a “strategic partnership” (take that as you will) with “big wine” company Foley Family Wines.
Banshee Wines, which was founded in 2010, has a bohemian-inspired tasting room in the heart of downtown Healdsburg, where they pour boutique pinot noir and chardonnay, as well as a rosé (which we named one of our favorites of 2017).
The “strategic partnership” includes not only Banshee, but Rickshaw Wines, a second label of Banshee specializing in sauvignon blanc, chardonnay, pinot noir and cabernet sauvignon from sustainable vineyards.
A potential partnership had been part of Banshee’s business strategy, according to Banshee CEO Baron Ziegler. “We knew that if we were successful, we would eventually need to align ourselves with a strategic partner who could help us grow beyond the amazing foundation that we established with our small, core team.”
Foley Family Wines was founded in 1995 by Bill Foley, a billionaire who made his fortune in the title insurance industry. The company owns over 20 wineries in California, Washington, Oregon and New Zealand. Sonoma County wineries owned by Foley include Chalk Hill and the historic Sebastiani Vineyards and Winery.
Two big things come out of the partnership for Banshee: the Healdsburg winery will be able to use grapes from Foley vineyards in California and they’ll have the distribution and sales power that Foley offers.
Ziegler and the rest of the Banshee team will “retain continued interest and ownership” in Banshee and Rickshaw.