Rosenblum Cellars purchased by Bronco Wine

Non-regional discussions Wine, beer, and spirits
1

Interesting.

I had read that Kent Rosenblum came on recently but had no idea it was part of this deal, which apparently just went through.

2

  1. Kent Rosenblum founded Rosenblum Cellars in 1978 in Oakland, moving the winery to a site on Alameda, on the former U.S. Navy base there, in 1987.

  2. In 2008, Kent Rosenblum sold his winery to Diageo.

  3. In 2010, Diageo relocated production of Rosenblum’s wines to Napa Valley, using the facilities at Beaulieu Vineyards.

  4. Kent Rosenblum and daughter Shauna start the Rock Wall Wine Co., with Shauna as winemaker and Kent as CEO, on Alameda.

  5. Diageo moves Rosenblum’s tasting room to Oakland, severing completely their ties to Alameda.

  6. Diego sold their California wineries and labels to Treasury Wine Estates (TWE) in 2015.

  7. In July, 2016, Treasury announces their intention to sell off 12 of their California labels as “part of its strategy to compete better in the premium wine market.”

  8. Rosenblum is acquired by Bronco Wine Co.

  9. It is announced that – for the 2016 vintage – Kent Rosenblum will once again be the winemaker for Rosenblum Cellars. See Oakland Magazine article here.

3

Google isn’t helping confirm Bronco buying Rosenblum. Do you have a link? Wonder if Kent knew this when he agreed.

4

No. I couldn’t find a link announcing the sale, either. However, Rosenblum IS on the Bronco website as one of their brands . . .

TWE wasn’t announcing which 12 brands it was selling, either.

5

Have to wonder if Kent Rosenblum feels like he just sold his soul to the devil, at least for one vintage. Hope they paid him a ton.

Holy !#%@! That same brand list includes Rusack!!! I must have been living under a rock. The shop I worked in had carried the label until a few years ago and distribution was limited. Couldn’t get their Catalina Island Vineyard bottlings at all.Jason, do you know if they were bought by Treasury first, or straight to Bronco. Rusack was owned by a member of the Wrigley family. I guess everything has a price.

6

I was actually thinking that he was hoping to re-establish some quality to his name. While his overall style wasn’t my favorite, he did put out a decent selection of wine. I would frequent (well, maybe a couple of times a year) the Alameda facility, and in fact, is how I stumbled upon the original little St. George Spirits outpost in the side of the building, ca. 1990-ish.

We would go to some events there and have a great time, but ca. mid-2000s, when he was (perhaps not coincidentally) trying to build what appeared to be a Wente-style palace out in Brentwood, looking for investors at events, the vibe changed. We stopped going, but not entirely, until the Diageo sale.

Then, a few years ago, Oakland Magazine had an event there (the original Alameda facility before the tasting room closed). We went. The wines served were horrid. I was thinking at that time that the $ he made would serve as a lot of consolation for the swill that has his name on it.