Napa Valley’s William Harrison Vineyards & Winery gets new owners
William “Eddie” Clark (left) and Perry Clark of Amizetta Estate Winery are two of the new owners of William Harrison Vineyards & Winery.
William “Bill” Harrison, a pioneer of the Napa Valley wine community for 40 years, has sold his William Harrison Vineyards & Winery in the Rutherford AVA.
The buyers are Perry and Christine Clark, his brother William “Eddie” Clark and Jennifer Wagner Clark of Amizetta Estate Winery, and Laura Long and Ted Bystrowski of David Arthur Winery, according to a news release. Amizetta also has a small ownership in the winery, said Perry Clark, who is the president of Amizetta.
The sale includes both the property – about 9 acres – and the winery business at 1443 Silverado Trail in St. Helena.
A price for the entire purchase was not disclosed. According to a deed filed on July 22 at the Napa County Assessor-Recorder office, the property alone sold for $6.8 million (based on the amount of transfer tax paid).
Harrison declined to be interviewed for this story. Laura Long could not be immediately reached.
“We’re very excited about the purchase,” said Perry Clark during a phone interview on Saturday. “It’s a world-class asset; it’s a piece of Napa Valley history, and we’ve admired it our whole lives.”
The owners plan to rename the winery William Perry — combining the two Clark brothers’ first names — but “we will maintain the William Harrison brand,” as well, said Perry Clark.
Clark said they started talking to Harrison nearly eight years ago about a potential sale.
“He said he wasn’t interested yet, but kept the conversation open … over the years. We were lucky that it was just the right time; he was ready to really (sell). He felt it was the time to just divest.”
Both David Arthur and Amizetta are located off the valley floor on Pritchard Hill and by Lake Hennessey.
The William Harrison Vineyards & Winery in the Rutherford AVA.
“This is just a great opportunity to have something on the valley floor, on Silverado Trail,” said Clark. “It’s something we’ve been searching for — for many years.”
The timing worked out well, he noted.
In today’s wine industry, “I think there’s a lot of people who are maybe more fearful of the market, and we really see it as a great opportunity and a great time to pick up incredible assets that normally you wouldn’t be able to,” said Clark. “Napa is always a world-class place and makes incredible wines. And so we’re excited to invest for the long term at Napa Valley and what we think it can do.”
Mary Carpenter of Compass Real Estate and Nick Muccitelli of Vanguard Properties represented the buyers.
“Even in a state of flux,” the winery and vineyard real estate market is “abundant with opportunity,” said Muccitelli.
“We knew right away the significance of this sale,” said Carpenter. The change is a “historical handoff from one family to another,” and in one of the most sought-after Napa Valley regions.
Rutherford has a rich winemaking history, dating back to the late 19th century, the news release noted. The Rutherford AVA is home to renowned wineries that have played a significant role in shaping Napa Valley’s reputation for world-class Cabernet Sauvignon. “Rutherford Dust” refers to the fine, dusty tannins found in the region’s wines.