Crimson Wine Group has added Sonoma Chardonnay specialist Raeburn Winery to its portfolio. The $35 million purchase includes the brand and inventory, but no winery or vineyards. Raeburn, which makes about 250,000 cases annually, is particularly known for Chardonnays sold for between $15 to $25.
“I think that people who know Crimson well understand why this was a really good acquisition,” Crimson CEO Jennifer Locke told Wine Spectator. “As a company, we fly a little bit under the radar, and Raeburn has also kind of flown under the radar.”
Crimson Wine Group is a mid-sized wine company that was founded in 1991 and owns about 1,000 acres of vineyards in California, Oregon and Washington. The brands in the portfolio include California’s Pine Ridge, Seghesio and Chamisal, Archery Summit from Oregon and Seven Hills and Double Canyon from Washington.
While the overall U.S. wine market is going through a challenging downturn, Locke says this move is about momentum. “We’re not buying a distressed brand,” she said. “There are a lot of things for sale right now that have amazing facilities, but the brands don’t pay the bills.”
The acquisition will substantially increase Crimson’s production—before the sale, the company’s wineries produced roughly 400,000 cases annually. And while Raeburn is not an estate winery, Locke points out that Crimson already owns 1,000 acres of vineyards, plus three winery facilities across California, at Pine Ridge, Chamisal and Seghesio.
More than half of Raeburn’s current production is white wine, and that’s a growing segment of a down market. According to Circana data, Raeburn is one of the top 10 largest Chardonnay brands by volume sold domestically. The brand was listed as a “Hot Prospect” by Wine Spectator sister publication Impact as recently as 2023.
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A Sonoma Chardonnay And Pinot Project
Wine industry veteran Derek Benham created Raeburn in 2013. Before that, Benham and his brother Courtney founded Codera Wine Group and the Blackstone brand in 1990. Blackstone was a Merlot juggernaut, growing to 650,000 cases before they sold it in 2001 to Constellation Brands.
Following the sale, Codera was dissolved and Benham founded Purple Brands, which included Mark West, a brand known for value Pinot Noirs, which grew to 600,000 cases before it was also sold to Constellation. Purple Brands now includes Avalon, Scattered Peaks, Bex and Four Vines. During the same period, Benham created a distillery and launched Benham’s Gin and Redwood Empire Whiskey, which acquired Dave Phinney’s Savage & Cooke Distillery in 2025. This deal will allow Purple to focus more on spirits.
Raeburn was Benham’s Sonoma and Russian River Valley Chardonnay and Pinot Noir specialist, the name derived from the Olde English word Raeburn, meaning a stream or river where one drinks. The company recently added a Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon to the lineup.
A Veteran Winemaker
Colleen FitzGerald, former winemaker at Pine Ridge, will take over as Raeburn winemaker. She had previously been in charge of the popular Pine Ridge Chenin Blanc-Viognier blend—the 2023 vintage was ranked number 27 on Wine Spectator’s Top 100 Wines of 2025.
“It’s a little bit more volume than what I’m doing right now,” said FitzGerald. “But I’m excited to take on the challenge.”
Locke believes Raeburn brings intangibles too. “[Raeburn] feels of provenance,” she said. “It’s not stuffy. Probably our biggest challenge right now is that wine is intimidating consumers. [The Raeburn] label looks elegant, it’s easy to read, it’s easy to understand. I think it has a lot of components in the packaging that feel perhaps more luxurious and premium than the price point.
“Derek [Benham] has proven that he understands wine. He’s a brand builder. To parlay his vision and being able to put the Crimson muscle behind it definitely has been one of the things about this acquisition that was enticing to us,” she added.
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