Boisset acquires Artesa as history repeats itself in California wine

California vintner Jean-Charles Boisset has acquired Artesa Estate from Raventós Codorníu, adding one of Carneros’ most distinctive winery properties to a Napa and Sonoma portfolio that includes Raymond Vineyards, Flora Springs, Buena Vista Winery and DeLoach Vineyards, among others. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The acquisition includes the 350-acre (142ha) property, with 155 acres (63ha) planted across Napa’s Los Carneros and Mt. Veeder appellations, along with Artesa’s distinctive pyramid-shaped winery.

The deal’s timing has a striking historical parallel. Spanish producer Raventós Codorníu established Codorníu Napa amid another difficult period for the US wine industry. Reporting on the winery’s opening in September 1991, the Los Angeles Times noted falling wine sales and mounting surpluses, while questioning the timing of a $23 million investment in a new winery devoted exclusively to sparkling wine.

A sparkling wine producer’s legacy lives on

Thirty-five years later, Boisset is investing in the same property against a remarkably similar backdrop. US wine sales by volume fell by an estimated 2% in 2025, according to Silicon Valley Bank’s 2026 State of the US Wine Industry report. The sector continues to contend with excess inventory and softer demand, while the report also indicated declining tasting-room visits among smaller, hospitality-focused wineries. (The same day the Artesa sale was announced, historic Sonoma winery Gundlach Bundschu filed for Chapter 11.)

‘The challenges facing our industry are real. But my responsibility is to look beyond this moment and help create the future we believe in. America has given me the freedom to dream. These investments express my love for this nation, this state, for Napa Valley, and my commitment to its next chapter in wine,’ France-born Boisset told Decanter.

The Artesa acquisition follows another substantial Napa investment for Boisset. In July, he and his wife, winemaker Gina Gallo-Boisset, reopened Flora Springs Winery in St. Helena after an extensive redesign that incorporated more than five million hand-laid glass mosaic tiles.

Sergio Fuster, CEO of Raventós Codorníu, called Boisset ‘the ideal custodian’ for Artesa, saying his knowledge of the local market would help ‘unlock Artesa’s extraordinary potential even further, while ensuring the continuity of its legacy’.

The vision for Artesa’s future

Originally called Codorníu Napa, the sparkling wine producer was renamed Artesa as its emphasis expanded to still wines, including Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, along with Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and the Spanish varieties Albariño and Tempranillo. Boisset intends to build on that sparkling wine history under the Artesa name and through his JCB Collection (which makes nearly two dozen bubblies), while continuing to develop its still wines.

‘Artesa brings extraordinary cooler-climate vineyards, a sparkling wine heritage and an estate home for JCB where my Burgundian roots meet my California dreams,’ Boisset told Decanter. (From Burgundy’s winemaking Boisset family, he and his sister founded Domaine de la Vougeraie before he invested in Sonoma County, with the 2003 purchase of DeLoach.)

Boisset also plans to develop Artesa as a cultural destination combining wine, architecture, nature and contemporary art. Its dramatic hilltop winery, designed by Barcelona architect Domingo Triay, is a stunning visual draw for visitors.

‘The business vision begins with exceptional wines’, Boisset told Decanter. ‘Art, nature, architecture and hospitality broaden the invitation, giving new audiences reasons to discover wine and build a lasting connection with our estates’.

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