In 2026, Artesa begins an exciting new chapter with Jean-Charles Boisset.
Artesa Vineyards & Winery, the Carneros estate built into a hillside below Mt. Veeder, has a new owner. Jean-Charles Boisset and the Boisset Collection have acquired the estate from Raventós Codorníu, the Spanish group that founded it in 1991. The estate's own site now records the change in a single line: in 2026, Artesa begins a new chapter with Jean-Charles Boisset.
The transaction covers the Artesa brand, the estate and its existing inventory. Trade reports put the property at 350 acres in total. The estate vineyard itself spans 150 acres along five ridges in the foothills where the Los Carneros and Mount Veeder appellations meet, about three miles from San Pablo Bay, and the winery is permitted for production of roughly 190,000 cases a year. The price was not disclosed.
Artesa began in 1991 as Codorníu Napa, inaugurated with a specific mission: to establish pre-eminence in crafting California sparkling wine. The Artesa name, a Catalan word signifying handcrafted, arrived in 1998 as the vineyard proved itself with still wines. The winery building, conceived by Barcelona architect Domingo Triay and erected in 1991, is sunk into the hill and remains one of the most recognisable pieces of architecture in California wine country.
What Boisset is buying
The planted estate is weighted to the varieties Carneros does best. Pinot Noir covers 40 acres across ten blocks and seven clones; Chardonnay takes nearly fifty acres, mostly on north-east facing slopes in Haire clay loam; close to nine acres of Tempranillo run through almost every elevation, with Albariño in the coolest sections and Cabernet Sauvignon on the highest ground. The vineyard is certified Napa Green Land and Fish Friendly Farming. Winemaker Paula Borgo, who joined in 2023 after running winemaking at Bodega Séptima in Mendoza, another Raventós Codorníu property, leads production.
For the seller, the deal is a divestment of a successful asset rather than an exit from a failing one. In the companies' announcement, Raventós Codorníu described Artesa as one of the most successful wineries in its portfolio and said it was convinced Boisset was the right custodian for the estate's next phase. The group, majority owned by Carlyle since 2018, has been concentrating investment on its Spanish and Argentine holdings.
For Boisset, Artesa fills the Carneros gap in a California portfolio that already includes Buena Vista Winery, Raymond Vineyards, DeLoach Vineyards, Elizabeth Spencer Winery and Flora Springs. It brings a sparkling wine house back under the same roof as his JCB label, a tasting room with bay views, and a brand with national distribution. Buying a 350-acre estate with permitted capacity at this scale, while much of the industry is selling or retrenching, is a long-horizon bet on Napa Valley rather than a trade.
Whether the timing proves inspired will be measured in vintages, not quarters. What is already clear is the shape of the bet: hard assets, an established brand and a site whose architecture alone draws visitors, acquired at a moment when premium Napa and Sonoma properties are trading below their 2021 peaks.