Italian wine company Marchesi Frescobaldi has signed a definitive agreement to purchase Domaine Roy & fils, an Oregon wine producer in Willamette Valley.
The transaction is expected to close before the end of July 2023.
“At this stage of our expansion we decided to seize the opportunity to acquire the beautiful Domaine Roy & fils winery in Oregon, one of the best regions in the world for pinot noir,” says Marchesi Frescobaldi President, Lamberto Frescobaldi. “To become part of such a community is a dream come true. On behalf of the Frescobaldi Family I would like to thank Marc-Andre’ Roy for offering us the opportunity in Oregon to continue to do what we do best, cultivate beautiful vineyards, produce wines and offer our customers iconic products”.
Domaine Roy & fils was founded in 2012 by Roy with Jared Etzel, continuing in the footsteps of their fathers who had partnered to establish Beaux Freres in 1991. To accompany the Roy family, in their vision of a second-generation vineyard, 26 friends from Quebec took part in the venture.
With the most recent plantings coming to maturity, the estate’s 40 acres of vineyard in two locations now supply all of the grapes for the Domaine Roy & fils offerings. The plantings are exclusively pinot noir (35 acres) and chardonnay (5 acres). The vineyards are farmed 100% organic and without irrigation.
The Domaine Roy & fils winery and Iron Filbert vineyard are located 45 minutes south-west of Portland near the town of Dundee in the Dundee Hills AVA. The second vineyard (Quartz Acorn) is located 25 minutes west of the winery in the Yamhill-Carlton AVA, adjacent to Louis Jadot’s Resonance Vineyard and the Jackson Family’s Gran Moraine Vineyard.
Other well-known producers near Domaine Roy & fils include some of Oregon’s best known wineries, including Domaine Serene, Beaux Freres and Domaine Drouhin.
Domaine Roy & fils built their winery as a single, two-level building, including hospitality and offices on the upper floor with winery cellar and production on the ground floor. Construction of the winery was completed in 2015 and was designed by Waterleaf Architecture.
Under the terms of the agreement with Frescobaldi, Marc-Andre Roy will continue joint leadership of the Domaine Roy & fils winery in collaboration with the Frescobaldi family as a member of the Board of Directors and as a minority owner.
“It has been important to continue the work started by my father, founder of Beaux-Freres, when we established Domaine Roy et fils in Oregon’s Willamette Valley, recognized as one of the premier pinot noir producing areas in the world,” says Roy. “We are humbled and thrilled to welcome the Frescobaldi Family as the new owners of Domaine Roy & fils. Their esteemed winemaking heritage and commitment to excellence align perfectly with our own values. We believe this partnership will preserve and elevate the legacy of Domaine Roy & fils.”
Marchesi Frescobaldi was advised on the acquisition by WithersWorldWide’s transatlantic practice with teams in Milan, New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles. Domaine Roy & fils was advised on the transaction by lawyers Davis, Wrights & Tremaine in Portland, OR.
International Wine Associates (IWA) initiated this transaction with Frescobaldi on behalf of Domaine Roy & fils, and served as their exclusive financial advisors.
