Rumor Mill

For those living in a van down by the river, Sutter Home / Trinchero Family Estates recently completed its acquisition of Folie a Deux, a small winery with a go-nowhere brand located on the right side of highway 29, just north of St. Helena.  Wine pundits have been wondering for months why the TFE guys would shell out $17 million for a property north of their own very successful tasting room (north being less desirable as fewer tourists get beyond the pretty baubles, $9 burgers and window dressings of St. Helena).  It appears that TFE is poised to make Folie a Deux the home for its Trinchero brand, which has been.......uh.....struggling to separate itself from the Sutter Home brand, to put it very diplomatically.  This will allow TFE to bifurcate their Napa business into completely distinct locations and (hopefully with better winemaking) allow the Trinchero brand to thrive.  Not coincidentally, this will also set the Sutter Home brand apart, thereby cleaning it up for an easier sale to Constellation or Gallo.......