After spending nearly two decades carefully cultivating a
successful winery business in the hills of San Benito County,
Hollister residents Joe and Deanna Gimelli sold Pietra Santa Winery
to local almond farmer Cort Blackburn and his family last week.
Hollister – After spending nearly two decades carefully cultivating a successful winery business in the hills of San Benito County, Hollister residents Joe and Deanna Gimelli sold Pietra Santa Winery to local almond farmer Cort Blackburn and his family last week.
The sale price is being kept confidential, and although it became official last Friday the deal had been in the works for about five months, Blackburn said. Neither Joe nor Deanna Gimelli could be reached for comment Wednesday, but Blackburn said his father, John, and mother Phylis, are partners in the endeavor.
While owning an actual winery is a first for the family, Blackburn, 35, who also owns Dunne Ranch Vineyards with his family, said they have extensive farming experience in San Benito and Fresno counties and should catch on to the winery business in no time.
“We thought it was a good opportunity to expand our ag-related business,” Blackburn said. “We want to try to keep the employees and carry on with what the Gimelli’s were doing. We hope to try to continue to grow.”
Pietra Santa has won a number of awards over the past few years, including having their “Vache” Trois described as “exceptional” by the Beverage Tasting Institute in 2000 and winning the gold for their olive oil at the Los Angeles County Fair last year, according to the winery’s Web site.
Blackburn didn’t know whether any other interested parties were vying for the winery, which is located in the hills off Cienega Road in Hollister, but said the connection was made between a mutual friend of his and the Gimelli’s.
He was also unsure of the reasons behind the Gimelli’s decision to sell the winery they built from the ground up.
“I guess they had other things in life they wanted to do,” he said.
Although the sale was in the works for months, Friday was the first time any of Pietra Santa’s five permanent employees had heard of the change in ownership, according to Linda Kiener, one of the winery’s administrators.
Kiener said at this time nothing will change at Pietra Santa. The tasting room will continue to be open daily, weddings will still be held, and the multitude of wines – including their Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio and Merlot – will be produced with the same quality and ingredients, she said.
“All the staff is still employed, Alessio Carli is still the wine maker, nothing at this point is changing,” Kiener said. “If anything, we’re going to make it grow and follow through with some plans that have been in the works for awhile.”
Kiener declined to go into specifics of what those plans might be, but said the winery will be disseminating more information in the near future as to what the Blackburn’s plans and goals will be.
The San Benito County Wine Growers Association Project Manager Sue Marsh said the Gimelli’s made a respectable name for themselves in the wine business by producing a great product, and although she called it an “kind of sad because it’s the ending of an era, so it’s a little bittersweet,” she was very excited to have new owners take over.
“I think it’s great when you have new, enthusiastic people come on board and the positive energy affects everyone in a great way,” Marsh said. “Overall, I think everyone’s really excited about it.”
Kathleen Smith, president of the San Benito County Wine Growers Association, said although she heard scuttlebutt within the wine community of the pending sale, she wasn’t notified that it was official until Deanna Gimelli handed in her resignation from the association last week.
“They (the Gimelli’s) did a lot for the for the wine community in San Benito County. They brought attention to the wine region and they were very influential and did wonders with the property,” Smith said. “I wish them the best and we’re very enthusiastic about the new owners.”
Joe Gimelli bought the 455-acre property in 1989, hired wine maker and olive oil producer Carli two years later and produced the first bottle of wine off-site in 1992, according to their Web site. But it wasn’t until 1998 that he broke ground on the 12,000 square-foot winery that now graces the property, and was able to crush his first vintage at Pietra Santa the next year, according to the site.
The first Pietra Santa wines were released in 1994 from the 150 acres of vineyard. The winery now ships an average of 50,000 cases of wine around the country and throughout the world.
The Gimelli family also built a home on the property, and Kiener said they’re still there but plan on leaving. She did not know what the family’s plans are.
While the sale came as a surprise to the Gimelli’s employees, Kiener said the sale was a business decision – something that happens every day for a multitude of reasons.
“I don’t expect to lose touch with them,” she said. “I’m not too concerned about that aspect of it.”
Erin Musgrave covers public safety for the Free Lance. Reach her at 637-5566, ext. 336 or [email protected]
