The Stewart family, owners of Sonoma, Calif.-based Lake Sonoma Winery, has negotiated the purchase of Envolve Winery from sibling proprietors Mike, Kate and Chris Benziger and Ben Flajnik.
“While this means Envolve will change hands, we are confident the Stewart family will continue the brand mission of bringing high quality varietals into the marketplace and encourage enthusiasts to ‘get envolved’ by helping support local charities,” said Kate Benziger in a statement.
The Stewart family will establish the new home for Envolve inside of its new Lake Sonoma Winery tasting room, which opened Jan. 4.
Mike Benziger and Ben Flajnik established Envolve and its Sonoma County appellated wines in 2008 and have operated a tasting room since 2012. In anticipation of the sale and move to the new location, the current Envolve tasting room closed at the end of the year.
“Our families have a long history in quality viticulture and winemaking and we’re proud to work with the Benziger family on the next chapter of Envolve wines,” said Tony Stewart, proprietor of the Stewart Family’s wineries, in a statement.
The two veteran multi-generation wine growing families became acquainted when the Stewart Family joined the Sonoma community in 2012 with the acquisition of Glen Ellen’s Madrone Estate Winery, Valley of the Moon wines and Lake Sonoma Winery. Focusing on local tasting experiences and appellation driven wines, Envolve perfectly aligns with the Stewart family’s focus on Lake Sonoma Winery’s portfolio and purpose, the company says.
“We will be taking Envolve fans to the next evolution with Lake Sonoma Winery. We are very happy to be working with the guidance of the Benziger family to serve their customers and offer additional luxury wines,” said Tyler Galts, president Lake Sonoma Winery, in a statement.
Lake Sonoma Winery Winemaker Kat Adams will assume all future wine-making responsibilities for Envolve.