May 7, 2024 – There’s a family thing going on in the Santa Lucia Highlands involving the Boekenoogen’s and the McIntyre’s. It’s all good.
McIntyre has purchased the Carmel Valley tasting room, owned and operated by the Boekenoogen family for nearly 20 years, along with the wine inventory.
The present Crossroads location of McIntyre Tasting Studio will eventually close, and both brands will be sold out of the Carmel Valley tasting room, which will continue to operate with existing personnel.
A Grand Opening of the combined tasting room will be held May 25 and 26, from 11am to 3 pm, at 24 W. Carmel Valley Rd. in Carmel Valley Village.
“It was such a fortuitous situation,” says Steve McIntyre. “We had been looking for a tasting room and this all fell into place.”
“The partnership between the two families is a natural one, we have the same values and the same farming interests, it was a case of being in the right place at the right time,” he adds.
His daughter Kristen, general manager of McIntyre Family Wines, says: “This opportunity to continue a family legacy has been written in the stars, we are so lucky!”
An email to McIntyre wine club members also included this statement from Garrett and Holly Boekenoogen:
“Our family is turning the page to begin a beautiful new chapter. As we have created a family legacy here in Monterey County, it was critical for us to identify someone who would honor and continue what we have accomplished. We were searching for the right fit for our family wine brand’s succession. Another multi-generational agricultural family who shared in our deep respect for family values, had expertise as a steward of the land and animal husbandry, dedicated to educating the next generation about regenerative, sustainable agriculture.
Boekenoogen Family Wines has chosen to sell our family brand and wine to a long standing and respected family, the McIntyre’s. Our wines will continue to be available in the Carmel Valley tasting room, along with the employees, and the legacy will continue with a Boekenoogen Vineyard designated wine made by the McIntyre’s. “We cannot think of a better fit and are honored to know our father John’s dream has guided us to this exciting decision.”
For long-time fans and members of Boekenogen wine club, the announcement regarding the future of the brand might not come as a surprise. Clearly, Boekenoogen Winery was the dream of the late John Boekenoogen, who envisioned it as a family legacy.
None of us who ever attended a club release at the home ranch off River Road will ever forget the feeling of pure excitement displayed by John when sharing the first Boekenoogen Chardonnay to win critical acclaim from the Wall Street Journal, or the first isolated clone of Pinot Noir made into a single bottling. Nor can we forget the club release party at Bell Ranch, where the first Viognier and Zinfandel under the Boekenoogen label were launched. The parties were epic, and the warm hospitality displayed by all the family spilled over into the tasting room in Carmel Valley, of which John was so very proud. It seemed like fairy tale.
John’s enthusiasm and love for the wine business was boundless: nobody made you feel as proud to stand in this place and witness the evolution from cattle, dairy and row crops, to grapes. In so many ways, this affable but shrewd man, helped establish and further the reputation of a fledgling wine region into the powerhouse region that the Santa Lucia Highlands AVA is today.
It is fitting that Steve McIntyre—the industry’s most articulate and ardent advocate for sustainability in farming—should be the chosen partner for the Boekenoogen’s to steward this storied brand.
Sales are pending on both the Boekenoogen Bell Ranch and Paloma Vineyard properties in Carmel Valley, which are being offered separately. The Bookenoogen Family will hold onto their vineyard in the Santa Lucia Highlands and continue to sell grapes.
Kirsten also told us, “As far as wine club members, we will continue to offer all delicious Boekenoogen wines bottled to date as well as make Pinot Noir from their estate vineyard. “All of our combined members will reap many benefits, curated experiences and more in the months to come.”
In the email to club members, she wrote, “Within a world where smaller businesses are fading, we are blessed to have cultivated a deep-rooted passion for life to share through our wine. We sincerely hope you will join us, the McIntyre family and the Boekenoogen family, in celebrating our shared passions and new beginnings.”
The Grand Opening of the combined Boekenoogen and McIntyre tasting room will take place May 25 and 26 from 11am to 3 pm, at 24 W. Carmel Valley Road in Carmel Valley Village.
Laura Ness is a longtime wine journalist, columnist and judge who regularly contributes to Edible Monterey Bay, Spirited, WineOh.Tv, Los Gatos Magazine and Wine Industry Network, and a variety of consumer publications. Her passion is telling stories about the intriguing characters who inhabit the fascinating world of wine and food.
