Chateau LaFayette Reneau Sold in New York

(Wines&Vines) - Dick and Betty Reno started Chateau LaFayette Reneau in 1985 on 140 acres of land with a spectacular view of Seneca Lake. Over the years, they added an inn and grew the winery to 10,000 cases.

In anticipation of their retirement, the Renos recently sold the winery and inn to Gene Pierce and Scott Welliver, owners of Glenora Wine Cellars on the west side of Seneca Lake and Knapp Winery & Vineyard Restaurant on Cayuga Lake.

The combined total production by Glenora Wine Cellars, Knapp Winery and Chateau LaFayette Reneau of approximately 74,000 cases will make the Glenora group one of the larger wine companies in the Finger Lakes region.

According to Pierce, their purchase of Chateau LaFayette Reneau was agreed to months ago, but it took six months to get the official licenses in place for Pierce and Welliver to take over production and the management of the winery. They plan to keep the winery independent from their other two properties from the customers’ perspective, but integrate the business management and supply chain for all three wineries.

The new owners also intend to keep the staff at both the winery and the inn in place. Tim Miller, winemaker at Chateau LaFayette Reneau for 10 years, started his winemaking career at Glenora, and his brother Tracey Miller is currently the production manager at Glenora.