Far Niente Building Portfolio Ladder Around Post & Beam

Napa Valley-based Far Niente Wine Estates is among the leading landholders in California’s most prestigious wine region with approximately 500 acres of vineyards, producing about 155,000 cases annually across a luxury portfolio including the Far Niente, Nickel & Nickel, Dolce, Bella Union, EnRoute, and Post & Beam brands.

Backed by investment groups GI Partners and Apax, Far Niente’s main distributors are Southern Glazer’s with about 40% of volume and Breakthru with approximately 30%. Most recently, the company has seen a strong response to its Post & Beam label, which debuted during the pandemic and is projected to finish 2024 at around 50,000 cases. The growth of newer brands like Post & Beam and Bella Union is expected to propel the overall portfolio toward the 200,000-case mark in the next few years.

Post & Beam has seen depletions climb at about 18% year-on-year, with its portfolio led by Cabernet and Chardonnay priced in the $40-$60 band, offering an entry point to the larger Far Niente stable, in which prices generally range from $80-$120. “Younger consumers are not drinking as much, but they are drinking better,” Kate McManus, Far Niente’s vice president of marketing, tells SND. “They’re spending more per bottle, and Post & Beam is one we can use to target this next generation of wine consumers to introduce them to the whole Far Niente portfolio.”

Far Niente veteran Bruce Mooers, who serves as president of sales, spearheaded the launch of Post & Beam during the pandemic. “We wanted to have more frequent engagement with the consumer in a meaningful way,” he tells SND, noting that Post & Beam is often a weeknight wine for drinkers who trade up to brands like Far Niente and Nickel & Nickel on the weekends.

The company believes there’s significant growth opportunity in the $40-$60 Cabernet segment in particular, which accounts for one-third of dollar share across all plus-$30 Cab in Nielsen channels. The segment remains dynamic, without a clear leader, Far Niente says, offering an opening to rising labels like Post & Beam, as it competes with other prominent category brands like Austin Hope, Quilt, and Frank Family Vineyards.

“I think Post & Beam will be our next 100,000-case brand, and that’s a minimum,” says Mooers, adding that volume is about 60% on-premise to 40% off-premise. “We believe it has significant scalability. Our ambition revolves around maintaining the quality, positioning the image, and growing the business to a higher level of visibility with the consumer. That’s accretive to what we’re doing at the other estates.”

McManus adds that the trajectory of Post & Beam is “part of our bigger growth story, with the investments we have in the vineyards and against our infrastructure.” On that front, the company recently opened its new Bella Union winery, marking its third winery on Highway 29. “At Bella Union there’s a range of different Cabernets, and it offers more of an incubation space for our winemakers,” McManus notes. New from Bella Union are estate blends La Gemma ($155), Cultivist ($130), and Liaison ($110).

Also, this summer, Far Niente announced a partnership with consulting winemaker Thomas Rivers Brown, who contributed to new high-end releases in the range including Far Niente Benson Vale Cabernet Sauvignon, a prestige wine from the Stelling Vineyard selling at $500 a bottle, and Bella Union Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon, selling at $220.–Daniel Marsteller

Tagged : Bella Union, Far Niente, Post & Beam

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