Wagner Family Of Wine Up Double-Digits Despite Tough Market

Known for its flagship Caymus label, California’s Wagner Family of Wine has expanded to field a portfolio of offerings also including Mer Soleil, Emmolo, Conundrum, Red Schooner, Sea Sun, and Bonanza, with total production of over 1 million cases annually. This year, owner Chuck Wagner tells SND, the company is posting double-digit growth despite the challenging wine market, with a number of different wines showing robust increases.

At the top of Wagner’s portfolio is Caymus Special Selection, which is the only wine to receive Wine Spectator Wine of the Year honors twice. The most recent vintage of Special Selection, 2019, received 94 points from Wine Spectator, retailing at $225, with about 23,000 cases produced.

“For the year-to-date we’re up about 16%,” says Wagner. “Four of our wines are growing at double-digits, and it’s not just Cabernet.” Sea Sun Pinot Noir, selling at around $20, is among the company’s fastest-growing offerings, amid a larger Pinot Noir segment that’s seen a slowdown. Between its Pinot and Chardonnay bottlings, more than 100,000 cases of Sea Sun were produced for the 2021 vintage. Caymus Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($72) and California Cabernet Sauvignon ($55) are also on a rapid growth track this year. For the 2021 vintage, production for those wines totaled 142,000 cases and 30,000 cases respectively.

But the biggest piece of Wagner Family’s recent growth story is Bonanza. Born out of Wagner’s memories of sharing a bottle of wine with his father over lunch during their years spent working together, Bonanza ($22) won an Impact “Hot Brand” award earlier this year after reaching 360,000 cases in 2023. Since 2021, the brand has been increasing at a rate of 60,000-80,000 cases annually, and Wagner says it’s poised to become the biggest-production wine in the portfolio this year.

“I think Bonanza was an example of what can be made inexpensively in the state of California and puts a good bottle of wine on the table,” says Wagner. “Probably the association with Caymus helped get the wine on shelves, but it’s safe to say that’s not the reason that customers bought it again and again. I think people liked the wine and liked the price and it was a lot of bang for the buck. It continues to grow.”

Among other wines in the range, Wagner says Emmolo Sauvignon Blanc ($22) is a highlight, as is Mer Soleil Chardonnay ($24). Emmolo’s 2022 Sauvignon Blanc totaled 48,000 cases, while Mer Soleil’s 2021 Chardonnay from the Santa Lucia Highlands was at 62,000 cases.

“Pricing has definitely played a role in our success,” Wagner notes. “The 2022 Caymus Napa Cabernet as an example is selling at about $12 less per bottle price to the consumer. And we’ve taken a little price reduction on all of the brands with the exception of Bonanza. We’ve tried to be forward thinking, taking into account market inflation, and people not having enough money to spend on a special bottle of wine.”

Wagner sees the company’s winemaking style as another advantage. “We’re trying to produce wine that is directed towards all wine consumers,” he explains. “It’s a friendly character. We go out of our way to pick ripe, make sure the tannins are not going to be abrupt and hard, and make sure the acidity is there but not bright. For red wines, I see tannins, bitterness, and acidity as hurdles for a lot of consumers. We try to lessen those to make the wine more approachable.”

GET YOUR FIRST LOOK AT 2025 ESTIMATES AND 2030 PROJECTIONS FOR THE WINE AND SPIRITS INDUSTRIES. ORDER YOUR 2025 IMPACT DATABANK REPORTS. CLICK HERE.