Pillsbury Advises Brown-Forman in $238 Million Sale of Fetzer Vineyards

"As one of the oldest law firms in California, Pillsbury has grown and evolved alongside the California wine industry, establishing one of the foremost Wine, Beer & Spirits practices in the country," said Devine. "Those capabilities combined with Pillsbury’s tremendous U.S. and cross-border corporate and M&A experience have enabled us to represent top brands and wine and spirits companies, such as Allied Domecq, Anheuser-Busch, Fortune Brands, Hangar One Vodka, Penfolds, Rosemount and Southcorp, in a large range of matters."

Devine has significant experience in mergers and acquisitions, private equity and venture capital transactions, and securities offerings. He has represented a wide variety of companies ranging from start-ups to Fortune 100, private-equity firms, venture capital firms and financial advisors. In addition to his representation of spirits and wine companies, Devine's corporate and finance practice includes representation of healthcare, technology, energy and communications companies. He also regularly advises public companies on corporate governance, disclosure and securities matters.

Bornstein has represented a diverse group of clients in the wine business, both U.S. and foreign, including winery and vineyard owners, marketing companies, importers and a leading bottle designer and manufacturer. In wine circles he is often associated with the great Burgundy producer, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, which he has had the privilege to represent for decades. In addition to his wine related practice, Bornstein has worked on a vast number of corporate and financial matters for major financial institutions, industrial companies, investors and other clients.

Devine and Bornstein also represented Fortune Brands, Inc., in its $885 million sale of its entire wine business to Constellation Brands, Inc. That transaction, which included the well-known California brands of Clos du Bois, Buena Vista Carneros, Gary Farrell, Geyser Peak and Wild Horse, was a finalist for M&A Advisor's 2008 Middle-Market M&A Deal of the Year.

Pillsbury worked directly with Brown-Forman in-house counsel Nelea Absher and Holli Lewis. Ernest W. Williams at Stoll Keenon Ogden PLLC also served as legal advisor to Brown-Forman. Other Pillsbury attorneys advising on the Fetzer Vineyards sale include Eric Save and Alison Kadzik (corporate), Glenn Snyder and Michael Peers (real estate), Chuca Meyer and Bruce McDiarmid (antitrust), James T. Chudy, Craig A. Becker and Nora Burke (tax), Mats Carlston (finance), Lisa Earl and Robert Burlingame (IP), Christine L. Richardson and Peter Hunt (executive benefits), Meg Rosegay and Reza Zarghamee (environmental), Marcia Pope (labor) and James M. Seff (regulatory).

Pillsbury has represented beverage clients for more than 100 years, and has a team of lawyers with vast experience in the Restaurant, Food & Beverage industry. Our attorneys provide legal services to a wide range of national and regional restaurant chains, early-stage restaurant companies, wineries, distilleries, packaged food companies, licensors, manufacturing companies, individual restaurateurs, franchisors, importers and wholesalers.

About Pillsbury
Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP is a full-service law firm with market-leading strengths serving the energy, financial services, real estate and technology sectors, as well as health care. Based in the world’s major financial and technology centers, Pillsbury counsels clients on global corporate, regulatory and litigation matters. We work in multidisciplinary teams that allow us to anticipate trends and bring a 360-degree perspective to complex business and legal issues—helping clients to take greater advantage of new opportunities and better mitigate risk. This collaborative work style helps produce the results our clients seek.