From his law office in the Napa Valley, Matt advises regional, national and international clients (whether start-ups or established businesses) on wine industry and alcohol beverage law (including wine, spirits and beer issues with the ABC and TTB), real estate law, business/corporate transactions and land use entitlements and issues. For client recommendations, see Matt’s LinkedIn profile.
The following is a list of the industry sectors, businesses and individuals that Matt has worked with since 1996:
- Wineries
- Wine-related companies (cork, mobile services, packaging/storage, barrels, tanks)
- Winemakers, consultants and brokers
- Breweries and brewmasters
- Vineyard owners, vineyard funds, growers and negociants
- Restaurants and bars
- Resorts, spas and hotels
- Gourmet and natural food producers
- Public markets and food/wine and other retail stores
- Tasting Rooms
- Tourism and recreation
- Other agriculture (fruit, rice, olives, etc.)
- Financial institutions and investment advisors
- Real estate acquisition and development
- Recycling/waste management
- Construction
- AVAs (American Viticultural Areas)
- Health care
- Publishing (wine, food and fiction)
- Aviation
- Cellular sites
- Technology
- Nonprofits (arts, health, recreation, religious, social services, wine-related)
- Schools (public and private)
Representative Client Matters:
The following is a list of some of the more significant matters Matt has worked on over the last decade, in which he has represented the following clients on the following transactions:
- Publicly traded wine company in (i) a $1.2 billion assumption of debt and acquisition by overseas company and (ii) its $15 million purchase of a Napa winery from a Japanese beer company.
- Overseas investor in negotiation of $5 million partnership dispute dissolution in prominent Napa Valley winery.
- Florida developer in their real property acquisitions and associated business and real estate matters for the development of a luxury hotel in downtown Napa.
- Sonoma wine family on development of corporate, tax and real property structure and documentation to develop residential high-end subdivision on large parcels of vacant land in Sonoma County.
- Two of the largest growers and vineyard funds in California on numerous vineyard acquisitions and related real property, water access and grape purchase/leasing/enforcement issues.
- Napa-based bank on “debtor in possession” financing structure.
- Local foundation, public market and wineries on successful real property tax appeals.
- International film company in negotiation of grape purchase and trademark license agreements for the production and sale of wine at Napa Valley winery.
- Napa-based partners in forming and operating regional recycling and waste facility.
- Napa Valley family in sale of White Sulphur Springs resort in St. Helena to San Francisco-based nonprofit group.
- Canadian developer in acquisition and development of office condominiums in Napa airport area and in subsequent sale of a limited partnership interest in such project to a national developer.
- Prominent winemaker in acquisition and development of Geyserville winery site for use as family winery and brewery.
- High net worth individual lender under stock collar agreement on fractional, tenancy-in-common purchase and development of Russian River vineyard site.
- “Oak Knoll District of Napa Valley” appellation on formation.
- Downtown Napa and Sonoma Square tasting rooms on forming and utilizing “dup 02″ winery structure.
- Local and regional nonprofits on formation, general corporate, real estate and tax advice.
All content is © 2012 by