|
"I hate the computer, actually," confessed Josh Chandler, who listed the rustic Mendocino County winery on eBay.
Nonetheless, Chandler is auctioning off 35 percent of his winery over the Internet. The minimum bid he's seeking: A cool
$600,000.
Chandler and his wife, Mary Beth, ventured into cyberspace to look for a
silent partner willing to put some money and a small amount of sweat into the tiny winery.
"I can do a lot of things, but I just don't have the experience finding someone with money who loves doing this kind of
thing," Chandler said Thursday. "I know they are out there. But how do you find them?"
The Chandlers have met with real estate brokers and wine industry insiders to search for a partner. But the Internet provided an
opportunity to meet potential
investors who might otherwise never visit Lazy Creek, located four miles west of Philo at the end of a winding, dirt road."It is a way to get the word out and start discussions," Mary Beth Chandler explained.
The 10-day auction ended Saturday. Several investors sent e-mail offers to
buy the whole winery outright, Chandler said. All were rejected.
The Chandlers, who bought Lazy Creek last August for $2 million, are looking
for a minority investor to help them expand and pay off short-term debt.
The winery is one of the larger items up for auction on eBay. The Internet
site offers 4.4 million items for sale in more than 4,300 categories, featuring everything from coins to computers to cars.
Previously, eBay has offered such big-ticket items as a $500,000 ranch in Montana and a posh bed-and-breakfast in New England,
spokeswoman Kristin Seuell said.
"We have definitely seen listings in that price range," Seuell said. "The vast majority of our auctions go for
less than that, but it is not completely unusual to see an item going for that amount of money."
As far as investments go, this one comes with some unique perks. Chandler is
offering investors use of a guest bungalow on the ranch and an annual cache of wine.
"But they have to work. They can't just sit back and watch everyone. When crush comes up, they have to lend a hand,"
Chandler said.
The 90-acre ranch contains 20 acres of vineyards planted in Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Gewurztraminer. Chandler intends to plant
another 17 acres of Pinot Noir and Gewurztraminer over the next four years, doubling production.
"We'll do it slowly so we don't saturate our market," Chandler said.
The 4,000-case winery was formed in 1973 by Hans and Theresia Kobler, a pair
of Swiss immigrants who saved up money to buy the ranch while working in San Francisco. Lazy Creek claims to be the second oldest winery in the Anderson Valley, which is rapidly winning acclaim in wine circles as a prime region for pinot noir.
Lazy Creek's wines retail for $12 to $19 a bottle. The winery sells out every year, with most sales directly to customers who
visit the winery or subscribe to its mailing list.
The Koblers continue to live next door to the winery and are helping the Chandlers learn the ropes.
The new owners view the winery as a place that would allow them to work together while raising their young family. Their busy
careers in the Napa Valley offered little time together: Josh, a former chef at Auberge du Soleil in
Rutherford, was working as a landscape architect and builder, while Mary Beth worked in the marketing department at Chalone Wine Group.
"The problem was, we never saw each other. I was going my way, and she was going her way," Chandler said.
The first day of harvest at Lazy Creek yielded a precious bounty: A son, Grey, born as the first grapes came off the vine.
Although he is selling part of the winery on the Internet, Chandler said he is too busy from dawn to dusk to spend much time
surfing the Web.
"I know people are using it. I just haven't gotten into it.
|
