Monterey County vineyards are going on the market, but experts say that’s normal.

Brows might be furrowed throughout the wine industry – and not just in California.

“The general market for wine has had trouble for the past few years,” observes Matt Shea, vineyard manager for Bernardus. “It’s a global issue.”

Consumption of wine has fallen off, dropping over four consecutive years. Meanwhile production is outrunning demand to the extent that winemakers across the state have cut the acreage devoted to vineyards.

In this milieu, Bernardus’ Marinus Vineyard went on the market at the end of 2024. In February, the seminal land making up Massa Estate went into escrow – at least the seventh notable vineyard in Monterey County sold or listed in the past three years.

Yet Salvatore Rombi, winemaker at Rombi Cellars and owner of Carmel Valley Realty Company, remains calm.

For Rombi, the recent listing of significant vineyards is unrelated to the downturn in consumption. The age or health of winery owners is more directly responsible. “Bill Massa, he is ill,” Rombi says. “It’s a real shame.”

Massa Estate is yet to close; the asking price was $4.5 million. Pierce Ranch Vineyards shuttered its tasting room in 2023 to focus on selling fruit. A year ago, Manzoni sold outright. McIntyre Vineyards took over Boekenoogen’s tasting room and stock.

“The market for wine has had trouble for the past few years.”

Boekenoogen’s Santa Lucia Highlands property is currently listed at $9 million. Rombi’s agency represents Jouillian’s Carmel Valley acreage – 30 of it planted in vineyards, 655 acres in all, with an $11.7 million asking price. Bernardus is selling a 147-acre Carmel Valley plot, 32 acres of it planted. Shea calls it a strategic decision.

“[The owners] want to renew our focus on Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc,” he says. “Those are our core wines.”

The vineyard in question – Marinus – produces grape varieties such as Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, accounting for only 2 percent of Bernardus’ production. Shea adds that the Marinus label will continue, and that there is the potential to purchase grapes from the new owner.

When vineyards sell, it does not always indicate that people are backing out of the industry. Greg and Sydney Hill purchased Galante Vineyards in 2020. Hill’s Tira Nanza winery sells fruit to the Galante and Dawn’s Dream labels, allowing both to keep producing.

Rombi describes an “ebb and flow” both in wine and real estate. The Bernardus property has been posted since December 2024. Jouillian’s acreage has been sitting awhile, too.

He believes current uncertainties – in the wine market, the stock market and politics – have made buyers cautious. There are also the wineries themselves. “Galante took a long time to sell, because a lot of people don’t understand the Carmel Valley AVA,” Rombi says.

The micro-climates are suited to more obscure varieties, such as Alicante Bouschet and Carignan. But he highlights the existing infrastructure and room to expand.

“It’s pretty much turnkey,” Rombi says. “The right person hasn’t seen it. It will happen. It will sell.”