Future of Napa's Monticello winery splits Corley siblings

Since its founder Jay Corley died in 2016, management of Monticello has been passed to his children; four of his sons are currently on the board of directors. In the years since his death, siblings have begun to splinter and disagree over whether or not the business should be sold.

The strongest voice against selling the winery belongs to Carolyn Corley, who is the youngest Corley sibling and only sister. She said that she believes talks about selling the business first began in 2021, when one of her brothers, Kevin Corley, then the company's president and an opponent of a sale, was forced to step down. 

Carolyn Corley said while she, Kevin and Chris, wish to keep the vineyard in the family, the other four brothers, Mark, Kent, Stephen and Michael, wish to sell.

The conflict came to a head May 14 when Monticello shareholders —which include both members of the Corley family and others — met for the first time in 20 months to discuss the future of the company.

According to Carolyn, who is a shareholder and attended last week's gathering, the meeting was animated, tense and confusing. She said some felt as though they were not given enough information on the winery's finances, and were even confused about what exactly they were voting on.

“A bunch of shareholders said, ‘Well, wait a minute, we’re not even sure what we just voted for,’" she said of the meeting. "And then someone said, ‘I thought I voted for this,’ and someone else said, ‘I thought a yes vote meant this.’”

Carolyn Corley said shareholders agreed to reconvene in about two months after they are given more information about the finances of the company. In addition, they also agreed to make Chris Corley a board member.

Amid the confusion of the meeting was a moment, according to Carolyn, when her brother Mark Corley was confronted by a shareholder on the legality of waiting 20 months to hold a shareholders' meeting.

“At one point Mark was questioned by a shareholder, who’s also an attorney and a CPA, about the legalities of not having a shareholder meeting,” Carolyn said. “He point-blank asked him, ‘Do you know you’re breaking the law by not having a shareholder meeting?’ And Mark said, ‘Yes.’ He said, ‘So you’re admitting that you knew you were breaking the law?’ And he said, ‘Yes.’”

Mark Corley did not respond to multiple requests for comment. 

Monticello Vineyards was founded by Jay Corley in 1970. To the former prune orchard property he purchased on Big Ranch Road in north Napa he gave the name Monticello, and the winery's estate house was built in the likeness of President Thomas Jefferson’s famous home in Virginia. Corley admired Jefferson’s passion for wine in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, during a time in a newly independent United States when ale and cider were the most popular alcoholic beverages.

In the 54 years since opening, Monticello Vineyards has expanded to have its own Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir and Merlot plantings. Monticello is one of Napa Valley's shrinking ranks of family-owned wineries, as many wine operations have been sold to conglomerates in recent years.

Dan Berger, who writes a regular column on wine for the Register, said he believes that as the value of Cabernet grapes in Napa significantly increased, corporations saw an opportunity.

“The end result was that these properties suddenly became worth huge amounts of money, he said. "And the only people who could afford something like that are corporations.”

Berger also noted it is much easier for large companies to purchase an existing vineyard rather than creating their own and seeking a county permit.

While discussions over the future of Monticello are set to continue into the summer, Carolyn Corley highlighted the disappointment she said she and many shareholders feel about how the situation has progressed since her father's death.

“A couple of people have actually said that it would break his heart if he were here to see what’s happening today,” she said.