Katherine Philippakis

Philippakis' clients are some of California's most exclusive wineries, and she is a specialist in the acquisition and disposition of luxury winery and vineyard properties.

With co-counsel Daniel E. Cohn, Philippakis represented Treasury Wine Estates in acquiring substantially all of the winery assets of Diageo Chateau & Estate for approximately $600 million ? the largest U.S. wine deal of 2015. The transaction included the acquisition of such highly regarded brands as Sterling Vineyards, Beaulieu Vineyards, Provenance Vineyards, and Acacia Vineyard.

The deal will double Treasury's sales of wine in the United States and add significantly to its existing portfolio of brands such as Beringer, Etude, and Stag's Leap Winery. Philippakis also was lead counsel on Treasury Wine Estate's sale of the Asti Winery to Ernest & Julio Gallo in July. The Asti facility, formerly known as the Italian Swiss Colony, is one of the largest production facilities in Sonoma County. The transaction also included the sale of the well-known Souverain wine brand.

Lately, Phillippakis has been representing Caymus Wineries, the top Napa County Cabernet Sauvignon producer, which was told by the county it could only produce 110,000 gallons of wine when it had been making 2.2 million gallons a year. While the county agreed to allow the winery to produce 660,000 gallons, the winery announced in response it would build a facility capable of producing several million gallons of wine in Solano County.

"They decided they would build in a county more amenable to wineries. Several supervisors were dismayed about the events," Philippakis said.

A more positive development, Philippakis said, was the recent $18.1 million sale of the late Robin Williams' former Napa estate that includes a small vineyard to a family from Bordeaux. "[It] is an indication of the quality we have here," she said.

? Thor Biberman