In a move showing the value placed on prestigious, artisanal brands in the wine market, Jackson Family Wines is buying Copain Wines, a small and well-regarded winery in Healdsburg. With the Copain buy, Jackson Family continues to stake a major claim in high-end Pinot Noir, barely a month after acquiring Oregon winery Penner-Ash. Copain winemaker Wells Guthrie, who co-founded the business in 1999 with San Francisco holding company Murano Group, will become a Jackson Family employee and continue to make wine under the Copain name. Last month, Constellation Brands paid $285 million for Prisoner Wine Co. in a brand-only deal; Prisoner produces 170,000 cases a year. In January, Crimson Wine Group paid $5.75 million for Washington’s Seven Hills Winery, which produces 25,000 cases a year. Prices vary widely in the wine business based on location, product type and whether the deal includes assets like wineries and vineyards. In Pursuit of Balance is a nonprofit association of wineries, of which Copain is a member. If its recent buying spree is any indication, Jackson Family, which built its reputation on brands like Kendall-Jackson and La Crema, appears to be betting big on boutique Pinot Noir brands heavy in single-vineyard bottlings. Copain, Penner-Ash and Siduri, which joined the Jackson Family portfolio last year, all fall into this category — and represent a significant departure from the La Crema set in price, style and target audience. “We certainly have been focused on acquisitions of strong luxury Pinot Noir as a business,” Reimers says.