Martha Clara Vineyards sale could close soon, as Mexican group gets state approval

A Mexican mining family’s purchase of Martha Clara Vineyards in Riverhead could be imminent, as the New York State Liquor Authority last week granted the group a conditional approval letter to operate a vineyard at the 200-acre Riverhead site.

Martha Clara, owned by the Entenmann family, has been on the selling block for at least four years. It’s currently listed as “in contract” for a sale by the Corcoran real estate firm. The sale includes the family’s Big E farm and an 8,000-square-foot home, listed for $17.5 million.

A woman who answered the phone at the vineyard and did not want her name used emphasized that “ink is not on the paper yet,” and added she didn’t have a final date for the sale. “It hasn’t happened yet,” she said. “We’re waiting.”

The State Liquor Authority on March 20 gave conditional approval of a liquor license to a group that includes Jose Antonio Rivero Larrea, who is chairman of Compania Minera Autlan SAB, a Mexican mining conglomerate, and five other family members, as well as a limited liability company, IBFNY, which was registered in the state in November. The family owns a vineyard in Mexico.

Attempts to reach Rivero Larrea at the Mexican company’s headquarters were unsuccessful.

Juan Micieli-Martinez, the winemaker for Martha Clara, wrote in an email that he welcomed outside investment in the Long Island region.

“I think any new interest in the region is a good thing,” he wrote, because it brings “new investment and new ideas.”

Micieli-Martinez, who has spent the past 10 days traveling to wine regions of France, said it’s “great to see a family that already owns a vineyard interested in the farm.”

He added, “I am hopeful that the Riveros will live up to the greatness of the legacy which the Entenmanns have created.”

The Corcoran listing for the farm describes the property as “incredibly diverse.” The property encompasses some 200 acres, with 113 planted for wine grapes.

In addition to the Big E horse farm, vineyard and winery, the property has 17 buildings, including nine barns, a wine-club gallery, event gallery, tasting room, culinary education center and three cottages.

The manor house on the property features “a professional chef’s kitchen, a commercial baking room, club room, five bedrooms, four fireplaces, a foyer/solarium, porte-cochere, elevator, full basement with a therapy/fitness pool, sauna, spa room, exercise room and wine cellar.”