Recent news headlines out of France regarding wine barrel management and leasing mainstay H&A Group have sparked concerns within the global wine industry, with potential significant impacts to the domestic and local wine industry’s barrel financing programs. H&A, a Bordeaux‑based barrel leasing company with a substantial international footprint, has reportedly been placed into judicial liquidation by the Bordeaux Commercial Court in early April, after unsuccessful restructuring efforts.[1] With thousands of clients worldwide—including wineries in California—the liquidation of H&A may have significant legal, financial, and operational implications for wine producers that relied on its barrel leasing and financing structures. For approximately two decades, H&A operated as a specialized financer of wine maturation, allowing wineries to access barrels without the need for substantial upfront capital expenditures. Through barrel lease and resale agreements, H&A worked

Napa, CA (December 2, 2025) – Dickenson Peatman & Fogarty (DP&F) is pleased to announce the election of Melissa Granillo, a member of DP&F’s Litigation group, to the firm’s partnership. Melissa is an experienced litigator who has represented businesses and individuals in a wide variety of general litigation matters such as contract disputes, trust and estates litigation, and real property law. She has also handled a broad array of matters for DP&F’s wine industry clients, including matters pertaining to grape purchase, alternating proprietorship, production, custom crush and distributorships, as well as smoke taint claims and collections. Partner David Balter, who leads the firm’s Litigation Group, shared, “Melissa is an accomplished litigator who has had enormous success obtaining favorable results on behalf of clients over the last fifteen-plus years of her practice. Guided by her character and integrity, Melissa approaches every ma