(Wine Spectator) - More than a decade after launching Wind Gap Wines in California's Sonoma Valley, Pax Mahle is walking away from the winery. Mahle sold his remaining 50 percent share in June to his partner Terroir, the wine company founded by one-time rising star Charles Banks. The deal includes the winery, its inventory, and a separate brand called Agharta. Mahle retains his winemaking facility in Sebastopol and the former Wind Gap tasting room, which is now home to his namesake brand, Pax.

Mahle and his wife, Pam, had been trying to strike a deal to take control of Wind Gap for more than a year. The couple felt their relationship with Terroir was no longer working, and decided to cut ties after Banks was sentenced to four years in prison for defrauding former NBA star Tim Duncan out of millions of dollars. "We certainly worked very hard coming up with a plan to keep the brand," Mahle told Wine Spectator. But Terroir's management wanted to keep Wind Gap. "We got a great deal and we are very happy," he said. The purchase price was not disclosed.

Established in 2006, Wind Gap makes Pinot Noir, Syrah and Chardonnay, among others, mostly from cool-climate vineyards influenced by wind gaps. Total annual production hit 12,000 cases a few years ago, but Mahle says that has dipped in recent vintages.