San Francisco, Calif.—The pursuit will come to an end this year. In Pursuit of Balance co-founders Jasmine Hirsch and Rajat Parr announced their group will cease operations by the end of 2016. “We created IPOB to change the dialogue around the meaning and importance of balance in California wine,” Hirsch said in a statement. “As we look back on what we have achieved, we’re gratified by the response of wine producers, the wine trade, and wine lovers who have accompanied us on our endeavor to affect the dialogue surrounding California wine.”

The group, launched in 2011, sought to showcase Pinot Noir and Chardonnay wines made in a more restrained style with higher acidity and lower alcohol. “There was an information gap between the full-throttle, high-alcohol wines, and the more subtle, nuanced wines our member wineries were producing,” Hirsch said. “We felt that we could best put our message out as a group, which is why we created IPOB.”

Each year, producers of California Pinot Noir and Chardonnay were accepted for membership in IPOB after submitting their wines to a blind tasting panel. IPOB then organized a series of annual tastings and educational seminars around the country and world. These events drew media and consumer attention to a more moderate winemaking style, resulting in some confrontational conversations within the wine community. Articles on the group and its mission, both pro and con, appeared in a broad range of print and digital media, including the New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Wine Spectator magazine, and the Wine Advocate newsletter.

The wineries involved with IPOB include some of the state’s most respected Pinot Noir and Chardonnay producers, such as Mount Eden Vineyards, Littorai Wines, Calera Wine Co, Hanzell Vineyards, and Au Bon Climat, alongside new generation producers including Ceritas Groundswell Wines, Kutch Wines, Cobb Wines, Matthiasson Family Vineyards, Tyler Winery and Chanin Wine Co. Beginning with one San Francisco tasting in 2011, the organization’s scope grew to include an international itinerary of tastings in Los Angeles, New York, London, Tokyo, Houston, Dusseldorf, and other cities. Membership in 2016 stands at 36 wineries.

The founders report they believe they’ve established an ongoing conversation on California wine style and now want to end on a “high note” with a final tasting in San Francisco in early November. “We achieved what we intended — to bring the debate around balance and winemaking styles to the forefront of the wine community,” Hirsch said. “This debate will continue in California and around the world, and it is by no means finished.”