About Lasseter Family Winery
John and Nancy Lasseter met at a computer graphics conference in San Francisco in 1985, honeymooned in Sonoma County, and moved to the Sonoma Valley in 1993 to raise their five children. By 1997 the couple, John being the animation pioneer behind Pixar's founding films, were bottling their own Bordeaux blend as Christmas gifts. In 2000 they bought 50 bare acres in Glen Ellen and planted Syrah, Grenache and Mourvedre; in 2002 they acquired the adjoining historic property, a site founded by a French winemaker in 1894, when Glen Ellen was an enclave of French-speaking settlers growing grapes. Travels through the Rhone and Bordeaux shaped the house template: small-lot, French-inspired blends, with each label carrying a commissioned painting by Glen Ellen artist Dennis Ziemienski that tells the wine's story.
The estate is farmed organically under famed vineyard manager Phil Coturri, with beehives, owl boxes and insectaries nurturing the ecosystem, and an environmentally sensitive winery, unveiled in 2011, built within the footprint of the original historic facility. Vineyards range from century-old Zinfandel field-blend Heritage Blocks to the rugged volcanic Trinity Ridge site high in the Moon Mountain District. The property also hides one of wine country's most charming secrets: the Justi Creek Railway, a private narrow-gauge railroad running through the Syrah vineyard behind a 1901 steam locomotive once owned by Disney animator Ollie Johnston, with a depot built as a set piece for the 1949 film So Dear to My Heart. Tastings are by appointment seven days a week from 10am on a shaded patio overlooking the estate vines.
The Pixar founder's organically farmed Glen Ellen estate, where French-inspired blends, commissioned label art, and a hidden steam railroad share an 1894 winemaking site.
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Christmas gifts turned winery,by 1997 the Lasseters were bottling their own Bordeaux blend as holiday gifts, and Lasseter Family Winery grew from there.
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An 1894 French legacy,the historic estate was founded by a French winemaker when Glen Ellen was an enclave of French-speaking settlers.
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Coturri-farmed organics,famed vineyard manager Phil Coturri oversees organic farming with beehives, owl boxes and insectaries across the estate.
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A hidden steam railroad,the private Justi Creek Railway runs a 1901 locomotive once owned by Disney animator Ollie Johnston through the Syrah vines.
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Labels as storybook art,every wine carries a commissioned painting by Glen Ellen artist Dennis Ziemienski telling that blend's story.
"The Pixar founder's organically farmed Glen Ellen estate, where French-inspired blends, commissioned label art, and a hidden steam railroad share an 1894 winemaking site."
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Wines change with each vintage
For an accurate list of current-release wines and library bottlings from Lasseter Family Winery, please check the winery's official website or contact the tasting room directly. Sonoma Valley producers typically rotate vintages and offerings seasonally.
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Pixar Creative Genius Biodynamic Appointment
Taste the wines at Lasseter Family Winery in the Sonoma Valley. By appointment only, reservations required.
From $55
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