The Balletto family has farmed the Sebastopol Hills since 1977, growing vegetables before turning to grapes in the 1990s. Today they farm 650 acres of certified-sustainable vineyards across Russian River Valley and West Sonoma Coast. Winemaker Anthony Beckman's Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Pinot Grigio are known for over-delivering on value.
The Balletto family has been farming the Sebastopol Hills since 1977, growing vegetables before transitioning to wine grapes in the 1990s. Today the estate farms 650 acres of certified sustainable vineyards in Russian River Valley and West Sonoma Coast, supplying fruit to top producers while producing their own acclaimed lineup. The winery is known for exceptional value across a broad range of varietals — Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Pinot Grigio all over-deliver for the price. One of Sonoma's most family-driven estates.
Estate Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley — The core of the house: a cool-climate, fruit-driven Pinot with vibrant acidity, drawn from the family's Sebastopol-area estate vineyards.
BCD Vineyard Zinfandel, Russian River Valley — A single-vineyard estate Zin showing the brighter, spicier side of cool-climate Zinfandel.
Estate Chardonnay, Russian River Valley — Sourced across several estate sites for structure and grace.
Pinot Gris, Russian River Valley — Crisp and dry, from Pinot Noir's lighter cousin grown in the cool RRV.
Sauvignon Blanc, Russian River Valley — A bright, aromatic estate white.
John Balletto built the largest vegetable farm in Northern California before turning to grapes in 1995; the first Balletto-label wine followed in 2001. The family farms 650 sustainable acres in the Russian River Valley, with cool-climate Pinot Noir and Chardonnay at the center.
The tasting room on Occidental Road is one of the most welcoming in the valley — a spacious patio and olive terrace overlooking 250 acres of estate vines, a casual "Dream Field" baseball diamond tucked among the rows, and a hospitality culture that's more farmhouse than chateau. The Balletto family has farmed this land since 1977, starting as one of Northern California's largest vegetable growers (700 acres, 70 crops at their peak) before transitioning fully to wine grapes in the 1990s after repeated El Niño losses. Today winemaker Anthony Beckman oversees 100% estate-grown, estate-bottled production focused on single-vineyard Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from 16 vineyards across Santa Rosa Plains, Laguna Ridge, and the Sebastopol Hills. Tastings run from 30 minutes at the bar ($15, three estate wines) to 90-minute vineyard tours ($50). Walk-ins welcome, dog- and kid-friendly, with complimentary solar EV charging.
Vice President and winemaker at Balletto Vineyards since 2009, where he's now in his 20th year with the estate. A former newspaper journalist who left the trade for wine, Beckman earned his BS in viticulture and enology from UC Davis in 2006 and joined Balletto as enologist that January, working under John and Terri Balletto's expanding grape program. He was promoted to head winemaker two years later, in 2009. His approach is intentionally site-driven across 16 estate vineyards — Sebastopol Hills, Laguna Ridge, Santa Rosa Plains — with a focus on Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, supported by a broader portfolio that includes Pinot Gris, Sauvignon Blanc, Gewürztraminer, Zinfandel, Syrah, sparkling Brut Rosé, and a Vin de Paille from Pinot Gris. The winery is 100% estate-grown and estate-bottled, releasing about 35,000 cases a year — the top 10% of the family's 800-acre Sebastopol-area vineyard holdings, with the remainder sold to 30+ other producers. Beckman has championed cool-climate rosé from the beginning, calling himself a “rosé zealot.” Among the longest winemaker-winery pairings in the North Bay.
John Balletto is the farmer and founder behind these Russian River Valley estates. He took over his family’s vegetable business in 1977 at just seventeen, after his father’s death, and built it into the largest vegetable operation north of the Golden Gate Bridge. When El Niño storms and shifting economics made vegetables untenable in the late 1990s, neighbor Warren Dutton suggested grapes — and John and his wife Terri began converting their land to vineyards, producing the first Balletto Vineyards wines in 2001. Today the family farms hundreds of estate acres of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay across the Russian River Valley.
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Estate Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley — The core of the house: a cool-climate, fruit-driven Pinot with vibrant acidity, drawn from the family's Sebastopol-area estate vineyards.
BCD Vineyard Zinfandel, Russian River Valley — A single-vineyard estate Zin showing the brighter, spicier side of cool-climate Zinfandel.
Estate Chardonnay, Russian River Valley — Sourced across several estate sites for structure and grace.
Pinot Gris, Russian River Valley — Crisp and dry, from Pinot Noir's lighter cousin grown in the cool RRV.
Sauvignon Blanc, Russian River Valley — A bright, aromatic estate white.
John Balletto built the largest vegetable farm in Northern California before turning to grapes in 1995; the first Balletto-label wine followed in 2001. The family farms 650 sustainable acres in the Russian River Valley, with cool-climate Pinot Noir and Chardonnay at the center.
The Balletto family has been farming the Sebastopol Hills since 1977, growing vegetables before transitioning to wine grapes in the 1990s. Today the estate farms 650 acres of certified sustainable vineyards in Russian River Valley and West Sonoma Coast, supplying fruit to top producers while producing their own acclaimed lineup. The winery is known for exceptional value across a broad range of varietals — Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Pinot Grigio all over-deliver for the price. One of Sonoma's most family-driven estates.
The tasting room on Occidental Road is one of the most welcoming in the valley — a spacious patio and olive terrace overlooking 250 acres of estate vines, a casual "Dream Field" baseball diamond tucked among the rows, and a hospitality culture that's more farmhouse than chateau. The Balletto family has farmed this land since 1977, starting as one of Northern California's largest vegetable growers (700 acres, 70 crops at their peak) before transitioning fully to wine grapes in the 1990s after repeated El Niño losses. Today winemaker Anthony Beckman oversees 100% estate-grown, estate-bottled production focused on single-vineyard Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from 16 vineyards across Santa Rosa Plains, Laguna Ridge, and the Sebastopol Hills. Tastings run from 30 minutes at the bar ($15, three estate wines) to 90-minute vineyard tours ($50). Walk-ins welcome, dog- and kid-friendly, with complimentary solar EV charging.
Vice President and winemaker at Balletto Vineyards since 2009, where he's now in his 20th year with the estate. A former newspaper journalist who left the trade for wine, Beckman earned his BS in viticulture and enology from UC Davis in 2006 and joined Balletto as enologist that January, working under John and Terri Balletto's expanding grape program. He was promoted to head winemaker two years later, in 2009. His approach is intentionally site-driven across 16 estate vineyards — Sebastopol Hills, Laguna Ridge, Santa Rosa Plains — with a focus on Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, supported by a broader portfolio that includes Pinot Gris, Sauvignon Blanc, Gewürztraminer, Zinfandel, Syrah, sparkling Brut Rosé, and a Vin de Paille from Pinot Gris. The winery is 100% estate-grown and estate-bottled, releasing about 35,000 cases a year — the top 10% of the family's 800-acre Sebastopol-area vineyard holdings, with the remainder sold to 30+ other producers. Beckman has championed cool-climate rosé from the beginning, calling himself a “rosé zealot.” Among the longest winemaker-winery pairings in the North Bay.
John Balletto is the farmer and founder behind these Russian River Valley estates. He took over his family’s vegetable business in 1977 at just seventeen, after his father’s death, and built it into the largest vegetable operation north of the Golden Gate Bridge. When El Niño storms and shifting economics made vegetables untenable in the late 1990s, neighbor Warren Dutton suggested grapes — and John and his wife Terri began converting their land to vineyards, producing the first Balletto Vineyards wines in 2001. Today the family farms hundreds of estate acres of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay across the Russian River Valley.
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