John Lasseter, longtime creative director of Pixar and Disney Animation, and his wife Nancy founded Lasseter Family Winery in Glen Ellen with a vision rooted in organic farming and the Rhône varieties of southern France. Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre, and Counoise are farmed organically on volcanic Moon Mountain soils and crafted into wines of aromatic precision and Provençal elegance. The winery also produces one of Sonoma's finest Rosés. A rare estate where creative ambition and agricultural seriousness are genuinely in balance.
Chemin de Fer, Sonoma Valley: a juicy southern-Rhône-style red blend (Syrah, Grenache, Mourvèdre) with a spice-box character; the estate's flagship red.
Enjoué Rosé, Sonoma Valley: a dry, salmon-pink Provençal-style rosé of Syrah, Grenache and Mourvèdre; crisp, mouth-filling, with orange-zest brightness.
Paysage, Sonoma Valley: a Merlot-based Bordeaux blend (with Cabernet, Malbec and Cabernet Franc); supple and savory with ripe plum and pure berry fruit.
Amoureux, Sonoma Valley: a Malbec-based blend with graphite and wild-raspberry aromatics; one of the estate's most distinctive bottlings.
Zut Alors, Sonoma Valley: a bright, crisp estate Sauvignon Blanc with Sémillon, in a fresh Bordeaux-white style.
Founded in 2000 by John Lasseter (the Pixar and Disney animation director) and his wife Nancy, Lasseter Family Winery farms organically in Glen Ellen, drawing on a home vineyard and the high-elevation Trinity Ridge site on Moon Mountain. The wines are Bordeaux- and Rhône-inspired, with proprietary names and commissioned-art labels, alongside a century-old Zinfandel field blend.
The Lasseter property sits just outside Glen Ellen, a tucked-away estate with a shaded, open-air patio overlooking the home vineyards, Sonoma Valley stretching below. John and Nancy Lasseter (yes, the Pixar animator) moved to Sonoma in 1993 and began producing wines in 2002 under the guidance of winemaker Julia Iantosca. The program draws from two estate sites: the 35-acre home vineyard in Sonoma Valley and the rugged, rocky, high-elevation Trinity Ridge vineyard atop Moon Mountain, where single-varietal wines of real structure are produced. Rhône and Bordeaux varietals lead the lineup, plus an old-vine Zinfandel field blend with rare supporting varieties. All farming is organic. Tastings are by reservation: the Patio Tasting pours five estate wines on the shaded patio, while the Cellar Tour & Salon Tasting and the Estate Vineyard Tour & Tasting add a cellar visit or a cart ride through the century-old Heritage Blocks, with small bites from Chef Clinton Huntsman or local cheese and charcuterie.
