John and Nancy Lasseter first met at a computer graphics conference in San Francisco in 1985. They shared a love of storytelling, and soon discovered they both loved wine as well. In pursuit of this mutual passion, they would escape to Wine Country for romantic getaways, and they chose Sonoma County for their honeymoon. In the early ‘90’s they moved to Sonoma Valley, where they felt they could put down roots in a small town and raise their five children. Once established in the community, they quickly caught the wine bug; and by 1997 they were bottling up their own Bordeaux blend to give out as Christmas gifts. Soon after, Lasseter Family Winery was born. As passionate about conservation as they are about wine quality, their historic estate vineyard is farmed organically, accompanied by a state-of-the-art, eco-friendly winery.

Throughout her young adult life, Danielle’s father, Jack Langlois, shared his love of wine with her and encouraged her to consider a career in wine. While studying Chemistry at the University of Colorado she felt the inspiration to take that path and in 2013 she moved to Sonoma, where Robert Kamen gave her her first opportunity, as a harvest cellar intern. There she met Viticulturist Phil Coturri, and after working for Phil and then for Mark Herold Wines, Phil recommended her to Lasseter. Danielle considers Lasseter her “dream job,” with the focus on organic farming, experimentation, and working collaboratively to make beautiful estate grown wines.

A powerful force in the wine world, Tony is a sixth generation Californian with a long career beginning in the mid-1990’s, as winemaker and consultant for some of the most esteemed wineries in Napa Valley, Sonoma County and beyond. On board at Lasseter since 2017, Tony was named 2021 Winemaker of the Year by Antonio Galloni. His Rhône and Bordeaux expertise, along with his commitment to mentoring the next generation, makes him an invaluable support and sounding board for Danielle in her quest to produce the most vibrant expressions from our unique estates.

Jenifer’s love of wine was sparked and nurtured in her hometown of Los Angeles where she spent her post-university years composing, recording and performing music, while being mentored by top sommeliers over the course of many years in restaurant service and management. Her move to Sebastopol in 2002 made for an auspicious first harvest and full immersion into global marketing, sales, operations, and production at Paul Hobbs Wines where she spent the next twelve years.

Her additional leadership roles include Kosta Browne Wine, Grgich Hills Cellars, and others as a consultant. She continues to compose and perform, and serves on the Sonoma County Parks Foundation Board of Directors. She is a passionate advocate of the parks, their life-changing youth programs, and commitment to accessibility for all.

Becky has spent her career in finance working with premier wineries in California, including Buena Vista Winery, Chalk Hill Estate Winery, Araujo Estate Wines, and BR Cohn Winery.

She has been working with the Lasseters since 2007. When not at the winery, she enjoys the outdoors, whether traveling abroad or just spending time at the coast with her family.

Mike Schiller: Wine Specialist

Alex Solen: Wine Specialist

Audrey Green: Wine Specialist

Kimberley Ponce: Bar Back

Dan Leuck: Wine Specialist

Left to right:

Melina DiFonzo: Controller

Kim Woods: Inventory Manager/Accountant

Glynn Burchette: Estate Manager

Bernadette DeVenuto: Human Resources 

Becky Ross: General Manager and Chief Financial Officer

Left to right:

Stephanie Reynolds: Wine Club and Facitlities Coordinator

Jenifer Freebairn: Vice President of Marketing and Sales

Jennifer Schiff: Hospitality and DTC Manager

Danielle Langlois: Winemaker (center)

Cosme Arellanes: Cellar Master (far right)

Cellar Staff (back row, left to right): Brian Neirode, Aron Márquez, Brandon Arellanes, Jhony Arellanes

Our estate was an enclave for the earliest French winemakers in California in the 1890s. Under the care of the Lasseters, it has been painstakingly restored and reimagined with great attention to detail, and is the site of a small, eco-friendly, state-of-the-art winery.

This site benefits from being a warmer area within the valley, but also the narrowest section, resulting in a funnel that concentrates the cool ocean breezes and creates huge diurnal shifts that allow for long hang time and full flavor development with good acid retention.

The Upper Bench Blocks are situated above the valley floor, on undulating terrain. The quick draining, cobbly soils of these blocks are ideal for the red Bordeaux varieties Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Malbec.

The Heritage Blocks, the warmest location on the estate, include a century-old Zinfandel block that speaks to the Italian heritage of the area. Planted in 1919, it is a classic field blend of Zinfandel and eight other varieties (in descending order: Cabernet Franc, Alicante, Petite Sirah, Grand Noir de la Calmette, Peloursin, Lenoir, Merlot, Mourvedre).  Specific blocks were redeveloped in traditional goblet style, including the red Rhône varieties Grenache, Mourvèdre and Counoise, with the remainder planted to Syrah and Merlot.

The Creekside Blocks sit along the east side of Calabazas Creek. With rocky soils over an alluvial fan, they hold the original planting of red Rhône varieties on the property: Syrah, Grenache and Mourvèdre. More recent plantings in the Train Block and Crescent Oaks Block, include Semillon along with additional Mourvèdre and Grenache vines all planted in goblet style.

Stone’s Throw is the most recently acquired of the Lasseter vineyards and is named for its proximity to Justi Creek Vineyards. This site, just a stone’s throw from our original vineyards, is a natural addition to our estate, given the similar soil types and microclimate.  It is being developed to red Rhône Varieties.

The addition of high-elevation Trinity Ridge Vineyard, beginning with the 2017 vintage, opened a whole new chapter for us.

This dramatic site with its breathtaking views high atop Moon Mountain, produces strikingly pure, deep, bright Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Sauvignon Blanc from its rugged, rocky, windswept volcanic terrain.  Its mere nine acres of vines (out of 44 total) offer a diverse mosaic of soils, microclimates and exposures for these varieties to produce intensely flavored wines of rich texture and complexity.

The south and west-facing blocks are ideal for Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc, while Syrah (and now, Chardonnay!) thrive in the cooler ‘bowl’ section of the vineyard. 

Our newest vineyard is just north of the winery, off Highway 12, southwest of the town of Kenwood. This location is an ideal microclimate for white wine varieties, especially Sauvignon Blanc, offering the crisp acidity, minerality, and wonderful depth of flavor we are looking for in Sauvignon Blanc.

We have meticulously redeveloped this site as we expand our white wine offerings. The fruit grown here makes for a perfect complement to the Semillon grown at our Just Creek Vineyards. Pictured here are our ‘wooly weeders’ taking a break during their spring duties.