Lasseters plan to open small winery

Community members expressed both support for a proposed winery near Dunbar Elementary School, as well as concerns about traffic in a children’s play area.
The Sonoma Valley Citizens Advisory Commission gave the go-ahead on the design of a 16,400-square-foot winery building on Wednesday night. The members were only asked to assess the design of the low-profile building, but chair Garry Baker, made the item open for public comment.
The building will be the new production facilities for Lasseter Family Winery, with Julia Iantosca as winemaker. Nancy and John Lasseter bought the 38-acre property from the Chalone Wine Group in 2002. It has 26 acres of grapes and the Lasseters plan to produce around 6,000 to 7,000 cases of wine a year, no more than 10,000. Chalone had filed permits to open a large winery at the site in the late ‘90s, but later withdrew the application. The existing permit allows for 125,000-case production on site, a number that alarmed some neighbors and which Commissioner Ig Vella called a “timebomb.”
The permit was granted by the county over a decade ago. Many neighbors said they trusted the Lasseters to keep the production far below those numbers, but wondered if the permit couldn’t be reduced given the current water and traffic issues in the county. Commissioner Clarence Jenkins pointed out that no property owner would be inclined to put tighter limitations on his or her property.
The access road to the property effectively serves as a parking lot when parents drop off and pick up their children. It is the only possible access.
The Lasseters had held a meeting with neighbors on-site to outline their plans before the meeting. Many expressed their support for both the project and the Lasseters. “Their commitment to the community is very real. They don’t wear it on their sleeve, but they do a lot of good,” said Anthony Ponter, who lives near the property.
The site has long been home to wine production – since vines were planted in 1894. Grand Cru Winery once operated at the site and had a public tasting room.