Sam Sebastiani likes to describe things in musical terms. He’s been in the wine industry since he was “a kid making $0.50 per hour in the late 1940s.” That was at Sebastiani Vineyards & Winery in Sonoma, which his grandfather, Samuele Sebastiani, founded in 1904 after immigrating from Tuscany, Italy, where he learned to make wine in the “Old World” style at a 14th century monastery called La Chertosa.
Many may recognize Sam’s name from both Sebastiani winery and later, Viansa, which he began building in 1985, opened in 1989 and sold in 2004. His newest endeavor? An Old World-style winery called La Chertosa (an homage to his family’s roots). But it’s what’s inside that’s most interesting: Zinfandel sourced from Amador County. “I’ve tried to source grapes that grow in red soil,” he says. “It’s a Mediterranean climate there. We pick grapes from three different spots and blend in Primitivo sourced from a fourth location.”
The Sangiovese and Chardonnay are both sourced from Kunde Family Estate in Kenwood, where his family has been buying grapes since the ranch was established in the first decade of the 1900s.
“Site-specific flavors are key,” says Sebastiani. “I blend them together to create a harmony, a symphony of flavors. I use new, one- and two-year-old barrels, so the wood component is truly just background music. I’m not into what I call ‘boom box wines,’ which to me taste like jam with alcohol in it. My Old World-style wines are lower in alcohol and softer; the flavors spread out.” They’ve also won many awards in wine competitions across the state. And for good reason.
Sebastiani’s Old World style is so spot-on, Italy’s president bestowed knighthood on him in 2002. “It was a surprise and an honor,” he says. “To have them reach over and pat me on the head. It was a good, warm feeling.”
But his accomplishments don’t stop there. Another endeavor he’s enjoyed, inspired when he was a child by his father and Keith Kunde, is creating wetlands focused on migrating waterfowl. His first waterfowl preserve, built on the Viansa property, includes a 90-acre wetland restoration project created in partnership with Ducks Unlimited. “We had swarms of ducks. Thirty-five percent of the canvas back ducks were stopping there. They’re attracted to the bay, so they’d stop there to feed. It was like we set them up with a Motel 6,” he says. It became a signature resting spot for the birds and is the largest private wetland in Sonoma County.
Near his ranch in Nebraska, he purchased an 800-acre island and the surrounding 1,500 acres. He and his wife, Robin, have built 18 ponds connected by waterways there. You can find photos and information at www.winemakersisland.com.
What’s next? “There are so many wineries. We might expand a little, but really I just want to be a part of the industry I’ve been in my whole life. The finest wineries are primarily small. If I can stay in that club, I’ll be happy.”
You can find La Chertosa wines at www.lachertosawines.com.
