FAMILY VINES
Grassini Family Vineyards
When visiting Grassini Family Vineyards’ estate winery, one cannot help but feel this family’s deep roots in both their land and winemaking approach. Now in the hands of the third and fourth generations, Larry Grassini’s wife Sharon and daughters Katie, Corey, Mandy, and Molly are actively supporting this enriching endeavor. At Grassini Family Vineyards, the extended family’s dedication to beauty, hard work, and a memorable sense of place converge, resulting in truly special wines bearing their family’s label. It is their hope that you find delight in the wine’s poetry, sense of tradition, and connection to place when shared with loved ones.
Larry’s grandfather, Articondo Grassini, was more religious about gardening than attending church on Sundays. Having immigrated from Pisa, Italy to the United States in the early 1900s with his wife Afiora Tinucci, Articondo cherished his new home. He would spend the day of rest making ravioli—with a glass of wine (or two…)—for that evening’s dinner using his garden’s bounty. Chickens used to roam his yard—in a delightful homage, industrious fowl now roam the vineyards, providing sustainable fertilization. Larry’s father, Leo Peter Grassini, shared the same passion for gardening, which provided the family with much of their food. This cherished tradition has been lovingly passed down over generations, leading to the establishment of a vegetable garden at the vineyard.
All of Grassini’s wines are estate grown on the property’s roughly 210 acres of land. “That means we don’t purchase grapes. Everything is grown on our property here,” explains Dean McKillen, Estate Director. Dean is married to Katie, who serves as the Chief Executive Officer at her family’s winery. “Just short of 50 acres are planted for all Bordeaux varietals,” he highlights. “We don’t do a
stand-alone yet, but we’re hoping to in the next couple years,” shares Katie. “My parents bought the land back in the ’80s, and there was nothing out here. This whole valley was just basically all horse breeding facilities, cattle, really no vineyards at all. And then, starting in around 2001, my parents started looking around, going, ‘Well, what about if we planted some vines and see what we can do with the property?’ That’s where this all started.” Katie’s parents began planting in 2003.
Construction of the winery building ran from 2007 to 2010. “They wanted to be as sustainable as possible, not just with the plantings, but also the building itself,” says Katie of her parents’ grand vision. “So all of the timber that you see in here and on the outside of the building, it’s all reclaimed wood from either abandoned gold mines in Colorado, or these big old lumberjack racks that they used to get supplies back and forth on the Columbia River up north,” she divulges while pointing to the interior beams. “These were underwater for about 150 years, and that kept them in perfect condition … That’s one of the ways that we’ve kind of tried to make the least dent on the earth as possible.” The walls are poured-in-place concrete throughout, which keeps the air consistently cool even on warmer days. Stained glass windows of the Grassini family crest also dot the décor.
While simply walking around the estate, guests are transported into a unique world where they are invited to slow down and take in the remarkable surroundings. It feels like you’re enveloped in your own personal valley. Picturesque hills roll with rows upon rows of vines in a juxtaposition of organic alignment. Every angle is so scenic that it’s easy to see why the Grassini estate has made appearances on reality television shows such as The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and a grand finale of The Amazing Race. “The first person through the thing got the million dollars here at the pond that year,” recollects Katie of the finish line. The very same pond was also the backdrop for some classic Real Housewives drama when the ladies visited the estate.
In line with Katie’s parents’ sustainable ideal, even the pond serves as a reusable water source for the estate. Rambling Valley Oak trees, many of which are hundreds of years old, are meticulously preserved, exceptional specimens—in fact, testing at the University of California, Davis revealed their acorns to be some of the best DNA they’d seen. The symbolism of oaks is poetic in and of itself. Much like a family tree, each is home to numerous bird species on the property. The Grassini label also has a handful of Easter eggs within it. “The 5G is for the five Grassini girls in Larry’s life. So my father-in-law, his wife, and his four girls came up with this.” On the symbolism, Dean further explains, “There are these little birds, representative of the girls.”
“When we do dinners together, Katie always talks about the family story and I’m like, ‘So about the wine…’” Dean jokes. Together, the couple takes guests through the complete experience at Grassini. There are two ways to visit Grassini Family Vineyards. The Tasting Room in Santa Barbara welcomes people daily. Appointments are required at the Estate Winery in Santa Ynez, which is open from Thursday to Monday. There, semi-private and private experiences are offered. Private tastings are usually guided by Dean and are conducted at a few spots around the property. “We just sit at that table and we chat all about wine and it’s fun!” he relishes. Each bottle has either Katie’s or Larry’s signature on it, as well as a bottle number. Estate-sourced, sustainably farmed, family-owned, and hand-crafted, you can taste the tradition in every bottle that comes from Grassini Family Vineyards.
Photographer Ellie Koleen
Ellie Koleen
Photographer
Ellie is a lifestyle, wedding, and brand photographer based in Fresno, California. An artist behind the lens, her trademark airy, light-filled style and masterful camera angles make her work easily recognizable. She uses her love for all things design related as inspiration for her work. The Fresno Bee named Ellie Best Photographer for the People’s Choice Awards in 2018 and 2019.
