Samuel “Sam” Sebastiani, a member of one of California’s most historic and (feuding) wine families, died Thursday from natural causes at his home in Sonoma. He was 86.
The grandson of Samuele Sebastiani, an Italian immigrant who established Sonoma’s Sebastiani Vineyards in 1904, he spent nearly two decades working for the family business before founding Viansa winery in 1990.
Sebastiani Vineyards was among the few Sonoma County wineries to survive Prohibition, sustaining operations by producing wine for sacramental and medicinal purposes.
After Samuele died in 1944, his son, August and August’s wife, Sylvia, significantly expanded the company, transforming the bulk wine business into one of the country’s leading producers of moderately priced, varietal wines.
In 1967, Sam joined the family business, eventually succeeding August as company president upon his father’s death in 1980.
But six years later, Sylvia, who retained majority ownership of the winery, and her two other children, Don and Mary Ann, ultimately decided to oust Sam from the business, citing financial differences.
But Sam – an Eagle Scout, former student body president at Santa Clara University and former Second Lieutenant in the United States Army – was not deterred.
In 1990, he launched Viansa Winery & Italian Marketplace in Sonoma with his then-wife Vicki. Now under the ownership of Adair Family Wines, the Tuscan-inspired estate was an ode to his Italian heritage.
During his lifetime, Sebastiani was a passionate waterfowl conservationist, a pursuit handed down from his father. At Viansa, he built a 97-acre wetland preserve, earning him the Private Conservationist of the Year award by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
In 2005, Sebastiani sold Viansa to the Napa-based 360 Global Wine Company for $31 million. Vintage Wine Estates purchased the company in 2013, which was later sold to Adair Family Winery in 2024.
Throughout his lifetime, Sebastiani remained passionate about his Italian heritage, which was noted by the Italian government. In 2002, he was knighted into the Order of Merit by the Italian Republic – the most prestigious civilian distinction. La Chertosa, the wine brand he founded in 2002, focused primarily on Tuscan red varietals.
Sebastiani is survived by his wife Robin Sebastiani, his children, step-children, sister Mary Ann and brother Don. He was preceded in death by his son, Sam, who died in 1997.
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