In 1985, the Staglin family bought a Rutherford Bench estate and established their winery.
The entire family—Garen and Shari, with children Shannon and Brandon—own and operate the company. They farm the land organically, and use 100 percent solar power at the vineyard.
“Our family vineyard motto is ‘Great Wine for Great Causes,’ and we absolutely live that at Staglin Family Vineyard,” Garen Staglin says. “After our son Brandon was diagnosed with schizophrenia at the age of 19, we have been at the forefront in finding the causes and cures for mental illness. Instead of running away from the issue of mental illness, we chose to run toward it, and we’ve never looked back.”
While a music festival and two foundations that focus on mental health—Bring Change 2 Mind and One Mind for Research—are the family’s major focus, Garen and Shari have chaired, co-chaired or founded over 18 major initiatives for causes ranging from UCLA to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. They have raised over $785 million for charities through their efforts and donations.
And a corporate spokesman says that they aren’t finished. He noted that these figures don’t include the planned support for One Mind for Research, which is a global mental health initiative.
While produced in Napa Valley, Staglin Family Vineyard wines are served at many of the finest restaurants in the Chicago area. According to the company, these include Tru, NAHA, L2O, Michael Jordan’s Steakhouse, NoMI, The Peninsula Hotel, Morton’s and Alinea. Sales of their premium brand, Salus, directly benefits the family’s philanthropic efforts.
