Modern Home of Late Multimedia Pioneer for Sale in Sonoma

Nested on 37 acres of rolling hills and vineyards in the Carneros AVA, the Sonoma home of late CD-multimedia pioneer Robert Ellis offers poetic Wine Country living.


A modern Sonoma estate with poetic, understated style on 37 acres of rolling hills and vineyards is currently listed for sale. Owned by the estate of CD-multimedia pioneer Robert Ellis, the four-bedroom, four-bathroom home is seeking $7,695,000. A portion of the sale proceeds will benefit the late entrepreneur’s beloved organizations: Opera Parallèle, the San Francisco Symphony and the UC Berkeley Foundation for Cal Performances.

The work of Mahoney & Piechota Architects, the 4,200-square-foot dwelling offers a seamless indoor-outdoor experience via floor-to-ceiling sliding windows and a wraparound deck. But the interplay between the design and setting strikes an alchemy beyond that.

The home’s angular design whispers with clean lines and subtle tones. The look is made sumptuous with juxtaposing curvy hills and vineyard rows, visible from nearly every room — even the walk-in closet. Similarly, a flood of red flowers dazzle in the courtyard against a tranquil backdrop of wood-siding and walls of glass windows, gently framed in black steel. From inside the house, the show of red beams against seasonally green hills in the distance. The landscaping, by Tammara Norman, includes a surround of lush shrubbery.

Seating area of great room in Sonoma home
Seating area of great room. (Jeffrey Frisk / Sotheby’s International Realty)
Eating area. (Jeffrey Frisk / Sotheby’s International Realty)
Eating area. (Jeffrey Frisk / Sotheby’s International Realty)
Seating area with vineyard views. (Jeffrey Frisk / Sotheby’s International Realty)
Seating area with vineyard views. (Jeffrey Frisk / Sotheby’s International Realty)

The grounds offer a spa, pool and outdoor shower. A sizable pond is just a short walk beyond a patch of vineyard.

The property sits in the Los Carneros AVA and includes 3 acres of Merlot vines, plus smaller plantings of Zinfandel, Riesling and Muscat. The established vineyard offers potential for expansion.

The home is outfitted with solar energy, a fire hydrant and fire pump. 

For more information on 3480 Napa Road in Sonoma, contact listing agents Erin George, 707-815-5028, or David Collins, 707-934-5263. Sotheby’s International Realty – Wine Country – Sonoma Brokerage, 793 Broadway Sonoma, 707-935-2288. sothebysrealty.com/eng/sales/detail/180-l-1188-g65g39/3480-napa-road-sonoma-ca-95476