Coppola's vision

A pair of glowing pyramids would illuminate filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola's winery in Geyserville, part of a proposed Hollywood-style makeover of the former Chateau Souverain.

The Rosso & Bianco wine complex will showcase Coppola's collection of movie memorabilia and host up to 400 events a year, a four-fold increase, according to plans submitted by the impresario's development company, Francis Ford Coppola Presents.

A public hearing is scheduled April 10 in Santa Rosa before Sonoma County's zoning board.

Coppola, who also owns Napa's high-end Rubicon Estate Winery, has been planning the Sonoma County project since acquiring Chateau Souverain from Foster's Wine Estates in 2006. The price wasn't disclosed.

The Academy Award-winner's vision includes a performing arts space, swimming pools, cabanas, a new restaurant and bocce ball courts.

The changes are meant to "achieve a new style" and "make it a more vibrant, lively and family-oriented place," according to Coppola's plan.

A representative of Coppola did not return a telephone call seeking comment on the project.

At an event last year, Coppola said he wants Rosso & Bianco to become a Wine Country destination where families can spend an entire day.

The most visible change would be twin, 24-foot lighted pyramids set atop 40-foot towers anchoring the winery's main building.

The pyramids, made of translucent panels, would be lit from the inside and reflect soft, shifting colors, Coppola's designer said.

Sonoma County planners are recommending against the theatrical-style lighting, saying it doesn't belong in an agricultural area and could distract motorists on nearby Highway 101. The lighting would cover 1,880 square feet and reach 64 feet into the sky.

"It's a fairly dark sky in that area," said Sigrid Swedenborg, a county planning staffer. "It introduces a new source of light."

Coppola is proposing to lessen the impact by illuminating the pyramids no more than 60 nights a year and shutting them off at 10 or 11 p.m.

His plan for Rosso & Bianco also seeks up to 400 special events per year, compared with about 100 a year now.

The winery's reflecting pool would be replaced by split-level swimming pools for 175 bathers, a poolside restaurant and 33 cabanas with showers.

The project also includes a new wastewater treatment system, new guest reception area and more display space for Coppola's private collection.

Employment at the winery would increase from about 115 to 140. The winery's production would stay unchanged, at about 1.9 million cases a year.

The changes require a use permit from the county's Board of Zoning Adjustments.

The 68-year-old producer, director and screenwriter is the winner of five Academy Awards and is best known for "The Godfather" trilogy and "Apocalypse Now."

He also owns a food company, a Palo Alto restaurant, a Central American resort and a film production unit in Argentina.

You can reach Staff Writer Steve Hart at 521-5205 or steve.hart@pressdemocrat.com.