Sonoma and Napa

[VinoBeaner]

We will be traveling from Oregon to Sacramento in a few weeks. I plan to spend a few days in the Sonoma and Napa valleys. Does anyone have a suggestion for a "must see" winery? There are a lot to choose from and we can't see them all!

 

[cmason1957]

The Coppola Castle is pretty neat. Wines are at least OK. Kenwood. I generally like to pick one of the smaller towns (Hopland, Geyserville, Healdsburg) go downtown and find the tasting rooms. Those are all in Sonoma, Mendocino county. Many have free tastings. Napa is somewhat over rated, in my opinion and all wineries charge for tastings. Sonoma charges $5-15,Napa starts at $20 or did last time I was out there, 5 years ago. I prefer the smaller names.

 

[Johnd]

I’ve been to Napa countless times, the wines are fabulous and some of the best tasting experiences that are available. If you drink good wine, it’s not free. Del Dotto cave tour and barrel tasting is top of the heap. If you’re interested in the smaller folks, check out Outpost Winery, Robert Craig, Aonair, and Forman.

 

[ibglowin]

If your interested in the history of the valley and or the historic "Judgement in Paris" tasting/time period you need to stop in at Chateau Montelena.

https://montelena.com

They offer quite a few levels of tastings/tours these days. Take a wad of $$$$ and you won't get any credit on the tasting if you purchase a bottle either......

Other historic places worth seeing

Grgich Hills https://www.grgich.com

Stag's Leap Winery https://www.stagsleap.com

Beaulieu https://www.bvwines.com

 

[VinoBeaner]

Thanks for the info. We stayed in Healdsburg at a B&B owned by Wilson Artisan Wines. That allowed us to visit any of their 11 wineries with free tastings. Only made it to 5. Also visited Alexander Valley Vineyards for the cave tour and Coppola. A lot of good wines. A lot of good vines.

 

[skyfire322]

When the wife and I went, our favorites in Sonoma were Ravenswood, Chateau Diana, and a small place called Mill Creek. We stayed out of Napa for the most part since it's a bit touristy but we did go to Castello di Amorosa. Their wines were alright, but the grounds had that "wow" factor.

 

[ibglowin]

So what all did you decide was worth the price of admission and bring back with you?

Thanks for the info. We stayed in Healdsburg at a B&B owned by Wilson Artisan Wines. That allowed us to visit any of their 11 wineries with free tastings. Only made it to 5. Also visited Alexander Valley Vineyards for the cave tour and Coppola. A lot of good wines. A lot of good vines.

 

[jgmann67]

I would love to visit Raymond and Chimney Rock the next time I’m out there.

Coppola was fun, but more of a tourist trap (albeit a very nice one) than anything. A short drive down the road from Coppola is Clos Du Bos. Also nice.

 

[Syrah-volution!]

If there are any pinot fanatics out here, I have to recommend Joseph Swan, MacPhail and Martinelli, in that order.

Swan can do no wrong (except for the 2011 Tannat, we can forget that one...). Pinot is top notch, zins are good, syrah's are good, chardonnay and grenache blanc are also top notch.

 

[GreginND]

Near Healdsburg - Martarana family vineyards. Christopher Creek is nice. I also like Lambert Bridge. You can find Seghesio and Dry Creek Vineyards there to but I haven't been to those.