10 Best Sights in Glen Ellen, Napa and Sonoma

The pleasures are pastoral and intellectual at author Jack London's beloved Beauty Ranch, where you could easily spend the afternoon hiking some of the 30-plus miles of trails that loop through meadows and stands of oaks, redwoods, and other trees. Manuscripts and personal artifacts depicting London's travels are on view at the House of Happy Walls Museum, which provides an overview of the writer's life, literary passions, humanitarian and conservation efforts, and promotion of organic farming. His wife Charmian's equally compelling story is also documented. A short hike away lie the ruins of Wolf House, which burned down just before London was to move in. Also open to visitors are a few outbuildings and the restored wood-frame cottage where London penned many of his later works. He's buried on the property. The park hosts hot-ticket musical revues and comedies produced by Transcendence Theatre Company each summer.

Immaculately groomed grapevines dazzle the eye at John and Nancy Lasseter's secluded winery, and it's no accident: Phil Coturri, Sonoma Valley's premier organic vineyard manager, tends them. Even the landscaping, which includes an insectary to attract beneficial bugs, is meticulously maintained. Come harvest time, the wine-making team oversees gentle processes that transform the fruit into wines of purity and grace, among them a Sémillon–Sauvignon Blanc blend, the Enjoué rosé, and Bordeaux and Rhône reds. Evocative labels illustrate the tale behind each wine. In good weather, guests hear these well-told stories at tastings on the winery's outdoor patio, whose views include the vineyard and the Mayacamas Mountains, where the Lasseters purchased a second vineyard. All visits to the Glen Ellen property are by appointment.

As a longtime wine-industry marketing director, Bettina Sichel knew the potential pitfalls of winery ownership, but when she discovered a uniquely situated volcanic-soiled Sonoma Mountain vineyard for sale, she plunged in enthusiastically. Because her 14 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon vines face east, the mountain shelters the grapes from the hot late-afternoon sun and excessively cool Pacific influences. Sichel's wine-making team includes organic-farming legend Phil Coturri and winemaker Randall Watkins. By appointment at Sichel's tasting room in downtown Glen Ellen, you can taste the impressive estate Cabernet, along with another Cabernet, a rosé from the vineyard's oldest vines, and a Russian River Valley Sauvignon Blanc.

During the growing season, Robert Schermeister frequently visits the grapes for his wines to observe their progress, focusing on the pick date "to nail it perfectly." The winemaker personally handles all the lab work and ferments using native yeasts, a trickier process than employing commercial ones. This obsession pays off in aromatic Viognier and Chardonnay, intensely flavored Pinot Noirs and Syrahs, and a rosé aged in neutral French oak barrels. A small niche within a historic Glen Ellen building serves as a tasting room—the patio outside faces Sonoma Creek. On a visit, you'll meet Robert or his wife, Laura. The couple's romance began after he charmed her over a bottle of his Pinot Noir. Walk-ins are welcome as space permits, but it's best to make an appointment because this highly regarded winery with a small annual production temporarily halts tastings when the wines run out.

It's "all Pinot, all the time" at Scott and Marta Rich's storefront tasting room inside Glen Ellen's oldest commercial building. The two have well more than half a century of wine-industry experience between them, he in the vineyard and cellar, she on the business end, and their deep knowledge informs their lovingly crafted, predominantly single-vineyard wines. With grapes hailing from several Sonoma County appellations and a few farther afield, the wines are made in small lots, usually a few hundred cases. Scott intervenes as little as possible during wine making to evoke a sense of place in the glass, but his oak-aging and other sage choices elevate the finished product. Talisman releases its Pinots around the four-year mark so they can achieve a little maturity first.

For her passion project, sixth-generation vintner Katie Bundschu, who's also involved in her family's historic Gundlach Bundschu winery, focuses on wines made from organic grapes grown in other family-owned, predominantly Sonoma County vineyards. Most of the wines are old-style field blends in which different types of grapes from the same vineyard are fermented and aged together rather than separately, as is more common these days. The wines impress with their balance, approachability, and rich flavors. A recent blend of more or less half-and-half Zinfandel and Petite Sirah with a pinch of Petit Verdot hints at the experimentation going on here. You can sample the wines 2½ miles south of downtown Glen Ellen at a garden estate whose grape-growing history dates back nearly as far as the Bundschu family's.

One of the best-known Sonoma County wineries sits on a sprawling estate in a bowl with 360-degree sun exposure. Hosts conducting popular tram tours explain the benefits of the vineyard's natural setting and how biodynamic farming yields healthier, more flavorful fruit. The eco-friendly agricultural practices include extensive plantings to attract beneficial insects and the deployment of sheep to trim vegetation between the vines while simultaneously tilling the soil with their hooves and fertilizing to boot. Known for Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir, and Sauvignon Blanc, the winery is a beautiful spot for an alfresco tasting, whether you take the tour or not. All visits are by appointment; reserve a tram tour at least a day or two ahead in summer and early fall.

Back when tasting rooms were low-tech and the winemaker often poured the wines, the experience at Loxton Cellars unfolded pretty much the way it does today. The personable Australia-born owner, Chris Loxton, who's on hand many days, crafts a Sonoma Coast Chardonnay, along with Zinfandel, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, and a red blend or two. All are quite good, and some regulars swear by the two Syrah Ports. Tastings require an appointment, but the winery generally accommodates weekday walk-ins if guests call ahead. To learn more about Loxton's wine-making philosophy and practices, book a Vineyard Walkabout tour, followed by a seated tasting.

Rare East Asian trees and plants thrive in this 25-acre woodland garden a little over a mile north of downtown Glen Ellen. There's also a heritage rose garden near the entrance. The colors throughout are most vibrant in spring, but year-round a visit here makes for a pleasant break from wine touring.