13 Best Sights in Napa and Sonoma, California

Experiencing the enthusiasm this winery's owners radiate supplies half the pleasure of a visit to Lauren and Nate Belden's Sonoma Mountain vineyard, where at elevation 1,000 feet they grow fruit for their all-estate lineup. Grüner Veltliner, a European white grape, isn't widely planted in California, but the crisp yet softly rounded wine they produce from it makes a case for an increase. Critics also hail the Grenache, Pinot Noir, Syrah, and a nectarlike late-harvest Viognier, but you're apt to like anything poured. Tastings take place in a high-ceilinged former milking barn whose broad doorway frames a view of grapevines undulating toward a hilltop. The Beldens tailor visits to guests' interests but will nearly always whisk you into the vineyard, past a 2-acre organic garden, and over to a wishing tree whose results Lauren swears by.

Winemaker-partner Mike Sullivan's Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs would taste marvelous even in a toolshed, but guests to Benovia's unassumingly chic Russian River Valley ranch house will never know. Appointment-only tastings of his acclaimed wines—Benovia also produces Grenache, Zinfandel, and Cabernet Sauvignon—take place in the brown-hued living room or on the open-air patio. From either vantage point, views of the estate Martaella Vineyard all the way to Mt. St. Helena draw the eye. Wine educators leading vineyard tours focus on Benovia's earth-friendly farming practices; a production tour tracks the wine-making process from vineyard to barrel to glass. Sullivan's handling of two Chardonnays from Martinelli-family grapes typifies his minimalistic approach. He subtly emphasizes minerality in a wine from the Three Sisters Vineyard in the coastal Fort Ross–Seaview AVA. By contrast, a hint of California ripeness emerges in La Pommeraie, from Zio Tony Ranch in the warmer Russian River Valley.

Fans of Snoopy and Charlie Brown will love this museum dedicated to the late Charles M. Schulz, who lived his last three decades in Santa Rosa. Permanent installations include a re-creation of the cartoonist's studio, and temporary exhibits often focus on a particular theme in his work. Children and adults can take a stab at creating cartoons in the Education Room.

Wine writers turned vintners Roger Beery and his late wife Donna parlayed their passion for Pinot Noir into a boutique winery that benefits from connections they made while reporting on the industry. They met their consulting winemaker, Adam Lee, even before he cofounded Siduri Wines, and their vineyard lineup includes stellar sites like El Coro, La Cruz, van der Kamp, and the Martinelli family's The Wedding Block. J. Cage also produces Sauvignon Blanc, rosé of Pinot Noir, and the Craftsman's blend of Sangiovese, Zinfandel, and Petite Sirah. Considering the caliber of the vineyards involved, the wines, poured at the production facility where they are made, are very reasonably priced.

An unexpected bit of wilderness in the Wine Country, this preserve with African wildlife covers 400 acres. Begin your visit with a stroll around enclosures housing lemurs, cheetahs, giraffes, and rare birds like the brightly colored scarlet ibis. Next, climb with your guide onto open-air vehicles that spend about two hours combing the expansive property, where more than 80 species—including gazelles, cape buffalo, antelope, wildebeests, and zebras—inhabit the hillsides. If you'd like to extend your stay, lodging in semi-glam Botswana-made tent cabins is available.

A few decades ago Balletto was known more for quality produce than grapes, but the new millennium saw vineyards emerge as the core business. About 90% of the fruit from the family's 800-plus acres goes to other wineries, with the remainder destined for Balletto's estate wines. The house style is light on the oak, high in acidity, and low in alcohol content, a combination yielding exceptionally food-friendly wines. Sipping Pinot Gris, rosé of Pinot Noir, or a brut rosé sparkler on the outdoor patio can feel transcendent on a warm day, though the Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs steal the show. The winery also makes Gewürztraminer, Sauvignon Blanc, Syrah, and Zinfandel.

It's winemaker Carol Shelton's motto that great wines start in the vineyard, but you won't see any grapevines outside her winery—it's in an industrial park 4 miles north of downtown Santa Rosa. What you will find, and experience, are well-priced Zinfandels from grapes grown in vineyards Shelton, ever the viticultural sleuth, locates from Mendocino to Southern California's Cucamonga Valley. With coastal, hillside, valley, inland, and desert's-edge fruit, the Zins collectively reveal the range and complexity of this varietal that so arouses Shelton's passion. Although Zinfandel gets most of the attention, Shelton also crafts Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Sirah, other reds, and Chardonnay and Viognier. Two wines to look for are Coquille Blanc, a Rhône-style white, and Coquille Rouge, a blend of Rhône and other red grapes. It's best to make an appointment, but walk-ins are welcome.

Best known for Russian River Valley Pinot Noirs, DeLoach also produces Chardonnays, old-vine Zinfandels, and a few other wines. Grapes for some reds are fermented in open-top wooden vats similar to those used in France for centuries to intensify a wine's flavor. On a self-guided tour of the winery's ½-acre Theater of Nature culinary garden, you can learn the role biodynamic farming plays in creating DeLoach wines. All visits are by appointment.

"The winemaker is in," reads a driveway sign when owner Kathleen Inman, who crafts her winery's Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and other Russian River Valley wines, is present. She's often around, and it's an extra treat to learn directly from the source about her farming, fermenting, and aging methods. Her restrained, balanced wines complement sophisticated cuisine so well that top-tier restaurants include them on their lists. Inman shows equal finesse with rosé of Pinot Noir, sparkling wines, and Pinot Gris. Her zeal to recycle is evident everywhere, most conspicuously in the tasting room, where redwood reclaimed from an on-site barn was incorporated into the design, and crushed wine-bottle glass was fashioned into the bar. Tastings, some held on an outdoor patio, are by appointment only.

Renowned horticulturist Luther Burbank lived and worked on these grounds and made significant advances using modern selection and hybridization techniques. The 1.6-acre garden and greenhouse showcase the results of some of Burbank's experiments to develop spineless cacti and such flowers as the Shasta daisy. Use your cell phone on a free self-guided garden tour, or from April through October take a docent-led tour (required to see the house).

In a century-old hop barn with the telltale triple towers, Martinelli has the feel of a traditional country store, but sophisticated wines are made here. The winery's reputation rests on its complex Pinot Noirs, Syrahs, and Zinfandels, including the Jackass Hill Vineyard Zin, made with grapes from vines planted mainly in the 1880s by the current owners' ancestors. Noted winemaker Helen Turley set the Martinelli style—fruit-forward, easy on the oak, reined-in tannins—in the 1990s, and the 21st-century team continues this approach. Tastings held (weather permitting) on a vineyard's-edge terrace survey the current releases. All visits are by appointment, best made online. Terrace and Hop Barn tastings survey the portfolio, but serious wine drinkers should consider the Collector's Flight of top-drawer Chardonnays, Pinot Noirs, and Zinfandels.

The visitor center at Matanzas Creek sets itself apart with an understated Japanese aesthetic, extending to a tranquil fountain and a vast field of lavender. The winery makes Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Merlot, Pinot Noir, and Cabernet Sauvignon under the Matanzas Creek name, and three equally well-regarded wines—a Bordeaux red blend, a Chardonnay, and a Sauvignon Blanc—bearing the Journey label. The winery, owned by Jackson Family Wines, encourages guests to enjoy a picnic on the property with a bottle of Matanzas wine. Visits and picnicking are by appointment. Same-day reservations are usually possible except on summer weekends, but call ahead. An ideal time to visit is from late June to mid-August, when lavender perfumes the air.

Among the few winery casualties of the 2017 Wine Country wildfires, this 155-acre hillside winery is again charming guests with its west-facing Russian River Valley views and walk-through outdoor sculpture grove. Among the lighter wines are Blanc de Blanc and Brut Rosé bubblies, Sauvignon Blanc, and Chardonnay. Reds of note include two Zinfandels and a Cabernet Sauvignon from the Rockpile AVA. Paradise Ridge stays open late on summer and early-fall Wednesdays, when locals and tourists (reserve well ahead) sip wines by the glass or bottle, catch the sunset, listen to local bands, and sample food from area vendors.