Napa and Sonoma
We’ve compiled the best of the best in Napa and Sonoma - browse our top choices for the top things to see or do during your stay.
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We’ve compiled the best of the best in Napa and Sonoma - browse our top choices for the top things to see or do during your stay.
Sophisticated single-vineyard Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs are the trademark of this respected winery that hosts tastings at a fashionable single-story former residence 3 miles southeast of Sonoma Plaza. A Wine Country adage holds that great wines are made in the vineyard—the all-star fields represented here include Hyde, Durell, and Gap's Crown—but the wine-making team routinely surpasses peers with access to the same fruit, proof that discernment and expertise play a role, too. You can sample wines on the vineyard-view back patio in good weather. One tasting focuses on current releases, and the other incorporates older vintages. Appointments are highly recommended; walk-ins are possible, but call first.
Zesty limoncello was the first claim to fame of this distillery whose nearly three dozen artisanal offerings also include other "cellos" (try the fig if it's being poured), gins, brandies, liqueurs, and bottled cocktails. You can sample six at the tasting room, down an alley due east of Sonoma Plaza. In addition to the alcoholic beverages, the shop sells bar paraphernalia, cocktail-related books, a few snacks, and coffee aged in bourbon barrels.
Stunning views, ultrachic architecture, and wines made from grapes grown by acclaimed producers make a visit to Ram's Gate an event. The welcoming interior spaces—think Restoration Hardware with a dash of high-style whimsy—open up to outdoor tasting areas and views of the entire western Carneros. In fine weather, cooling breezes waft through the site as guests sip sophisticated wines, primarily Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays but also Pinot Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, rosé, a sparkling blanc de noirs, Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache, and Syrah. With grapes from the estate vineyard plus other illustrious sites, the wine-making team focuses on creating balanced wines that express what occurred in nature that year. Appointments are necessary for all tastings, one of which involves a multicourse culinary pairing.
It's truly a family affair at this winery founded by Reynaldo Robledo Sr., a migrant worker from Michoacán, Mexico, and María de La Luz Robledo. Son and winemaker Everardo Robledo and several of his eight siblings are involved in the winery and vineyard-management company Reynaldo and Maria established. Everardo's lush reds—particularly Tempranillo, Zinfandel, and Cabernet Sauvignon from grapes grown on 350-plus estate acres in several counties—stand out among the wines poured in a modest interior space or on a covered patio that juts into a Pinot Noir vineyard. Los Braceros, a blend, pays tribute to temporary workers from Mexico, including Reynaldo's father and grandfather, who contributed to California agriculture as part of the Bracero Program (1942–64). Over these wines, preceded perhaps by Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, or Pinot Noir, guests hear inspiring multigenerational tales, sometimes firsthand from a family member. Picnickers and pets are welcome here.
As a young lad in Germany, the late Walter Schug made Pinot Noir, inspiring a lifelong preoccupation with the Burgundian varietal. The founding winemaker at Joseph Phelps, where he developed the flagship Insignia Bordeaux-style blend, in the 1980s he established his namesake winery in the far western reaches of Los Carneros AVA. His children continue his legacy, focusing on Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, and other Bordeaux varietals. There's also a wine from the St. Laurent grape, an offspring of Pinot. To sample current releases with a vineyard view, book a Classic Wine Tasting. The more comprehensive Cave Tour and Tasting includes a brief property walk, seasonal small bites, and current and library wines.
Stellar fruit sources and a winemaker with a light touch have earned Sojourn Cellars high ratings from critics for its Chardonnays, Pinot Noirs, and Cabernet Sauvignons. Founded in 2001, the winery started out producing Cabernet and still makes several from the Napa Valley and Sonoma County, but the more than a dozen well-balanced Sonoma Coast, Petaluma Gap, and Russian River Valley Pinot Noirs capture most of the attention. Comparative tastings (by appointment) at a bungalow just east of Sonoma Plaza explore the subtle variations in the Pinots caused by climate, terrain, and clone type depending on the grape sources. By 2024, Sojourn hopes to be making wine and receiving guests at the former Ravenswood Winery site a few miles away but plans to retain the bungalow space for in-town sessions.
The northernmost of the 21 missions established by Franciscan friars in California, Sonoma Mission was founded in 1823 as Mission San Francisco Solano. These days it serves as the centerpiece of Sonoma State Historic Park, which includes several other sites in Sonoma and nearby Petaluma. Some early mission structures fell into ruin, but all or part of several remaining buildings date to the era of Mexican rule over California. The Sonoma Barracks, a half block west of the mission at 20 East Spain Street, housed troops under the command of General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo, who controlled vast tracts of land in the region. General Vallejo's Home, a Victorian-era structure, is a few blocks west.
Dating to the mission era, Sonoma Plaza is surrounded by 19th-century adobes, atmospheric hotels, and the swooping marquee of the Depression-era Sebastiani Theatre. A statue on the plaza's northeastern side marks the spot where California proclaimed its independence from Mexico on June 14, 1846. Despite its historical roots, the plaza is not a museum piece. On summer days it's a hive of activity, with children blowing off steam in the playground, couples enjoying picnics from gourmet shops, and groups listening to live music at the small amphitheater. The stone city hall is also here. If you're wondering why the 1906 structure looks the same from all angles, here's why: its four sides were purposely made identical so that none of the plaza's merchants would feel that city hall had turned its back to them.
A quarter-scale train at this fun, well-run attraction geared to kids under 10 chugs for 4 miles through tunnels and past a lake, a waterfall, and a miniature town with a petting zoo. Back near the entrance are a turntable and a roundhouse, amusement rides, and a combination snack bar and souvenir stand.
This sister winery to Hall St. Helena specializes in Pinot Noir from Sonoma County, Mendocino County, California's Central Coast, and Oregon's Willamette Valley and also produces Chardonnay. Just north of Sonoma Plaza, the tasting room occupies a mid-1930s Tudor-inspired home whose backyard tables sit beneath canary palms and a tall, double-trunk redwood tree. One tasting focuses on current releases. To see how the wines pair with food, make a reservation for Root 101 (not offered daily), a showcase for single-vineyard Pinots that includes small bites. A third option involves chocolates.
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