45 Best Sights in Napa, Napa and Sonoma

Barbara Bestor's sleek white design for record producer Kashy Khaledi's glass-and-metal tasting space evokes mid-century modern architecture and the era and wine-making style predating the Napa Valley's rise to prominence. Bordeaux grapes are the focus in wines that include a Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon blend, Cabernet Franc (also a rosé of the same), and Cabernet Sauvignon. With a label designer also responsible for a Jay-Z album cover and interiors recalling the Mad Men Palm Springs story arc, the pitch seems unabashedly to millennials, but the wines, low in alcohol and with high acidity (helpful with aging), enchant connoisseurs of all stripes.   A pairing with cheeses and a family-style lunch with a seasonally changing menu demonstrate how food-friendly the A&D wines are.

The parents of the current owners of the Napa Valley's first Black-owned estate winery purchased 450 acres in Chiles Valley, planting a vineyard in 1985. The second generation—siblings Deneen and David Brown, later joined by sister Coral—established the family's label. The estate Zinfandel and Cabernet Sauvignon, made by David, are perennial winners for their bold elegance, with another star the punchy accessible Chaos Theory blend of Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, and a grape or two more. The Browns pour their wines in a high-ceilinged loftlike salon on the second floor of a 1905 structure that once housed the Napa Valley Register.

A visit to this majestic château is an opulent way to enjoy the Carneros District—especially in fine weather, when the vineyard views are spectacular. The château was modeled after an 18th-century French mansion owned by the Taittinger family. Carved into the hillside beneath the winery, the cellars produce sparkling wines reminiscent of those made by Taittinger, using only Los Carneros AVA grapes. Enjoy flights of sparkling wines or Pinot Noirs with cheese and charcuterie plates, caviar, or smoked salmon. Tastings are by appointment.

Six miles from the downtown Napa whirl, husband-and-wife team Jeff and Karen Fontanella's hillside spread seems a world apart. In addition to his formal studies, Jeff learned about wine making at three prestigious wineries before he and Karen, a lawyer, established their own operation on 81 south-facing Mt. Veeder acres. The couple braved an economic recession, an earthquake, and wildfires in the first decade but emerged tougher, if no less gracious to guests lucky enough to find themselves tasting Viognier, Chardonnay, Zinfandel, and Cabernet Sauvignon on the patio here. Tastings often end with a Zinfandel-based Port-style wine. Weather permitting, the reserve tasting includes the opportunity to stroll the estate, whose views south to San Francisco and east to Atlas Peak are terrific.

Business and life partners Joey Wołosz and Jeff Durham welcome guests to their refurbished 1926 Craftsman bungalow for intimate tastings of small-lot rosé, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Bordeaux-style reds. Dishes cooked in the moment in an au courant demonstration kitchen accompany the wines. An eloquently told story lies behind everything from the furnishings, dinnerware, and articles like the rescued tabernacle converted into a Julia Child shrine to family recipes, among them Yountville native Durham's version of malfatti, a century-old Napa variation on ravioli. This rarefied experience is intentionally akin to dropping by a relative's home for a lovingly prepared meal that elevates the conversation and vice versa. Reservations are essential for breakfast, lunch, and dinner experiences, but "when the door is open," walk-ins can sip by the glass or bottle.

Critics favoring fruit-forward, Bordeaux-style reds with silky-smooth tannins often wax rhapsodic over this winery’s collector-quality offerings—high-90s scores and 100s are not atypical. Guests settle into leather chairs and sofas at the exposed-brick storefront for Cabernet-focused tastings of wines overseen by Matt Sands, whose international résumé includes producers in Napa and New Zealand. Top-flight consultants like Michel Rolland and Philippe Melka also weigh in. Alejandro Bulgheroni, an Argentine-born entrepreneur with worldwide winery holdings, established Lithology.  Bulgheroni’s St. Helena estate on Meadowood Lane hosts more intensive tastings.

A flight of delicate yet full-flavored wines blended specifically for pairing with Japanese cuisine—an Albariño, a Chardonnay, a rosé of Malbec, and a Cabernet Franc—is among the tasting options at this Oak Knoll winery founded by real-estate developer Brian Cunat and his Japanese-born wife, Miki. Chelsea Barrett, the daughter of two famous winemakers, shows a similarly graceful touch with the other Materra wines, which include a Viognier, the estate Chardonnay, and several quietly powerful Bordeaux reds. They're usually presented in a stately salon, though when the weather’s fine, some tastings unfold outside near the vines. The wines and the hospitality here over deliver for the price.

Cabernets from Mayacamas Vineyards, founded atop Mt. Veeder in 1889, often place on lists of the world's best wines. The equally distinguished Chardonnay, a Napa Valley marvel, is aged in mostly neutral (previously used) French oak barrels to accentuate mountain minerality. The Cabernet Sauvignon ages up to three years, spending part of the time in oak barrels more than a century old. Erin Martin, a Napa Valley resident with a hip international reputation, designed the light-filled downtown Napa storefront tasting space. Experiencing these magnificent wines downtown—the lineup includes an age-worthy Merlot—may entice you to visit the estate.

Barb and Bart O'Brien live on and operate this 40-acre Oak Knoll District estate, where in good weather guests sip wines at an outdoor tasting area adjoining the vineyard producing the fruit for them. It's a singular setting to enjoy Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Bordeaux-style red blends, Sauvignon Blanc, and Chardonnay wines that indeed merit the mid-90s (sometimes higher) scores they garner from critics. Club members snap up most of the bottlings, with the rest sold at intimate tastings (reservations are required; book well ahead). All visits include vineyard and winery tours and an account of Barb and Bart's inspiring path to winery ownership. The superb wines and genial hosts make a stop here the highlight of many a Wine Country vacation.

The 40,000-square-foot market's two dozen stands provide an introduction to Northern California's diverse artisanal food products. Swoon over decadent charcuterie at Fatted Calf (great sandwiches, too), slurp oysters at Hog Island, enjoy empanadas at El Porteño, or chow down on Moroccan street food at Moro. Sample wine (and cheese) at Oxbow Cheese & Wine Merchant, ales at Fieldwork Brewing's taproom ( 1046 McKinstry St., near Fatted Calf), and barrel-aged cocktails at Napa Valley Distillery. The owner of Kara's Cupcakes operates the adjacent Bar Lucia for (mostly) sparkling wines and rosés. Among the few nonfood vendors here is Napa Bookmine, which also operates a larger store elsewhere downtown.

It took six years to excavate a hillside Coombsville property and four more to complete aging caves and a five-level gravity-flow winery, the equivalent of an 18-story building. The collector-quality Cabernet Sauvignons made at this engineering triumph, from grapes grown at three distinct elevations, benefit from these efforts and the later introduction of a space-age wine-monitoring system that invariably astonishes guests. It's a tribute to the viticultural and production teams that the wines, including a Riesling, a Chardonnay, and a Muscat Canelli dessert offering, linger equally strong in memory. Private appointment-only tastings begin with a sip overlooking the largest vineyard and the southern Napa Valley beyond it, followed by a tour and a tasting in an intimate salon. The peerless hospitality adds further joy to a visit here.

Extravagance infuses this boutique Stags Leap District operation, most notably in its architecture but also in the Petite Sirahs and Cabernets. Founder Carl Doumani spent years wooing the Austria-born architect Friedensreich Hundertwasser, whose sensibility has been compared to Antoni Gaudí's, to design the winery and production facility. Per Hundertwasser's insistence on replicating natural forms, the sod-roofed structure, clad in red brick and colorful ceramic tiles and topped with a gold onion dome, has no straight lines. Consultant Philippe Melka’s rich velvety style complements the ebullient setting. Visits are by appointment only. The wine-and-food pairings here are exceptional (book at least three days ahead).

It's worth the 1-mile trip south of downtown to the warehouse tasting room where two families separately crafting reasonably priced wines pour them together. Three of the partners have wine-related day jobs; the fourth works as an animator. Alli and Bertus van Zyl of Belong Wine Co. produce high-elevation Sierra Foothills wines, most notably Mourvѐdre. Laura and Kyle Gabriel of Paper Planes Wine Co. specialize in Pinot Noir (regular and rosé), along with Valdiguié and a few others. As the space debuted in 2024, a San Francisco Chronicle article detailed the hard expenses and sweat equity this labor of love required. A similar passion underlies the wines, sipped inside or at tables with close-up Napa River views. Kids and leashed pets are welcome.

Here's a surprise: a highly respected Napa Valley winery that doesn't sell a lick of Cabernet. Zinfandels from heritage vineyards 100 years old and more hold the spotlight, with Petite Sirahs in a supporting role. Nearly every pour comes with a fascinating backstory, starting with the flagship Black Chicken Zinfandel. In the 1940s, the Biale family sold eggs, walnuts, and other farm staples, with bootleg Zinfandel a lucrative sideline. Because neighbors could eavesdrop on party-line phone conversations, "black chicken" became code for a jug of Zin. These days the wines are produced on the up-and-up, steps from the 10-acre property's tasting area. A stone's throw from Zinfandel vines, with views of two mountain ranges, the open-air space has a back-porch feel. Visits are by appointment; call ahead for same-day.

Based way up Howell Mountain but with meticulously farmed hillside sources on both sides of the valley, Robert Craig has established a loyal following for its textured full-flavored Cabernet Sauvignons. Hosts pour the wines inside a refurbished 1890s downtown Napa Folk Victorian and on its front porch and redbrick patio. Tastings, by appointment but usually possible on short notice, often begin with a Sonoma County Chardonnay or, while it lasts, La Fleur Craig Grenache Rosé from Howell Mountain. One trait all the wines share is how well they age. The Zinfandel from Howell Mountain's Black Sears Vineyard does its varietal proud.

Its Hillside Select Cabernet Sauvignon long one of the Napa Valley's most sought-after bottlings, Shafer conducts appointment-only tastings at a hospitality space with views of the rugged Stags Leap District incline where the prized wine's grapes grow. A Terrace View Tasting usually starts with the Red Shoulder Ranch Carneros Chardonnay, followed by TD-9 (a Cabernet Sauvignon–based Bordeaux blend), the One Point Five Cabernet Sauvignon, and Relentless (a Syrah–Petite Sirah blend), concluding with the 100% Cabernet Hillside Select. The Private Collectors Experience includes an older Hillside Select vintage. Expertly farmed and masterfully balanced, Shafer's collector-quality wines deserve the high praise they receive.  The deluxe experience here consists of a Champagne and caviar greeting, a UTV spin through the vineyard, and tastes of current and older Hillside Select wines.

Superior estate Chardonnay, dry Riesling, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir, and the Malbec-heavy Dragon's Tooth blend are the trademarks of this family-run winery founded in 1968. To find out how well Trefethen wines age, book a reserve tasting, which includes pours of limited-release wines and one or two older vintages. The terra-cotta-color historic winery on-site, built in 1886, was designed with a gravity-flow system, with the third story for crushing, the second for fermenting the resulting juice, and the first for aging. The wooden building is now the main tasting room. The early-1900s Arts and Crafts–style Villa, situated amid gardens, hosts Taste the Estate, whose food pairings include ingredients from the on-site culinary garden. All visits require a reservation.

From a distance the modern minimalist architecture of Artesa blends harmoniously with the surrounding Carneros landscape, but up close its pools, fountains, and large outdoor sculptures make their own impression. Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from estate and sourced grapes predominate, but the winery also produces Albariño and sparkling wine, plus heavier reds including Cabernet Sauvignon and Tempranillo. You can sample them, sometimes paired with food, while enjoying views of estate and neighboring vineyards and, on a clear day, San Francisco.

In 1973, teenager Mario Bazán traveled north from Oaxaca, Mexico, intending to earn money to start a business back home. Five decades later, he's still in the Napa Valley. After rising through the ranks as a vineyard laborer and foreman, Mario opened his own management company, now overseeing a few hundred acres of vines. He and his wife Gloria, who is from Michoacán, founded Bazán Cellars in 2005. Sauvignon Blanc, rosé, and Pinot Noir set up the stars, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon.

Tranquil Bouchaine lies just north of San Pablo Bay's tidal sloughs—to appreciate the off-the-beaten-path setting, step onto the terrace of the semicircular hilltop tasting room and scan the skies for hawks and golden eagles soaring above the vineyards. The alternately breezy and foggy weather in this part of the Carneros works well for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. These account for most of the wines, but also look for Pinot Gris, Gewürztraminer, and Riesling whites, along with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Meunier, and Syrah. Some outdoor tastings take place on the terrace, others in the garden below it.

A palette of pink, lavender, teal, and gold, a blingy crystal chandelier, and a generous dose of leopard print buoy the atmosphere at the Napa outpost of the Wine Country's oldest winery, established in Sonoma in 1857. To the tune of pop crooners and chanteuses, you can sip sparkling wine by the glass or bottle and Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Cabernet Sauvignon by the glass, bottle, or flight. A sparkling experience involves three types of caviar. 

A wraparound mural inspired by the colorful garden that fronts the Culinary Institute of America's Oxbow District facility brightens its facade. Check out the ground floor's well-curated culinary shop, nearby Vintners Hall of Fame wall, and self-serve wine stations—then head upstairs to the Chuck Williams Culinary Arts Museum. Named for the Williams-Sonoma kitchenwares founder, it holds an eye-popping collection of cooking, baking, and other food-related tools, tableware, gizmos, and gadgets, some dating back more than a century.

Searching worldwide in the early 1970s for the best non-European site to grow Cabernet, this French-owned outfit's founding winemaker selected land now called Hirondelle Vineyard. He chose well: Clos du Val (in French, "small vineyard of a small valley") built its reputation on intense Cabernet Sauvignon grown on the Stags Leap District estate. Grapes for a Cabernet Franc and the much-praised Yettalil Bordeaux-style red blend also come from Hirondelle, the French word for "swallow," a bird species prevalent here. Guests sample these wines and others in a glass-fronted vineyard's-edge hospitality center. Hosts retract the windows in good weather, unifying the tasting room and adjoining patio.

A claw-foot tub overflowing with Old Hollywood Ginn bottles recalls the era of speakeasies and bootleg hooch at the storefront tasting room of Napa's first distillery since Prohibition. Engaging staffers maintain a partylike mood, dispensing boozy tidbits—like why gin is spelled "ginn"—along with cocktails and flights of fruit-based spirits. The distillery's products include rum, whiskeys, the flagship grape-based vodka, brandies, and bottled cocktails. The whiskeys and rum aren't poured here, but you can taste them down the street at the same-owned The ArBaretum cocktail bar or, when it reopens following renovations, at the distillery itself.

A hilly patchwork of vines fans out from this Los Carneros winery's contemporary glass-walled tasting room and spacious patio—on a sunny day, Cuvaison (pronounced "coo-vay-SAHN") is among the Napa Valley's most appealing spots to sip wine. The longtime winemaker, Steven Rogstad, describes his cool-climate Chardonnays, Sauvignon Blancs, and Pinot Noirs as "vineyard driven," but his mastery of technique elevates them further. Some tastings take place at two pond’s-edge open-air pavilions. Call ahead for same-day visits.   Sparkling house Domaine Carneros is across the street.

The visitor center at Darioush is unlike any other in the valley: 16 freestanding, sand-color columns loom in front of a travertine building whose exuberant architecture recalls the ancient Persian capital Persepolis. Exceptional hospitality and well-balanced wines from southern Napa Valley grapes are the winery's hallmarks. The signature Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon and other bottlings combine grapes grown high on Mt. Veeder with valley-floor fruit, the former providing tannins and structure, the latter mellower, savory notes. Viognier, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot, Shiraz, and the Duel Cab-Shiraz blend are among other possible pours here. All visits are by appointment, best made at least a day or two ahead.

The late Rene di Rosa assembled an extensive collection of artworks created by Northern California artists from the 1960s to the early 2000s, displaying them on this 217-acre Carneros District property surrounded by Chardonnay and Pinot Noir vineyards. Two galleries at opposite ends of a 35-acre lake show works from the collection and host temporary exhibitions; the Sculpture Meadow behind the second gallery holds a few dozen large outdoor pieces.

You're apt to see or hear hawks, Canada geese, and other wildlife on the grounds of Etude, known for sophisticated Pinot Noirs. Although the winery and its light-filled tasting room are in Napa County, the grapes for its flagship Carneros Estate Pinot Noir come from the Sonoma portion of Los Carneros, as do those for the rarer Heirloom Carneros Pinot Noir. The wine-making team also excels at single-vineyard Napa Valley Cabernets. In good weather, hosts pour the reds, plus Chardonnays and sometimes Pinot Blanc or Pinot Gris, on the patio outside the wood-and-glass tasting room. 

A retractable window and three sidewalk stools under a wooden slab telegraph the informal inclinations of this tasting room for Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Franc. The jovial co-owner and winemaker, Adam McClary, is often on hand dispensing pours and stories about his wines and the industry. Chenin Blanc's aromatics and depth of character enchant McClary, who lauds Cabernet Franc as elegant and "just plain pretty.”  This is a good stop for first-timers and fans of small, family-owned wineries.

A limestone structure, rustic from the outside but modern within, contains tasting salons and a gallery exhibiting museum-quality works by artists such as Andy Goldsworthy, Anselm Kiefer, and Robert Rauschenberg. Mt. Veeder Cabernet Sauvignon is the portfolio's star, with Chardonnay and Pinot Noir additional strong suits. Some experiences include a tour of the art Swiss founder Donald Hess collected; others might involve an ATV vineyard excursion, food pairings, or comparing Cabernets.