40 Best Sights in St. Helena, Napa and Sonoma

A scenic drive east of the Silverado Trail slips past Lake Hennessey to Nichelini, which bills itself as Napa County's oldest continuously family-owned and operated winery. Erected in the late 1800s by Anton Nichelini, an Italian-Swiss immigrant, the old winery structures he built still cling to a steep embankment where the road skirts a cliff. Anton's great-great-granddaughter Aimée Sunseri makes whites that include sparkling wine and barrel-fermented 100% Semillon. The latter wine, Caterina, is named after Anton's wife. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Bordeaux-style blends are the primary reds. At tastings, hosts recount how the Nichelinis adapted to the Napa Valley's evolution since their winery's bonding in 1890.

A 19th-century wine-bottling contraption, a Prohibition-era safe with tales to tell, and photos and documents spanning five generations enhance a visit to this winery run by the descendants of Albino Pestoni, their Swiss-Italian forebear. Pourers share the Pestoni story while dispensing wines made from grapes grown in choice vineyards the family has acquired over the decades. The Howell Mountain Merlots and Cabernet Sauvignons at Legacy tastings always stand out. Heritage tastings of current releases often include Sauvignon Blanc, Sangiovese, and Cabernet grown on the Pestonis' Rutherford Bench property. The 1892 Field Blend from Lake County heirloom grapes—Zinfandel, Cabernet, and Petite Sirah—commemorates the year Albino entered the wine business. After a tasting, guests are welcome to picnic in the winery's tree-shaded pavilion.

"If door is locked, ring bell," reads a sign outside the weathered-redwood tasting shack at this family-run winery known for red, white, and tawny ports. The sign, the bell, and the thousands of dollar bills tacked to the walls and ceilings inside are your first indications that you're drifting back in time with the old-school Pragers, who have been making regular and fortified wines in St. Helena since 1979. Five members of the second generation run this homespun operation founded by Jim and Imogene Prager. In addition to ports, the winery makes Petite Sirah and Sweet Claire, a late-harvest Riesling dessert wine. Some tastings take place in a garden outside the tasting room or on the crush pad. Visits are by appointment; call for same-day.

All the world's a stage to Jean-Charles Boisset, Raymond's charismatic owner—even his vineyards, where his five-act Theater of Nature includes a series of gardens and displays that explain biodynamic agriculture. The theatrics continue indoors in the disco-dazzling Crystal Cellar tasting room (chandeliers and other accoutrements by Baccarat), along with several additional spaces, some sedate and others equally expressive. Despite goosing up the glamour—gal pals out for a fun afternoon love this place—Boisset and winemaker Stephanie Putnam have continued the winery's tradition of producing lush, flavorful wines. The Cabernet Sauvignons and Merlots often surprise. All visits are by appointment. The Winemaker for a Day blending seminars here are entertaining.

The rare manuscripts, first editions, photographs, childhood toys, and other artifacts at this small museum document the life and literary career of Robert Louis Stevenson (Treasure Island, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde). One exhibit examines the months Stevenson, at the time impoverished, spent in an abandoned miners' bunkhouse north of Calistoga in what's now Robert Louis Stevenson State Park. The interlude inspired the author's book The Silverado Squatters. Check before visiting to make sure the museum will be open, as staffing is sometimes an issue.

Irma S. Rombauer, the great-aunt of winery founder Koerner Rombauer (who passed away in 2018), defined generations of American home cuisine with her best-selling book The Joy of Cooking, but he laid claim to a similar triumph. "Iconic" is an adjective often associated with Rombauer Chardonnays, particularly the flagship Carneros bottling. Although often described simply as "buttery," at their best the wines express equal parts ripeness, acidity, and creaminess, with vanilla accents courtesy of skillful oak aging. Most guests book a full tasting—Rombauer also makes Sauvignon Blanc, Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and dessert wines—but it's also possible to sip by the glass, on the vineyard-view porch or while strolling the landscaped grounds. In either case you'll need a reservation (call for same-day visits).

Rent hybrid and road bikes by the hour or day at this shop that has a useful "Where to Ride" page on its website (see the About tab).

A winery whose Old World–style Chardonnay sommeliers love, Stony Hill was founded by the late Fred and Eleanor McCrea. During World War II, the couple purchased a 160-acre goat farm on Spring Mountain's eastern slope, first planting grapevines, some still bearing fruit, in 1948. Private tastings (reservations required) emphasize whites—Stony Hill also produces dry Gewürztraminer and Riesling, and in some years Semillon du Soleil, a dessert wine from grapes dried in the sun after harvesting to increase their sugars. A leaner-than-average Cabernet Sauvignon is the heaviest offering.

The iconoclastic brand opened an industrial-chic space with interiors by the wildly original Napa-based designer Richard Von Saal to showcase its flagship The Prisoner red blend. "Getting the varietals to play together" is winemaker Chrissy Wittmann's mission with that wine (Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Sirah, Syrah, and Charbono in a recent vintage). The goal's the same with siblings like the Blindfold Blanc de Noir—mostly white Pinot Noir (no skin contact, so no purple color), with some Viognier, and Gewürztraminer. The Line-up Tasting of current releases unfolds in a lounge that's more hip hotel bar than traditional tasting room. Other experiences involve boldly flavored plates that pair well with Wittman's fruit-forward wines. Reservations are required for all visits.

Sipping this winery's Malbec or Bordeaux red blends, it seems inconceivable that last century's White Zinfandel craze made these willfully tannic wines possible. Over the years, the Trinchero family, owners of Sutter Home, which invented White Zin and stills sells millions of bottles annually, assembled a quality portfolio of estate vineyards whose grapes go into wines that truly live up to the term "terroir-driven." The wowsers include the Single Vineyard Collection reds—several Cabs, Petit Verdot, Malbec, Merlot, and Petite Sirah—most from the Napa Valley's Atlas Peak, Calistoga, Mt. Veeder, and St. Helena subappellations. All are served in an elegant, exuberant tasting room designed by St. Helena's internationally acclaimed Erin Martin or in several outdoor spaces. All tastings require a reservation.