322 Best Sights in Napa and Sonoma, California

A boutique operation with a loyal following, Black Kite makes cool-climate Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs critics often score in the mid-90s. The grapes come from prestigious Sonoma Coast and Anderson Valley sites and the estate Jasper Freestone Vineyard, planted across the Bohemian Highway from the winery’s wood-clad hospitality house. The Freestone vineyard and hospitality space are named for surveyor Jasper O'Farrell, who owned much of the town in the 19th century. Longtime winemaker Jeff Gaffner crafts the Black Kite wines to last, but they're drinkable upon release. All visits are by appointment.  The winery also conducts tastings at its Windsor production facility.

Founders Tom and Sally Jordan erected the French-style château here in part to emphasize their goal of producing a single Russian River Valley Chardonnay and Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon each year to rival ones from the Napa Valley and France itself. Since taking the helm, their son John has overseen replanting much of the estate vineyard and a shift to all-French barrels for aging, further elevating quality. A sampling of the two current releases (and the estate olive oil) and a winery tour that includes a tasting are offered year-round. As part of these experiences and a few seasonal events, the executive chef prepares small bites and dishes whose ingredients come mainly from Jordan's organic garden. All visits are by appointment.

Pinot Noirs from the Russian River Valley and Humboldt County to the north are the strong suit of this winery sourcing from prestigious vineyards like Bootlegger’s Hill and Hallberg Ranch. Owner-winemaker Adrian Manspeaker spearheaded the winery's foray into Pinot Noir grown in his native Humboldt's coastal redwood country. His downtown Forestville tasting room provides the opportunity to experience what's unique about the grape's next Northern California frontier. Manspeaker also makes two Zinfandels; lighter wines include a Sauvignon Blanc, two Chardonnays, Vermentino, sparkling wines, and a rosé of Pinot Noir.   A wine educator conducts vineyard tastings from spring to mid-fall involving a tour or picnic lunch.

The purchase by LVMH's Moet Hennessey Wine Estates portfolio of the winery that Joseph Phelps founded in 1973 reinforced the Napa Valley's stature as an international luxury-lifestyle player. Phelps produces excellent whites, along with Pinot Noirs from its Sonoma Coast vineyards, but the blockbusters are the Bordeaux-style reds, particularly the Cabernet Sauvignons and Insignia, a luscious-yet-subtle Cab-dominant blend. Insignia, which consistently receives high scores from critics, is always among the current releases poured at the seated Founder’s Tasting, often held on a terrace overlooking grapevines and oaks. Other experiences, including wine and food pairings, unfold inside the main redwood structure, a classic of 1970s Northern California architecture.

Since decamping for California, Hoosier winemaker Erik Miller, who named his winery after his Indiana hometown, has raked in awards for his single-vineyard Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Grenache, Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, and a few other wines. Fans of the Pauline's Vineyard Grenache Rosé snag most of the supply within weeks of release. Some guests sit amid the potted plants fronting the industrial-parklike production facility, though the banter in the main tasting area, high rows of oak aging barrels its focal point, lures many inside. (The adjacent room for club members is a veritable party even midweek on some summer days.) Make an appointment if possible; call for same-day visits.

Wine Spectator christened a 2009 Pinot Noir by winery founders Dan Kosta and Michael Browne its wine of the year, securing their young brand's status as a premier Sonoma County producer. The duo departed in 2017, but the winery's zeal to create layered, intense-yet-refined single- and multivineyard Pinot Noirs and equally polished Chardonnays endures. Hosts conduct tastings of these collector-quality wines in well-appointed spaces amid the winery's facility in The Barlow maker complex.   Call for instructions or follow the website prompts to add your name to the winery’s mailing list, required to book a tasting.

Playful labels by artist Jeanne Greco, whose past clients include Aerosmith, Mattel (for Barbie), and the post office, are the first indication that something offbeat is afoot at Lang & Reed. The second: the wines themselves. In the land of Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and Cabernet Sauvignon, husband-wife owners John and Tracey Skupny focus on Cabernet Franc and Chenin Blanc. In making the former, John strives to create wines that are "delicious and fruity but not simple." He succeeds. Son Reed Skupny's worldwide quest for wine knowledge found him in the Loire Valley, eventually becoming obsessed with crafting noteworthy Chenin Blanc. His Chenins, clean on the palate with pleasing acidity, achieve his objective. Lang & Reed pours its wines in a restored Victorian, sometimes on its front porch. Tastings are by appointment.

Founded in 1895 but planted with grapes even before that by San Francisco's free-spirited Lillie Hitchcock Coit, Larkmead was named by her for the meadowlarks that once flitted upvalley. The 115-acre vineyard's diverse soils represent a microcosm of the entire Napa Valley, contributing to the luxuriant complexity of the Merlot-based Firebelle Bordeaux blend and the collector-worthy Solari Cabernet Sauvignon. The intuitive artistry underlying the wines also plays out in the hospitality building’s barn-chic design, the chalk pastels and other works by Kate Solari Baker, whose parents purchased Larkmead in 1948, and the colorful gardens her daughter, Ann, created. Most tastings begin with a brief tour passing by the 3-acre Research Block devoted to alternative grape types and viticultural techniques to cope with climate change, a long-standing concern.

Immaculately groomed grapevines dazzle the eye at John and Nancy Lasseter's 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. The estate Cabernet and another called Counterpoint are the stars at the downtown Glen Ellen tasting room, along with a rosé from the vineyard's oldest vines. The grapes for three whites come from sourced grapes.

The rocky clay soils of this winery's northeastern sliver of the Russian River Valley AVA combine with foggy mornings and evenings and hot sunny afternoons to create the swoon-worthy Zinfandels (critics love 'em) produced here. The estate 1910 Block Zinfandel comes from old-style head-trained vines planted more than a century ago. Fruit from this block adds richness and depth to the flagship Russian River Zinfandel, whose grapes also come from nearby sources. You can taste Limerick Lane's Zins and a few Rhône-style wines in or outside a restored stone farm building with vineyard and Mayacamas Mountains views. Tastings are by appointment; call ahead for same-day visits.

Busy enough throughout the day, the hip-casual downtown tasting room and sidewalk patio of vintners Matt and Sara Licklider often fill up after 5 pm, when service shifts and only wine by the glass or bottle is offered (no flights), and their peers from other indie wineries materialize to unwind. Lioco produces Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and "outliers" like Cortese, an Italian white, and old-vine Valdiguié, a French red. Matt describes the wines as "high tension, high energy," intentionally "a little more fresh and zingy,” partly because the grapes are harvested on the early side, when acidity is still high. An additional benefit: the wines are also lower in alcohol. Matt and Sara are often on hand to share their story, with vinyl from their collection providing the soundtrack.

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.

The elegance and attention to detail in this West County winery's landscaping and contemporary architecture extends to the wine-making. Expect handcrafted Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs with long luxurious finishes, especially on the Pinots. Well-informed pourers in the indoor and outdoor spaces serve patrons enjoying garden and vineyard views of the 100-acre estate. Tastings can include cheese, charcuterie, caviar, or a full lunch. The Quail Hill Vineyard Pinot Noir, a blend of some or all of the 15 clones grown in the vineyard just outside, consistently performs well, but all the wines are exceptional. Tastings are by appointment.

In spring 2025, more than 50 years after its founding, the Napa Valley Museum unveiled a new flagship location with an expanded reprise of its highly praised exhibition about chef Julia Child that toured nationally for several years. The show (which runs until early March 2026) and another to follow about three generations of Wyeth family artists (through mid-September 2026) are typical of the temporary exhibitions presented in the largest of three galleries totaling 4,000 square feet. The MAC shares a warehouselike space 1½ miles south of Main Street's shops and restaurants with Under-study, a gourmet marketplace with coffee and prepared foods from the team at Press Napa Valley next door. The museum's well-curated shows often surprise with their cultural insights or the artistry involved.

The mission of founder and master brewer Nile Zacherle, who works at a Pritchard Hill winery when he's not at the brewery, isn't merely to make great beers. He and his wife, Whitney Fisher, succeed at that, but they also create what they call "origin specific beers," with each label listing every ingredient's source, from hops to barley to water. The beers' label art and names, among them The Wind and the Sun and The Donkey and the Thistle, derive from a centuries-old Aesop's Fables edition. Tastings take place where the barrel-aged beers are brewed.

Master brewer Nile Zacherle opened this pint-sized tap house to showcase the barrel-aged, unfiltered, naturally carbonated lagers and ales he and his wife, Whitney Fisher, produce. Both winemakers at ultrapremium labels, they apply the same concepts of terroir (how climate, geology, and other factors influence wines) to their hops, barley, and water sources, providing the information about each brew. With more than a dozen beers on tap or in bottle, there’s a style for most tastes. Mad Fritz also sells “origin coffee” and serves espresso on-site. Check the website or call to reserve a tour of Mad Fritz’s St. Helena brewery.

The winery's name references the Sonoma Coast fog rolling off the Pacific, allowing Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes to ripen more slowly than further inland. With spare elegance, the loungelike tasting room's soft lighting, soothing white tones, and alternately gray, dark brown, and light mahogany hues also evoke the shoreline. The winemaker and owner have worked together previously; this project evolved out of a yearning to craft cool-climate, appellation-specific wines from high-pedigree sites.  Flights are poured until 5 pm, after which hosts serve wines by the glass (no reservations taken) until closing.

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.

Mathew and Tony Bruno, Italian-American brothers whose grandfather introduced them to wine making via his homemade efforts, renovated a roadside mid-1890s Queen Anne–style residence into a designer showcase for their highly regarded wines. They source grapes for a Blanc de Blancs sparkler, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, rosé of Grenache, Pinot Noir, and Cabernet Sauvignon from several Napa and Sonoma appellations, but there's a strong Rutherford connection: 2 miles from the Queen Anne, Mrs. Thomas Rutherford, the wife of the town's namesake, planted the vineyard where the flagship Cab’s fruit grows. As eye-catching as the tasting room's interiors are, the back porch's vineyard views southeast to Atlas Peak steal the show. Tasting options include all whites, all reds, and pairings with chocolate or cheese and charcuterie. The hospitality is first-rate.

Winemaker Clay Mauritson's Swedish ancestors planted grapes in what is now the Rockpile appellation in the 1880s. Much of the original homestead lies submerged under human-made Lake Sonoma, but the remaining acres produce the distinctive Zinfandels for which Mauritson is best known. Cabernet Sauvignon, other red Bordeaux grapes, Syrah, and Petite Sirah grow here as well, but the Zinfandels in particular illustrate how Rockpile's varied climate and hillside soils produce vastly different wines, some soft and almost Pinotlike, others more tannic. The Mauritsons also grow grapes in Alexander Valley, Chalk Hill, and Dry Creek Valley, where the winery and tasting room are located.

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.

The ranch, which began making extra-virgin olive oil before expanding into wine, hosts flights of both products on a flagstone patio with views of hillside trees and a pond attracting egrets and herons. A Pinot Noir and the Red Piano Syrah stand out among the several reds, but with the Wildflower blend of three Italian white grapes, a Viognier, and still and sparkling rosés, guests can choose a flight of all lighter wines. A retail store with a window onto the olive-oil milling facility sells a body product that made the Oprah’s Favorite Things 2024 list. Visits require an appointment.  You can preorder lunch to accompany any tasting. Walkabout Ranch Tours take in vineyards, gardens, and a high-ceilinged Chinese pavilion.

A participant in a worldwide movement promoting earth-friendly regenerative farming techniques, this winery established in 1998 produces small-lot wines from organic grapes grown at 338-acre Bell Mountain Ranch. The estate Cabernet Sauvignons garner the most acclaim, but the other wines—among them a brut-style sparkler, a Chardonnay, two Sauvignon Blancs, and Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Merlot, and Syrah reds—are also well made. In addition to a standard tasting, you can book an evocative self-guided audio tour or experience the ranch on an excursion led by a wine educator. Ames Morison, the winery's eloquent co-founder and winemaker for the first two decades, leads vineyard walks on Fridays. Visits require an appointment. Closer to Healdsburg, Medlock Ames operates a tasting room in a converted century-old country store.

On a ranch farmed by the same family for five generations, this resolutely old-school winery produces restrained low-alcohol Zinfandels. Aged in French oak and elegant in ways Zinfandel often is not, they score well in competitions and with critics. Two other notable bottlings are a Russian River Pinot Noir from Swan clone grapes and the estate Dry Creek Valley Cabernet. These crackerjack wines would be worth a trip on their own, but getting to know the family behind them—Doug and Lee Nalle, who founded this small operation, and their son Andrew, the current winemaker, and daughter-in-law April, a viticulturist—makes a visit all the more fulfilling, as does seeing the aboveground, rosemary-covered "living roof" wine-aging "cellar." 

A corral out front, antique barns, and a farm-style windmill add horse-country flair to this winery renowned for its smooth, almost sensual, single-vineyard Cabernet Sauvignons. Some of the best derive from the home-base Oakville AVA, including the John C. Sullenger Vineyard, which surrounds the property's 1884 Queen Anne residence. Cabernets from other Napa Valley appellations supply the contrast. For the splurge Terroir Tasting, hosts introduce six Cabernets, paired with charcuterie and artisanal cheeses, describing how each vineyard's distinctive soils and microclimates influence the finished product. Other tastings explore similar issues less comprehensively. Cabernet lovers won't want to miss this sister winery to elegant Far Niente Winery.

The estate's name means "our view," and you'll likely deem the perspective magnificent wherever you taste. The Russian River Valley sprawls below the Block 23 Terrace tasting area; egrets and otters cavort in the Lakeshore Pavilion, where other experiences unfold; and Mt. St. Helena looms eastward at The Summit, the 710-acre property's highest point. Chardonnays and Rhône-style reds are two strengths, and there's a vibrant Pinot Noir. The best of the Rhônes, the GSM (Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre), comes from the slice of Notre Vue in the Chalk Hill AVA (the rest is Russian River Valley).

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.

Two guys who met while on Sonoma State University's rowing team opened this craft brewery, named for a rugged redwood-lined road in West Sonoma County. It's worth the 10-mile drive south from Santa Rosa to Rohnert Park, where enthusiastic staffers pour beers from kettle sours and a Czech-style pilsner to a rye IPA and an oatmeal-milk stout. Old Caz ferments smaller specialty brews at its family- and pet-friendly indoor-outdoor brewpub but makes most of its beers at a production facility nearby.  The kitchen opens for weekday lunch; diverse food trucks appear for dinner on weekdays and all day on weekends.

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.