322 Best Sights in Napa and Sonoma, California

In 1972, James O'Neil Sullivan, a Hollywood graphic designer, moved his family to Rutherford to make Cabernet Sauvignon. Most of his wines came from grapes planted on his 26-acre estate, to which Mexico City–born Juan Pablo Torres Padilla, managing partner of a group that purchased the winery in 2018, added vineyards in Napa and St. Helena. Grapevines, a small lake bordered by a landscaped garden, and the 1978 Arts and Crafts–style home architect John Marsh Davis cantilevered over the vineyard supply a pastoral backdrop for leisurely appointment-only tastings, the most expensive of which involves Merlot, another Sullivan focus.

Scott and Marta Rich invite guests to embark on “a Pinot tasting adventure" at their storefront tasting room inside Glen Ellen's oldest commercial building. The two have well more than half a century of wine-industry experience between them, he in the vineyard and cellar, she on the business end, and their deep knowledge informs their lovingly crafted, predominantly single-vineyard wines. With grapes hailing from several Sonoma County appellations and a few farther afield, the wines are made in small lots, usually a few hundred cases. Scott intervenes as little as possible during wine making to evoke a sense of place in the glass, but his oak aging and other sage choices elevate the finished product.

The sought-after consultant Thomas Rivers Brown oversees the collector-quality Cabernets of this winery on Diamond Mountain's northern slope. The Voir Dire Cabernet Sauvignon (one owner practices law), the luxury brand's layered and silky flagship, comes from the property's oldest vines. Younger plantings produce fruit for the friskier Hawk's Prey Cab and mellifluous Merlot, with Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and Syrah wines coming from a high-elevation estate in Sonoma County's Moon Mountain District. Tastings, some involving food, are held in a red replica barn with Mt. St. Helena views; Brown and on-site winemaker Andy Jones ply their craft inside a contemporary high-tech facility nearby. Two restored structures, one a schoolhouse, date to the 19th century. Appointments, always required, are best booked a week or more ahead.

The grapes for the Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs of Three Sticks come from six estate vineyards, including Durell and Gap's Crown, of winery founder Bill Price. Winemaker Ryan Prichard also crafts Rhône-style wines that bear the Casteñeda label in honor of the restored 1842 Vallejo-Casteñeda Adobe, where the entire lineup is poured. A noted designer transformed the structure, Sonoma's longest-occupied residence, into a lavish refined showcase. Seated private tastings might unfold at a long elm table inside the adobe or a cast-stone one under a willow-covered arbor. The winery's food pairings, which rank among Sonoma County's best, demonstrate the wines' versatility. Two Chardonnay-only sessions, one involving caviar, the other oysters, are offered seasonally; a superb year-round pairing includes Pinot Noir.

If you miss the driveway to Tom and Kerry Eddy's hillside slice of paradise, you'll soon find yourself in Sonoma County—their tree-studded 22-acre property is that far north. Tom, the winemaker, and Kerry, a sommelier and talented sculptor who hosts most tastings, pour their wines by appointment. Except for the estate Kerry's Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, the grapes come from sources as near as Calistoga and as far as New Zealand. A 1974 UC Davis graduate, Tom crafts mountain Cabernets with structure and elegance. They're the winery's stars, but he also produces several whites and Malbec, Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, and other reds. A visit here is enchanting.

Down a country lane less than 2 miles south of Healdsburg Plaza, James MacPhail's modest production facility seems well away from the upscale fray. MacPhail makes wines for Sangiacomo and other labels, but Tongue Dancer's Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs are handcrafted labors of love. From choice vineyard sites, the small-lot wines impress—sometimes stun—with their grace, complexity, and balance. The flagship Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir is poured at most tastings. Either the winemaker or his co-owner and wife, Kerry Forbes-MacPhail will host you, their aim to "create an approachable experience for guests we hope will leave as friends." It's best to book a day or more ahead.

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.

The sight of sheep, guinea hens, a garden, pomegranate and other trees, and a slew of birds and bees at Tres Sabores—not to mention the heaping purple compost pile—reinforces a simple point: despite the Napa Valley's penchant for glamour this is, first and foremost, farm country. Owner-winemaker Julie Johnson specializes in single-vineyard wines that include Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel from estate-grown certified-organic Rutherford bench vines. She also excels with Petite Sirahs from dry-farmed Calistoga fruit, two whites, and the zippy ¿Por Qué No? ("Why not?") red blend. Tres sabores is Spanish for "three flavors," which to Johnson represents the land, her vines, and, as she puts it, "the spirit of the company around the table.” Appointment-only tastings are usually held outside.

It'd be easy to confuse this winery for its more famous neighbor to the north, Cakebread Cellars—William Turnbull designed the original buildings at each. Founded by the architect in 1979 and owned since 1993 by Patrick O’Dell, Turnbull produces richly textured Cabernets from Oakville and Calistoga vineyards. Winemaker Peter Heitz plays light with French oak or, in some cases, handmade Italian amphorae. Guests sip his estate wines indoors among curated shows of works from O'Dell's art and photography collection or outside on landscaped patios surrounded by vineyards. The social-media-friendly backdrops make for enticing shots, but there's an older Napa gentility to this appointment-only winery that even many locals haven't gotten around to visiting. Beat them to the punch—this place is worth it.

In 2009, after participating in various aspects of the wine business—working in tasting rooms, as a harvest intern, at a wineshop, and at a custom-crush wine-making facility—Matt Duffy bought a ton of Pinot Noir grapes and launched Vaughn Duffy with his wife, Sara Vaughn. That first Pinot Noir garnered positive reviews. Since then, the two have added Pinot Noir blends and single-vineyard wines, along with Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, rosé of Pinot Noir, and Zinfandel. Poured at the label’s small tasting space, they’re reasonably priced given the high quality.

A consultant to a dozen wineries, Kirk Venge is an acknowledged master of fruit-forward but balanced Cabernet-heavy Bordeaux-style blends. At his casual ranch-house tasting room, flights that might start with Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Merlot, or Zinfandel set the stage for the Cabernet Sauvignons. With its views of the estate Bone Ash Vineyard and, west across the valley, Diamond Mountain, the ranch house's porch would make for a magical perch even if Venge's wines weren't treasures themselves. Tastings are by appointment, with same-day visits unlikely.

Set amid Chalk Hill's rolling countryside, Vérité earns consistently high scores for three collector-worthy Bordeaux-style blends—La Muse (Merlot-forward), La Joie (Cabernet Sauvignon), and Le Désir (Cabernet Franc)—whose grapes come from estate properties in four Sonoma County appellations. Since 2013, sixth-generation French-born winemaker Pierre Seillan has crafted these gems with his daughter, Hélène, and with no drop-off in quality: a top critic bestowed 100 points on her debut vintage. Tastings end with Le Diamante, a Sauvignon Blanc. The French-style hospitality makes a visit here enchanting. Appointments, required, are best made a week ahead.

Sophisticated whimsy is on full display at Chateau Potelle's tasting room. Jean-Noel Fourmeaux, the winery’s bon vivant owner, fashioned this jewel of a space out of a nondescript bungalow south of downtown St. Helena. The residence, decorated with contemporary art (some wine-themed), is the scene of leisurely paced, sit-down, appointment-only tastings, some accompanied by gourmet bites from Napa's La Toque restaurant. On Fridays, the chefs prepare a three-course lunch paired with six wines. Fourmeaux prefers fruit grown at higher elevations because he believes the extended ripening time grapes require in a cooler environment produces more complex and flavorful wines. His Cabernet Sauvignons and other reds support this thesis. The Chardonnays star among the whites.

On a 92-acre property with valley views west to the Mayacamas range, this boutique winery partway up Howell Mountain was established in 1986. Founder Delia Viader bucked conventional wisdom by planting her vines vertically down a 32% slope instead of terracing them horizontally. Smooth and supple yet intense and aromatic, the three principal red blends, these days assembled by her son Alan, are similarly atypical in that they're not, per Delia, "trying to hijack your palate with high tannins or alcohol." A curving knoll of oaks, madrones, and manzanitas separating two vineyard sections holds the winery and nearby appointment-only tasting room. The latter's vistas and terrace are as alluring as the much-sought-after wines.

Fans of this down-home winery's flagship Petite Sirah snap it up so quickly that visitors to the plywood-paneled tasting room have to buy "futures" of wines still aging in barrels. The same holds true for other small-lot wines. Founder Vincent Arroyo replaced a prune orchard with Petite Sirah and Cabernet Sauvignon, and later Zinfandel, the winery's top sellers. Later came more acreage and Merlot, Tempranillo, Sangiovese, Chardonnay, and other grapes. These days, Vince's daughter, Adrian, and her husband—the current winemaker, Matthew Moye—own and run the appointment-only winery. The presentation here is charmingly old-school.

This valley-floor winery’s name and collector-worthy J.H. Wheeler label celebrate the Wheeler family, who owned a much larger parcel in the late 19th century. The current 11-acre property contains a flower and culinary garden, a small fruit orchard, and 7-plus acres of mostly Cabernet Sauvignon, all farmed organically and biodynamically. One of two contemporary stained-cedar buildings holds a state-of-the-art winery and cellar, the other a handsome hospitality center. The latter space, with views north through floor-to-ceiling windows to Mt. St. Helena, comes off more upscale Wine Country living room than tasting venue. One experience involves small bites, two others full lunches. Appointments are required; call for same-day visits.

Don't be surprised if someone in tie-dye greets you at the downtown salon of this winery whose labels psychedelic art whiz Stanley Mouse—known for his rock posters and Grateful Dead album covers—designs. The hippie ethos that begat the 1960s back-to-the-land movement survives and thrives in the wines, whose grapes come from vineyards cofounder Phil Coturri manages. Dubbed the "Wizard of Green” by Wine Spectator magazine, Coturri is an expert at organic and biodynamic viticulture. Grenache is a particular jam, but he coaxes the best out of whatever fruit he tends. Hosts pouring rosé, a Rhône white blend, Grenache, Zinfandel, Syrah, Cabernet Franc, or other wines are happy to explain Coturri's wine-growing philosophy—but only after you've selected some vinyl (classic jazz or rock) to accompany your session.

Sister-and-brother team Lisa and Mark Mazzoni (she runs the business, he makes the wines) debuted their small winery's first vintage in 2014, but their Italian-American family's wine-making heritage stretches back more than a century. Zialena specializes in estate-grown Zinfandel and Cabernet Sauvignon wines, some of whose lush mouthfeel derives from techniques Mark absorbed while working for the international consultant Philippe Melka. The Zin and Cab grapes, along with Sauvignon Blanc and Sangiovese for the seductive rosé, come from the 120-acre Mazzoni Vineyard, from which labels like Jordan also source fruit.

Most winery owners would love to be in Steve Zichichi's shoes: wines from his flagship vineyard, some of whose vines were planted in the 1920s during Prohibition, are largely sold out before they're bottled. As a result, customers of this northern Dry Creek Valley operation taste some wines while they're still aging in barrels and purchase "futures" available for shipping or pickup months or more later. The highlight, only sometimes available for tasting, is the Old Vine Zinfandel. Zichichi makes another Zinfandel and a Petite Sirah from his main vineyard and one of each from another Dry Creek property. There's also a 100% Cabernet from the Chalk Hill appellation. Tastings, by appointment, often take place on a porch overlooking the historic vines.

For her passion project, sixth-generation vintner Katie Bundschu, also involved in her family's historic Gundlach Bundschu winery, focuses on wines made from organic grapes grown in other family-owned, predominantly Sonoma County vineyards. Most of the wines are old-style field blends in which different types of grapes from the same vineyard are fermented and aged together rather than separately, as is more common these days. A recent vintage of the Makeshift red—Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, and Souzao, a Portuguese grape—hints at the experimentation going on here. You can sample the wines at a garden estate whose grape-growing history dates back nearly as far as the Bundschu family's.

Except for the production facility backing into tree-lined Sausal Creek, this family-owned winery's Mission-style hospitality space might be confused for an upscale residence, not inappropriate considering the founders' zeal to make guests feel, as one host describes, "like you're stepping into a friend or family member's home who just happens to have really cool wines." They're also well made, especially the Merlot-heavy Deeds proprietary red blend of Alexander Valley fruit and Russian River Valley Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Most of the wines, which also include Sauvignon Blanc, Zinfandel, and rosé of Zinfandel, are produced in lots of as small as two barrels (about 50 cases).

An upbeat atmosphere prevails in the tasting space of this winery founded by former race-car driver Kevin Buckler and his wife, Debra. To produce its mostly small-lot wines, Adobe Road sources grapes from top-tier growers, among them Beckstoffer for Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, and Merlot; and Sangiacomo for Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Syrah from the Petaluma Gap AVA. The Cabernet and Malbec shine. A new combination tasting room, winery, and car museum along the waterfront at C and 1st Streets should open by late 2025.

Occupying the 1840s homestead of Cyrus Alexander, the valley’s namesake, this winery known for the widely distributed Sin Zin produces wines from Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and a few more grapes. Tastings are old-Sonoma low-key; book Experience Cabernet Sauvignon to sample the Bordeaux-style blend Cyrus and other Cabs. Twice-daily free tours pass by the production facility and through caves dug deep into a nearby hillside. Daily vineyard hikes focusing on the land and the winery's history conclude with a box lunch and tasting.

Krystle and Jason Jorgensen make small-batch rye, single-malt whiskey, gin, peach liqueur, apple brandy, and candy-cap bitters in an industrial park distillery 2 miles north of Healdsburg Plaza. The rye derives its overlapping flavors from its "mash bill" of rye and malted barley aged in heavily charred American oak barrels that add further layers of spice and complexity. The Jorgensens pride themselves on crafting their spirits entirely on-site, from grain milling through bottling, a process they describe enthusiastically at their apothecarylike tasting room.

Reprising the greatest hits of Burgundy (Chardonnay, Pinot Noir) and the Rhône (Grenache, Syrah, Viognier), Anaba hosts guests in a whitewashed board-and-batten hospitality center whose breezeway frames windswept Coast Range views. When planning the tasting room and adjacent production facility, founder John Sweazey and son John Michael ordered solar panels that supply the winery's power, supplemented by a previously installed wind turbine. Lower on the radar than many of its Carneros District peers, Anaba receives high marks from critics for its wines, particularly the Roberts Road Pinot Noir, Bismark Vineyard Syrah, and late-harvest Viognier.

A narrow road meanders east from the Silverado Trail through Conn Valley to this 17-acre Howell Mountain estate. Grant Long Jr., its resourceful proprietor, made his first wine as a teen, starting his own label after proving his mettle at several Napa wineries. While guests sip on the cliffside tasting room's lofty deck, taking in views of vines sloping sharply into the valley, uniformly cheery staffers fill in the details of Long's compelling wine journey. The Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon and Mountains Proprietary Blend, both Napa Valley, and a Sierra Foothills Grenache-heavy blend stand out among a mostly reds lineup. Aonair (pronounced "ay-oh-nair”) advises making a reservation (required) at least a month ahead.

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.

The roadside tasting room of this producer of small-lot reds sits on the valley floor, but owner Brion Wise's winery and vineyards occupy prime Moon Mountain District acreage. The winery made its name crafting big bold Cabernets like the estate 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, later introducing Pinot Noirs from Northern California and Oregon. On the lighter side are two Chardonnays, two imported Champagnes, and a rosé named for Brion’s wife, Ronda. A tasting here may whet your appetite for a visit to the estate, by appointment only.

Other wineries purchase about 90% of the grapes the Balletto family grows on 800-plus acres, with the remainder destined for its own label's wines. The house style—light on the oak, high in acidity, and low in alcohol content—yields 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.

Brook Bannister's appreciation for his mother's wine-industry achievements inspired him to, as he puts it, forsake his career as a furniture maker "to keep her dream alive." That dream, which Martha "Marty" Bannister initiated in 1989, was to make layered, graceful, age-worthy wines. Brook continues this tradition with the core lineup of Chardonnay, Riesling, several Pinot Noirs, and Zinfandel, supplemented in recent years by wines from lesser-known grapes like Ribolla Gialla. The gallery-style tasting room, opened more than a century ago as a bank, is an enchanting space to learn more about this multigenerational labor of love.