322 Best Sights in Napa and Sonoma, California

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.

The reputation of this winery whose name means "friends" in French rests on its Chardonnays, Pinot Noirs, and Syrahs. Copain occupies an enviable slope in Northern Sonoma County—one that begs guests to sit, sip, and take in the Russian River Valley view—but for years most of its wines derived from grapes grown in hillside vineyards near the coast in Monterey and Mendocino counties. Since the winery's purchase by Jackson Family Wines, fruit from the Russian River Valley and Sonoma Coast has joined the mix.

After leading an effort to revive a local winery, Lloyd Davis, an African American financier and oenophile, turned his attention to making the experience of learning about wine and food-wine pairings less daunting. To that end he opened a light-filled space for tastings of Sonoma County wines guests can pair with cheeses or small bites. The lineup includes a brut rosé sparkler, a Chardonnay, a Sauvignon Blanc, a rosé of Pinot Noir, and several reds. Corner 103's welcoming atmosphere makes it an excellent choice for wine novices seeking to expand their knowledge.

Inside Yountville's whitewashed 19th-century passenger train depot, Cornerstone shares a space with an apparel shop and displays contemporary art. The winery produces Cabernet Sauvignons from the valley's benchland and mountain sections. Because each Cabernet receives similar treatment from winemaker Kari Auringer, the wines express what's unique about their subappellations, vineyard sources, and vintages. Cornerstone is a good place to find out what type of Napa Valley Cabernet you prefer—perhaps the smooth Benchlands blend, in recent years softened with Merlot and Cabernet Franc, or maybe the sturdier yet still lush Howell Mountain offering, usually 100% Cabernet.

Cabernet Sauvignons expressing "power and elegance" and "a deep sense of place" are the main event at this winery jointly owned by businessman Charlie Crocker and founding winemaker Pam Starr. The wine-making team also crafts sparkling wine, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Franc, and Malbec. Crocker & Starr was established in 1997, but James Dowdell, a St. Helena wine pioneer, planted grapes and built a winery and a brandy facility on this land in the late 1800s. Seated tastings, one of current releases, the other exploring the estate reds, take place in an arbor steps from the winery. Appointments are recommended; call ahead for same-day.

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.

One of the Dry Creek Valley's least pretentious wineries, David Coffaro specializes in red blends and single-varietal wines from grapes grown on a 20-acre estate. Zinfandel and Petite Sirah are strong suits, but Coffaro and his team also make wines using Lagrein, Aglianico, and other less-familiar grapes. These also find their way into his unique blends, including the Rhône-style Terre Melange, with Peloursin added to the usual Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvèdre mix.

Pinot Noir and Rhône-style wines are this winery’s specialties. Owner-winemaker Guy Davis crafts all the Pinots the same way—aiming to let vineyard conditions and the specific clones of Pinot Noir find expression in the bottle—and wine critics routinely praise the results of this humble approach. Other reds include the estate Soul Patch Vineyard Syrah and the Sage blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, and Merlot. On the lighter side, Davis makes a Chardonnay, a rosé, and the flagship Cuvée Luke blend of Roussanne, Marsanne, Viognier, and Picpoul. The winery hosts tastings at its industrial-park production facility.

Winemaker Robert Rex of Deerfield produces "clean wines"—low in histamines and sulfites—the better to eliminate the headaches and allergic reactions some red-wine drinkers experience. Rex accomplishes this with no loss of flavor or complexity: his wines are bold and fruit-forward, with a long finish. To sip ones that include several Bordeaux-style reds, Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc, and the White Rex white blend, guests walk deep into a 23,000-square-foot cave for a seated tasting in a relaxed, loungelike space. Reservations are required.

Best known for Russian River Valley Pinot Noirs, DeLoach also produces Chardonnays, old-vine Zinfandels, and a few other wines. Grapes for some reds are fermented in open-top wooden vats similar to those used in France for centuries to intensify a wine's flavor. On a self-guided tour of the winery's ½-acre Theater of Nature culinary garden, you can learn the role biodynamic farming plays in creating DeLoach wines.  The Kathleen Thompson Hill Kitchen Memories Collection, worth a look, contains cooking utensils of nostalgic and historical value.

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.

The maverick wineries sharing this exposed-brick tasting space a few storefronts south of Sonoma Plaza produce reasonably priced low-intervention wines and ciders. Northern California vineyards and orchards farmed sustainably or regeneratively supply most of the fruit. An intentionally communal spot to learn about the natural wine movement that eschews commercial fermentation and aging techniques, it feels more coffee shop than wine bar, so much so that you’re apt to find a local tapping away on a laptop at one of the well-spaced wooden tables.

Loire-style Sauvignon Blanc marketed as Fumé Blanc brought instant success to the Dry Creek Valley's first new winery since Prohibition, but this stalwart established in 1972 also does well with wines from Zinfandel and Cabernet Sauvignon. Founder David Stare's other contributions include leading the drive to develop the Dry Creek Valley appellation and coining the term "old-vine Zinfandel." The winery's history and wine-making evolution are among the topics addressed at tastings—outdoors under the shade of a magnolia and several redwoods or in the nautical-themed tasting room.

Merlot's moment in the sun may have passed, but you wouldn't know it at Duckhorn, whose wines from this grape routinely score well. The Portfolio Tasting, a solid introduction to the label, might begin with a Sauvignon Blanc and a Chardonnay before moving on to Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and a Cabernet Sauvignon or two. The elevated Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Tasting explores the differences between vineyard sites. Sometime in 2026, this location will close for renovations, with hospitality moving to an affiliated space in Yountville. When the St. Helena facility reopens in 2027, both tasting rooms will host experiences.

Halfway between Guerneville and the Pacific Ocean, this small town named for a sawmill that thrived here in the late 1800s is a popular pit stop for cyclists jonesing for coffee and aficionados of quirky retail. Antiques and gift shops can be found on the highway's north side, along with a general store, a petite bookstore, and a longtime local's casual wine-tasting venue. Guerneville and Jenner have better food options, though Cape Fear Café (north side) and the Gold Coast Bakery and Blue Heron Restaurant (south) have their adherents.

Midwesterner Debra Mathy's farmhouse-style hospitality space is magazine pretty, but the overall feel is welcoming, with walk-in bar tastings usually possible and picnicking encouraged at tables facing the 35-acre property's Chardonnay vines. Mathy and winemaker Nick Briggs pride themselves on the winery's high-quality grape sources—four estate vineyards plus stars like Chenoweth for Chardonnay, Bacigalupi for Chardonnay and Zinfandel, and Bucher for Pinot Noir. Among other wines, Briggs makes Cabernet Sauvignons, Syrahs, and seven other Zinfandels from equally fine fruit.

Although its neighbors Inglenook and Beaulieu are far older, this winery claims a slice of Rutherford history: guests enter the verdant courtyard tasting area via the town’s 1872 redbrick former post office. Geographical and varietal diversity is a primary goal, with grapes from Napa, Sonoma, and Mendocino going into reds that include Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Pinot Noir, and Syrah. Viognier often stands out among the several whites.

The perks of staying at the Four Seasons Napa Valley include the resort's on-site winery and 4.7 acres of vines, but the classy-rustic hospitality center also welcomes nonguests. One goal of consulting winemaker Thomas Rivers Brown is to bring more attention to the Calistoga AVA’s virtues, particularly the appellation's volcanic soils. The supple reds on-site winemaker Jonathan Walden creates from them—the Cabernet Franc from Kenefick Ranch next door and a few single-vineyard Cabernet Sauvignons among them—prove this mission worthwhile. A talented upvalley chef oversees the wine-and-food pairings. 

Old-timers recall the superb apples grown at 115-acre Hallberg Ranch, since 2000 an elite Pinot Noir vineyard. Winery founder Brice Jones coveted this land for its temperate climate and layer of Goldridge sandy loam soil atop a bed of Sebastopol clay loam. Along with dry-farming (no irrigation), this soil combination forces vine roots to work hard to obtain water, yielding berries concentrated with flavor. Less than 10 miles from Hallberg, the winery farms the 30-acre estate Pinot Hill Vineyard, whose wines are often denser and more complex. Hosts at the ranch's contemporary tasting room pour Pinots, a Pinot Noir Blanc, and a Pinot rosé, retracting its floor-to-ceiling windows in good weather to create an extended open-air space steps from the vines.

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. 

Hamden McIntyre, a prominent architect of his era responsible for Inglenook and other 19th-century wineries, designed the centerpiece 1885 stone winery here. Abandoned in the wake of Prohibition and only revived beginning in 1979, Far Niente now ranks as one of the Napa Valley's most beautiful properties. Guests booking a private tasting learn some of this history while sipping Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, a Pinot Noir from the affiliated EnRoute label, and Dolce, a late-harvest white dessert wine. Another session takes in the winery and its aging caves, while the Cave Collection library tasting pairs older vintages with seasonal bites. Nearly 200 ginkgo trees lining the driveway glow a vibrant yellow in fall.

An architect's spirited redesign of an 1876 Victorian—brooding exterior and heavy ground-floor hues contrasting with bright, open, and airy upstairs spaces—mimics the dark-and-light themes of Germany's Faust legend. Up a terraced hill from Highway 29, Faust Haus serves as a showcase for estate Coombsville AVA wines like The Pact (as in Faust's pact with the devil), a balanced, fruit-forward Cabernet Sauvignon critics love for its complexity. Tastings, some including wine-friendly food, unfold inside the house or on exterior terraces, one of which looks east to Howell Mountain.

Known for its grand Italian villa and manicured gardens, this winery produces Chardonnays, Sauvignon Blancs, Pinot Noirs, Cabernet Sauvignons, and several other wines. Although whites have traditionally been the specialty, the reds—particularly the Bordeaux-style blend called Trésor—also garner attention, and some guests come just for the dessert wines. The villa's terrace and sycamore grove host many tastings.

Sonoma County’s only female Black-owned winery occupies a 30-acre east-facing slope, formerly an apple orchard, above the verdant Laguna de Santa Rosa. Proprietor Rosalind Manoogian and her French-born winemaker, Jérôme Chéry, produce food-friendly Chardonnays, Pinot Noirs, and a Pinot Noir rosé. In good weather, nearly everyone takes to the patio to drink in the vineyard and Russian River Valley views. Musicians, usually smooth jazz, perform on some summer weekends. From Monday to Thursday, the winery requires reservations made at least a day ahead; they're recommended on weekends, though walk-ins are accepted when possible.

The famous film director sold his namesake winery, but the hospitality complex he once called his "wine wonderland" still contains memorabilia from his movies and those of other Coppola family members. A bandstand reminiscent of one in The Godfather Part II is the centerpiece of a large pool area, where in season you can rent a cabine (changing room with shower) and bask poolside, perhaps ordering food from the adjacent café. The more elaborate Rustic restaurant overlooks the vineyards. Walk-ins are welcome to view the movie exhibits and sip a few of the winery's 40-plus wines at the bar, but reservations are recommended for seated experiences.

Former Disney film and television executive Rich Frank founded his namesake winery in 1992, but the wine-making history here dates to the 19th century—portions of an original 1884 structure, reclad in stone in 1906, remain standing today. Frank Family makes sparkling wines, as did Hanns Kornell on this site for nearly four decades. The high-profile wines, though, are the Carneros Chardonnay and several Cabernet Sauvignons, particularly the RHF and Winston Hill blends. Tastings, some held in the glass-walled vineyard's-edge Miller House hospitality barn, are sit-down affairs.

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.

The large retractable windows of this boutique winery's barnlike tasting space open up to views of Cabernet Sauvignon vines—in fine weather, guests on the outdoor deck can practically touch them. Goosecross makes two Chardonnays and a Pinot Noir from Carneros fruit, but the soul of this cordial operation is its 12-acre State Lane Vineyard, planted with red Bordeaux grapes. A Cabernet Sauvignon and a Merlot from State Lane are the stars, along with the Holly's Block 100% Cab and the Aeros blend of the vineyard's best blocks. The last two aren't always poured, but the intentionally big Branta red wine or a Tempranillo tempered by Viognier usually is. Appointments are advised for weekend visits.

Wineries without their own production equipment often make wine at communal "custom-crush" facilities. Many such places don't have tasting rooms open to the public, but at Grand Cru you can book a Vintners' Selection of several wineries' offerings or a private tasting of one label's wines. If you go the latter route, Maritana Vineyards, Bucher Wines, Bruliam Wines, and Saxon Brown Wines for Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays (also Cabernets for the first one and Zinfandels for the last three) are worth seeking out. Vintners and winemakers often host their winery’s tastings.