Located less than two hours drive north of San Francisco, Napa Valley’s stunning vineyard vistas, balmy Mediterranean climate, world-class restaurants and top resorts make it irresistibly attractive. While Sonoma, a valley over, offers smaller, family-run visits with an experimental vibe, lead by younger winemakers and next-generation pioneers.
Getting around: Napa – two long roads running south to north: Highway 29 and Silverado Trail. Sonoma’s AVAs are scattered off the famed Route 101.
Napa Valley is easy to explore and understand, at least superficially. Drive its two main roads, Highway 29 to the West and the Silverado Trail to the East, and you will have seen the bulk of its vineyards and wineries. Napa’s sixteen appellations, known as American Viticultural Areas (AVAs) divide that acreage into distinct regions, all with a vinous voice of their own.
Harvest time at Ridge Vineyards. Credit: www.ridgewine.com
Sonoma’s eighteen appellations are more spread out, which makes Healdsburg, a charming small town in Russian River in the heart of Sonoma Wine Country, a fantastic base to explore the area from. Tasting rooms are dotted off the main square, and it’s a short drive to the Dry Creek, Alexander Valley, Russian River and Chalk Hill AVAs.
A brief history of change
If you have visited wineries around the globe you may have noticed them becoming slicker and more geared up for tourism with each visit, and it’s fair to say California was a beacon of how to offer a memorable experience to those starting off on their wine journey and aficionados alike. Cellar doors, wine clubs and tasting rooms overlooking stunning vineyard backdrops have become part of winery life.
Yet after re-opening post the global pandemic, a visit to gorgeously polished Napa Valley has changed in character again. The boutique wineries of Sonoma have also matured into their own distinct style. It is not just a cellar door visit any more.
Looking back to William Kelley’s Decanter article in 2016, he noted the price of each winery visit. While each tasting price increase has varied, many are well over double in price six years on. Another element of the article which retrospectively stands out is how few were noted as ‘by appointment’ when booking a visit: most asked to drop in or notify by calling ahead. Appointments are now the rule rather than the expectation, and all done online well in advance.
Napa and Sonoma wine experiences
We asked each winery to try and understand what had driven these changes, from a model that encouraged wine tasting and cellar door purchases, to what are now broadly referred to as ‘wine experiences’.
We saw ‘wine experiences’ ranging from a helicopter ride from San Francisco, to personal chefs and even a wine tasting with a day in a pool and spa.
A singular thread appeared pointing to the reopening after the pandemic. The area, on an average year, hosts four million visitors. Spend had been increasing, with more dollars by people who stayed – normally, international travellers. Yet as California reopened, affluent locals not able to travel started to take note of what was on their doorsteps: one of the most beautiful and well-renowned wine areas in the world.
Chateau Montelena, Napa Valley. Credit: www.montelena.com
Wine was not the primary reason for visiting, but an experience of the area and the lifestyle it offered. Wineries, keen to nurture this new-found enthusiasm, doubled down the focus on wine clubs and added wine experiences to their booking rosters. All this while trying to keep at arm’s length bachelorette parties and bar crawls coming out for a day out to over indulge in the local product. Price rises helped filter them out.
The second big change was the widespread use of an online booking system, perfect for preparing for Covid-friendly visits. After rules relaxed, online booking carried on to help wineries ensure staffing levels, control the flow of visitors and open up the type of experience that could be offered.
Many of the wineries reported experiences, especially in peak season, being fully booked out months in advance.
Top tip for Napa and Sonoma winery visits
Make a shortlist, budget and book in advance. Each winery’s website will have a page linking through to a booking system. Tock was one of the more popular and useful for seeing all your appointments in one place. Many wineries only open Thursday-Sunday, mainly to cater for the local trade who come up to the Valley for the weekend.
Top Napa and Sonoma wineries to visit:
With the explosion in styles of wine tasting, we’ve broken down the tastings and experiences into themes, and selected some of our favourites with a strong, unashamed bias on the quality of wines themselves.
For the wine tasters
Corison
Cathy Corison, who has been described as ‘the Queen of Cabernet’, founded her eponymous Rutherford winery in 1987 and has remained true to her vision of producing balanced, ageworthy Cabernet Sauvignon. The tasting takes place in a barn overlooking the Kronos Vineyard. The name is a hint to Cathy’s husband’s Greek roots. The wines are elegant, long lived and vintage driven making vertical tastings some of the most thought provoking wine tastings in Napa.
Tastings starting from: $75
Website: www.corison.com
Address: 987 St. Helena Highway, Saint Helena, CA 94574
The Lytton Springs vineyard at Ridge Vineyards. Credit: www.ridgewine.com
Ridge
Paul Draper is another giant name in the Californian wine industry producing the acclaimed Monte Bello Cabernet from a site south of San Francisco. Ridge also has built a following for some of the most consistently high quality Zinfandels in Sonoma. You can find their tasting room overlooking the Lytton Springs vineyard, only 15 minutes drive from Healdsburg. One of the best value tastings in the area, their flights will include the Estate Chardonnay, different site-specific Zins, and ours included a Mataro (Mourvèdre) and even a previous drop of Monte Bello.
Tastings starting from: $25
Website: www.ridgewine.com
Address: 650 Lytton Springs Road Healdsburg, California 95448
Schramsberg
Jack and Jamie Davies took this historic site near Calistoga and turned it into a winery that produces benchmark Californian sparkling wine using the Champagne Method. When your day might be dominated by Cabernet, the elegance and freshness of bubbles can be a welcome relief. Their tour takes you into the caves hand carved into rock over 100 years ago, explains the method of production, and ends with a tasting of their younger, and older cuvées. Add the Davies Vineyard wines to the tasting experience to try Pinots and Cabernets.
Tastings starting from: $50
Website: www.schramsberg.com
Address: 1400 Schramsberg Road, Calistoga, California 94515
Spotteswoode
This family-owned estate nestled up against Spring Mountain is one of Napa’s reference points for classic, elegant Cabs that can age gracefully for a number of years. A visit to its picturesque historic winery is not to be missed. Their Sauvignon Blanc is one of the best in the Valley and is capable of ageing.
Tastings starting from: $75
Website: www.spottswoode.com
Address: 1902 Madrona Avenue, St. Helena, California 94574
For the high-enders
Opus One
The project between Baron Philippe de Rothschild of Château Mouton Rothschild and Robert Mondavi started in the 1970s and is now one of the most iconic brands in Napa. The regal building is a luxurious place to taste a collector’s wine that some may not have a chance to try again in their lifetime. The basic Courtyard Experience costs $100 but for breathtaking views opt for the Opus One Experience in the Partners’ Room. With a private chef on-site, expect further fine dining options in the future.
Tastings starting from: $100
Website: www.opusonewinery.com
Address: 7900 St Helena Highway, Oakville, California 94562
Stag’s Leap in the Napa Valley. Credit: Ste. Michelle Wine Estates
Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars
Located off the Silverado Trail, Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars was in the group of wineries that helped put California wine on the map, winning the acclaimed Judgement of Paris red flight. Their three top bottlings are the FAY, S.L.V. and Cask 23, but not all tastings will feature these wines, so check the descriptions. The FAY visitor centre has stunning views of the vineyards and Stag’s Leap District. Tastings can crank all the way up on the dollar scale to include full culinary experiences with seasonal four-course tasting menus.
Tastings starting from: $50
Website: www.stagsleapwinecellars.com
Address: 5766 Silverado Trail, Napa, California 94558
Robert Mondavi Winery
The renowned winery sporting a family name synonymous with California has a diverse offering of art, food and wine experiences to choose from. Situated in Oakville, and nestled behind the To Kalon vineyard, you can sample their Estate Collection for $65 whilst casting your gaze over the vineyards and art sculptures. But, if you want to try the To Kalon range, it’s currently $125 and rising.
Tastings starting from: $65
Website: www.robertmondaviwinery.com
Address: 7801 Saint Helena Highway Oakville, California 94562
For the experimenters
Tank Garage Winery
Based in an old gas station from the 1930s there’s something refreshing about the sheer experimentation going on in the wines here and the break it offers from Cabernet. Y0u’ll find one-off bottlings, beautiful labels and the level of hip restoration of the Garage. Yes, the marketing is slick, but there is the same level of thought, creativity and experimentation in the bottlings, from natural wines and pét-nats to whites being made using carbonic maceration from El Dorado County. You won’t like all of them but that’s part of the fun. We didn’t expect to like it, but ended up loving it.
Tastings starting from: $30
Website: www.tankgaragewinery.com
Address: 1020 Foothill Blvd., Calistoga, California 94515
Matthieson
When Friuli-Venezia Giulia meets Napa. The tasting offers very good, leaner versions of the classic Californian Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay but this sustainable champion also makes fantastic reds from Schioppettino, a grape that many wouldn’t have tried in its Italian guise, and white blends using Ribolla Gialla, more commonly found on the Italian/Slovenian border. This is a proper wine tasting for those really wanting to focus on what’s in the bottle.
Tastings starting from: $65
Website: www.matthiasson.com
Address: 3175 Dry Creek Road, Napa, California 94558
Unti
Our next winery sticks with the Italian theme but this time at a smaller family-run farm in Sonoma with influences from Tuscany and Campania. Located in the heart of Zin country, it has the small vineyard charm which really helps you understand what they are trying to achieve with Mediterranean varieties. Set in a small barn, GSM blends and Zinfandels sit alongside juicy Sangioveses and Agliancos, a bottle of which we bought back to try against Campania’s Taurasis.
Tastings starting from: $25, but free with a purchase
Website: www.untivineyards.com
Address: 4202 Dry Creek Road, Healdsburg, California 95448
Idlewild Wines
The last of the Italian influences, and this time, the stop-off is a tasting room in the small, charming town of Healdsburg which is gaining a reputation for its eateries, boutique hotels and a number of charming tasting rooms. This time, the northwest Italian and Piedmont varieties rule, with whites made from Arneis and Cortese and reds from Dolcetto, Barbera, and Nebbiolo, all from Mendocino County. Sit yourself down in the middle of the tasting room, enjoy a plate of antipasto (cheese and hams) with your flight and expect an in-depth focus on the wines themselves, more than you might see at other wine experiences.
Tastings starting from: $40
Website: www.idlewildwines.com
Address: 132 Plaza Street, Healdsburg, California 95448
Lola
At every winery we visited, we asked for recommendations of places to taste. ‘Lola’ was one of the most popular answers from locals working in the California wine industry day in and day out. The small business owned by Seth Cripe has their tasting room in a small, historic house in Calistoga. Expect pure and natural wines which can be a refreshing change from big Cabs. The Pinots, Chenins and even Malvasias are at much more accessible prices than you’ll find elsewhere in Napa.
Tastings starting from: $35
Website: www.lolawines.com
Address: 916 Foothill Blvd., Calistoga, California 94515
For the view
Far Niente
Quite possibly the prettiest tasting room (pictured below) in Napa, where you can see the influence of the family’s links to the plant nursery business in bloom. The planting around the historic house is stunning and the tasting is set next to water overlooking vineyards. The classic car collection is not to be missed. Many of their bottlings are only available to the members’ club, making this a good chance to try them. The Chardonnay is lean and serious in comparison to some of the more crowd-pleasing styles you can find from other wineries in the stable, which include Bella Union, Dolce and Nickel & Nickel.
Tastings starting from: $90
Website: www.farniente.com
Address: 1350 Acacia Drive, Oakville, California 94562
Far Niente in the Napa Valley. Credit: www.farniente.com
Mayacamas
Another historic name that has a fabulous tasting room in downtown Napa, but a visit to the 190h estate and winery has a truly breathtaking vista. A drive up Mount Veeder takes you to their brand new tasting room, completed in 2021 following the destruction of the old house by fires in 2017. You are able to have a tour then taste their Chardonnay, Merlot and flagship Cabernet along with a selection of library wines.
Tastings starting from: $125
Website: www.mayacamas.com
Address: 1155 Lokoya Road, Napa, California 94558
Chateau Montelena
Another name famed for their triumph in the 1976 ‘Judgement of Paris’ tasting, Montelena’s 19th-century stone castle, winery and its cool cellars number among the valley’s architectural icons. Tastings start at $45 with Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Zin and Cabernet, but to access the Estate and Library wines you’ll need to fork out a little more. Unfortunately, you’ll be hard pressed to find a bottle of the 1973 Chardonnay on show!
Tastings starting from: $45
Website: www.montelena.com
Address: 1429 Tubbs Lane Calistoga, California 94515
