Wineries in Saint Helena, CA

Hendry was awesome. If George Hendry is still giving the tours in person, it's a real treat.

Sonoma is, by and large, cheaper and more laid back. The smaller the operation the more likely you are to get some personal attention. My favorites include: Sojourn, Scribe, Fog Crest, Red Car, Copain, Dehlinger and Medlock Ames. Over in Napa I'm a sucker for the history of Inglenook and I adore Chateau Montelena. Burgess and Benneserre are pleasant surprises as well. Smaller family run places, both of those are.

In Sonoma a little over a year ago. We enjoyed: * [Mauritson](http://www.mauritsonwines.com) * [Portalupi](http://www.portalupiwine.com) * [Zichichi](https://www.zichichifamilyvineyard.com) - barrel tasting only * [Talty](http://www.taltyvineyards.com) I also recommend heading into Alexander Valley. * [Alexander Valley Vineyards](http://www.avvwine.com) is worth a stop. Nice cave tour. * [Stuhlmuller](http://www.stuhlmullervineyards.com) - a bit out of the way, but worth the trip. Also, I highly recommend for a light lunch [Jimtown Store](https://www.jimtown.com). Very unassuming place in the middle of nowhere with a great little patio and good sandwiches / salads. We usually stay in Healdsburg. Dinner spots I can recommend: * [Bistro Ralph](http://www.bistroralph.com) - Been there a while, but it's great to get two huge martinis served to you at your table by waitresses in their 60s. * [Barndiva](http://www.barndiva.com/) - Interesting food with a great outdoor atmosphere. But, honestly, I don't think I've had a bad meal anywhere in Healdsburg.

Hall... Amazing cabs and a beautiful tasting room. Look for the big shiny rabbit. (A picture of their half log table got lots of upvotes last week on r/pics and r/woahdude....)

I posted a similar topic (just Napa) last June [here](http://www.reddit.com/r/wine/comments/27 clrf/spending_a_day_in_napa_valley_soon_any_winery/). I'm not a freeloader, but we were very disappointed at the prices for tastings. All were over $20, and some were closer to $50... for 5 freakin' oz. of wine. Didn't find a single free (or even cheap) tasting. We missed Spring Mountain. Word has it that's got some good ones. Don't go to Yountville!

Be sure to check out the Winery Finder app, it'll let you know if there's any 2-for-1 deals or other discounts.

This doesn't seem to be the thread for good Napa advice. Corison, the best. No pretense, expressive non-jammy Napa at its finest. You should pay if you don't buy. If you don't need reservations, you should at least know this before you arrive, and it may be in your best interest to make them regardless. It's harvest and we are busy. Tip your tasting/hospitality person with 5 or 10 bucks, they work hard. If you want a tour, get a reservation! I do 1 or 2 a year and id go to Schramsburg tomorrow. Hall is killing it right now. Amazing art and architecture and wine to boot. In downtown Napa and all towns up valley, you can go to collectives and taste 5 to 10 wineries in one sitting. This will cost you and won't give you the vineyard experience. A driver for a day will allow you to maximize your time (they known proper order of operations), you can drink all you want, and they can get you the access you can't get from an email or cold call. Don't recommend a limo. Enjoy your stay in Napa!

* St. Supery has great wines and a nice ambiance. * Silverado Vineyards has one of the nicest views of the valley. * Cakebread has great wines and they do the tasting in small groups, so you're not jockeying for a position at the bar. * The Hess Collection has a pretty cool art collection along with its wine. * Hopper Creek winery is a tiny outfit with some of the most knowledgeable staff - very educational! * If you're in downtown Napa at all, definitely definitely make a stop at St. Clair Brown. There aren't any vineyards but they have a talented chef so there are plenty of snacks to choose from, and the wines are excellent. Also, it's open really late (til 8 I believe) so the opportunity cost is really low since no other wineries are open at that time. * Robert Mondavi is probably the most touristy winery that there is, but honestly the tour that they conduct is a pretty quality tour so it may be worth the stop. Mumm's tour is also pretty good if you want to see the sparkling side of things. * Flora Springs (the estate) is worthwhile - friendly staff and good wines. And good views! * I'm not as familiar with Sonoma, but Nicholson Ranch and Buena Vista are two great stops. I don't know how far along you are in the planning process, but I'm in the industry here and I'd be happy to send you the Lodging Recommendation List and Activities in Napa (other than wineries) lists that we send to our guests if you need any help!

A little north but I love Castello di Amorosa if you're looking for something kinda cool. http://www.castellodiamorosa.com/ This guy built an entire authentic castle that is beautiful just to stomp around in. Get the guided tour to see the whole place. Totally worth it and then finally do the tasting in the basement and then play with all the animals everywhere. Totally spent about 2 hours here. Also if you're going from Napa there is this cute place about halfway called Gott's Roadside. It's like a cool causal americana picnic type place. Definitely way more casual and cheaper than normal eat places in the area. http://www.yelp.com/biz/gotts-roadside-saint-helena-2

Continuum was a phenomenal experience. It has a very zen environment, way up in the mountains, it is absolutely beautiful. A women by the name of Lindsey Maldonado did our tour and it was awesome. She took us all over the vineyard, showed us all the equipment, let us taste the grapes and explained everything very well. Really cool lady and was probably the most personal out of the 8 or so tours we took.

Swanson's (http://www.swansonvineyards.com) is a gorgeous boutique winery in Oakville that has a fantastic pairing program that is worth a look. St. Suprey (https://www.stsupery.com) offers tours and their sauv blanc and other white blends are pretty solid. Étude (http://shop.etudewines.com//index.cfm) in Napa proper is beautiful and offers some great Pinot. Gustavo Brambila has a tasting room in downtown Napa (http://www.gustavowine.com) and if any of the Barbera is in stock, it would behoove you immensely to procure multiple bottles. Where are you eating? Of course you could go to town with Keller and Chiarello and Frank and the like -- totally awesome in their own rights -- Uva (http://www.uvatrattoria.com) and Angele (http://www.angelerestaurant.com) are popular w/ locals, but Clemente's is maybe Napa's best-kept foodie secret (http://clementesatvals.com) ... Just bring your own Tupperware.

Trefethen

healdsberg!! Russian River valley.

Just drive up Highway 29. Without more details from you that’s about as good a route as any.

Here's a good entry level list: http://winefolly.com/update/10-best-napa-valley-wineries-to-visit-2017/ I've ordered a case or two from V. Sattui before. They have some of the best off-dry Rieslings I've had in the Bay Area. I've heard good things from different people about Artesa and Domaine Carneros, which happen to be located near each other, close to the border with Sonoma.

Additional resources that may be helpful: https://napavintners.com/maps/ https://www.visitnapavalley.com/plan/maps-guides/ Stop in at the [Napa Tourist Information Center](http://www.napatouristinfo.com) in downtown Napa and get a map.

Bonny Doon Vineyard, Marcel Lapierre

I think Mac Forbes has a really good webside.