Sonoma Valley Wineries

Sonoma Valley wineries constitute the largest appellation both by area, and by number of wineries. It also includes the sub-appellations of Carneros, Sonoma Mountain, and Bennett Valley.

The area consists of a warm valley floor where Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot grapes do well, cooler areas where Chardonneys and Pinot Noirs thrive, and even cooler hillsides perfect for producing Zinfandels.

The official name now is Buena Vista Carneros, but it was established in 1857 as Buena Vista by Count Agoston Haraszthy, making it the oldest of the wineries, and - in fact - the oldest premium wine producer in all of California. "Carneros" was added to the name in the late 1970s when the winery began buying land and growing grapes in what is now the Carneros Appellation.

The original winery is an historic landmark and houses the tasting room and visitors' center. They're open year-round for tasting and touring, and there are several tasting venues to choose from.

Originally called "Rhinefarm," this historic winery began growing Old World vines for wine production just behind Buena Vista in 1857. March 12, 2008 marked Gundlach Bundschu's 150th year.

Gundlach is still being operated by members of the original families and offers wine tasting in its tasting room, guided tours, cave tasting, and a vineyard tour. The grounds are beautifully landscaped with picnic areas scattered throughout.

Bartholomew Park Winery is young, having been purchased in 1994 by Jim Bundschu. If that name sounds familiar, he's a sixth-generation winegrower from Gundlach Bundschu. But, in addition to having an experienced vintner at the helm, the land the winery occupies has a venerable history as well, having once been owned by that famous Hungarian nobleman & rascillian, Count Agoston Haraszthy of Buena Vista.

Bart Park offers wine tasting, a fascinating museum dedicated to wine making past and present, and more picnic opportunities.

Ravenswood is a down-to-earth winery with a bit of an attitude. Their motto is "No Wimpy Wines!" This is another young winery - its first vintage Zin was produced in 1976 - but it's had a lot of impact in spite of its youth.

There are tours and barrel tastings, a tasting room and gift shop, and even a seminar on blending your own non-wimpy wine.

Now here's why there's so much confusion about which Sonoma Valley winery is the oldest and when the California Wine Industry was actually born. Sebastiani Vineyards & Winery was started in 1904 by Samuel Sebastiani, an Italian immigrant. This means the Sebastiani Winery is not as old as either Buena Vista or Gunclach Bundschu.

But the vines on the property he purchased were actually planted in 1825 by the Franciscan fathers of Mission San Francisco Solano to produce wine for the sacraments and the dinner table. However, I don't think anyone would argue that the padres were producing premium wines in 1825.

Nevermind. It's still a very old winery and it's being run today by third and fourth generation family members who invite you to join them in a glass of wine. They have a visitors center for tasting, winery tours, historical tours, and trolley tours. The wine tasting and marketplace are open seven days per week.

In addition, you can stay at Casa de Sonoma, historic home of the Sebastiani Family.

The Castle vineyard is actually in the Carneros appellation, but they purchase grapes from throughout the Sonoma Valley. And, since their tasting room is in Sonoma, I've included them here.

Castle, founded in the 1990s, specializes in small lots of premium fruits. It doesn't have visitor facilities on the property, but there's a tasting room on The Plaza in Sonoma where you are more than welcome to join the tasting room staff for samples. If the weather's nice, you may be able to do your wine sampling on their patio - always a treat!

Another youngster amongst Sonoma Wineries, Charles Creek was founded in 2002 by Bill and Gerry Brinton. Part of their focus has been to create wines that pair well with food. Interestingly, Mr. Brinton is a direct descendant of John Deere of John Deere tractor-fame.

This is another winery with a downtown tasting room - Charles Creek Vineyard Tasting Room & Gallery - rather than a visitor center on the winery property. It, too, is right on The Plaza. You'll get a kick out of their mascot, Ms Moo-lot. She's made from wine corks!

Nicholson Ranch started out as a cattle ranch which newly-wed Socrates Nicholson bought in 1961, thinking it would be a great place to live and raise a family. It was, and he's still there, but now the place is run by his daughter, Ramona, and her husband and their three children. Ramona decided to plant a vineyard in 1996 so she could work at home with her children.

They built a gravity-flow winery in 2000, the first crush occurred in 2001, and work began on the winery, tasting room, and gallery in 2002. Now you can visit the winery, taste their wines, and enjoy the grounds and gallery.

Renowned for its estate-grown Zinfandels, Haywood has a very interesting history amongst the valley's wineries. Owner and wine grower Peter Haywood originally bought the land, planted the vines, and produced the wine from his Los Chamizal Vineyards starting in 1973. He sold the winery and the brand in 1991, but has since (in 2008) reacquired the whole lot and is back at producing estate Zins from his own grapes.

Haywood Winery has no tasting facilities at this time, but their wines are often poured at shows (the Zap Show in San Francisco, for one) and wine festivals (such as VinOlivo in Sonoma).

Sonoma County Wineries
Sonoma wineries number over 200, they produce 13 different varietals, and they're classified under 12 reknowned appellations! You don't need to know that to enjoy Sonoma's wineries, but you could use it to impress your friends. :-)

Sonoma Plaza
California's history, darling boutiques, wine tasting rooms - it's all on The Plaza!

Sonoma Plaza History
Sonoma Plaza played a very important role in the process of California's statehood, and that role is reflected in the historical buildings on The Plaza.

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SONOMA VALLEY WINERIES