Napa and Sonoma
Napa Valley · Sonoma
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Photo: DimiTalen · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
Domaine Carneros
Napa ValleySparkling wine from the Taittinger family
The family behind Champagne Taittinger founded it in 1987, when Claude Taittinger chose a parcel in Carneros, at the southern end of the Napa Valley. Founding winemaker Eileen Crane ran it for 33 years. It makes traditional-method sparkling wine and Pinot Noir, all from its own vineyards, and tastings are served on the terrace of its château.
- Address
- 1240 Duhig Road, Napa, California
- Phone
- +1 800 716 2788 (ext. 150, reservations)
- Visits
- 60-minute daily tasting, booking required, every day from 10 am to 5 pm (last reservation); over-21s only
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Photo: Jun Seita · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0 (cropped)
Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars
Napa ValleyThe Cabernet that won the Judgment of Paris
It began in 1970 with the purchase of the S.L.V. vineyard in the Stags Leap District. Six years later, at the 1976 Judgment of Paris blind tasting, its 1973 S.L.V. Cabernet Sauvignon took first place among the reds, ahead of First Growth Bordeaux châteaux — a moment that put Napa wine on the world map.
- Address
- 5766 Silverado Trail, Napa, California
- Phone
- +1 707 261 6410
- service@slwc.com
- Visits
- Experiences by reservation from US$95 per person, including a cave tour with a seated tasting; over-21s only
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Photo: Lou Stejskal · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0 (cropped)
Inglenook
Napa ValleyNiebaum’s château, now the Coppolas’
Gustave Niebaum assembled the Rutherford estate and in 1881 began building its château, which took six years. In 1975 Francis and Eleanor Coppola bought part of the old estate and vowed to reunite it: they did so in 1995, and in 2011 they also regained the Inglenook name. Its flagship red is Rubicon.
- Address
- 1991 St Helena Highway, Rutherford, California
- Phone
- +1 707 968 1179 (reservations)
- reservations@inglenook.com
- Visits
- 60-minute Legacy Tasting, US$100, Wednesday to Monday from 11 am to 3:15 pm, by reservation; the bistro is open daily from 11 am to 4 pm with wines by the glass
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Photo: Matkatamiba · Wikimedia Commons · Public domain (cropped)
Buena Vista Winery
SonomaCalifornia’s first premium winery, from 1857
It was founded in 1857 by Agoston Haraszthy, a Hungarian who called himself “the Count of Buena Vista” and had arrived in the United States in 1842. He chose Sonoma, the birthplace of modern California, and his winery is considered the state’s first premium winery. It now belongs to the Boisset family, who restored it from 2012; visitors tour its historic buildings and caves.
- Address
- 18000 Old Winery Road, Sonoma, California
- Phone
- +1 800 926 1266
- customerservice@buenavistawinery.com
- Visits
- Open Monday to Friday 10:30 am to 5 pm, weekends 10 am to 5 pm. Winery tour with barrel tasting: about 90 minutes, US$70
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Illustrative photo: DimiTalen · Wikimedia Commons · CC0 (not of the winery)
Jordan Vineyard & Winery
SonomaA French-inspired château in Alexander Valley
Tom and Sally Jordan founded it in 1972, inspired by the great estates of France, to make a Bordeaux-style Cabernet Sauvignon. Its château brings winery, kitchen and guest rooms under one roof, and its first Cabernet was the 1976 vintage. It is now run by their son, John Jordan.
- Address
- 1474 Alexander Valley Road, Healdsburg, California
- Phone
- +1 707 431 5250
- Visits
- Advance reservations required. Château tour with a tasting and seated food pairing: 1 h 30, US$90, daily at 10 am and 1 pm
Some photos show the area, not the winery itself: each photo’s credit is on the winery’s card.
If you're tasting, don't drive: book a transfer or a driver.
Photo of United States: Brocken Inaglory · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0