Top 5 Sonoma Valley Wineries

Wine tasting in Sonoma Valley is one of the activities tourists and locals look forward to doing in Sonoma County, California. It is the favorite activity of both wine experts and connoisseurs. Even visitors who are not really into wine will surely enjoy a wine tasting tour during their stay in Sonoma County. Our team at Wine Routes has put together a perfect day out, by providing you a list of the Top 5 Sonoma Valley Wineries.

Take the hassle out of figuring where to go and how to get there by following our pre-built Wine Route Itinerary.

You can’t fully enjoy Sonoma if you do not participate in a wine tasting tour. Below you will find the top 5 wineries in Sonoma Valley, where you can fully experience and enjoy a good wine tasting adventure. We’ve created a map and outlined the most efficient route to guide you through Sonoma Valley in style, click here to start your adventure.

Deerfield Ranch Winery

The wine tasting experience in Deerfield Ranch Winery is enhanced with the well-lit and well-appointed wine cave. The wine cave has a lounge designed with couches and chairs where you can relax and enjoy their broad range of Sonoma Valley wines.

The winery is located at the heart of Sonoma Valley, Kenwood. It produces around 15,000 cases of organic wines per year. Winemakers Robert Rex and Cecilia Valdivia, along with their team, create handcrafted wines from over 26 family-owned vineyards in Sonoma. To reach their award-winning tasting room, you must first pass through their cave, fermenting tanks, and hundreds of barrels full of wine.

As you enter the wine cave and make your way towards the grand tasting room, you will be greeted by Bill Klein, the Deerfield Ranch tasting room manager, or by PJ Rex, the winemaker’s wife herself. If you want to experience the high-end wine tasting activity at Deerfield Ranch Winery, you will have to book in advance.

Schedule a visit or shop wines

VJB Vineyard & Cellars

For so many Italian families, traditions are important. For the Belmonte family, the owners of VJB Cellars, that’s most certainly true, and it’s those treasured traditions combined with the relaxed California lifestyle they’ve come to love that they share with guests to their winery since 2003.

In 2002, the Belmonte’s sold their restaurant and began renovating an old home and garden store on Highway 12 in Kenwood. They opened this tasting room on Memorial Day weekend in 2003. There were five wines on the wine list including their flagship wine, Dante, a Cabernet Sauvignon-Sangiovese blend which they still produce.

Although welcoming guests to their storefront tasting room and introducing them to an ever growing list of Italian varietals and seeing them enjoy these wines was gratifying, the Belmonte family had dreams of creating something more. They wanted a space where visitors could experience not only wine, but also food and an atmosphere that spoke to their Italian heritage and hospitality.

Walt Wines

Founded in 2007 by Kathryn Hall, Walt wines is located outside the square in a converted home. WALT is dedicated to the production of premier Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from the Pacific Coast’s most distinctive vineyard sites, spanning nearly 1000 miles and including Sta. Rita Hills, Los Carneros, Sonoma County, Anderson Valley, and the Willamette Valley.

During your wine tasting adventure at Walt Winery, you can choose from the currently released wines to their library selections. Taste the latest favorites from their award-winning portfolio! By sourcing fruit from some of the most renowned growers on the Pacific Coast and by utilizing the state-of-the-art winemaking facilities at HALL Wines, Walt is able to make the most precise, expressive wine possible while keeping their production levels extremely limited. In short, they are crafting the best that their vineyard sources, winemaking facilities, and team expertise will allow.

Buena Vista Winery

If France has its Chateau Margaux, Sonoma has Buena Vista. Buena Vista Winery is a pioneer of all the wineries in Sonoma Valley. Established in 1857, Buena Vista has become a designated historic landmark, which was then reimagined by Jean-Charles Boisset. This winery offers a variety of activities for its visitors, such as wine tasting, picnics, and tours.

Its 19th and 20th tool museum will enhance your winery visit with their fine-tasting 2016 Chateau Buena Vista Grand Reserve during your picnic. The Buena Vista Winery is just 5 minutes from the famous Sonoma plaza square.

Its founder, Agoston Haraszthy, a self-proclaimed count of Buena Vista, knew that great wine comes from a great variety of grapes and great places. Agoston decided to establish his winery in the southernmost part of Sonoma for its unique terroir for growing great grapes. A must visit location if visiting Sonoma Valley.

Gundlach-Bundschu Winery

Located near Buena Vista, Gundlach Bundschu winery is one of the oldest family-owned wineries in Sonoma County that was established in 1858. The winery’s vineyard, namely the Rhinefarm, is located in the southernmost part of Sonoma Valley.

The location of the Rhinefarm has a unique fusion of steep hillside and cool valley floors that allow the owner to grow a wide variety of grapes to make high-quality wines. It’s 150 feet elevation is ideal for early ripening of high-acid varieties.

Most of the Gundlach Bundschu wine tasting is offered on weekends and on-season only. If you want to taste their best tasting wines, it is best to schedule your wine tasting tour and book ahead of time. You can choose from their different wine varieties, from Gewürztraminer to Chardonnay and Tempranillo to Cabernet Franc.

Takeaway

Sonoma County is known for its wine production, and visitors come to their county for their top-rated wines. Your Sonoma County experience will not be complete if you don’t book a wine tasting tour at least a few of these Top 5 Sonoma Valley wineries. So, start planning, and share the above Wine Route with your friends. We’ll see you in Sonoma Valley!

If you’d like to be added to this list, please let us know!