Photo Courtesy of Chateau St. Jean | Bronwyn Ney
With stunning vistas everywhere you look (including those gorgeous, regionally famous glasses of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay), Sonoma is a feast for the palate and the eyes. But its beauty isn’t limited to the vineyard-striped countryside—certain wineries take their stunning natural settings and create incredible wine havens. From historic to farm-centric to modern, here’s a list of the top ten most beautiful wineries in Sonoma County.
Photos courtesy of J Vineyards & Winery
11447 Old Redwood Highway, Healdsburg, CA 95448, (707) 431-5430
Located in the beautiful Russian River Valley, J Vineyards & Winery is one of the top destinations for sparkling wine, and for good reason. J Winery takes special care in and out of the vineyard to produce the most exceptional sparkling wines, and the tasting experiences on offer are also high quality. Enjoy luxurious experiences like the Legacy Lounge, which includes a flight of five exclusive wines, or The Bubble Room, a five-course tasting menu paired with J’s award-winning wines.
Insider Tip: Throughout the year, J Winery hosts a Chef series, Shifting the Lens. Esteemed guest chefs take residency in the Bubble Room for weekend tastings and two special dinners featuring a five-course pairing menu.
1883 London Ranch Road, Glen Ellen, CA 95442, (707) 935-3000
Founded in 1980, Benziger Family Winery has always been about three things: family, great wine, and healthy vineyards. Every wine in the Benziger portfolio carries a third-party certification of green farming practices. Whether the vineyard is certified sustainable, organic, or Biodynamic, it’s carefully tended to with the most eco-responsible methods available. In addition to producing top-notch sustainable wines, the winery is home to sweeping views of Sonoma Mountain and the surrounding area.
Insider Tip: Book the Biodynamic Tractor Tram Tour for an interactive experience aboard a tram that takes you through the vineyards and around the estate. During the tour, keep an eye out for Benziger’s flock of sheep, who are not only adorable, but also play a vital role in the winery’s sustainable farming practices.
4605 Westside Road, Healdsburg, CA 95448, (707) 473-9303
Set back among the sun-drenched vineyards on an idyllic 20-acre property sits the gorgeous MacRostie Winery Estate House. With its floor-to-ceiling glass doors and windows, concrete flooring, and vast pitched roof with exposed beams, this award-winning tasting room is truly a modern architecture lover’s dream. Wind down on MacRostie’s sweeping patio to sip some of the region’s finest Chardonnay and Pinot Noir with a panoramic view of the rolling corduroy rows that surround the stunning structure.
Insider Tip: MacRostie hired a landscape designer to create the ultimate outdoor tasting experience—it includes a contemporary plaza, elegant curved seating walls, custom water features, and more for guests to sip back and relax beneath the great sycamore trees.
23555 Arnold Drive, Sonoma, CA 95476, (707) 933-1986
Designed to resemble a Catalonian farmhouse as a nod to its founders’ Spanish heritage, Gloria Ferrer was established as the first sparkling winery in the Carneros-Sonoma region in 1986. Pop a bottle of the estate’s award-winning bubbly and lounge on the huge pergola-covered Vista Terrace for vineyard views as far as the eye can see. While you’re there, get a taste for Spanish tradition by adding Spanish tapas to your tasting—small, shared plates, plus nuts and olives paired with four Sonoma-grown wines. ¡Salud!
Insider Tip: Traveling with your pooch? Gloria Ferrer’s exclusive Pup the Cork experience caters to furry friends, complete with bottle service, charcuterie plate, and dog treats.
Photos courtesy of St. Francis Winery
100 Pythian Road, Santa Rosa, CA 95409, (707) 833-0242
St. Francis Winery & Vineyards is Sonoma through and through. With vineyards planted across the Valley, harnessing varied expressions of Sonoma terroir, visitors can look forward to a wide variety of wines to fit every palate. You’ll be heartily greeted by the St. Francis’ Bell Tower, housing an Italian-cast, 1,000 pound Marinelli bell that echoes throughout the region. Enjoy sipping on the serene terrace or have some fun with your tasting experience on the Pedal Trolley Vineyard Tour & Tasting, making your way through the vineyards by human power.
Insider Tip: Don’t miss the opportunity to combine St. Francis wines with acclaimed Chef Peter Janiak’s expertly crafted, seasonal food pairings. Many of the ingredients used come from the winery’s two-acre organic garden. The cherry on top? You get to experience it all with vineyard views.
8555 Sonoma Highway, Kenwood, CA 95452, (707) 257-5784
One step on to the property at Chateau St. Jean and you feel as though you have been transported to the most romantic parts of Italy or the South of France. Originally built in the 1920s as a summer home for Ernest and Maude Goff, the property was restored in 1973 and has since been listed in the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The grounds are lush with water features, gardens, picnic areas, bocce courts, a redwood grove, and a members-only terrace, providing plenty of opportunities to sip Chateau St. Jean’s wide range of award-winning wines.
Insider Tip: Book the Bocce, Bordeaux & Burgundy Experience to enjoy wines by the bottle in your private bocce court, complete with lounge furniture and picnic tables, not to mention gorgeous Sonoma Valley views.
Photos courtesy of Jordan Vineyard & Winery
1474 Alexander Valley Road, Healdsburg, CA 95448, (707) 431-5250
Nestled in the undulating hills of Alexander Valley in Healdsburg, Jordan is a must-see winery not only for lovers of truly exceptional Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon, but also of historic architecture and design. With French elegance and California style, no architectural or aesthetic detail is overlooked, from the Tasting Library to the Bacchus Courtyard to the on-site suites, which overlook barrels upon barrels of Jordan wine aging in the cellar. Known as an industry leader in sustainability, Jordan’s commitment to sustainability is the real deal, with more than three quarters of the estate preserved as natural habitat, including the nation’s largest pollinator sanctuary.
Insider Tip: Jordan offers culinary events throughout the year, featuring multi-course lunches and themed dinner parties. Some of the events are members only, but others are open to all who join their mailing list.
8761 Dry Creek Road, Healdsburg, CA 95448, (707) 433-6700
Ferrari-Carano, a picturesque, family-owned winery located in Sonoma’s Dry Creek Valley is home to delicious wines from sustainable vineyards, including the well-known Fumé Blanc, classics like Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Cabernet Sauvignon, and both red and Rosé wines made from Sangiovese in a nod to the family’s Italian heritage. Whether on the outdoor terrace—“Il Terrazzo”—or indoors in the breathtaking underground cellar for the Reserve Wine Tasting, every corner of this stunning property is worth exploring.
Insider Tip: Don’t miss the weekly Sunday Wine & Brunch series. This popular reservation includes a tasting of Ferrari-Carano’s reserve wines, along with a seasonal, Italian-inspired menu featuring ingredients from the estate gardens. Nibble on savory dishes like prosciutto benedict, brunch pizza, and croque madame, plus sweet treats like dark chocolate panna cotta on the winery’s idyllic Sycamore Grove terraces looking out on gardens and vineyards.
15401 Sonoma Highway, Sonoma, CA 95476, (707) 996-5800
This family-owned and operated winery creates wines expressive of the distinctive characteristics of each of its vineyard sites, emphasizing biodynamic farming practices and minimal-intervention winemaking techniques. Quality and family are at the forefront of everything the Hamel Family does, whether in the vineyards, the winery, or the Estate House, where guests can enjoy a variety of personally curated experiences that promote education and exploration.
Insider Tip: For an extra indulgent treat, book the Estate Experience, a unique and personalized wine and food journey. Enjoy a privately guided tour of the winery and adjacent cave, followed by a tasting of four reserve wines, each paired with a seasonal snack.
8533 Dry Creek Road, Geyserville, CA 95441, (707) 431-2700
Located on 35 acres in Sonoma’s Dry Creek Valley, Dutcher Crossing charms with classic 1900s farmhouse architecture. Named for the intersection of the Dry and Dutcher Creeks, Dutcher Crossing Winery boasts stunning vineyard views in an upscale, bucolic setting. The winery’s many single vineyard-designated wines demonstrate winemaker Nick Briggs’ attention to detail in the cellar and to vineyard management. Vintner owner, Debra Mathy, often personally welcomes guests who come to the tasting room for delicious wines and to enjoy the gorgeous Dry Creek Valley.
Insider Tip: Give back through your purchase of a bottle or two in the Dutcher Crossings wine shop by looking for the CFM label. All proceeds of these delicious wines, like their 2021 Sauvignon Blanc, go to Melanoma research.
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