Napa and Sonoma Wineries

[rnewman]

Hello all,

My husband and I will be staying in Napa in early March. Since this is our first extended stay in the area we would really like to take advantage of this and visit some of the smaller, not as well known wineries in Napa and Sonoma. We have already been to Domaine Chandon, Tryfethyn and Stags Leap on previous visits and a couple of our favorites are Miner and Peju. Any suggestions, especially in Sonoma would be much appreciated.

Ruchi

[Adrienne Carmack]

Similar story here - my husband I will be in San Francisco in April and will probably only have one day to visit Napa or Sonoma. We can probably go down on Friday evening/late afternoon and stay through late Saturday. Any recs on wineries as above, and also on bed and breakfasts in the area?

[SBonner]

There are so many small wineries, half the fun is driving around, until something peaks your interest. Lovely drive upto Mt.Veeder and some gems hidden along the road. In Sonoma a visit to Cuvaison is a must.

Cheers,

Stephen

Vancouver

[James Kendal]

Hi,

I have spent quiet a bit of time in Napa.

For lodging that is affordabe check out Calistoga Inn If you want to splurge go to the Auberge du Soleil

For hidden Gems

Clark Claudon Winery

Wineries of note:

Araujo Estate Wines/Eisele Vineyard

tel. +1 707.942.6061

2155 Pickett Road

Calistoga, CA 94515

Patz & Hall Wine Company

tel. +1 707.265.7700

P.O. Box 5479

Napa, CA 94581

Robert Sinskey Vineyards

tel. +1 707.944.9090

6320 Silverado Trail

Yountville, CA 94599

Spottswoode Winery

tel. +1 707.963.0134

1902 Madrona Avenue

St. Helena, CA 94574

Shafer Vineyards

tel. +1 707.944.2877

6154 Silverado Trail

Napa, CA 94558

Storybook Mountain Winery

tel. +1 707.942.5310

3835 Hwy 128

Calistoga, CA 94515

[rnewman]

Thanks so much for all the suggestions. I realize that driving around and stopping when the mood strikes is half the fun, but with so many wineries in the area to choose from, I find that I get a bit overwhelmed if we don't have at least a few stops planned. Also, we are really interested in bringing back wines from makers that we absolutely cannot find on the East coast so suggestions for wineries we may not have heard of are much appreciated.

Ruchi

[mikeycook]

In Sonoma, I always like to stop at Arrowood, although I wouldn't call them "hidden".

[ludja]

Hi rnewman:

There are so many general threads on this topic in the CA forum which you can easily find by searching "Sonoma" or "Napa". You should find some useful starting information if you peruse those threads. If you plan a loose itinerary, or have follow-up questions, people here can definately help with feedback regarding distances, opinions on the wine, etc.

When you want some specific recs, it would be helpful to give some information regarding the types of wines you like, the amount of time you'll have in Napa and Sonoma, and what parts of the counties you will be staying in, etc. There are hundreds of wineries that span a relatively large geographical area!

As a sidenote: many of the smaller wineries in Napa, but not in Sonoma, require appointments.

Edited February 8, 2006 by ludja (log)

[artisanbaker]

see if you can get an appointment at vineyard 29 in st helena