If someone has hopped a plane to wine country in the United States, chances are, they’ve likely ended up in Napa and/or Sonoma.
While only about 4% of California’s wine grape harvest comes from Napa, and only 6% comes from Sonoma, there are dozens of wineries that invariably seem to land on must-visit guides to the Golden State.
And let’s be real, these lists are not wrong: Donum Estate, Aperture Cellars, Chateau Montelena, Flowers Vineyards & Winery, Jordan Vineyard & Winery, and Gundlach Bundschu are phenomenal. They produce terroir-driven wines on beautiful estates, with stunning tasting rooms from which to sip the fermented fruits of their hard work.
They are all worth a visit.
But if you are on the hunt for wineries that may offer more intimate, unique experiences, and wines that are beloved by serious wine insiders and professional critics, but aren’t necessarily widely available across the country, we have the perfect itinerary.
Best Times to Visit
The high season in Napa and Sonoma is Spring through Harvest. If you want to enjoy wine country at its peak—in terms of vineyards in full bloom, but also big crowds—go then. If you would prefer to save money and have an easier time scoring reservations at top restaurants and wineries sans hordes of people, head there between November and May. If you want the best of both worlds, try going in April, when the vines and flowers are in bloom. Plus, it’s the sweet spot between winter’s rainier months and cooler temps (sometimes in the 40s), and summer’s searing heat (sometimes 90 and well above).
The Ultimate - Under the Radar - Itinerary for Napa Valley & Sonoma
Day 1: Deep Napa Roots + New Icons
The Hoxsey family has been growing grapes and making wine in the Napa Valley since 1903. Joseph Pelissa emigrated to California from Italy in 1902, and as the son of Ligurian grape growers, he saw the incredible opportunity the terroir of Calistoga afforded him. He snapped up 35 acres for $10, and began planting the seeds for a (very quiet) empire of grapes.
Currently operated by members of the fourth and fifth generation, the Hoxseys farm 650 acres of premium vineyards in Yountville and Oakville, providing 17 varieties of organically farmed grapes to top wineries across the Valley. The family also continues to quietly honor his legacy by mentoring some of the most iconic winemakers and brands in modern Napa history. The Hoxsey family founded the first custom crush and co-operative winemaking facility in Napa in 1993, nurturing clients like Staglin, Schraeder, Pahlmeyer and Pine Ridge before they were able to invest in their own wine spaces.
Ghost Block Estate Wines, Oakville Winery and Elizabeth Rose, Hoxsey family’s trio of small wine projects using wine made from their estate vineyards, are tucked right into the Napa Wine Company. Visitors get classic Napa wines, and get a sense of what makes a custom crush facility tick, right in downtown Oakville. Tasting experiences start at $55. (You can also opt to embark on a guided tour of Pelissa Family Vineyard, where their wine story got started).
Swing into the Oakville Grocery, which was founded in 1881 and is one of the oldest groceries in the country. Because this is Napa, you can also browse an epic lineup of local wines, and they offer some of the best scratch cooking around. Wood-fired pizzas, burgers and creative and fresh salads abound.
Now point your GPS toward Bella Oaks on the Rutherford Bench, one of the most historic vineyards in Napa, with roots dating back to the 1860s. It gained worldwide fame after becoming one of the first estates planted exclusively to Cabernet Sauvignon in the 1970s, and being the source of Heitz Cellars’ iconic single-vineyard Cab from the 1970s through the mid-Aughts.
In 2010, Suzanne Deal Booth purchased Bella Oaks, determined to revitalize the vineyards through replantings, organic farming techniques, and her own vision for elevating the space as a noted art and culture preservationist and collector. She also brought in a powerhouse duo—the legendary winemaker Nigel Kinsman and master blender Michel Rolland—to, for the first time, let the vineyard speak through a line of estate wines. Visitors can tour the incredible property, which includes a labyrinth nestled beneath a ring of ancient olive trees, and a collection of 12 site-specific works of art dotted amid the estate, including sculptures from Bosco Sodi, Joel Shapiro, Max Ernst and Yayoi Kusama. Bella Oaks, renewed by Booth, feels both rooted in the past, but bravely facing the future.
The quiet majesty of the Mayacamas mountains in the background, the magisterial scale of the artwork, the quiet and kind hospitality on tap, imbues the place with a feeling of meditative, confident calm generally found in yoga studios.
After a tour of the property, enjoy a tasting of Bella Oaks’ 100-point Proprietary Red, Le Genie Cabernet Sauvignon and the newly released Sauvignon Blanc at Wheeler Farms, where Bella Oaks and other independent, small-batch producers share a production space and a sprawling hospitality space, with a culinary garden, executive chef and estate vineyards.
Tasting options abound at Wheeler Farms, from a simple tasting of wines to a four-course family-style lunch at the olive grove gathering table, or pre-arranged dinners.
Another tasting to catch at Wheeler (there are several highly regarded brands making wine and offering tastings at the 11-acre site) is the 90-minute tasting of four wines, paired with cheeses with Annulus Cellars. Another Kinsman and Rolland passion project with married duo Luke Evnin, Deann Wright and their daughters Alexandra and Elena at the helm, Annulus, like Bella Oaks, harkens back to Napa’s roots of small-batch fine-winemaking that is singularly focused on creating a deliberate expression of time and place.
Complete Guides for Napa Valley and Sonoma
For more ideas see Carpe Travel’s individual guides for Napa Valley and Sonoma.
Other Bites & Activities
If you want to do more than drink wine paired with artisanal cheese and / or luxurious multi-course meals, options in the area abound.
La Luna Market and Taqueria is a local favorite in Rutherford. It looks like a Mexican market—and it is—but inside are some of the best tacos in the area, which is saying a lot. (Get the Super, which is two large stacked corn tortillas with your choice of meat, onion, cilantro, sour cream, guac, cheese and salsa. Simple, classic, fast, cheap—but ultra-chic).
The Station in St. Helena is a gas station café with incredible fresh-roasted coffee, gigantic sandwiches (go for the Ham & Cheese Baguette with Cowgirl Creamery Wagon Wheel Cheese), pizzas, salads and more.
If you’re looking for fine dining, but want to eat where the local winemakers go, head to Charlie’s in St. Helena. Chef Elliot Bell worked as a chef at Gramercy Tavern and the French Laundry before opening his own spot. Don’t miss the chicken nuggets (with caviar and fancy ranch dressing) or the fried chicken.
Explore Robert Louis Stevenson State Park, with trails below volcanic cliffs of the Palisades, and snaking up to the summit of Mount St. Helena.
Or, work off the snacks and drinks at Brothe Napa Valley State Park, with casual strolls up the Redwood Trail, or a challenging climb up Coyote Peak Trail, where you’ll be rewarded with stunning views. For a sense of California history, hit Bale Grist Mill State Historic Park, where you can watch the original set of French Burh millstones work grain in flour and meal.
Where To Stay
For practical we’re-not-spending-much-time-in-our-room-anyway travelers, head to Southbridge Napa Valley. It’s a boutique retreat in St. Helena with a pool, breakfast, a fantastic fitness room, and while rates vary, it won’t leave your wallet panting for mercy.
If this is your one trip to wine country, or you’re celebrating something significant, consider staying (with multiple close friends) at The Residence at Skipstone. Guests can stay in the 8,344 square foot, five-bedroom home, with access to the 200-acre estate, the culinary gardens and fresh eggs, the olive groves, the pool, multiple great rooms in the home, along with a loft, chef’s kitchen, gym, and outdoor kitchen. Guests will receive white glove concierge services, access to the 3,000 bottle wine cellar, and more. Overnight accommodation, depending on time of year, starts around $3900.
For more ideas see Carpe Travel’s individual guides for Napa Valley and Sonoma.
Day 2: Wild Adventures + Sonoma Stars
Napa is rooted in history. Sonoma is founded on adventure.
It doesn’t get much wilder than Palisades Canyon Wines in Calistoga.
Proprietors Felicia Woytak and Steve Rasmussen spent a decade searching for the perfect vineyard, and when Woytak discovered the 796 acre estate in 2015, with slightly less than 20 acres of dry-farmed vineyards, an 1881 farmhouse, and a “ghost” historic winery that stands as California’s 118th Bonded Winery, she says she knew she’d found “the one.”
The pair farm organically, allowing the diversity of the vineyard’s well-drained, volcanic soils speak for themselves. Famed viticulturalist, historian, and winemaker Graeme MacDonald works with the pair on a trio of wines: Chenin Blanc, Petite Sirah, and Cabernet Sauvignon.
The best way to experience Palisades Canyon is by booking their Into the Wild Hike through the 796 property, led by Woytak and Rasmussen across their established personal trails, beginning at the vineyard, and weaving through a riparian canyon, up the loamy valley floor, on a route that climbs the south side of Horns Canyon Ridge, with the majestic Palisades Cliffs in the distance.
Hikers will experience a variety of vegetation zones, wildflowers, an oak forest, then down back to the vineyard for a tour of the ghost winery, a farm lunch and tasting at the nearby Solbar at Solage Resort & Spa.
Next, head to the garagiste turned global icon Williams Selyem. Founded in a literal garage by Burt Williams and Ed Selyem in the 1970s, the idea was as simple as it was ambitious: make wine in homage to the great French Burgundies they loved, but couldn’t afford.
Their flair for selecting great grapes from promising vineyards, and a can-do approach to winemaking (they bought their first stainless steel wine fermentation “tank” for $1 from a dairy farmer, and the wines at Williams Selyem are still made in superannuated dairy tanks, because the low shallow form enables gentle extraction better than fancier and more formal alternatives) soon became a local, then regional cause celebre.
In 1987, their Rochioli Vineyard Pinot Noir won the California State Fair Sweepstakes Prize for top wine, beating out thousands of other contenders, and turned the winery into an overnight sensation, years in the making.
Today, tastings at Williams Selyem are by appointment only (you also have to sign up for their list) at their luxurious hospitality space, but they still have that drinking from the barrel in the garage vibe. They’re … free, highly personal, and as long as you want them to be.
The last tasting adventure awaits at Skipstone, the longest-tenured certified organic winery in Alexander Valley. Skipstone was founded by Fahri Diner, who, like Felicia Woytak, fell in love with the property when he set foot on it. While walking the grounds, he found a stream-fed pond, and told himself that if he successfully skipped a stone five times on the surface of the pond, he’d purchase the property.
Thus, Skipstone was born, founded on sustainable principles to be sure, but never shying too far from fun. The 200-acre estate is nestled in the western hillsides of the Mayacamas Range, with vineyards, but also an incredible stone mansion, a pool, chickens and their tasty eggs, five wild but friendly cats, a culinary garden, and trails to walk (or skip down, as the spirit dictates).
Visitors can enjoy the newly unveiled winery, built with local materials, including wood from trees singed in wildfires on the property, and stone harvested from the estate. The water and energy efficient space offers a range of light-filled spaces that flow inside and outside, with by-appointment tastings that allow guests to fully inhabit and experience the wines (primarily Cabernet Sauvignon and a fascinating Viognier) and space. From standard tastings to intimate dinners, pizza with proprietor and summer solstice celebrations to choose from, there’s something for everyone.
Other Bites & Activities
Your teeth are purple, and you want to grab a bite and stretch your legs. You’re in luck.
Buster’s Original Southern BBQ is perhaps not the first place you’d think to go in Calistoga, but if that’s the case, you should definitely rethink your priorities. This classic BBQ joint has been cranking out authentic Louisiana BBQ since 1965. Don’t miss the tri-tip steak, beef ribs, chili beans or garlic toast.
Diavola Restaurant serves up house-cured salumi and sausages to all of the winemakers in town, along with wood-fired pizza with divisive, but delicious toppings. (King Kamehameha, with roasted pineapple, pickled jalapenos, red onion smoked ham, Canadian bacon, pepperoni and bacon, sounds extra, but is actually exactly what you need).
The Petrified Forest in Calistoga offers a walk through time, among redwood giants petrified 3.4 million years ago.
For a new take on hot water, take a gander at Old Faithful Geyser, with water shooting 60 feet in the air every 15 to 45 minutes. The geyser is fueled by volcanic heat. The privately owned site also offers gardens and a petting zoo.
For self-care spa fanatics, Indian Springs in Calistoga is where it’s at. A mineral water emporium that has been delivering detoxifying treatments since 1861, visitors can choose from warm mud baths, classic spa treatments, or laps around the Olympic-sized mineral-water pool.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where are Napa and Sonoma? Best way to get there?
If you’re flying, book a ticket to SFO. Car rentals, Ubers and Lyfts are easy to come by. Heading north from San Francisco, Napa what you’ll hit first, anywhere from just over an hour to well over two, depending on traffic.
The itinerary we suggest goes from South to North.
What are the top grape varieties in Napa Valley?
There are 45,094 acres of grapes under vine in the Napa Valley, which is much longer (30 miles) than it is wide (5 miles at its widest). It is also one of the most diverse regions on earth when it comes to soil, with half of the world’s 12 soil orders and 33 soil series. There are 475 wineries and around 700 grape growers in Napa.
There are more than 60 types of wine grapes grown there, with 80% of the cultivation devoted to red grapes, and 20% to white.
Top varieties include:
What are the top grape varieties in Sonoma?
Sonoma is divided from Napa by the mighty Mayacamas mountain range, where it runs across 58,175 acres of grapes under vine toward the Pacific Ocean. More than 60 grapes are cultivated for 425+ wineries.
Top varieties include:
Complete Guides for Napa Valley and Sonoma
For more ideas see Carpe Travel’s individual guides for Napa Valley and Sonoma.
Kathleen Willcox writes about wine, travel and culture from her home in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. She is keenly interested in sustainability issues, and the business of making ethical drinks and food. Her work appears regularly in Wine Searcher, Wine Enthusiast, Wine Industry Advisor and many other publications.