Top Wineries to Visit in the Town of Sonoma

Located near the famous Sonoma town plaza are several renowned wineries including two of the oldest wineries in California. Visit the Buena Vista winery and Gundlach Bundschu winery for a historic perspective of winemaking in California. At Sebastiani, another 100-year-old winery, you will see a new tasting room and facility. At Ravenswood you will find Zinfandels galore. A picnic lunch is ideal at Buena Vista or Gundlach Bundschu.

Buena Vista Winery

Winery Descriptions, Driving directions, Tasting Room Hours

Gundlach Bundschu
To get to this historic family-owned winery from the plaza, travel east on East Napa Rd., turn right on 8th St. and follow the white winery signs. The wines are all excellent at this historic winery. The winery began operation in 1857 with a founding date just a short three months later than the nearby Buena Vista Winery. The winery today is owned by the same family and is now in its sixth generation with Jim Bundchu at the helm. The winery produces about 40,000 cases of wine per year. They produce an amazing 16 wine varietals, and all but 2 are produced from the Gundlach Bundchu Estate of 350 acres of vineyards. They produce several white varietals, all dry and well balanced. The reds are the most recognized, with the Merlot the best seller. The grounds are quite beautiful, with a great picnic area. Don’t pass by this winery.
Tasting room open daily, 11 am to 4:30, (707) 939 3015
Email: info@gunbun.com, Gundlach Bundschu

Buena Vista Winery
If you are a wine history buff, you will need to stop at the Buena Vista winery, the first premium winery in California and a registered historic landmark. It opened its doors in 1857, founded by wine pioneer Count August Hazasthy. Today the winery is own by Allied Domecq Wines USA. You will enjoy browsing the memorbilia in this historic tasting room.The Buena Vista winery owns 1000 acres of vineyards in the famed Carneros region of Sonoma and Napa counties. This region is world famous for producing fine Chardonnay and Pinot Noir wines. The Buena Vista winery owns more acres in the Carneros region than any other winery. To get to the winery from the Sonoma Plaza, travel east on East Napa Rd., almost to the end, and turn left on Old Winery Rd. and follow the signs to the winery.

Tasting room open daily, 10 am to 5, (800) 926 1266
Email: bvw_info@buenavistawinery.com, Buena Vista Winery

Sebastiani Vineyards
Sebastiani is another grand old winery in the town of Sonoma. This family-owned winery began operation in 1904. Recently, the winery has embarked a new era in its winemaking. The winery has decided on a “less is more” philosophy, reducing its wine production so it can concentrate efforts on making higher quality wines. The payoff is evident with several of its wines receiving awards and raves from wine experts. The winery also has a new hospitality room where besides tasting wine, you can browse the wine merchandise, view works of art, or learn a bit of wine history. We like the Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir, the Sonoma County Merlot, and the Cabernet. To get to the tasting room from the Plaza, head out along East Napa St. to Fourth St. East. Make a left turn and you will shortly see the parking lot and hospitality center.

Tasting room open daily, 10 am to 5
Phone: (707) 933-3230, Email: info@sebastiani.com, Sebastiani Vineyards

Ravenswood Winery
If you like Zinfandel wine, make sure you put Ravenswood winery at the top of your list. The winery currently makes 15 different Zinfandels. Fourteen of these Zinfandels are made in very small case lots and many of these are sold only at the winery or through the winery’s web site. The other Zinfandel is called the Vintners' Blend and the winery makes 300,000 cases of this wine per year. It is their inexpensive bargain and value wine that you will find in most supermarkets. Why so much of this wine? The Vintners' Blend makes the winery profitable and enables them to produce some hand-crafted, high-quality wines that are less profitable. It’s a good trade off. They also produce a few whites, and one that we found to be exciting was a very reasonably priced dry Gerwurztraminer for $12. A good idea when visiting Ravenswood is to compare a few of the Zinfandels made from various areas of California. You get an idea of the aroma and flavor differences found in the different growing regions. To get to Ravenswood Winery, take Fourth St. East, and drive past Sebastiani. Turn right onto Lovall Valley Rd, then a left turn onto Gehricke Road and up the hill a short distance.

Tasting room open daily 10 to 5,
Phone: (888) 669-4679, Ravenswood Winery