Knights Valley Wine Road in the Fall
Knights Valley is one of Sonoma County’s 16 designated wine appellations (American Viticultural Area). I shot this photo last November along Highway 128. I call it Knights Valley wine road because of the beautiful vineyards that you can see as you drive along Knights Valley. If you would like to take this road you can do so starting in Calistoga, the quite town at the northern end of the Napa Valley. Take Highway 128 north. After driving a few miles on this mountain road, you drop down into the famous Knights Valley. Along the way you will see a dramatic view to the east of Mount St. Helena. That’s it in the backdrop of the photo above. There is currently only one winery to visit in Knights Valley, although there are several wineries that operate in Knights Valley. Peter Michael Winery is the only winery open to the public and is by appointment only. A few years back, the Jackson Family Wine Company wanted to open a full-time tasting room for their Pelton House Winery. A judge blocked the okay for the tasting room, and perhaps that tasting room application is still in the works. I believe that Forty Niner great Joe Montana and his wife still own a mansion somewhere in Knights Valley. It was put up for sale a few years back for a measly 45 million dollars. I am not sure if it ever sold.
The Knights Valle wine road is very quite and few folks drive this road between the Napa Valley and the Healdsburg wine region. It is about a 23 mile drive from Calistoga to the town of Healdsburg. Once you leave Knights Valley on Highway 128 traveling north, you enter another great wine valley, the Alexander Valley. Along this stretch of Highway 128 there are several wineries to visit. We like Field Stone, Hanna, and Soda Rock Winery.