Eight wineries we'd send a friend to first.
Of the 225+ wineries we've cataloged across Napa Valley and Sonoma County, these are the eight that earn the badge — the rotating shortlist our editors send to friends planning a first trip. One is featured on the homepage each week; all eight are listed in order below.
Selection criteria: distinctive setting · serious wine · the kind of visit that earns a story.
N° 101Sonoma Valley · Sonoma CountyHamel
Chef Thomas Mendel designs each small plate around Hamel's volcanic Cabernets, and the pairing menu changes with the season. The tasting room terrace looks straight up at the Mayacamas, and most guests reserve the three-hour experience for a reason.
- Tastings
- From $95
- Reservations
- Required
N° 202Carneros (Sonoma) · Sonoma CountyThe Donum Estate
A Ai Weiwei iron-root sculpture rises thirty feet above the Pinot vines, and you'll pass five more before you reach the tasting lounge. The Donum Estate sprawls across 190 acres of Carneros, art and wine sharing the same hillside, and nobody pours quite this way anywhere else.
- Tastings
- From $50
- Reservations
- Required
N° 303Rutherford · Napa ValleyFrog's Leap Winery
Heirloom vegetables grow between the Cabernet rows at Frog's Leap, and you'll taste a few of them on the lunch board. Skip the limo—drive yourself, and stay long enough to meet one of the dogs.
- Tastings
- From $50
- Reservations
- Required
N° 404St. Helena · Napa ValleyHall Wines
A giant rabbit sculpture marks the entrance, and inside, contemporary art lines the walls between pours of Hall's top-tier Cabernet Sauvignon. The Cabernet Collector Experience pairs Osetra Caviar with wines most visitors haven't heard of yet.
- Tastings
- From $45
- Reservations
- Required
N° 505Calistoga · Napa ValleyCastello di Amorosa
The frescoed chapel and dungeon are real stone, built by hand over fifteen years, and the Morisoli-Borges Cabernet poured in the great hall tastes darker than most Calistoga reds. Most visitors book the cheese pairing and stay longer than planned.
- Tastings
- From $45
- Reservations
- Required
N° 606Stags Leap District · Napa ValleyStag's Leap Wine Cellars
The angular tasting room at Stag's Leap Wine Cellars hovers above the valley floor, with the Palisades rising just beyond the vines. The 1973 S.L.V. is the reason most guests book, but it's the Cask 23 in the cave that keeps them talking on the drive home.
- Tastings
- From $95
- Reservations
- Required
N° 707Russian River Valley · Sonoma CountyIron Horse Vineyards
The same sparkling wine poured at State Dinners tastes different when you're sitting on the hillside where the grapes were grown, looking west across the Russian River Valley. Most visitors stay longer than they planned—the picnic tables help.
- Tastings
- From $25
- Reservations
- Required
N° 808Alexander Valley · Sonoma CountyJordan Vineyard & Winery
Terracotta roofs and 1,200 acres of Alexander Valley hillside give Jordan the feel of a French estate that happens to face the Mayacamas. The estate's chef preps every course to match the current-release Cabernet and Chardonnay, and you'll need to book a month out.
- Tastings
- From $60
- Reservations
- Required
A note on selection. Editor's Picks are wineries we've highlighted for editorial reasons — distinctive setting, considered wine, and the kind of visit that earns a story when you get home. The rotation refreshes as new contenders earn their slot. None of the wineries on this list have paid for placement.
See the rest of the catalog in the full directory.