3 St. Helena Wineries with a Personal Touch

Wine and dine in the jewel of the Napa Valley.

You’ll get a personalized experience at each of the tasting rooms in this easy-to-follow St. Helena wine tasting day trip that begins downtown and ends just south of it. Often called the jewel of the Napa Valley, St. Helena has excellent restaurants, so you can get your three squares within city limits, too.

Pre-trip To-do List

1) The day’s three winery stops – Chateau Potelle, Ehlers Estate, and Tres Sabores – all require reservations. In summer it’s wise to make them at least a few days ahead.

2) For lunch and dinner, except for the Clif Family Bruschetteria food truck, it’s wise to make a reservation, though with lunch not scheduled until 1:30, you’d probably get away without doing so.

Getting Going

9 am

Model Bakery

Have a light breakfast at your lodging or grab a coffee and croissant or English muffin Oprah loves them) at the beloved Model Bakery in downtown St. Helena. If you’re staying in the southern Napa Valley, you can visit the bakery’s Oxbow Public Market location or the Mini Model in Yountville before venturing north.

Tip: You’ll be having small gourmet bites at your first winery stop, so don’t fill yourself up.

10 am

VGS Chateau Potelle

Michelin-star bites elevate outstanding wines.

VGS Chateau Potelle‘s tasting room in a whimsically decorated cottage benefits from its French-born owner’s impeccable taste. The carefully chosen small bites by the Michelin-starred La Toque restaurant elevate vintner Jean-Noel Fourmeaux’s outstanding wines.

Why go: whimsical sensibility; Cabernets from mountain fruit; small bites elevate wines and vice versa.

12 noon

Ehlers Estate

Relaxed, intimate tastings at historic stone barn.

Ehlers Estate‘s winemaking team crafts lush, subtly powerful wines ready to drink now but made to age. The focus at this winery whose stone barn dates to 1886 is on Bordeaux grapes grown on 40 acres of organically farmed vineyards. The stars include Jean Leducq Cabernet Sauvignon, a few Cabernet Sauvignon–dominant blends, and individual bottlings of Merlot, Petit Verdot, and Cabernet Franc. On the lighter side are Sauvignon Blanc and rosé of Cabernet Sauvignon.

Directions: From Chateau Potelle, head north up Highway 29 (Main Street) past downtown to Ehlers Lane. Though the distance is only 3.5 miles, allow 15 or 20 minutes in case traffic is congested. If you’re running ahead of schedule, park near Main Street’s 1200 and 1300 blocks and explore the shops a bit.

Why go:  organic farming practices; property’s history; winery profits benefit heart research.

1:30 pm

Lunch

Backtrack on Highway 29 past downtown St. Helena (almost back to Chateau Potelle) for lunch at The Charter Oak (Modern American) or Farmstead at Long Meadow Ranch. Head across the street from Farmstead to the Clif Family Bruschetteria truck for quicker, more casual cuisine.  

3 pm

Tres Sabores Winery

Look and feel of a working farm

Glamour is in short supply at the last stop, but that only adds to its charm. Earthy Tres Sabores Winery has the look and feel of exactly what it is—a working farm. On the tour and at the seated tasting that concludes it, you’ll sample owner-winemaker Julie Johnson’s single-vineyard wines and get a sense of her passion for organic farming and her benchland terrain.

Directions: Tres Sabores is about 4 miles south of Farmstead at Long Meadow Ranch. Head south 2¼ miles on Highway 29, turn right (west) at Whitehall Lane, bearing left at the sign for South Whitehall Lane.

Why go: passionate owner-winemaker; chance to see organic farming up close; single-vineyard reds.

Browse the Shops 

5 pm

Downtown St. Helena Shopping

If you don’t head back to your lodging to rest before dinner, slip back downtown and browse the shops, galleries, and boutiques in the 1200 and 1300 blocks of Main Street. (The Model Bakery is in the 1300 block.)

Cocktails and Dinner

6:30 pm

There’s a speakeasy feel to the basement bar at Goose & Gander, which occupies a Prohibition-era bungalow a block off Main Street. The mixologists here turn out the classics plus more than a dozen specialty cocktails – the Angry Moscow Mule, with ginger, lime, bitters, and ginger beer, is a regulars’ favorite. Have your cocktail in the garden patio if the weather’s nice, but still check out the bar.

7:30 pm

For dinner you can stay at Goose & Gander (salads, burgers, steaks, and chops) or dine at The Charter Oak (seasonal California cuisine) or  Press (Modern American with French flourishes, plus steaks). Or drop by Cook St. Helena or Farmstead at Long Meadow Ranch (whichever you didn’t lunch at). Locals with kids in tow often head to Tra Vigne Pizzeria.

---

More St. Helena Wineries

If you can’t secure a reservation at any of the wineries above, any of these will substitute well:

Charles Krug
Corison Winery
HALL St. Helena
Joseph Phelps Vineyards
Louis M. Martini Winery
Schweiger Vineyards
Stony Hill Vineyard

More Itineraries

Downtown Napa in a Day
48 Perfect Hours in Calistoga
10 Foolproof Napa Valley Cabernet Tasting Experiences
3 Historic Napa Valley Wineries Day Trip
2 Splendid Days in Walkable Yountville

More About the Napa Valley

Napa Valley Basics

This story first appeared online in 2017; it was most recently updated in 2023.