Sonoma Pinot Noir Day Trip

By / Itineraries, Pinot Noir, Sonoma, Sonoma County, Sonoma Valley, Wine

Top tasting rooms in and around historic Sonoma Plaza.

Several of the best Sonoma County Pinot Noir producers have tasting rooms on or near the town of Sonoma’s central square. You can visit three – Sojourn Cellars, Three Sticks Wines, and WALT Wines – walking less than a half-mile total, and it’s worth venturing 3 miles from Sonoma Plaza to experience the pastoral setting of Blue Farm Wines or the stylish one at Patz & Hall.

These acclaimed operations have access to the very best fruit, in some cases from the same vineyards. A few of the wineries, for instance, source grapes from Gap’s Crown, a Sonoma County jewel owned by Bill Price of Three Sticks. Sampling the different Pinots from this vineyard provides the chance to ponder how subtle variations in each winemaker’s approach—among them when the grapes were picked, which types of barrels were used, and how long the wines aged— influenced the finished wines.

Nearby non-wine diversions include Sonoma Mission, the last of 21 California missions built by Franciscan friars.

Planning Your Day

Tips

Visiting two tasting rooms before a late lunch and one or two afterward makes for a pleasant day. You can break the tasting up with a bit of shopping along the plaza. A quick peek into the historic Sonoma Mission and related buildings north of the square is also diverting, and several restaurants worth investigating border it. Downtown Sonoma lies 45 miles north of San Francisco, making this an easy day trip from the City by the Bay. You can extend your visit at lodgings facing or near the plaza that range from inns and apartments to resortlike spreads.

Reservations

Reservations are required at all five tasting rooms. For sessions that involve food, book at least 48 hours ahead of your visit.

Timing

Plan on spending from 60 to 90 minutes for each tasting. Hours and days vary and are subject to change, but at least three places will be open on whatever day you choose.

The owner-winegrower of Blue Farm Wines has a way with roses, too.

The Tasting Rooms

Blue Farm Wines

Small but impressive Blue Farm Wines produces Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from vineyards throughout Sonoma County. Grapes from the Carneros District estate of winegrower and proprietor Anne Moller-Racke go into some of the wines. Moller-Racke’s rose garden with dozens of varieties is a stop on the short vineyard walk that precedes many tastings.

Read the full Blue Farm Wines review here.

Why go: vineyard and mountain views; Pinot Noirs “made in the vineyard.”

Vineyard and Mayacamas Mountains views unfold from Patz & Hall’s back patio.

Patz & Hall

Patz & Hall showcases its Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs at Sonoma House, a tasteful former residence with vineyard and mountain views. Winemaker James Hall displays a sure hand with Pinot Noir grapes from three major Sonoma County appellations known for Pinot Noir, along with fruit from elsewhere in California.

Read the full Patz & Hall review here.

Why go:  wines from multiple regions; elegant setting; satisfying hospitality; vineyard and mountain views.

A modest bungalow just off Sonoma Plaza houses the Sojourn Cellars tasting room.

Sojourn Cellars

The first wines released by Sojourn Cellars, founded in 2001, were Cabernet Sauvignons, which it still makes (and well). These days, though, the winery receives more press for its Sonoma Coast Pinot Noirs, particularly the ones winemaker Erich Bradley crafts from grapes grown in the Gap’s Crown, Sangiacomo, and Rodgers Creek vineyards.

Read the full Sojourn Cellars review here.

Why go: Pinot Noir lineup; high-quality grapes; comparative tastings.

The decor of The Adobe, the tasting room of Three Sticks Wines, pays tribute to the building’s mid-19-century origins yet feels contemporary.

Three Sticks Wines

Winemaker Ryan Prichard achieves Pinot poetry at Three Sticks Wines, whose estate vineyards include the highly regarded Gap’s Crown and Durell vineyards. Grapes from other sites throughout Sonoma County go into other equally sublime single-vineyard wines.

Read the full Three Sticks Wines review here.

Why go: historic setting; Pinot poetry.

WALT’s Root 101 tasting of single-vineyard Pinot Noirs was on hiatus in mid-2020, but two current offerings include the varietal.

WALT Wines

WALT Wines, sister winery to HALL St. Helena, specializes in single-vineyard Pinot Noirs from grapes grown as far north as Oregon’s Willamette Valley and as far south as the Santa Rita Hills of California’s Central Coast.

Read the full WALT Wines review here.

Why go: Relaxed setting; full-bodied Pinots; “1,000 miles of Pinot,” from Oregon to Southern California.

Dining Suggestions

Sonoma Restaurants Cheat Sheet

More About Sonoma County

Sonoma County Basics
Sonoma County Vineyard Walks and Hikes

This story first appeared online in 2017; it was fact-checked and updated in 2023.

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