By Ben Malkin
Photography by Ben Malkin and Left Coast Photography
While Sonoma Valley and Napa Valley are next-door neighbors in the heart of premium California wine country, a visit and wine tasting tour shows contrasting styles, experiences, and wines to enjoy.
Napa wineries are easily accessible. From the south to the north, most of the wineries are located on a grid bordered by Highway 29 and the Silverado Trail. Your visit to Sonoma Valley is more of an adventure that requires the use of Google Maps, and better yet, a good old-fashioned printed Sonoma Valley winery map. For Robin’s annual December birthday vacation, we dove into the “adventure” of a visit to Sonoma Valley.
Sonoma Valley is much more laid back than Napa Valley—$1,000/night rooms and acres of resort facilities are not part of the culture. For me, that’s a good thing. Michelin star or wannabe star restaurants and $400 dinners for two are for Napa, not Sonoma.
The advantage of a late December visit is less traffic and reduced crowds at the wineries. These days it is always best to schedule appointments for everything from a tasting to a complete wine and food pairing at some wineries. With the generous help of Amy Patrick at Sonoma County Vintners, we scheduled visits to wineries in the Russian River Valley up north to the Alexander Valley, enjoying beautiful road trips from Sonoma to Healdsburg to Santa Rosa. We visited the heart of their Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Zinfandel country.
Next, some advice on quality vs. quantity: Schedule no more than three wineries a day, and if lunch is included, perhaps just two. We enjoyed incredible food and wine pairings at St. Francis Winery and Ram’s Gate Winery. Each provided a unique experience that we will always treasure. You can also choose to stay out of your car for an afternoon and visit the tasting rooms on the square in Sonoma.
We kicked things off at Ram’s Gate Winery, located at the entrance to Sonoma Valley near the famous Sonoma Raceway. Their Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are classically Russian River and Carneros. The wine and food pairing was perfect and so extensive that we skipped dinner that evening.
One of our favorite wineries is Chateau St. Jean. We have been members for many years. Their Cinq Cepage Bordeaux-style blend is very special, as is their Russian River Pinot Noir. Foley Family Wines recently bought them. That meant when we visited Chalk Hill Estate Winery (www.chalkhill.com) later in the week (perhaps the best Chardonnay in Sonoma County), we were members. So corporate ownership is not always something to bemoan. The Foley-owned wineries have retained and possibly improved their quality.
Another exceptional experience was a visit to Ledson Winery. They are family-owned and managed, and very proud of it. The beautiful building and grounds are chock-a-block full of family history. They offer a wide choice of varietals and award-winning wines. You can spend hours just shopping in their Marketplace.
The next day, we enjoyed another food and wine pairing at St. Francis Winery and Vineyard, featuring a wonderful parade of small bites and premium, 90+ scoring Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir, and Zinfandel. You can find their wine at the grocery store, but to truly experience the best, you need to visit.
We headed north to Chalk Hill Estate Winery. It was a very adventurous drive, but well worth it when we finally got there. We found Chardonnay to die for (their “flagship varietal) and sublime Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir. Visit or join for 90+ showstoppers. We spent two or more hours tasting the wine and gazing at the vineyards.
The goal of our trip was to enjoy great wine, so there’s no restaurant reviews. On the other hand, our wine and food pairings were the most memorable highlight of our trip. Maybe next time we’ll visit Paso Robles wine country for more great wine, lots of driving, and exploring. Cheers!!
Our final experience was far to the north at Zialena Winery. Family-owned and nurtured by Mark Mazzoni, the wine-making tradition here goes back to 1931 and the culture of workers at Italian Swiss Colony saving money to buy their land. The wine is primarily Cabernet Sauvignon and their own Zinfandel Mazzoni clone; very, very Alexander Valley. Their Cabernet and Zinfandel from the Alexander Valley are some of my favorites, well-structured and graceful.
© Copyright 2025 Targeted Media Partners LLC All Rights Reserved