California winery embroiled in fraud scandal has a new owner
Sojourn Cellars was once part of the portfolio of embattled real estate developer Kenneth Mattson, who was arrested in May on charges including wire fraud and money laundering. The Sonoma winery, which had a reputation for high-quality Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon, became a victim of Mattson's fallout. In May, a bankruptcy court judge approved the sale of over 150 assets affiliated with Mattson and his partners.
Now, Pat Roney, the former CEO of Vintage Wine Estates, has purchased Sojourn with a small investment group. The deal includes Sojourn's brand and inventory, but no winery or vineyards. Roney did not disclose a purchase price.
There are two main reasons why Roney wanted to buy the 10,000-case Sojourn. First, 'I don't do well at retirement,' he said. Second, 'it's a great winery,' and almost 90% of its sales are direct to consumer, 'which is where the trend is going for smaller wineries.'
Roney co-founded Vintage Wine Estates after he and the late wine mogul Leslie Rudd purchased Windsor Vineyards in 2007, adding it to Napa Valley's Girard Vineyards, which they had jointly acquired in 2000. In the following years, Roney grew Vintage into one of California's most powerful wine conglomerates, buying 28 additional wineries including B.R. Cohn, Kunde, Cameron Hughes and Layer Cake. Roney stepped down as CEO in 2023, transitioning to board president.
Vintage filed for bankruptcy last summer, instantly becoming the most visible sign that California's wine industry was facing a major crisis, and preceding a barrage of other winery closures or sales.
When Vintage's assets became available in a bankruptcy auction, Roney and Vintage investor John Sebastiani put in a bid for three of the company's most popular Sonoma wineries, Kunde, B.R. Cohn and Viansa. But they lost the bid to automotive billionaire Jay Adair, who paid $85 million for those properties, as well as Napa Valley's Clos Pegase and Girard.
Roney didn't walk away empty handed, however. He managed to buy Windsor Vineyards, the winery that had launched Vintage Wine Estates in the first place, in October from Full Glass Marketing, which had bought it from Vintage out of bankruptcy. In the months since, Roney said he's made changes to Windsor Vineyards including updating the website and 'improving the quality of the wines.'
The big draw for Sojourn, he said, is its well trafficked tasting room by the downtown Sonoma plaza. Given the precariousness of the wholesale market for wine right now — behemoth distributor Republic National Distributing Co. is pulling out of California entirely — it's more important than ever for wineries to build up their direct-to-consumer businesses, Roney said.
As part of the acquisition, Roney has laid 'a couple of people' off, he said, but most of the staff remains in place, including longtime winemaker Erich Bradley. A renovation of the tasting room is in the works (it will remain open during renovations), and Roney has plans for a packaging makeover. 'They went through a controversial label change,' he said. 'We're going to bring it back closer to what it was before.'
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JUSTIN Vineyards & Winery Expands Portfolio With New Central Coast Chardonnay
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All Things Wine Sign in or Subscribe Merry Edwards Winery in Sebastopol. Rachel Bujalski/For the S.F. Chronicle Top 25 Wineries The best wineries to visit in the Bay Area, 2025 Merry Edwards Winery in Sebastopol. Rachel Bujalski/For the S.F. Chronicle By Esther Mobley
Going wine tasting is one of the great Bay Area pastimes. It's a chance to experience so much of what makes this place special: the land's natural beauty, a rich tradition of artisanal craftsmanship and a deep, abiding love for all things delicious. This 2025 edition of our Top 25 Wineries list is heavy on recommendations in Napa Valley and Sonoma County, California's marquee wine regions. But it also includes wineries in other Bay Area corners, like the venerable Silicon Valley estates Ridge Monte Bello and Mount Eden, and natural wine juggernaut Broc in Berkeley. New additions to this year's guide include Littorai in Sebastopol, which offers a deep dive into biodynamic farming; Auteur, which opened a striking tasting pavilion in the Russian River Valley; Freeman, where intimate tastings are held in caves; and the River Club, a joint venture in Napa of two cool, bootstrapping wine brands. A growing number of Bay Area wineries now allow walk-in visitors, a reversal of the appointment-only trend that accelerated during the pandemic. A filter on this list allows you to search for wineries that don't require reservations (though most wineries still recommend them, if you have the foresight to plan ahead). If you're looking for more winery recommendations, check out our guides to the Top Wineries in Napa Valley and Top Wineries in Sonoma County. We've also rounded up the most beautiful wineries you can visit and some excellent wineries to visit in Paso Robles and Anderson Valley. Advertisement Winery features Dog friendly Family friendly Serves food No appointment necessary Showing 25 of 25 Sonoma County Auteur Wines 10520 Wohler Road, Healdsburg See on map Add to wishlist Kenneth and Laura Juhasz have hosted tastings for their winery, Auteur, out of a cozy bungalow in downtown Sonoma (373 First St. W., Sonoma) since 2012. That's still a delightful place to visit, but their brand-new estate in Healdsburg is the real showstopper. Open since April 2025 on a hillside that was once a hops ranch, the glass-walled tasting pavilion looks out over a wide expanse of Russian River Valley vineyards. Auteur produces a long list of wines, mostly Pinot Noir and Chardonnay made in a fruity but balanced style, including many single-vineyard bottlings from pedigreed sites like Savoy, Ferrington and Green Acres. A former cheesemaker from Wisconsin, Laura Juhasz assembles way-above-average cheese boards here. For any wine lovers eager to test their skills, the winery now has a blind tasting option ($40), involving four wines whose identity will not be revealed until the end. Dog friendly Family friendly Serves food No appointment necessary Phone: 707-938-9211 Tasting fee: $40 Website More coverage East Bay Broc Cellars 1300 Fifth St., Berkeley See on map Add to wishlist Broc Cellars has long been one of the leading producers of boundary-pushing wine in California — and nearly 20 years after launching, winemaker Chris Brockway's creations remain as intriguing as ever. From neon-pink rosés to translucent, ruby-hued reds, the wines here are unfailingly refreshing. Although the winery occupies a small, warehouse-like space in industrial West Berkeley, it has carved out a charming tasting room with wooden booths indoors and a botanical-inflected patio outdoors. Come for a glass during happy hour or for a leisurely afternoon wine flight. The tasty snacks — creamy dips, olives, tinned fish — come from the excellent Berkeley cafe Standard Fare. If it's available, don't miss the Michael Mara Vineyard Chardonnay, a deeply complex rendition of this often-maligned grape variety. Dog friendly Family friendly Serves food No appointment necessary Phone: 510-424-7323 Tasting fee: $30 Website More coverage Napa Valley Brown Estate 1005 Coombs St., Napa See on map Add to wishlist Brown Estate's tasting room in downtown Napa can be a bit tricky to find — the entrance is around the corner from where GPS will direct you, and then you'll have to take an elevator to the second floor. But once you enter, it feels as if you're transported into another realm, one that has replaced the staid, reserved energy that dominates many Napa tasting rooms with a lively burst of energy. On Friday afternoons, the place can feel like a party. Brown, which claims to be Napa Valley's first Black-owned winery, makes most of its wines from the family estate in Chiles Valley, a remote area in eastern Napa County. It's great terroir for Zinfandel, which is Brown Estate's forte; don't leave without trying at least one of its zesty, powerful Zins. Serves food No appointment necessary Phone: 707-963-2435 Tasting fee: $50 Website More Top Lists Top Wineries in Napa Valley Top Wineries in Sonoma County Top Breweries in the Bay Area Napa Valley Corison Winery 987 St. Helena Hwy., St. Helena See on map Add to wishlist All devotees of Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon will eventually find their way to Corison. Since 1987, winemaker Cathy Corison has made some of the most awe-inspiring wines in the valley, though it took a long time for her reticent bottlings to get as much attention as the flashier, more powerful Cabs being made at other Napa wineries. All tastings here begin with a guide through the Kronos Vineyard, directly behind the winery, where the grapes for Corison's top wine grow. The Corison Cabernets — elegant, long and graceful, often recalling raspberries and fresh herbs — are the highlights here, and the basic tasting will take you through a few different vintages. Phone: 707-963-0826 Tasting fee: $75 Website More coverage Napa Valley Failla Wines 3530 Silverado Trail N., St. Helena See on map Add to wishlist Though the winery is located in St. Helena, most of the grapes that go into Failla's wines are grown in Sonoma County. That makes it one of the best stops in Napa Valley for someone who's had their fill of big Cabernet. Failla's specialties are Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Syrah, and they're all expertly made in a restrained, balanced, never-overblown style. A charming old hunting lodge has been converted into the tasting room here, and you'll feel as if you're in a friend's cabin in the mountains when you relax into the big, comfy chairs surrounded by built-in bookshelves. The succession of wines here will often include one or two older vintages, and you may get to sample one of Failla's more unusual varietals too, like the light, earthy red Trousseau. Dog friendly Family friendly Phone: 707-963-0530 Tasting fee: $65 Website More coverage Sonoma County Freeman Vineyard & Winery 1300 Montgomery Road, Sebastopol See on map Add to wishlist Visitors would be wise to bring layers to Freeman: Tastings here take place in the caves, prized for wine aging precisely because of their naturally cool temperatures. At one of two standing bars inside the cave, you'll taste a range of restrained, acid-forward wines — mostly Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, with some sparkling wine and Riesling thrown in on certain days — made by winemaker Akiko Freeman and associate winemaker Eiji Daniel Akaboshi. Wine club members who have the foresight to bring a picnic can enjoy it under the redwoods outside, surrounded by the winery's Gloria Estate vineyard. Dog friendly Family friendly Phone: 707-823-6937 Tasting fee: $50 Website Napa Valley Frog's Leap Winery 8815 Conn Creek Road, Rutherford See on map Add to wishlist Frog's Leap Winery began farming its grapes organically in 1989, long before it was common in the wine industry. That's still one of the winery's big selling points, and you'll hear about it when you visit the scenic property, where historic farmhouse buildings are surrounded by colorful gardens and vigorous vineyards. The Frog's Leap wines are as good as any in Napa Valley, yet the pricing here is more humane than at some neighboring wineries. The setting feels more homey than luxurious — in a good way. There's an all-star cast of wines, from floral Chenin Blanc to brambly Zinfandel, plus a Merlot that's perennially one of Napa's greatest. The winery offers in-depth tours and tastings, or you can opt for a casual tasting at the garden bar in the shadow of the extensive orchards. Dog friendly Family friendly Serves food Phone: 707-963-4704 Tasting fee: $45 Website More coverage Sonoma County Hanzell Vineyards 18596 Lomita Ave., Sonoma See on map Add to wishlist Sonoma Valley's Hanzell played a historically significant role in the rise of California Chardonnay: It was here, in the 1950s, that winery founder James Zellerbach (the onetime U.S. ambassador to Italy) introduced temperature-controlled fermentation tanks, which proved revolutionary in enabling the creation of a crisp, clean white wine. Hanzell's Chardonnay became a paragon of that style — restrained, acid-driven, never overblown — and remains so to this day. The visitor experience here changed significantly in 2024, when Hanzell converted its original winery into a museum. Now, all visitors will go on a tour that includes the museum, the modern winery and the organic vineyards, concluding with a tasting of four wines. It's an in-depth, educational session that will taste delicious to anyone interested in California wine history. Phone: 707-996-3860 Tasting fee: $90 Website More coverage Napa Valley Hendry Ranch Wines 3104 Redwood Road, Napa See on map Add to wishlist Hendry Ranch flies under the radar, but anyone who loves Napa wine should seek out a visit here. Driving into the property, a sprawling 200-acre estate hidden within a residential neighborhood at the base of Mount Veeder, feels like an amazing surprise. You'll learn about the history of the Hendry family, who have farmed this land since 1939, and taste their uncommonly diverse wine offerings like Albariño and Primitivo, all grown here at the estate. The staff here is among the most knowledgeable of any tasting room attendants in Napa Valley, and the guided tastings strike the perfect balance of casual and informative. If it's available, see if you can try a taste of Hendry's Mission, a spicy, savory, lighter-bodied red that's a rarity in Napa. It's best to make a reservation well in advance. Dog friendly Phone: 707-226-8320 Tasting fee: $50 Website More coverage Sonoma County Idlewild Wines 132 Plaza St., Healdsburg See on map Add to wishlist Idlewild, which produces wines inspired by northern Italy's Piedmont region, has long been one of downtown Healdsburg's standout tasting rooms, where wines like the floral white Arneis and the light red Grignolino are poured alongside a top-notch selection of Italian cheese and meat. Even after Idlewild founder Sam Bilbro sold the business to former top Google executive David Drummond in June 2024, the tasting room remains as charming as ever. Come for a flight of five excellent Italian-style wines in either the stylish indoor bar or in the parklet outside. Cheese and charcuterie boards are a dime a dozen at wineries, but the one on offer here is truly memorable. Drummond also launched a new sister winery nearby on Westside Road, Overshine Wine Co. (2201 Westside Road, Healdsburg), where Bilbro is in charge of winemaking, and acquired Reeve Wines and Martha Stoumen Wines in the summer of 2025. Dog friendly Family friendly Serves food No appointment necessary Phone: 707-385-9410 Tasting fee: $30 Website More coverage Sonoma County Iron Horse Vineyards 9786 Ross Station Road, Sebastopol See on map Add to wishlist On certain days, when the weather is especially dazzling, being at Iron Horse can feel so wonderful that you might wonder if you're dreaming. Down a dirt road in Sebastopol, in an appellation known as Green Valley, this outdoor tasting bar in a redwood barn overlooks dramatic, rolling hills of vineyards. All guests have access to that prime vista from the outdoor areas where they taste, standing around wine barrels. The stars of the lineup here are the Champagne-method sparkling wines, and they range from slightly sweeter styles (like the Russian Cuvee, which is still dry enough to be classified as brut) to more bracing, austere styles like the Ocean Reserve. Rounding out the portfolio are still versions of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, but really, the scene here is best enjoyed with a flute of bubbles in hand. Family friendly Phone: 707-887-1507 Tasting fee: $35 Website More coverage Sonoma County Joseph Swan Vineyards 2916 Laguna Road, Forestville See on map Add to wishlist There's nothing fancy here — this is as old-school as it gets in Sonoma County, and anyone who's grown tired of formal, overpriced tasting rooms will find Joseph Swan to be a breath of fresh air. An exceedingly fair $30 fee gets you a flight of six wines, which might include the neon-magenta Syrah rosé, a side-by-side tasting of Grenache Blancs (one made traditionally, the other fashioned as an orange wine), a quaffable, light-bodied Valdiguie and a comparison of single-vineyard Pinot Noirs made in an elegant, finessed style. You'll taste them while sitting on an outdoor patio overlooking Joseph Swan's sloping Russian River Vineyards. If you don't get to taste a Joseph Swan Zinfandel, it's worth buying a bottle to take home; the winery has always been one of the standout producers of balanced Sonoma County Zin. Dog friendly No appointment necessary Phone: 707-573-3747 Tasting fee: $30 Website More coverage Sonoma County Littorai Wines 788 Gold Ridge Road, Sebastopol See on map Add to wishlist Littorai produces some of California's finest Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays, but that's not the only reason to visit this Sebastopol estate. A tour here ($90) is an enlightening lesson in biodynamic farming, which owner-winemaker Ted Lemon has practiced since purchasing the land in 2003. Visitors will see the flourishing pollinator gardens; the unusually fragrant barn where plants like chamomile and lavender are dried, destined to become treatments for the soil; and the 'compost lasagna' (it will make sense when you see it). By the time you walk through the vineyards and taste the wines, you won't be able to help but have a deeper appreciation for it all. There's also an option to do just a tasting, sans tour ($70), but if you're making the trek out here, it's worth spending the extra $20 and taking the extra time. Dog friendly Family friendly Phone: 707-823-9586 Tasting fee: $70 Website Napa Valley Lola Wines 916 Foothill Blvd., Calistoga See on map Add to wishlist Lola Wines' youthful energy, accessibly priced wines and specialty in bottarga make it quite unlike any other winery at this sleepy northern end of Napa Valley. The winery makes Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and rosé that are distributed across the country, but the tasting room, which opened in 2020, also offers the chance to try some of its more esoteric efforts like Malvasia and dry Muscat. Winemaker Seth Cripe is also one of the only U.S. producers of the Italian delicacy known as bottarga, a type of cured fish roe that he harvests off the coast of Florida, where he grew up. The Lola tasting room now features the goods from his company, Cortez Conservas, in a more prominent way, so take advantage by ordering a pairing of bottarga and mojama (cured tuna). The thin, translucent slices piled onto baguette with a swoosh of butter are a real treat — and hauntingly delicious with Lola's white wines. Dog friendly Family friendly Serves food Phone: 707-342-0623 Tasting fee: $35 Website More coverage Sonoma County Merry Edwards Winery 2959 Gravenstein Hwy. N., Sebastopol See on map Add to wishlist Merry Edwards has long been synonymous with a certain style of poised, generous Russian River Valley Pinot Noir, and it continues to earn that reputation even after the departure of its longtime owner and winemaker, Merry Edwards herself. Since 2019, the winery has been owned by the French Champagne company Louis Roederer, but little about the tasting experience or the wines themselves has changed. (Before retiring, Edwards trained a successor, winemaker Heidi von der Mehden.) Tastings are held in an outdoor patio surrounded by fragrant fruit trees, which provide welcome shade on sunny Sebastopol days. You'll try a range of Pinot Noirs, including one from the Coopersmith Vineyard, which is just a few yards away from where you'll be sitting. Unlike many of the wineries in the area, which tend to focus their white-wine energy on Chardonnay, the real white wine star at Merry Edwards is Sauvignon Blanc. Fashioned as a creamy, rich, layered wine, it's a delicious contrast to the sharp, herbal versions that are more common. Dog friendly Family friendly Phone: 888-388-9050 Tasting fee: $45 Website More coverage South Bay Mount Eden Vineyards 22020 Mount Eden Road, Saratoga See on map Add to wishlist It almost feels too good to be true that Mount Eden Vineyards is open to the general public. Since its founding in 1945, it has largely remained unavailable for tasting appointments. That policy changed a few years ago, and though tastings are held only on weekdays, any serious student of California wine would be wise to book one. Located at the top of a mountain overlooking the city of Saratoga, Mount Eden produces exquisite, long-lived wines, made since 1981 by winemaker Jeffrey Patterson. It's the rare California winery that does equally well with Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon on the same site, despite the fact that those grape varieties each need different sorts of climates to thrive. (That's a testament to the diverse microclimates on the mountain.) Equally impressive are the views of Silicon Valley you'll glimpse from the high-altitude outdoor tasting areas; you may notice that the Apple campus looks like a giant spaceship from up here. And if you can't make it down on a weekday, good news: In 2024, Mount Eden's sister winery, Domaine Eden, opened its own tasting room nearby (23000 Congress Springs Road, Saratoga), open on weekends only. Phone: 408-867-5832 Tasting fee: $35 Website Sonoma County Preston Farm & Winery 9282 W. Dry Creek Road, Healdsburg See on map Add to wishlist Preston is a farm in the true sense of the word, growing vegetables and raising animals alongside organic grapevines at its beautiful 125-acre property in Healdsburg's Dry Creek Valley. If you need proof, just wander into the farm store next to the tasting room, where Preston sells its fruit, vegetables and olive oils (you can even sign up for a CSA subscription). It's really worth driving down the winding dirt road to Preston for the wines, though, which are subtle, well made and consistently underrated. Customers sit at picnic tables outdoors and are served a succession of tastes, from the yuzu-forward Sauvignon Blanc to the ultra-light-bodied Cinsault to the brambly Zinfandel. They save the best for last: two Rhone-style wines named for the owners, Lou and Susan Preston. The L Preston is a peppery, spicy blend of Syrah, Mourvedre and Grenache, while the Madam Preston is a honeyed, intensely floral cuvee of Roussanne, Marsanne and Grenache Blanc. Savor them all while taking in the views, and see how many of the roaming winery cats you can spot — there are 12 of them. Family friendly Serves food Phone: 707-433-3372 Tasting fee: $35 Website More coverage Napa Valley Pride Mountain Vineyards 4026 Spring Mountain Rd., St. Helena See on map Add to wishlist Pride Mountain Vineyards occupies a liminal space, straddling Napa and Sonoma counties at the top of Spring Mountain. A stone arch at the base of the vineyard marks the county line. It's one of the most approachable wineries in Napa Valley at this sort of elevation, with still-reasonable prices and a relatively low-key visitor protocol. You'll get a full view of the striking estate, surrounded on all sides by rolling hills of vineyards, when you arrive and begin your cave tour. From there, it's on to the tasting; if it's sunny, the best seats are on the wraparound porch outside. Pride Mountain's reds, now under the care of winemaker Matt Ward, are clearly marked by their mountain origins, with toothsome tannins and high acidity. And don't miss the Napa Valley Chardonnay, which explodes with peach and apricot. Dog friendly Family friendly Serves food Phone: 707-963-4949 Tasting fee: $50 Website Sonoma County Reeve Wines 4551 Dry Creek Road, Healdsburg See on map Add to wishlist Reeve Wines channels such a California-cool vibe that it would be worth visiting for the Southwestern-style decor and scenery alone. But there's an even more compelling reason to visit, which is that the wines are distinctive and exciting. Visitors sit at tables outdoors and are treated to table service, with an employee pouring wines one by one at a leisurely pace. It's a nice place to pass a late morning or afternoon, on this stone terrace overlooking grapevines, shaded by live oak trees in a secluded-feeling corner of Dry Creek Valley. The flight of wines might include one of Reeve's single-vineyard Rieslings, Sonoma Coast Chardonnay and some gorgeous Pinot Noirs from Anderson Valley. In July 2025, Reeve announced that it and its sister brands, BloodRoot and Remy Saves the Sea, had sold to David Drummond, the former top lawyer for Google who also acquired Idlewild Wines and Martha Stoumen Wines, forming a new company called the Overshine Collective. Serves food Phone: 707-235-6345 Tasting fee: $50 Website More coverage South Bay Ridge Vineyards – Monte Bello 17100 Montebello Road, Cupertino See on map Add to wishlist Ridge Vineyards is an anomaly in California wine. Despite the fact that it's located on a remote mountain top in Cupertino, far away from the world-famous Napa Valley, it produces what many connoisseurs consider to be California's greatest wine: a Cabernet Sauvignon blend called Monte Bello, named for the peak on which it's grown. Visiting the property requires a shaky drive up these winding roads (and watch out for the cyclists), but it's worth a pilgrimage for the spectacular views, rich history and superb wines. Not all visitors will get to taste the Monte Bello Cabernet, which sells for $245 a bottle, but the cool thing about Ridge is that it also produces quite a lot of interesting wines that are much more affordable, including a roster of old-vine, best-in-class Zinfandels. If Cupertino is out of the way for you, Ridge has a second tasting room in Healdsburg at its Lytton Springs estate (650 Lytton Springs Road, Healdsburg) — and reaching it does not require driving on any winding mountain roads. Phone: 408-867-3233 Tasting fee: $30 Website More coverage Napa Valley The River Club 101 S. Coombs St., Napa See on map Add to wishlist The River Club is a Napa Valley anomaly, a joint tasting room that two entrepreneurial couples opened in 2024. As you approach the space, located in a 760-square-foot metal unit in a south Napa industrial park, you might wonder if you've gotten lost. But stepping inside feels like entering the bungalow home of your most tasteful friend. The River Club has brought its own little world to life, and once you're inside, the view of the river and vineyards in the distant hills is quite scenic. The couples that own the River Club operate two wine brands, respectively: the Mourvedre-focused Belong Wine Co. and the Pinot Noir specialist Paper Planes. Tastings, at an exceedingly reasonable $25, span both wineries; across the board, the wines are fresh and vibrant, a stimulating departure from standard Napa Valley fare. There is no Cabernet here. The River Club is homey, staffed exclusively by its owners and offering an elaborate kids' corner with games, books and art supplies. (A kids' snack pack is available for purchase.) The tasting room also opens as a kind of coworking space on Thursday afternoons. Dog friendly Family friendly Serves food No appointment necessary Phone: 707-234-5814 Tasting fee: $25 Website More coverage Sonoma County Ryme Cellars 6450 First St., Forestville See on map Add to wishlist Ryme's tasting room is cozy, outfitted with decorative branches and heavy barn doors, and it always has warm, generous service. It's hidden in a building complex off a dusty back road in Forestville, in an evocative setting to try these soulful wines. The owners and winemakers, wife-husband team Megan and Ryan Glaab, offer both the classic — delicate, floral Carneros Pinot Noir; citrusy Chardonnay from the Russian River Valley — and the unconventional, with orange wines and co-fermentations of white and red grapes. They've got a penchant for Italian-style bottlings, and everyone who visits the tasting room should be sure to try the red wine and the rosé that Ryme makes from the Aglianico grape, a tannic, meaty-tasting southern Italian variety. Another favorite is the 'Hers' Vermentino, made in a zippy, fresh style that showcases the grape's characteristic salinity and crunchy fruit flavors — a counterpoint to the 'His' Vermentino, a toothsome, bronze-colored wine made with skin contact. Dog friendly Family friendly Serves food Phone: 707-820-8121 Tasting fee: $35 Website More coverage Napa Valley Schramsberg Vineyards 1400 Schramsberg Road, Calistoga See on map Add to wishlist Winery tours can get boring, but this one is actually worth it. The coolest part about visiting Schramsberg Vineyards is the chance to tour through its miles of underground caves, where millions of bottles of nascent wine are stored as they undergo the secondary fermentations that make them fizzy. There's no better way to learn about the complicated process of Champagne-method winemaking than seeing it in action. After that educational tour, you'll taste a flight of wines, typically four sparkling and one still. These are some of the best bubblies made in California, from affordable, everyday bottlings like the Blanc de Blancs to the pricier, longer-aged J. Schram cuvee. But the winemaking team here is versatile, and it's also a treat to get to taste the still versions of Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon from Schramsberg's sister label, Davies Vineyards. Serves food Phone: 707-942-4558 Tasting fee: $65 Website More coverage Napa Valley Tres Sabores 1620 S. Whitehall Ln., St. Helena See on map Add to wishlist Winemakers love to talk about 'Rutherford dust,' a set of tannic, chocolaty characteristics that grapes grown in Napa Valley's Rutherford area often express. You'll see some of that dust firsthand as you drive up to the grove of picnic tables that serves as Tres Sabores' tasting area — on this unpaved road, your car will inevitably kick up some dirt. The experience here feels refreshingly unpretentious, relying on the natural beauty of the surroundings and the high quality of the wines rather than on a fancy hospitality center or upscale food pairings. When you encounter some of the property's resident goats, you'll know you're really at a working farm. Owner and winemaker Julie Johnson's lineup of wines includes a bright, fruity rosé but mostly consists of hefty red wines, like the inky ¿Por Qué No? red blend and the gorgeously spicy estate Zinfandel. When you try the Rutherford Perspective Cabernet Sauvignon, see if you can taste that Rutherford dust. Dog friendly Family friendly Phone: 707-967-8027 Tasting fee: $65 Website Sonoma County Unti Vineyards 4202 Dry Creek Road, Healdsburg See on map Add to wishlist There's no winery in Sonoma County quite like Unti, where you'll find Italian-style wines like Aglianico and Vermentino alongside more familiar-to-Sonoma options like Zinfandel and Grenache. It's all part of the Unti family's multigenerational project of growing grapes that thrive in places near the Mediterranean Sea, from Italy to France to Croatia. The casual tasting appointments here take place in the laid-back tasting barn, inviting visitors to choose six wines from a long list of options while a staff member — sometimes winemaker Mick Unti himself — provides each one's backstory. Some high points of the menu include the minerally Fiano, the crisp Vermentino and the cherry-laced Sangiovese. It will feel hard to choose just six, but you really can't go wrong here. Dog friendly Family friendly Phone: 707-433-5590 Tasting fee: $25 Website More coverage Advertisement Save your wishlist Add to your wishlist by checking the boxes above Copy wish list to clipboardEmail wish list Sip, savor and share with this newsletter from our wine critic, Esther Mobley Sign up This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service By subscribing, you agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge that your information will be used as described in our Privacy Notice. Credits Reporting by Esther Mobley / Senior Wine Critic. Visuals by Chronicle Photo Editors, Photographers, and Contributors. Editing by Janelle Bitker and Caleb Pershan. Audience engagement by Jess Shaw and Elisabeth Smith. Project management by Brittany Schell / Hearst DevHub and Alex Fong / Deputy Creative Director, Design. Design and development by Danielle Rindler / Hearst DevHub and Evan Wagstaff / Hearst DevHub. Powered by the Hearst Newspapers DevHub. 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San Francisco Chronicle
6 days ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
California winery embroiled in fraud scandal has a new owner
A winery that was embroiled in a high-profile Sonoma County fraud scandal has been acquired by a prominent California wine industry executive. Sojourn Cellars was once part of the portfolio of embattled real estate developer Kenneth Mattson, who was arrested in May on charges including wire fraud and money laundering. The Sonoma winery, which had a reputation for high-quality Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon, became a victim of Mattson's fallout. In May, a bankruptcy court judge approved the sale of over 150 assets affiliated with Mattson and his partners. Now, Pat Roney, the former CEO of Vintage Wine Estates, has purchased Sojourn with a small investment group. The deal includes Sojourn's brand and inventory, but no winery or vineyards. Roney did not disclose a purchase price. There are two main reasons why Roney wanted to buy the 10,000-case Sojourn. First, 'I don't do well at retirement,' he said. Second, 'it's a great winery,' and almost 90% of its sales are direct to consumer, 'which is where the trend is going for smaller wineries.' Roney co-founded Vintage Wine Estates after he and the late wine mogul Leslie Rudd purchased Windsor Vineyards in 2007, adding it to Napa Valley's Girard Vineyards, which they had jointly acquired in 2000. In the following years, Roney grew Vintage into one of California's most powerful wine conglomerates, buying 28 additional wineries including B.R. Cohn, Kunde, Cameron Hughes and Layer Cake. Roney stepped down as CEO in 2023, transitioning to board president. Vintage filed for bankruptcy last summer, instantly becoming the most visible sign that California's wine industry was facing a major crisis, and preceding a barrage of other winery closures or sales. When Vintage's assets became available in a bankruptcy auction, Roney and Vintage investor John Sebastiani put in a bid for three of the company's most popular Sonoma wineries, Kunde, B.R. Cohn and Viansa. But they lost the bid to automotive billionaire Jay Adair, who paid $85 million for those properties, as well as Napa Valley's Clos Pegase and Girard. Roney didn't walk away empty handed, however. He managed to buy Windsor Vineyards, the winery that had launched Vintage Wine Estates in the first place, in October from Full Glass Marketing, which had bought it from Vintage out of bankruptcy. In the months since, Roney said he's made changes to Windsor Vineyards including updating the website and 'improving the quality of the wines.' The big draw for Sojourn, he said, is its well trafficked tasting room by the downtown Sonoma plaza. Given the precariousness of the wholesale market for wine right now — behemoth distributor Republic National Distributing Co. is pulling out of California entirely — it's more important than ever for wineries to build up their direct-to-consumer businesses, Roney said. As part of the acquisition, Roney has laid 'a couple of people' off, he said, but most of the staff remains in place, including longtime winemaker Erich Bradley. A renovation of the tasting room is in the works (it will remain open during renovations), and Roney has plans for a packaging makeover. 'They went through a controversial label change,' he said. 'We're going to bring it back closer to what it was before.'
