Wineries in Sebastopol

"We are farmers and we farm hard. There are no shortcuts," is how the Balletos describe the work that goes on on their 800 acres of estate vineyards. All the wine they make, they grow. It means complete control from vineyard to bottle and it shows in the final product.

Located just north of Sebastopol, this winery uses organic farming methods, small lot fermentations and traditional techniques to make balanced, food friendly and site-specific wines and ciders. They source their fruit from the Russian River Valley, and Mendocino and Napa counties.

Dutton-Goldfield’s mission is to produce world-class wines that display the brightness of fruit, complexity, structure and balance that are reflective of our cool coastal neighborhood. They specialize in Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, and also produce Syrah, Zinfandel, Riesling and Gewürztraminer.

Fog Crest marries its fortunate terrain with meticulous viticultural practices and combines modern and old world winemaking practices. High atop the Laguna de Santa Rosa, their well-appointed tasting room boasts one of the most beautiful views in west Sonoma County.

Furthermore Wines is obsessively focused on making amazing Pinot Noir. By concentrating on single vineyard releases from only the best growers in cool climate regions of California, they produce world-class pinots that demonstrate the diversity of this enchanting varietal.

Nestled in the foggy rolling hills of Sebastopol in the Russian River Valley, Halleck Vineyard specializes in Pinot Noir. This by-appointment-only winery offers intimate wine tastings every Friday, Saturday and Sunday. They also produce sauvignon blanc, a dry Zinfadel rose and a dry gerwertraminer.

Always the maverick, Hanna Winery showed the industry what Russian River Sauvignon Blanc can be. In an era where many wineries have chosen to specialize in a few varietals, Hanna offers a broad spectrum of meticulously made wines from Sauv Blanc to Malbec. And they do it all well.

Littorai is a small, family-owned and operated winery that produces vineyard-designated Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from the coastal mountains of Sonoma and Mendocino counties. They are dedicated to producing exceptional wines of place and to the practice of regenerative agriculture.

Nestled in the rolling hills of west county, Lynmar Estate produces ultra-premium Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, sustainably farmed and estate grown. Primarily club-driven, the winery also offers non-club members ways to enjoy their wines and extravagant gardens.

Merry Edwards Winery produces terroir-driven, single-vineyard Pinot Noirs, including the winery flagship Meredith Estate, from 80 acres of estate vineyards in the Russian River Valley. Their Pinot Noirs are known for immense depth, elegant structure and exceptional longevity.

Red Car produces site-specific wines, focused on achieving bright acidity and lively aromatics. Operating from the principle that less is more, Red Car farms their coastal vineyard organically and uses native yeast fermentation and minimal intervention practices.

Since 2014 Reichwage Winery have been growing, producing, and bottling a small portfolio of wines, including some well-known varieties like Pinot Noir and Zinfandel, and some rare like Gamay Noir and Carignane. This by-appointment-only winery produces about 1,200 cases per year.

A little known gem just south of Sebastopol, Sonoma Wine Shop/La Bodega is actually a wine club masquerading as a restaurant (or vice versa). But visitors are welcome to come in try the dozen or so wines from small wineries all over Sonoma County that are regularly open for tasting at the bar.

Scherrer creates handcrafted, full-flavored wines that express the personality of the unique Sonoma County vineyards where they are grown. Best known for Zinfandel and Pinot Noir, they also produce exceptional Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Grenache. Try them at Region in the Barlow.

The term “garagistes” refers winemakers who produced exceptional wines in their garages rather than in grand chateaux. Since 1979, Taft Street Winery has carried on the garagiste tradition, producing crowd-pleasing Sonoma County wines from an old apple processing plant on the edge of Sebastopol.