Smith Madrone Vineyards

TL;DR

  • Cute for pictures: 5/5

  • QPR: 4/5, average price $30-65

  • Main varietals: Dry Riesling, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon

  • Tasting fee: $65, currently not waiving tasting fees

  • Average wine rating on Vivino: 4.2

Smith Madrone is another small family winery up in the Spring Mountain area. It’s so small and operated by 4 people and was closed for over a year when COVID started. They finally reopened for tasting this fall and I jumped on the opportunity. Winery has been recommended by several other people in the industry and the wines and the view lived up to the hype. Tasting is casual and set up on top of the hill and the view was do die for. Dry riesling was so refreshing! Also LOVED the Cabernet Sauvignon blended with a small percentage of Cab Franc that made it unique. Great price point for the area too! If you can’t do a whole tasting, it’s also a good idea to see if you can stop by for the view and purchase a few bottles.

More about Smith Madrone: Website, Yelp , IG

Pride Mountain Vineyards

TL;DR

  • Cute for pictures: 5/5

  • QPR: 4/5, average price $50-80

  • Main varietals: Merlot, Cab Sauvignon, Cab Franc, Syrah

  • Tasting fee: $30, waived with 2 bottles purchase

  • Average wine rating on Vivino: 4.4

Did you know you can visit a winery that is on both Sonoma and Napa? Such a unique experience at Pride Mountain, winery located right on the country line of Sonama and Napa. Their address says Santa Rosa, which helps them keep their prices lower even though the winery is easier to access from Napa. The entire tasting experience is super fun. It starts from the tasting bar and you also get a glimpse of their cave where they also do a barrel tasting. They also have one of my favorite varietals, Cab Franc! Wines are good and the view is amazing. if you are able to make it up to the mountain, definitely recommend

More about Pride: Website, Yelp , IG

RYME Cellars

TL;DR

  • Cute for pictures: 3/5

  • QPR: 5/5, average price $20-60

  • Main varietals: Italian reds and whites. Vermentino, Aglianico, Cab Franc, Cab Sauv

  • Tasting fee: $25, waived for members

  • Average wine rating on Vivino: 4.0

I recently found out about this winery from the wine loving community and wow, it checks all of my boxes and I can’t recommend this place enough. Small family owned (husband and wife team) winery in Sebastopol Sonoma, where they make wines they love and I love all their wines. Wines are all so good and well-priced, easy to drink and unique! No fancy building or vineyard but super cute tasting garden. We ended up joining the club and can’t go back. If you are in Sonoma/Santa Rosa and want to taste a variety of good wines other than Pinot or Cab (although their Cab and Pinot are good as well), highly recommend. Their wines have become my go to bottle any night of the week.

More about Ryme: Website, Yelp , IG

Rivers Marie Vineyards

TL;DR

  • Cute for pictures: 3/5

  • QPR: 4/5, average price $60-100

  • Main varietals: Pinot, Cabernet, Chardonnay

  • Tasting fee: $75, waived with a 3 bottle purchase

  • Average wine rating on Vivino: 4.3

If you have been to a few different Napa wineries, you might have heard of the winemaker! Thomas Rivers Brown makes wines and consults for a number of different wineries in Napa, all very highly rated and scored. Tasting experience here is private and customized. They contact you after you make your reservation to ask what you like and make sure your tasting flight reflects your preference. Place is super modern in a glass enclosed room and green plant wall. I loved all the wines, but especially loved all the Cabs we tasted. It is also a treat to be able to taste high quality Cab AND Pinot at the same tasting room in Napa.

More about Rivers Marie: Website, Yelp

Roederer Estate

TL;DR

  • Cute for pictures: 4/5

  • QPR: 4/5, average price $20-100

  • Main varietals: Sparkling

  • Tasting fee: $20, only waived for members

  • Average wine rating on Vivino: 3.9

I’ve been getting more into sparkling wines as I’m learning how versatile it is to pair with any food! It’s not only for celebrations but a great sipping wine for any day, time, or occasion. I haven’t done a ton of tastings to compare different types sparkling wines (would definitely be a fun at-home tasting!) so it was treat to visit Roederer in Anderson Valley on the way to Mendocino. Their N.V. Brut Cuvee is widely distributed and available at places like Costco but here you get to taste Magnums, sparkling Rosé, and extra dry sparkling. My favorite part was doing a side by side of the Magnum and a regular 750ml of the same exact wine. Because traditional method of making sparkling wine means transformation from a still to a sparkling wine occurs entirely inside the bottle, Magnum definitely tastes different and I actually liked it better!

More about Roedere: Website, Yelp , IG