Why you should visit Yountville wineries
This blog post covers the best wineries in Yountville, California.
Yountville is a picturesque small town that’s home to some of the best wineries in California.
Most of the wineries on this list have tasting rooms in downtown Yountville. Even better, these tasting rooms are within easy walking distance of one another.
A few of the wineries on this list are on the outskirts of town, which means they require a car. But their stunning tasting rooms and lovely outdoor patios more than make up for a short drive.
The tiny town of Yountville is also home to Michelin-starred restaurant The French Laundry. Casual eateries like Bistro Jeanty and Bouchon Bakery add to the first-rate dining scene.
With great food, fantastic wine, and top-notch boutique wineries you really cannot go wrong with a trip to this wine paradise.
You could make Yountville, California part of a larger trip to Napa or you could make Yountville the sole destination. Either way Yountville is the perfect place for a wine focused trip thanks to its picturesque vineyards, excellent food, and stylish tasting rooms.
How to access Yountville in Napa Valley
The best way to access this area is to fly into an airport, rent a car, and drive to Yountville.
The airport closest to Yountville is Santa Rosa Airport (STS). Other nearby airports are the Sacramento International Airport (SMF), Oakland International Airport (OAK), and the San Francisco International Airport (SFO).
Once you’ve rented a car it’s easy to reach Yountville. It’s a one hour drive from Santa Rosa to Yountville. The Sacramento airport is a 75 minute drive from Yountville. The Oakland airport is a 90 minute drive. And it’ll take between one hour and 45 minutes to two hours to drive from the San Francisco airport to Yountville.
Once you’ve reached Yountville it’s easy to walk or bike between downtown tasting rooms, hotels, and the town’s best restaurants.
The best Yountville wineries for a wine tasting
Located in the heart of the Napa Valley Wine Country, Yountville has over a dozen wineries in their charming downtown and half a dozen wineries on the outskirts of town.
I’ve split my list into two: the walkable wineries and the drivable wineries.
Walkable Yountville wineries and tasting rooms
Stewart Cellars
Stewart Cellars has the most beautifully designed buildings.
The combination of stone covered façades and black steel beam framed windows are an ideal mix of old and new world style. Inside, the Yountville tasting room juxtaposes a modern white bar against traditional wood and leather accents.
The tastings at Stewart Cellars feature wines you know and love such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Rosé. There are two tastings that only feature Cabernet Sauvignon. The first is a flight of four single vineyard Cabernet Sauvignons, including the highly acclaimed NOMAD Cabernet Sauvignon, which they source from their Napa Heritage Vineyards.
There’s also the “NOMAD Tasting,” which features six single-vineyard Cabernets. A dedicated wine educator leads this premium tasting, which takes place in the Heritage Library and includes a cheese plate.
Priest Ranch Wines
Priest Ranch Wines offers some of the most interesting wine and food pairings among the Yountville wineries.
There’s a “Bacon & Wine Experience,” which pairs everyone’s favorite crispy pork with delicious red wine. The “Artisan Experience” pairs a selection of limited-production estate wines with local cheese and charcuterie. The “Mustard Experience” includes (you guessed it) mustard. The “Bubbles & Bites Experience” pairs a sparkling Brut Rosé with caviar, crème fraîche, and kettle chips. How luxurious!
The Brut Rosé of Syrah is rarely found at other local tasting rooms. Their Petit Verdot is also unique. But of course Priest Ranch Wines makes traditional offerings such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc.
In addition to bottled wine, Priest Ranch also makes canned wine. The Rosé and Grenache Blanc cans are designed to be easy portable beverages. Priest Ranch also produces estate grown extra virgin olive oil.
Hestan Vineyards
Hestan Vineyards is a 237-acre estate nestled in the eastern slopes of Napa Valley.
This well-known estate produces Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc, Petit Verdot, Malbec, and Grenache. Winemakers Jeff Gaffner and Thomas Rivers Brown turn these grapes into award-winning, limited-release wines.
The vineyard is named after owners Helen and Stanley Cheng, who purchased this former cattle ranch in 1996. Several labels within Hestan Vineyards are named after family members. Stephanie wines are named after the owner’s daughter and are fashioned from the five classic red Bordeaux grapes. The Vincent Christopher wine is named after the owner’s two sons and is made from Pinot Noir.
The Yountville tasting salon is a modern combination of glass, concrete, and steel. The tasting room is open daily for wine tasting flights. Reservations are required for the seated wine tasting experience.
Handwritten Wines
Handwritten Wines is a boutique winery in the Napa County area. Established in 2009, Handwritten Wines offers private tastings in a beautiful tasting room.
You can opt for the “Classic Experience,” which features five wines and white truffle potato chips. Or you can enjoy the “Bread and Butter” experience, which pairs five wines with butter, cheese, and bread.
Hill Family Estate
The Hill Family Estate tasting room in downtown Yountville offers traditional tasting flights as well as unusual tastings such as a chocolate and wine pairing.
You can also book a “Secret Garden Tour” that begins with an hour-long exploration of the Hill Family Farms. This verdant oasis boasts over one hundred varieties of fruit trees plus vegetables, herbs, and edible flowers. According to their website, The French Laundry uses produce from their farm. At the end of the garden tour guests will enjoy a seated wine tasting at the Hill Family Estate tasting room.
The Yountville tasting room accepts walk-ins but tours require reservations.
RH Wine Vault
Unlike the other Yountville wineries on this list, the RH Wine Vault not a boutique winery; it’s a wine club. This makes it an excellent place to taste local wine from the area’s top wineries.
Restoration Hardware is recognized as one of the world’s leading home furnishings purveyors. They offer furniture, lighting, textiles, and outdoor decor. Restoration Hardware has huge retail stores in historic buildings in cities such as Boston, New York, and San Francisco. It’s no surprise that Restoration Hardware’s Yountville outpost is similarly stylish. The RH Wine Vault in Yountville is a mass of stone walls, black steel frames, and many, many crystal chandeliers.
Domaine Chandon
Among all the Yountville wineries on this list, Chandon is the most recognizable name. And for good reason: their sparkling wine is world renowned.
The prominent French winemaker Moët et Chandon established this Yountville outpost in 1973. So, unlike the rest of the wineries on this list, Chandon prioritizes sparkling wines.
The Domaine Chandon tasting room is a roughly twenty minute walk from the center of town, which makes it accessible by foot. And, due to its less central location, there is lots of space both indoor and out.
Their beautiful patio is the perfect place to relax with a glass of wine or a food pairing. The five-course farm-to-table tasting menu looks particularly nice.
A brand new Club Chandon Lounge recently opened. This lounge is a place exclusively for members to enjoy the wide array of tasting flights, food, and special events Chandon offers. Natural materials and earth tones bring a grounded modern energy to the new Club Chandon Lounge.
Hope & Grace Wines
Established in 2001, Hope & Grace Wines has blossomed into one of the most beloved Yountville wineries.
According to their website, Hope & Grace specializes in “single vineyard & single varietal” wines. They work with well known grapes such as Merlot, Malbec, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Chardonnay as well as unique varietals such as Lagrein and Semillon.
In 2004 business partners Charles and Tiffani opened their tasting room in the small town of Yountville. Although they encourage reservations, they welcome walk-in guests seven days a week.
Jessup Cellars
Jessup Cellars offers a straightforward choice between two wine tastings.
Guests who want a simple experience can enjoy a tasting flight of three wines for thirty dollars at their Tasting Gallery. Jessup Cellars also offers a seated tasting of five wines paired with artisan cheeses, almonds and Fatted Calf Salami.
The owners of Jessup Cellars love art and their winery gallery hosts cultural event series and features rotating exhibitions by regional and national artists. If you’re an art lover too there’s no better place to grab a glass of wine.
Winemaker Rob Lloyd blends varietal wines from select vineyards throughout the Napa Valley to create signature cuvées such as “Juel,” “Rougette,” “Graziella,” “Manny’s Blend,” and “Table for Four.” These wines feature any number of grapes such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, Petite Sirah, Zinfandel, Chardonnay.
Silver Trident Winery
Silver Trident Winery is a small boutique winery that focuses on single-varietal wines such as Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Pinot Noir. Their Yountville tasting room is classically elegant with furniture and decor by Ralph Lauren Home.
Silver Trident Winery offers a “Flight of Five” wine tasting that showcases current release wines such as Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, and Cabernet Sauvignon. There’s also a Red Blend made of Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon. They also offer a “ Potato Chip Extravaganza” that pairs five Silver Trident wines with five different artisanal potato chips.
My favorite pairing idea is the “Puppy Pairings” for dogs. Puppy Pairings is a tasting of four gourmet dog treats such as a banana “puppycake,” a “grrr-nola” cookie, peanut butter cookie shaped like a wine glass, and branded travel water bowl. Your dog can enjoy their own treat tasting alongside your wine and food pairing. How fun is that? Out of all the Yountville wineries on this list Silver Trident has the most charming food and wine pairings.
Drivable Yountville wineries on the outskirts of town
Cliff Lede Vineyards
Cliff Lede Vineyards is a short six minute drive from the center of Yountville. Their beautifully designed tasting room has one of the best outdoor patios in the area.
Guests can opt for either a standard tasting or a premium tasting. The standard Reserved Tasting is served on the beautiful veranda while the Backstage Tasting Lounge experience is served in the Cliff Lede’s lounge. The Backstage Tasting includes more limited small production wines such as single vineyard, platinum, or library wines.
Cliff Lede works with grapes like Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Franc, and Sémillon. Some of the Cliff Lede vineyard blocks have fun music-themed names like Abbey Road and Dark Side of the Moon.
Goosecross Cellars
The Goosecross Cellars tasting room is a short six to seven minute drive from downtown Yountville. Their beautiful tasting salon features breathtaking views of the Yountville Hills, the Vaca Mountain Range, and their State Lane Vineyard.
Owners Christi and Dave Ficeli bring both a scientific and artistic approach to winemaking. Along with winemaker Bill Nancarrow, they create delicious wines that reflect their vineyards. Goosecross makes Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Rosé, Syrah, Pinot Noir, and Zinfandel with the best grapes from their own vineyards.
Goosecross Cellars is relatively small compared to the other Yountville wineries on this list. Due to their size tastings are by appointment only.
Where to eat in Yountville
The French Laundry
The French Laundry restaurant is Yountville’s glitziest fine dining establishment and for good reason.
First of all, this restaurant works with incredibly fresh produce. A culinary gardener grows and harvests vegetables featured on the menu. Second, the cooks execute classic French techniques perfectly. Chef Thomas Keller creates menus that walk the line between classic and modern and French and American. This combination of freshness and precision has earned The French Laundry three Michelin stars and a heap of praise.
The wine pairings at The French Laundry perfectly complement their spectacular food. The cellar is stocked with the finest wines from the Napa Valley as well as premium wine from famous producers around the world.
A reservation at The French Laundry must be made months in advance.
Bouchon Bakery
Chef Thomas Keller opened Bouchon Bakery as a way to provide his restaurants with excellent bread. This little French style bakery quickly became its own destination thanks to a selection of high quality breads and desserts.
Bouchon Bakery is the perfect place to grab breakfast before a day of wine tasting. They offer breakfast items such as croissants, pain au chocolat, muffins, and coffee cakes. Savory lunch items like sandwiches, salads, and quiche balance out their sweet treats like tarts and cookies.
Bistro Jeanty
Bistro Jeanty offers authentic French food in a homey atmosphere. Their cooking favors hearty classics like Croque Madame, Coq au Vin, and Cassoulet.
Every authentic French dinner ends with cheese, and dinner at Bistro Jeanty is no exception. The menu includes a mix of classic French cheeses like Epoisses and Brillat Savarin plus Northern Californian favorites like Cypress Grove’s “Humboldt Fog.” Bistro Jeanty can fulfill any craving for authentic French bistro fare.
Similar wine regions to explore
Northern California wine towns to visit
With great food, fantastic wine, and top-notch boutique wineries you really cannot go wrong with a trip centered around Yountville wineries. In addition to Yountville, Healdsburg and Napa are the crown jewels of Northern California wine country.
Healdsburg is a small town nestled at the center of three of California’s best wine growing regions: Alexander Valley, Dry Creek Valley, and the Russian River Valley. Healdsburg remembers its roots as a small agricultural community. The best Healdsburg wineries honor their humble beginnings while producing world-class wines.
Napa is another famous town that’s not to be missed. If you’d like to explore the town, we’ve got you covered. Our blog post on the best downtown Napa wineries discusses more than two dozen tasting rooms in downtown Napa. But if you’d prefer to venture outside town then check out our list of the best boutique Napa wineries. There are few things better than roaming through a vineyard with a glass of wine in hand.
Southern California towns with a growing wine scene
Northern California is arguably the most famous part of California wine country. But what about Southern California…
Did you know there are several wineries in Los Angeles? That’s right – the city of angels is also home to a handful of small producers. Three Los Angeles wineries self-identify as either vegan, natural, or sustainable. There’s also an old-school winery and several transplants to the city. Each offers a unique taste of the local terroir.
If you’re visiting LA you may as well visit Malibu too. Makes sense, right? Right! These three Malibu wineries and wine bars offer fun tasting experiences. One is located right in town and the others are just a short drive away.
