42 Best Sights in Napa, Napa and Sonoma

A visit to this majestic château is an opulent way to enjoy the Carneros District—especially in fine weather, when the vineyard views are spectacular. The château was modeled after an 18th-century French mansion owned by the Taittinger family. Carved into the hillside beneath the winery, the cellars produce sparkling wines reminiscent of those made by Taittinger, using only Los Carneros AVA grapes. Enjoy flights of sparkling wine or Pinot Noir with cheese and charcuterie plates, caviar, or smoked salmon. Tastings are by appointment only.

Six miles from the downtown Napa whirl, husband-and-wife Jeff and Karen Fontanella's hillside spread seems a world apart. In addition to his formal studies, Jeff learned about wine making at three prestigious wineries before he and Karen, a lawyer, established their own operation on 81 south-facing Mt. Veeder acres. The couple braved an economic recession, an earthquake, and wildfires in the first decade but emerged tougher, if no less gracious to guests lucky enough to find themselves tasting Viognier, Chardonnay, Zinfandel, and Cabernet Sauvignon on the patio here. Tastings often end with a Zinfandel-based port-style wine. Weather permitting, the reserve tasting includes the opportunity to stroll the estate, whose views south to San Francisco and east to Atlas Peak are terrific.

Cabernets from Mayacamas Vineyards placed second and fifth respectively on Wine Spectator magazine's 2019 and 2020 "Top 100" lists of the world's best wines, two accolades among many for this winery founded atop Mt. Veeder in 1889. One of Napa's leading viticulturists, Annie Favia farms the organic vineyards, elevation 2,000-plus feet, without irrigation; her husband, Andy Erickson, is the consulting winemaker. The grapes for the Chardonnay come from 40-year-old vines. Aged in mostly neutral (previously used) French oak barrels to accentuate mountain minerality, the wine is a Napa Valley marvel. The Cabernet Sauvignon ages for three years, spending part of the time in oak barrels more than a century old. Erin Martin, a Napa Valley resident with a hip international reputation, designed the light-filled storefront tasting space. Experiencing these magnificent wines downtown—white wines–only and red wines–only tastings possible—may entice you to visit the estate.

Barb and Bart O'Brien live on and operate this 40-acre Oak Knoll District estate, where in good weather guests sip wines at an outdoor tasting area adjoining the vineyard producing the fruit for them. It's a singular setting to enjoy Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Bordeaux-style red blends, Sauvignon Blanc, and Chardonnay wines that indeed merit the mid-90s (sometimes higher) scores they garner from critics. Club members snap up most of the bottlings, with the rest sold at intimate tastings (reservations are required; book well ahead). All visits include vineyard and winery tours and an account of Barb and Bart's inspiring path to winery ownership. The superb wines and genial hosts make a stop here the highlight of many a Wine Country vacation.

The 40,000-square-foot market's two dozen stands provide an introduction to Northern California's diverse artisanal food products. Swoon over decadent charcuterie at the Fatted Calf (great sandwiches, too), slurp oysters at Hog Island, or enjoy empanadas at El Porteño. Sample wine (and cheese) at the Oxbow Cheese & Wine Merchant, ales at Fieldwork Brewing's taproom (at  1046 McKinstry, near Fatted Calf), and barrel-aged cocktails at the Napa Valley Distillery. The owner of Kara's Cupcakes operates the adjacent Bar Lucia for (mostly) sparkling wines and rosés. Milestone Provisions is a combination butchery, restaurant (California country cuisine including sublime fried-chicken sandwiches), and creamery known for velvety ice cream. Among the few nonfood vendors here is Napa Bookmine, which also operates a larger store elsewhere downtown.

Extravagance infuses this boutique Stags Leap District operation, most notably in its architecture but also in the Petite Sirahs and Cabernets. Founder Carl Doumani spent years wooing the Austria-born architect Friedensreich Hundertwasser, whose sensibility has been compared to Antoni Gaudí's, to design the winery and production facility. Per Hundertwasser's insistence on replicating natural forms, the sod-roofed structure, clad in red brick and colorful ceramic tiles and topped with a gold onion dome, has no straight lines. Philippe Melka became the consulting winemaker in 2016, his rich, velvety style a complement to the ebullient setting. Winery visits are by appointment only. The wine-and-food pairings here (book at least three days ahead) are exceptional.

Here's a surprise: a highly respected Napa Valley winery that doesn't sell a lick of Cabernet. Zinfandel from heritage vineyards, some with vines more than 100 years old, holds the spotlight, with luscious Petite Sirahs in supporting roles. Nearly every pour comes with a fascinating backstory, starting with the flagship Black Chicken Zinfandel. In the 1940s, the Biale family sold eggs, walnuts, and other farm staples, with bootleg Zinfandel a lucrative sideline. Because neighbors could eavesdrop on party-line phone conversations, "black chicken" became code for a jug of Zin. These days the wines are produced on the up-and-up, steps from the 10-acre property's tasting area. A stone's throw from Zinfandel vines, with far-off views of two mountain ranges, the open-air space has a back-porch feel. Visits are by appointment; call ahead for same-day.

Based way up Howell Mountain but with meticulously farmed hillside sources on both sides of the valley, Robert Craig has established a loyal following for its textured, full-flavored Cabernet Sauvignons. Hosts pour the wines inside a refurbished 1890s downtown Napa Folk Victorian and on its front porch and redbrick patio. Tastings, by appointment but usually possible on short notice, often begin with a Sonoma County Chardonnay or, while it lasts, La Fleur Craig Grenache Rosé from Howell Mountain. One trait all the wines share is how well they age. The Zinfandel from Howell Mountain's Black Sears Vineyard does its varietal proud.

Its Hillside Select Cabernet Sauvignon has long been one of the Napa Valley's most sought-after bottlings, and Shafer conducts small appointment-only tastings at a hospitality space with views of the rugged Stags Leap District incline where the prized wine's grapes grow. A Terrace View Tasting usually starts with the Red Shoulder Ranch Carneros Chardonnay, followed by TD-9 (a Cabernet Sauvignon–based Bordeaux blend), the One Point Five 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, and Relentless (a Syrah–Petite Sirah blend), concluding with the 100% Cabernet Hillside Select. The Private Collectors Experience includes an older Hillside Select vintage. Expertly farmed and masterfully balanced, Shafer's collector-quality wines deserve the high praise they receive.

Superior estate Chardonnay, dry Riesling, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir, and the Malbec-heavy Dragon's Tooth blend are the trademarks of this family-run winery founded in 1968. To find out how well Trefethen wines age, book a reserve tasting, which includes pours of limited-release wines and one or two older vintages. The terra-cotta-color historic winery on-site, built in 1886, was designed with a gravity-flow system, with the third story for crushing, the second for fermenting the resulting juice, and the first for aging. The wooden building suffered severe damage in the 2014 Napa earthquake, but after extensive renovations it reopened as the main tasting room. The early-1900s Arts and Crafts–style Villa, situated amid gardens, hosts reserve and elevated tastings. All visits require a reservation.

Highly structured Cabernet Sauvignons from Atlas Peak grapes are the calling card of Acumen, which presents its wines in a combination tasting lounge and art gallery done up in glass, brass, copper, and reclaimed wood. Philip Titus, also the winemaker at the esteemed Chappellet Winery, has been making the affordable but well-crafted Mountainside tier and collector-quality Peak wines since 2020. Tastings at this downtown Napa salon require an appointment, though walk-ins are accommodated if possible, often the case if you're stopping by for a glass or bottle of sparkling or still wine.

While its Oakville winery undergoes renovations, a project expected to last until summer 2025, the Robert Mondavi Winery will pour its wines (along with a few other luxury brands) in downtown Napa's 1877 Borreo Building. Erected using stone quarried a few miles away in Soda Canyon, the two-story Italian Renaissance–style building has large windows and an outdoor terrace with views west to Main Street. A tireless promoter of the Napa Valley as California's preeminent winegrowing region, the late Robert Mondavi elevated Sauvignon Blanc by labeling his bottlings with the more exotic name Fumé Blanc and made Bordeaux-style reds of renown from To Kalon Vineyard in Oakville. Visits to taste these and other selections, many of them winery exclusives, require a reservation. At time of writing, there was no plan to keep the Borreo Building location open after the Oakville winery reopens in 2025.

From a distance the modern, minimalist architecture of Artesa blends harmoniously with the surrounding Carneros landscape, but up close its pools, fountains, and large outdoor sculptures make their own impression. As might be expected in this region, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from estate and sourced grapes predominate, but the winery also produces Albariño and sparkling wine, plus reds that include Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Tempranillo. By appointment you can sample them, sometimes paired with food, while enjoying views of estate and neighboring vineyards and, on a clear day, San Francisco.

Barbara Bestor's sleek white design for this appointment-only winery's glass-and-metal tasting space evokes mid-century modern architecture and with it the era and wines predating the Napa Valley's rise to prominence. Leading the wine-making team record producer Kashy Khaledi assembled are Steve Matthiasson, known for his restrained style and attention to viticultural detail, and Diana Snowden Seysses, who draws on experiences in Burgundy, Provence, and California. Bordeaux varietals are the focus, most notably Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc but also the white blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon and even the rosé (of Cabernet Franc). With a label designer who was also responsible for a Jay-Z album cover and interiors that recall the Mad Men Palm Springs story arc, the pitch seems unabashedly intended to millennials, but the wines, low in alcohol and with high acidity (helpful with aging), enchant connoisseurs of all stripes.

In 1973, teenager Mario Bazán traveled north from Oaxaca, Mexico, intending to earn money to start a grocery business back home. Five decades later, he's still in the Napa Valley. After proving his mettle as a vineyard laborer and later foreman at Robert Mondavi, Opus One, and Stag's Leap Wine Cellars, Mario opened his own management company, these days overseeing a few hundred acres of vines. With his wife Gloria, a former pediatric dentist from Michoacán who makes glass jewelry, he founded Bazán Cellars in 2005. The gregarious Gloria manages the expat couple's modest downtown Napa tasting room, where Sauvignon Blanc, rosé, and Pinot Noir set up the stars, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. Reservations are a good idea on weekends.

Tranquil Bouchaine lies just north of San Pablo Bay's tidal sloughs—to appreciate the off-the-beaten-path setting, step onto the terrace of the semicircular hilltop tasting room and scan the skies for hawks and golden eagles soaring above the vineyards. The alternately breezy and foggy weather in this part of the Carneros works well for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. These account for most of the wines, but also look for Pinot Gris, Gewürztraminer, and Riesling whites, along with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Meunier, and Syrah. Some outdoor tastings take place on the terrace, others in the garden below it.

In 1980, the parents of the current owners of the Napa Valley's first Black-owned estate winery purchased 450 acres east of St. Helena in Chiles Valley, planting a vineyard in 1985. A decade later the second generation—siblings Doreen and David Brown, later joined by sister Coral—established the family's label. The estate Zinfandels and Cabernet Sauvignon, made by David, are perennial winners for their bold elegance, with another star the punchy, accessible Chaos Theory blend of Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, and a grape or two more. The Browns pour their wines in a high-ceilinged loftlike salon—exposed red brick and steel beams, tall arched windows, and teal walls—on the second floor of a 1905 downtown Napa structure that for its first six decades housed the Napa Valley Register newspaper. Reservations are required.

A palette of pink, lavender, teal, and gold, a blingy crystal chandelier, and a generous dose of leopard print and multicolor feathers buoy the atmosphere at the Napa outpost of the Wine Country's oldest winery, established in Sonoma in 1857. In this dapper setting, with Sinatra, Bublé, Fitzgerald, and other crooners and chanteuses on the playlist, you can sip sparkling wine by the glass or bottle, and Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Cabernet Sauvignon by the glass, bottle, or flight. Two experiences worth considering are a pairing of Cabernets with gourmet chocolates and another of sparkling wine with caviar. Walk-ins are usually welcome, though it's best to make a reservation for the tastings involving food.

Food fanatics and the merely curious achieve gastronomical bliss at the Culinary Institute of America's Oxbow District campus, its facade brightened by a wraparound mural inspired by the colorful garden that fronts the facility. You could easily spend a few hours checking out the wine and culinary options; visiting the well-curated shop, theme exhibitions, and Vintners Hall of Fame wall; or attending (book ahead) classes and demonstrations. Head upstairs to the Chuck Williams Culinary Arts Museum. Named for the Williams-Sonoma kitchenwares founder, it holds a fascinating collection of cooking, baking, and other food-related tools, tableware, gizmos, and gadgets, some dating back more than a century.

Searching in the early 1970s for the best non-European site to grow Cabernet Sauvignon, this French-owned outfit's founding winemaker selected land now called Hirondelle Vineyard. He chose well: Clos du Val (in French, "small vineyard of a small valley") built its reputation on its intense estate Cabernet, made with the Stags Leap District vineyard's fruit. Grapes for the much-praised Bordeaux-style red blend also come from Hirondelle, the French word for "swallow," a bird species prevalent here. Guests sample these wines plus Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Franc, and sometimes others in a glass-fronted vineyard's-edge hospitality center (reservations required, same-day visits possible). In good weather, hosts retract the windows, unifying the tasting room, its flashy interiors by St. Helena–based designer Erin Martin, and the adjoining patio.

A hilly patchwork of vines fans out from this winery's contemporary glass-walled tasting room and spacious patio—on a sunny day, Cuvaison (pronounced "coo-vay-SAHN") is among the Napa Valley's most appealing spots to sip wine. Owned since 1979 by a Swiss family with the foresight to snap up 382 acres (about 150 now planted) of what's now prime Los Carneros real estate, the winery specializes in cool-climate Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and Pinot Noir. Longtime winemaker Steven Rogstad, well respected by his peers, describes the wines as "vineyard driven," but his mastery of technique elevates them further. The winery accommodates walk-ins when possible (try to call ahead), though it's best to have an appointment. Many guests pair a trip to Cuvaison with one to its across-the-street neighbor, sparkling-wine house Domaine Carneros.

The visitor center at Darioush is unlike any other in the valley: 16 freestanding, sand-color columns loom in front of a travertine building whose exuberant architecture recalls the ancient Persian capital Persepolis. Exceptional hospitality and well-balanced wines from southern Napa Valley grapes are the winery's hallmarks. The signature Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon and other bottlings combine grapes grown high on Mt. Veeder with valley-floor fruit, the former providing tannins and structure, the latter mellower, savory notes. Viognier, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot, Shiraz, and the Duel Cab-Shiraz blend are among other possible pours here. All visits are by appointment, best made at least a day or two ahead.

The late Rene di Rosa assembled an extensive collection of artworks created by Northern California artists from the 1960s to the present, displaying them on this 217-acre Carneros District property surrounded by Chardonnay and Pinot Noir vineyards. Two galleries at opposite ends of a 35-acre lake show works from the collection and host temporary exhibitions; the Sculpture Meadow behind the second gallery holds a few dozen large outdoor pieces.

You're apt to see or hear hawks, egrets, Canada geese, and other wildlife on the grounds of Etude, known for sophisticated Pinot Noirs. Although the winery and its light-filled tasting room are in Napa County, the grapes for its flagship Carneros Estate Pinot Noir come from the Sonoma portion of Los Carneros, as do those for the rarer Heirloom Carneros Pinot Noir. Longtime winemaker Jon Priest also excels at single-vineyard Napa Valley Cabernets. In good weather, hosts pour Priest's reds, plus Chardonnay and Pinot Gris, on the patio outside the contemporary tasting room. Hosts of A Study of Pinot Noir, a private, seated experience, pour Pinot Noirs from different areas to illustrate how soil, climate, and growing conditions affect the finished wines.

Local multimedia artist Gordon Huether has made a name for himself at home and internationally with his large-scale sculptures and installations. His Napa 9/11 Memorial anchors a section of Main Street downtown, across the street his music-inspired wall installations pep up the Blue Note Napa jazz club, and his sculpture of the late vintner Robert Mondavi and his wife, Margrit, sits atop the CIA at Copia building in the Oxbow District. To view scale models of his latest projects and glimpse his staff (and sometimes the artist himself) at work, make a weekday appointment to visit his studio, 3 miles north of downtown.

About 9 miles northwest of Napa, up a winding road ascending Mt. Veeder, this appointment-only winery is a delightful discovery. The limestone structure, rustic from the outside but modern and airy within, contains Swiss founder Donald Hess's world-class art collection, including large-scale works by contemporary artists such as Andy Goldsworthy, Anselm Kiefer, and Robert Rauschenberg. Guided gallery tours are part of some tastings; other experiences might involve wine, cheese, chocolate, or small or large bites. An ATV vineyard tour is conducted some days, and there's a blending seminar. Mt. Veeder Cabernet Sauvignon is the star of the Hess Collection portfolio, with Chardonnay and Pinot Noir two other strong suits. The winery touts its accessible fruit-forward Lion's Head Collection tier as "next generation luxury wines."

Dubbed "the wise man of Carneros" by Wine Spectator magazine, winegrower Larry Hyde began farming grapes in the southern Napa Valley in 1979. For years his fruit has gone into the high-scoring vineyard-designate Chardonnays of posh labels like Massican, DuMol, and Kistler, and Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs for Patz & Hall. With this exalted a pedigree—experts consider Hyde Vineyard not merely among California's finest vineyards but also the world—it was only a matter of time before wines bearing Hyde's name would debut. Pinot came first (2009), followed by Chardonnay (2012) and later Viognier, Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot, and Syrah. In 2017 Hyde and his son, Chris, opened a winery and appointment-only tasting room in the Carneros. When much of the valley is roasting during midsummer heat waves, San Pablo Bay breezes keep patrons on the vineyard's-edge terrace blessedly cool.

Cabernet Sauvignon from Coombsville and Oak Knoll, two southern Napa Valley appellations, is the specialty of John Anthony Truchard, who presents his wines by the glass, flight, or bottle at a storefront tasting room in downtown Napa. As a farmer Truchard emphasizes matching the right varietal and clone, or variant of it, to the right vineyard. Having done so, he creates only 100% single-varietal wines—no blending of Cabernet with Merlot, for instance—meant to be "as beautiful as the vineyards they come from." The Syrah also stands out among the reds. La Dame Michele, a sparkling wine, and the Church Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc are lighter wines to seek out.

Panama-born Mark Herold specializes in collector-quality Cabernet Sauvignons from the Atlas Peak, Coombsvillle, and Oakville AVAs. Herold also makes Uproar, a Cabernet blend from those three areas that astounds for its intense flavors and relatively accessible price. At the winemaker's Oxbow District storefront, where a wall sculpture of a hot-rod-green marlin surrounded by white lilies sets a peppy tone, you can sample four Cabernets at an Appellation Series tasting. The introductory Herold Highlights often begins with a Sauvignon Blanc and a Chardonnay (sometimes a dry rosé of Cabernet) before sips of Uproar and one of the appellation Cabs. All visits are by appointment, with last-minute ones often possible. A Taste of Place, an excursion to the winery's Coombsville vineyard, includes a tasting and a selection of cheeses.

Entertaining educators keep the proceedings light and lively at this distillery, which bills itself as Napa's first since Prohibition. NVD makes gin, rum, whiskey, and the flagship grape-based vodka, along with brandies and barrel-aged bottled cocktails that include Manhattans, mai tais, and negronis. Lesson number one at visits, always by appointment, is how to properly sip spirits (spoiler: don't swirl your glass as you would with wine). If you just want to sample the wares, the distillery operates a tasting bar at Oxbow Public Market.