24 Best Sights in Calistoga, Napa and Sonoma

Owners Mike and Sandy Davis transformed a ramshackle property into a plush winery whose predominantly Bordeaux-style wines live up to the magnificent setting. In fashioning the couple's haute-rustic appointment-only hospitality center, the celebrated Wine Country architect Howard Backen incorporated cedar, walnut, and other woods. In fine weather, many guests sit on the open-air terrace's huge swinging sofas, enjoying broad valley views while tasting Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay whites, with Pinot Noir, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and Cabs and Cab-heavy blends among the reds. The wines can be paired with small bites by Mark Caldwell, the executive chef. Tastings are by appointment only.

Founded in 1895 but planted with grapes even before that by San Francisco's free-spirited Lillie Hitchcock Coit, Larkmead was named by her for the meadowlarks that once flitted through the northern Napa Valley. Intuitive artistry informs everything that unfolds on the 150-acre estate, from the vineyards and colorful gardens to the barn-chic interior design, five-star hospitality, and artworks by Kate Solari Baker, whose parents purchased Larkmead in 1948. A former winemaker describes the diverse soils here as "a 'snapshot' of the entire Napa Valley" and the reason why the winery's three top-of-the-line Cabernets taste so different despite their grapes growing in some cases mere yards from each other. Most tastings include a brief tour that passes by a 3-acre vineyard planted to research alternative varietals and viticultural techniques to cope with climate change.

On a Diamond Mountain site the German-born Jacob Schram planted to grapes in the early 1860s, Schramsberg pours its esteemed méthode traditionnelle sparkling wines. Author Robert Louis Stevenson was among Schram's early visitors. After the vintner's death in 1905, the winery closed and fell into disrepair, but in 1965 Jack and Jamie Davies purchased the 200-acre Schramsberg property and began restoring its buildings and caves. Chinese laborers dug some of the latter in the 1870s. In the 1990s, the family set about replanting the vineyard to Cabernet Sauvignon and other Bordeaux varietals for the Davies Vineyards label's still red wines. Tastings at Schramsberg can include pours of only sparkling wines, only still wines, or a combination of the two. All visits are by appointment.

Tucked into a rock face in the Mayacamas range, this family-run winery established in 1976 occupies a picture-perfect site with rows of vines rising steeply in dramatic tiers. Zinfandel is king—there's even a dry Zin Gris rosé—but Viognier, Cabernet Sauvignon, and a Bordeaux blend are also in the mix. Visits, all by appointment, usually begin with a short walk up the hillside and a visit to the atmospheric aging caves, parts of which have the same rough-hewn look as they did when Chinese laborers dug them by hand in the late 1880s. Jerry Seps, who started Storybook with his wife, Sigrid, continues to make the wines, these days with their daughter, Colleen, whose husband, Rick Williams, handles marketing and sometimes leads tours.

The sought-after consultant Thomas Rivers Brown oversees the collector-quality Cabernets of this winery on Diamond Mountain's northern slope. The Voir Dire Cabernet Sauvignon (one owner practices law), the luxury brand's layered and silky flagship, comes from the property's oldest vines. Younger plantings produce fruit for the friskier Hawk's Prey Cab and mellifluous Merlot, with Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and Syrah coming from a high-elevation estate in Sonoma County's Moon Mountain District. Catered bites that illustrate the wines' food-friendliness (and then some) accompany the wines at tastings, many held in a red replica barn with Mt. St. Helena views. Brown and team ply their craft inside a contemporary high-tech facility nearby. Two restored structures, one a schoolhouse, date to the 19th century. It's best to book visits a few days ahead.

If you miss the driveway to Tom and Kerry Eddy's hillside slice of paradise, you'll soon find yourself in Sonoma County—their tree-studded 22-acre property, home to deer, wild turkeys, and winery dog Nala, is that far north. Tom, the winemaker, and Kerry, a sommelier and talented sculptor who hosts most of the tastings, pour their wines by appointment only. Except for the estate Kerry's Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, they're made from grapes sourced from as near as Calistoga and, in the case of the Sauvignon Blanc, as far away as New Zealand. A 1974 UC Davis graduate, Tom made his reputation crafting mountain Cabernets with structure and elegance. They're the winery's stars, but he also produces Chardonnay, Grenache Blanc, rosé of Pinot Noir, Pinot Noir, and Malbec. A visit here is enchanting.

As the son of Nils Venge, the first winemaker to earn a 100-point score from the critic Robert Parker for a Napa Valley wine, Kirk Venge had a hard act to follow. Now a consultant to exclusive wineries himself, Kirk is an acknowledged master of fruit-forward but balanced Cabernet-heavy Bordeaux-style blends. At his casual ranch-house tasting room, flights that might start with Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Merlot, or Zinfandel set the stage for the Cabernet Sauvignon. With its views of the estate Bone Ash Vineyard and, west across the valley, Diamond Mountain, the ranch house's porch would make for a magical perch even if Venge's wines weren't treasures themselves. Tastings are by appointment only, with same-day visits unlikely.

Fans of this down-home winery's flagship Petite Sirah snap it up so quickly that visitors to the plywood-paneled tasting room have to buy "futures" of wines still aging in barrels. The same holds true for the other small-lot wines. Vincent Arroyo, namesake original owner and winemaker, quit his mechanical engineering career in the 1970s to become a farmer, replacing a prune orchard with Petite Sirah and Cabernet Sauvignon, and these days Zinfandel, the winery's top sellers. Later came more acreage and other varietals, including Merlot, Tempranillo, Sangiovese, and Chardonnay—all dry-farmed. These days Vince's daughter, Adrian, and her husband, Matthew Moye (the current winemaker), own and run the winery. The presentation here, experienced by appointment only, is charmingly old-school, with Arroyo, Adrian, and Moye often on hand.

Winemaker Rob Hunter of Bennett Lane strives "to create the greatest Cabernet Sauvignon in the world." At this appointment-only winery's tastefully casual salon in the far northern Napa Valley, you can find out how close he and his team come. Although known for valley-floor Cabernet, Bennett Lane also produces Merlot and the Maximus Red Feasting Wine, a Cab-heavy red blend nicely priced considering the quality. On the lighter side are Chardonnay and the Maximus White Feasting Wine blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, and Muscat. The basic flight surveys current-release whites and reds. There's also a Cab-focused offering. Many tastings take place in a garden whose pergola frames vineyard and Calistoga Palisades views.

This winery with a contemporary stone, glass, and metal facility across from the Four Seasons resort takes its name from its son (Brian Harlan) and father (Arden Harlan) vintners. Brian, who makes the wines, has early memories of a 19th-century Lake County Zinfandel vineyard his family still farms, but his passion for the grape grew out of wine-related work in the restaurant industry. Wines to look for include Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Malbec. Guests sip these wines and a few others in the tasting room or on an outdoor patio, both with Calistoga Palisades views, enjoying them with small bites or cheeses. The Chef Experience ($$$$)—per the website: "please come hungry!"—is the most popular tasting.

The boundless wit, whimsy, and creativity of the Venetian-born Carlo Marchiori, this gallery's owner-artist, finds expression in paintings, watercolors, ceramics, sculptures, and other artworks. Marchiori often draws on mythology and folktales for his inspiration. A stop at this magical gallery might inspire you to tour Villa Ca' Toga, the artist's Palladian home, a tromp-l'oeil tour de force open for tours from May through October on Saturday morning only, by appointment.

An astounding medieval structure complete with drawbridge and moat, chapel, stables, and secret passageways, the Castello commands Diamond Mountain's lower eastern slope. Some of the 107 rooms contain artist Fabio Sanzogni's replicas of 13th-century frescoes (cheekily signed with his website address), and the dungeon has an iron maiden from Nuremberg, Germany. You must pay for a tour to see most of Dario Sattui's extensive eight-level property, though with general admission you'll have access to part of the complex. Bottlings of note include Sangiovese and other Italian-style wines and Il Barone, a deliberately big Cab. All visits are by appointment.

Set amid a bucolic northern Calistoga landscape, this stately winery whose stone winery building was erected in 1888 helped establish the Napa Valley's reputation for high-quality wine making. At the pivotal Paris tasting of 1976, the Chateau Montelena 1973 Chardonnay took first place, beating out four white Burgundies from France and five other California Chardonnays, an event immortalized (with some liberties taken) in the 2008 movie Bottle Shock. A 21st-century Napa Valley Chardonnay is always part of A Taste of Montelena—the winery also makes Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, a fine estate Zinfandel, and Cabernet Sauvignon—or you can opt for the Montelena Estate Collection tasting of Cabernets from several vintages. All visits require a reservation.

Newer, fancier establishments might have eclipsed Dr. Wilkinson's, but loyal fans appreciate its reasonable prices and unpretentious vibe. The mud baths here are a mix of volcanic ash and Canadian peat, warmed by the spa's own hot springs. Fun fact: back in 1952, "The Works"—a mud bath, steam room, blanket wrap, and a massage—cost $3.50; the charge now is $149.

The perks of staying at the Four Seasons Napa Valley include the resort's on-site winery and 4.7 acres of vines, but tastings at the classy-rustic hospitality center are also open to nonguests. One goal of consulting winemaker Thomas Rivers Brown is to bring more attention to the virtues of the Calistoga AVA, particularly the appellation's volcanic soils. The supple wines created from them prove his mission worthwhile. Tastings, always by appointment, qualify as a luxury experience, but the hospitality is warm, thoughtful, and unforced.

Former Disney film and television executive Rich Frank founded his namesake winery in 1992, but the wine-making history here dates to the 19th century—portions of an original 1884 structure, reclad in stone in 1906, remain standing today. From 1952 until 1990, Hanns Kornell made sparkling wines on this site. Frank Family, since 2022 part of the Treasury Wine Estates portfolio, also makes sparklers, but the high-profile wines are the Carneros Chardonnay and several Cabernet Sauvignons, particularly the Rutherford Reserve and the Winston Hill red blend. Tastings, some held in the glass-walled, vineyard's-edge The Miller House hospitality barn, which debuted in 2023, are sit-down affairs, with reservations required.

The grapes at family-owned Jericho Canyon grow on hillsides that slope as much as 55 degrees. The rocky, volcanic soils of this former cattle ranch yield intensely flavored berries that winemaker Nicholas Bleecher, the founders' son, transforms in consultation with blending specialist Michel Rolland into the flagship Jericho Canyon Cabernet Sauvignon and other wines. The nuances of sustainable farming in this challenging environment are among the topics covered during tastings. All visits, customized based on guests' interests, are by appointment only.

Two businessmen brothers founded this winery that produces collector-quality Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and Cabernet Sauvignon on a secluded Knights Valley AVA estate. All the wine production on this site, whose elevation varies from 200 to 1,200 feet, takes place underground in an ingeniously designed cave. Most visits begin with a UTV side-by-side property tour, passing by dry-farmed, head-trained Chardonnay vines more than three decades old and several Cabernet and other Bordeaux-grape blocks. Though in Sonoma County, the winery bears a Calistoga address; if using GPS, make sure to enter the correct coordinates.

A winery with personality galore, Lola earns plaudits from critics for owner-winemaker Seth Cripe's accessible, unconventional wines. The Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, Malvasia Bianca, Riesling, and other whites favor acidity and "unripeness" over bombastic flavors. The rosé of Pinot Noir and reds including Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, and Cabernet Sauvignon also share this succulent trait. All the wines are from single vineyards and 100% their varietal. Cripe, who also runs a lucrative side business selling bottarga (fish roe) to fine-dining restaurants nationwide, presents his wines with wife and business partner Rafaela Costa at a redbrick 1892 former home a few blocks from the center of town. Some of her artworks adorn the walls inside. In good weather, most tastings take place on the tree-shaded patio out back.

Redwoods and cedars tower over the downtown Calistoga garden patio of this under-the-radar producer of Bordeaux-varietal wines. Alison Doran, whose first wine-making gig was working as a harvest intern in the 1970s for André Tchelistcheff, the premier California winemaker of his era, extracts rich flavors from grapes grown a few miles away in Romeo's half-century-old southern Calistoga vineyard. The Napa Valley Cabernet is a bona fide bargain for the quality; the Malbec and Petit Verdot are also strong suits, as are the Sauvignon Blanc and Petit Verdot rosé.

Walt Disney animator Ben Sharpsteen, who retired to Calistoga, founded this old-school but compelling museum whose centerpiece is an intricate diorama depicting the Calistoga Hot Springs Resort during its 19th-century heyday. A restored cottage from the resort, moved to this site, sits next door to the museum but is entered through it. Other exhibits survey life in Calistoga through the decades and author Robert Louis Stevenson's time here in 1880. 

An aerial tram whisks guests up a 300-foot hill to a whitewashed Greek Mediterranean–style winery with sweeping Napa Valley views. Appointment-only Sterling, which suffered severe damage during the 2020 wildfires, is expected to reopen in fall 2023 with a new tram and completely remodeled indoor and outdoor hospitality spaces. A self-guided tour allows guests to delve into the wine-making process. Or not. On a sunny day, the vistas south down the valley can be mighty distracting. Sterling, which released its first vintage in 1969, makes waves for its Cabernet Sauvignons like the top-of-the-line Iridium and another from Diamond Mountain; Chardonnay, a crowd-pleasing Malvasia Blanca, and sparkling wine are among the lighter bottlings. For a more fulfilling visit, choose a tasting of upper-tier wines.

Endurance riders Barry and Jennifer Waitte share their passion for horses and wine at their glam-rustic winery north of Calistoga. Their 22-acre Sundance Ranch remains a working equestrian facility, but the site has been revamped to include a state-of-the-art winery with separate fermenting tanks for grapes from Tamber Bey's vineyards in Yountville, Oakville, and elsewhere. The winemakers produce Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Grenache rosé, and Pinot Noir, but the showstoppers are several subtly powerful reds, including the flagship Oakville Estate Cabernet Sauvignon and a Yountville Merlot. The top-selling wine, Rabicano, is a Cabernet Sauvignon-heavy Bordeaux-style blend. Visits here require an appointment.

Time-travel back to the days when the Napa Valley "lifestyle" revolved around a family rolling up its collective sleeves to grow grapes, make wines, and present them in a modest setting—these days on a patio between the crush pad and small estate vineyard. The first Tedeschi arrived in the valley in 1919 from Pisa, Italy, and the grandparents of the current winemaker, Mario, and general manager, his amiable brother Emilio, purchased the Calistoga property, then an orchard, in the 1950s. Mario makes the Estate Cabernet from an acre of grapes grown on-site, with fruit for Viognier, rosé of Valdigué, Malbec, Petite Sirah, and other wines from Napa Valley and Sonoma County sources. An appointment to taste is required, but it's possible to make one same-day (just call ahead).