Where to Taste Pinot Noir in Sonoma County

Pinot Noir is the current "in grape" for many California wine lovers. Lots of Pinot has been planted in the state over the last ten years. You'd think this would help hold prices down, but that doesn't seem to always be the case.

Sonoma County's Russian River Valley is very well known for Pinot Noir along with the "old guard" Carneros region and the "up-and-coming" Sonoma Coast growing area. Russian River Valley is the place to concentrate your visit as there is a lot more Pinot available compared to the other regions in the county.

image from rrvw.org

 
Following are some of the respected Pinot Noir producers. All are open to the public and and should offer you a variety of Pinot Noirs to sample. You may not have heard of all of these (or any) as they are all smaller operations.

Arista - Japanese-inspired gardens and lots of different Pinots.

Dutton-Goldfield - Well-made Pinots (plus Chardonnay and Syrah).

Joseph Swan - One of the old guard producers and still highly respected. Tasting room open weekends only.

Marimar - The winery is located in the Green Valley sub-appellation of Russian River Valley, but has a tasting room in the town of Sebastopol. They are all about Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

Merry Edwards - One of the top Pinot Noir winemakers IMO.

Moshin -  Lots of different Pinots available.


A few others to try if you don't mind making an appointment are Benovia, Gary Farrell, Inman,  Lynmar, and Siduri.