If you appreciate big Zins and Cabs do yourself a favor and reserve a tasting here. The tasting fee…read moreis most reasonable at $25 per person. A Rafanelli has been on my winery bucket since the first time I experienced one of their Cabs. This is a beautiful winery in the dry creek valley. If you are driving from Napa give yourself some extra time due to traffic on 29 and going through St Helena. We had a wonderful tasting, barrel room, and cave experience. Our consierge made sure we had ample time to sample and savor each tasting. We were the only ones at this tasting so we felt like A-listers! Of course their Zins and Cabs are unbelievably good but their Merlot offering was a big surprise. There Merlot opened up beautifully and we ended up with taking home a bottle plus others. There is a great story how this winery came to be and you can read about it on their website but there is more to the story so no spoiler here.

Called to arrange for the purchase wine. It was a busy day with bottling going on. But the…read morerepresentative said she would come to the tasing house to help me with my purchase. The grounds are beautiful and the entire staff is friendly and accommodating. I highly recommend this wine and this winery.

We had the best time here! Made a reservation in advance for seven people and did a tasting. Make…read moresure to sit outside! The view and grounds are absolutely stunning. Mark B was such an excellent host, super knowledgeable about the wine, and so friendly. He said that they do two tours a day of the wine caves and we were lucky enough to catch one. We were so impressed! I attached a photo of part of the inside of the cave. Plus the wines were delicious !!!! Next time I'm in the area I'll definitely want to go back !

We loved this winery! The cave tour was fascinating, and the staff were incredibly friendly and…read moreeasygoing. They're currently running great specials--a 50th anniversary free tasting and 50% off select bottles. If you join their wine club, you also get 50% off any wine that day. My husband especially loved their $100 cab --we were very close to joining just to snag a few bottles. We mostly drink whiskey at home, but this might make us reconsider next time we're in town. Definitely a must-visit in Sonoma County.

Wonderful family owned winery. Stopped in for a wine tasting and enjoyed their beautiful vineyard…read more Really enjoyed the Viognier, a lovely crisp wine with peachy notes. People are friendly and helped give recs for where to go next!

Wow what a place. We did a wine trail and they were on it. First off we walked in and they greeted…read moreus instantly. Gave us our choices of place to sit down and how to get water if needed. They poured 4 wines some were more to preference than others but it did show a wind range in styles. Even if you don't know like one you have a good shot of liking others. I'd definitely come back.

If I could, I would give this place a million stars. This is the kind of winery I love-one that…read moredoesn't have all the unnecessary frills and keeps it real. Mark is incredibly knowledgeable and passionate in what he does. You do have to make a reservation ahead of time though for tastings. But it's definitely worth it! That one-on-one attention and interaction is priceless. The barrel room in the back was so cool. I love all the cute chalk drawings on the barrels. Mark walked us through the process of wine making and we even got the chance to try some from the barrel! Mark's co-owner, his brother James, lives in Denver-just a short drive from Colorado Springs, where I live! Honestly, I don't remember which wines I liked best because I liked all of them. But we ended up getting a bottle and have been saving it for a special occasion until we get the chance to go back. Definitely looking forward to returning soon!

Father (79)/Sons (50's) trip to Sonoma in late August. We spend a Saturday in Healdsburg and our…read morefirst stop was at Blanchard. As it turned out we started at the best. Mark greeted us by the door of the tasting room/production facility which is just off the square. He spent time walking through the winery's history and how he and is brother run the business. By the end of the tasting we had talked about wine, food, music, documentaries, and much more. Mark made it feel like we were all siting around the kitchen table just talking about wine and life. I liked this setting (one group at a time with 100% participation) much more enjoyable than most other wineries we visited which have more of a bar/restaurant feeling where the server would just pour your tasting, give you the one sentence blurb they learned about it and then disappearing to help other tables for 10-15 minutes until it was time for your next pour. We started the tasting with their "White Wine" and Viognier. We then moved on to the reds including Pinot, Zin, Merlot, Malbec and Cab. They were all very well made and quite tasty. Ended up purchasing 3 bottles to go and a membership to be shipped later in the year. I'd definitely recommend others putting Blanchard on their list of places to visit in Healdsburg. Appointments are needed as Mark only does one group's tasting at a time.

Went to Bella again last week. Had a great tasting and the staff was wonderful as always!!!read more

I visited Bella for my birthday with a large group of 11. We had such a great time, and absolutely…read moreloved Whitney. She was fun, knowledgeable, and really made the experience special. The wine was delicious, the caves were cool to explore, and the overall ambiance was great. We'll definitely be back!

We had a fantastic experience at Dry Creek Vineyard. The property itself is beautiful and has a…read moregreat, relaxed vibe, but the hospitality really made the day. Paige (and a man whose name I didn't get, but has a sweet Viking-like beard) looked after us and they were absolutely awesome. Based on his recommendation, we tried the Spencer's Hill Zinfandel, and it was outstanding. Purchased a bottle on our way out. If you are looking for excellent wine and a genuinely friendly, comfortable tasting experience in Healdsburg, this is definitely a spot you shouldn't miss.

Another visit that had been planned. Another rote presentation. Wines we weren't really crazy…read moreabout. We only went here because of a gentleman on YouTube with the last name Asti who is a master sommelier and reviews wines. He mentioned Dry Creek because they don't use flavorings or colorings or phosphates or anything other than grapes and time. We ended up buying a couple bottles because they credit you the $30.00 tasting fee when you buy 2 bottles. Made sense.

A fun winery to visit. The grounds are fun, with lots to see and games (bocce and cornhole) to…read moreplay. We were not there during the right season so didn't get to see the heather, but I am sure it is beautiful. They treated us great there and provided. While we are more Cab fans we enjoyed their wines and even joined the wine club.

I am much more familiar with beer than wine. I may not be able to describe the subtle complexities…read moreof a wine, but I know if it is good or not. Now of course there may be better. But In my experience the stuff here is pretty damn good and not that expensive ($20-30 a bottle). The tasting included a wonderful selection and the staff were accommodating, knowledgeable and friendly. There is another big reason to visit this place. The property is beautiful. There is a picturesque lavender field, with walking paths. This is a great place to take pictures and even relax with a loved one for a while. I didn't hit all the wineries when I visited Sanoma, but I know this was among my favorites.

This was a wonderful place! However, Jim and Anita retired several ago. Shortly thereafter, Anita…read moredied. Then about a year later, Jim suffered a fatal heart attack while of a fishing boat. Jim had told me, some time ago, that his son knew how to make wine, but his passion was grape growing. Due to some convoluted legal arrangement, the winery, the vineyard and the house were a single inseparable property. There is no doubt that the winery business would have been purchased had it been available. We and a large group of friends greatly enjoyed visiting, drinking and buying. It was the kind of small, family run place you hope to find in Wine Country.

Family owned and operated, the dogs greet you, it looks like you are going in to someones home, you…read moreare treated like friends. These are Italian style wines, with Tuscan style blends, especially suited not to over power food. The Chard was way too thin for me, but their reds were all very nice, all had a different character than most wineries are offering! Dad wad a bit of a character too! And he delivers to wine club members nearby! He was a KICK!