Five stars. We had an incredible day with Barry, our driver at a VERY reasonable rate.
Cost: $39/5 hours, so $195 plus tip. During the winter they ask for longer booking periods since it's slower. Summertime you can book for 3 hours, though I don't think you could really experience wine-tasting in that amount of time.
Recommend: starting early, by 9:30/10am so you can visit wineries before they are jam packed in the afternoon, and enjoy lunch. This sets you up to end just around dinner and your driver will happily oblige a final drop-off from where you can just Uber. (so long as you entrust your hotel with the key). Barry and his family are semi-retired in the Sonoma area, he was a consummate professional and totally easy going. No sense of hustle, it felt perfectly natural and fun, riding in the back of our SUV.
Highlights:
-Booking was easy, sent an email-got same day response from Bev, then text from our driver, Barry to discuss itinerary the day before we headed up. Barry picked us up from our hotel and away we went!
-they take your car so you can bring all your supplies, etc. and not get overcharged for a questionably clean limo/uber, etc.
-no DUI
-affordable rates
-door to door service, Barry pulled up each and every time, right on time
-custom wine tours and recommendations. See notes below.
-was great for the rain so we didn't have to shlep out to our car, Barry even ran into Mumm's to bring our umbrellas after it really started coming down in the morning
-self-sufficient, Barry was familiar with the wineries so in the summer months he strolls around or reads a book, brings his own lunch, food, etc. so you don't have to worry about the invite while you sip wine, care free. Due the rain, he primarily stayed in our car and listened to audiobooks.
-totally friendly, but also totally fine being a "driver" and not talking if that's your preference
-provided waters for us as well, for post-tasting hydration
-$1 million commercial coverage to ensure you and the vehicle are covered, which was a concern since we have a new car. Barry drove perfectly and we felt VERY safe. I'm the type that usually gets anxious when anyone else is driving...especially in the rain, but was totally relaxed with his driving.
Custom wine tours and recommendations:
Barry knew all the right spots for lunch, tasting, etc. based on our preferences. We wanted casual lunch and a mix of sparkling and Pinots/Cabernets AND it was raining so he based our agenda off of that. He called ahead and made us a reservation at Mumm's with a great tablet overlooking the vineyard. We then went to Robert Zinskey for the small bites, cave and private reserve tastings for Pinot, then to Stag's Leap for their DELICIOUS cabs (Fay's was the winner) and finally to V. Sattui for the fun ambiance and groceries.
Flexibility:
Barry was so accommodating, we had to run an errand after lunch in Yountville and also ended up taking longer at Stag's Leap than we had originally intended. His priority was to get us where we wanted to go and ensure we were having a great time. After tasting, we wanted to do dinner at Mustard's but it was already pretty late so he dropped us off and left our hotel key with the proprietor. We Ubered home after a leisurely dinner for $9, which was more cost-effective. Instead of charging by the hour for the last stop, he was willing to go above and beyond and we just went along with our day.
Hope to see you again, Barry and thanks My Napa Valley Driver for the wonderful and SAFE weekend! read more