If you want the "real" Sonoma County experience--minus the corporate polish and the Napa price tags--Woodenhead is the definitive stop. The tasting room is a mood in itself: rustic, unpretentious, and perfectly situated with some seriously cool views of the surrounding redwoods and valley floor. It feels like drinking wine in a high-end treehouse, which is exactly how life should be lived. The staff here are the antithesis of "wine snobs." They are incredibly knowledgeable and helpful, clearly more interested in the craft than the sales pitch. We felt right at home from the first pour. The Wines: * Zinfandel: The undisputed star of the show. It's bold, nuanced, and reminds you why Zin is king in this winery imho. Truly a standout. * Pinot Noir & Syrah: Both are exceptional. The Pinot has that classic Russian River elegance, and the Syrah is earthy and perfectly balanced. In an area full of flashy tasting rooms, Woodenhead remains a hidden gem for people who actually care about what's in the glass. We'll be back--mostly for the Zin, but also for the views. read more

This is one of the best Pinot producers in the region. We've been members for many years and are always impressed with the variety of Pinot produced. The outdoor tasting balcony has an amazing sweeping view to soak in while enjoying their amazing wines. The staff is always extremely knowledgeable and friendly without and hint of pretentiousness that is so off putting at many other wineries in the Napa region. The Russian River region is a wonderful escape. Highly recommend! read more

Woodenhead Wines - Woodenhead terrace - Wineries Near Me - Santa Rosa, California

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I mentioned during a wine tasting at a tasting room that I was a fan of old vine Zin and Woodenhead Wines was recommended. While tasting with my beautiful wife and daughter we were also given a BOGO pass (buy one tasting get one free) to use at Woodenhead Wines. As we went up a circular drive up the hill we couldn't help but notice the million dollar view overlooking the mountains, vineyards, and Mt St. Helena. They have a 5 Star deck for tasting overlooking all. Entering we were greeted by two wonderful ladies in the tasting room. Great personalities and informative. We got seated on the deck and the tasting began. The wines were so delish. Most of my favorite varietals had vines that were 60 to 80 years old. BAMMM!!! Purple gold. My daughter was totally into the Muscat Blanc. Dry and all the fruit. I was romanced by the Zin. Dark and luscious. My wife is fun and also our gracious designated driver. Wine is so personally subjective it is to each to discover their happy place. We found ours. read more

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This place is so worth visiting.We've been club members for more than 10 years now and are always treated like family when we visit.This winery produces great wine,super highly recommended!! read more

This is exactly the kind of tasting-room I'm looking for: Relaxing, inviting, and quaint--an outdoor deck with a couple small tables and a view of the vines, or a small tasting room space with local art, offering delicious wines for a fair price. We took home one delicious bottle of the best taste of the day, a 2019 Piper Ranch Pinot Noir, a splurge for us at $62. We also discovered a Muscat for those that generally don't like Muscat, ourselves included. It's perfectly dry and yet still a floral and fragrant Muscat grape--Intriguing and for sure worth $28 a bottle. We got three! Teri was relatively new to the tasting room when we visited, back at the beginning of this summer, but she knew all about the wines and knowledgeably answered all our questions. We didn't expect to have our tasting comped and noticed what a great value we received for our tasting day. We'll be back for sure--any time we're in the neighborhood! read more

Great Pinots and Zinfandel! A cozy and private deck for tasting, with a stunning view of vineyards. Great place to enjoy some wine and the autumnal view with friends. read more

Amazing little spot, tucked right on off the road. I was brought here by a friend who shared their 2016 Chardonnay with me... I'm not even a chardonnay drinker but literally love this creation!!!! We have since had 6 bottles over the last couple months. We planned a trip to Napa area and were lucky enough to get a spot on their patio for a tasting. It was a beautiful day in between the fires and we really got lucky on timing, air quality etc. We decided to do an entire tasting and the chardonnay is still hands down my favorite although they no longer had the 2016 version by this point. Definitely recommend calling for your reservation and make sure enough spacing is available due to the current climate. Allowed one at a time to use the restroom, don't forget to look a round amd shop the inside on your way through! Lots of wonderful little gems and local artist work as well. read more

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Woodenhead winery Is Magical!! Their wines are magnificent !! They have won hundreds of awards & the awards & trophies are on display!! The scenery is breath taking!! They will treat you like family. You are Not rushed through a trough, like cattle in feeding days! OK we were recently there for a breakfast for my son's 30th birthday. It was 10:30 in the morning and quite chilly. I'd prepared a breakfast charcuterie. I did not prepare for jackets and the precious women gave me their jacket!! and they made me keep it!! I'm not kidding more than 10 times, they said "keep it ! don't bring it back you keep it !!" how amazing is that! who does that anymore !! it was like we were family !!! The scenery is breathtaking!! Obviously, The customer service is out of this world and their wines are amazing they have hundreds of awards and if other wineries were winning awards, they would display them!WOODENHEAD WINERY gives you AWARD WINNING WINES & BREATH TAKING SCENERY!!Theres not a better combination!! We did a thorough research of Vineyard's that won awards and WOODENHEAD WINES were superior to even the Ward Winning Wines. read more

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My fiancé and I stopped by on THE hottest weekend of 2020 (AND in the thick of COVID-19) but still had a wonderful time! Since social distancing is key right now, I knew I would have to make reservations for wine tasting. Woodenhead was able to fit us in with a call just one day in advance, which I really appreciated! Right when we arrived, they spritzed our hands with sanitizer and had us put our masks on whenever they approached our table. Their patio overlooking the vineyards is SUCH a hidden gem off a tiny road. There was room for nearly 6-8 tables on the patio, but they only sat 3 parties which allowed for adequate distancing. Service here is friendly and kind, no pretentiousness whatsoever. Tastings are priced at $20/pp, but they waive the fee with a bottle purchase of $40/pp or more. Our favorite of the day was their Anderson Valley Wiley Vineyard Pinot Noir so we walked away with a bottle of that, along with their 2015 Russian River Zinfandel. Their bottle prices are steeper than I'm accustomed to spending (I'm no stranger to 2-buck chuck) but we felt it was well-worth it when you accounted for the experience & atmosphere. We will probably be back, hopefully on a cooler weekend next time! read more

Woodenhead Wines - 08-15-2020 View from the patio - Wineries Near Me - Santa Rosa, California

This place is only open from Thursday through Sunday, by reservation only. It's absolutely worth the effort to book a reservation. It's very typical Sonoma County--not fancy, but eclectic, relaxed, and stylish with a small lovely deck that overlooks a number of grape fields and the Mayacamas mountains (at least that's what we think those mountains are in the distance!) Service is decent and friendly. There are a number of steps getting up into the building, so bear that in mind for some visitors. read more

My boyfriend told me about this place where he came here 5 years ago . We had wine testing but what we bought was Zinfandel. It was great and the service was so nice. The ambiance was great too . read more

Woodenhead Wines - a glass of wine and a bottle of wine - Wineries Near Me - Santa Rosa, California

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Total hidden gem! The woman who works here is super friendly and the wine was delicious. Full Of Flavor. I highly recommend stopping by and enjoying their 99 point pinot. Not to be disappointed! read more

Woodenhead Wines - 99 points - Wineries Near Me - Santa Rosa, California

If you have a dog, I would avoid this place. My dog is anxious when he is at new places, but about 5 minutes later he'll pass out. They had a group scheduled and the lady working came outside and basically told me to leave. We ended up going to equality vines in guernville and they were great. read more

Quaint. Family operation. Heritage linked to William's Selyem (famous Pinot noir). Above average wines. A worthy stop

Nice winery with two cute little patios, specializing in the wines the Russian River valley is known for. Good place to compare Pinot Noirs from various areas and years, as well as Zins. There was a $25 tasting fee, waived with a bottle purchase. Very friendly crew. read more

Woodenhead Wines - Wine list August 2022- wines with a mark to the left are those that were included in the tasting. - Wineries Near Me - Santa Rosa, California

Woodedhead has a great tasting room that looks out over the vines. They have an outdoor deck which can make a wonderful place to have lunch. There is various wooded bowls and mask to look at. And of course their wines are very nice to taste. read more

Woodenhead Wines - Almost there - Wineries Near Me - Santa Rosa, California

Always a pleasure and such wonderful wines ! Was there recently and so glad they had a Rose now ! it's very nice. Lots of different wines - something for everyone, and all very good. Unfined and naturally made. You can enjoy the lovely deck and bring a picnic. Always great staff. A hidden gem. read more

Spent a very pleasant time on the terrace at Woodenhead Winery on a warm, sunny, fall afternoon. The wines were great, enhanced by the hospitality of Zinz Bowers and Erin. We especially enjoyed the 2017 Zinfandel, Leras Ranches, Russian River Valley and the 2016 Pinot Noir, Kent Berry, Santa Cruz Mountains. Highly recommend. read more

Woodenhead Wines - Enjoying the terrace at Woodenhead Winery. - Wineries Near Me - Santa Rosa, California

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Really nice visit and had a great time with a local friend. Great winds and great vibe and fun rain or shine.

Woodenhead Wines proves you don't have to have a huge vineyard to be a major player in the Russian River Valley. Nestled among all the huge wineries such as Le Crema and Martinelli lies the Woodenhead Wines tasting room right off of the River Road exit off of Interstate 101, Woodenhead is definitely a back roads discovery, of which the only reason I was here was that my friend became a member last year, after doing research into the most unique wines and wineries of the Russian River Valley where he happened to be camping out in. We came late on a Sunday afternoon in the fall and it wasn't too busy at all. The tasting room is a remodeled house that's got a comfortable, yet intimate home vibe with a beautiful pet-friendly deck overlooking the Russian River Valley's Laguna de Santa Rosa area. A long serving bar in the main tasting room allows for several groups to share the experience without overcrowding. Erin was our tasting room associate and since I came with a member, she served us a wide variety of their latest creations. Woodenhead has been around since 1999 and in this tasting room since 2007. They have a small but mighty team that runs the show, with only nine employees on staff they do the crush, bottling and even the labeling together. Owner Nikolai Stez doesn't grow anything on site, but gathers his grapes from all over the region, including Mendocino County, his wine is so meticulous that there are times when he won't bottle a wine, at a loss mind you, because things don't taste just right and wine of course is expensive to bottle. At Woodenhead, they emphasize that they sell by the case with 3,500 cases in their entire stock of varietals, they specialize in Pinot Noirs with a good balance that are easy to swallow. They consider themselves a house of reds, but there are definitely a few light and sweet treats that would rev up any palate that comes through the front door. We started our tasting with the 2014 Halfshell White Russian River Valley (RRV) French Colombard ($22 a bottle), which was discovered an old French Colombard vineyard down the road, across from Martinelli Winery. It's considered an old-fashioned variety, but can remind mindful drinkers of a old Chardonnay, as it was dry and fresh, with just a hint of green apple. From there we had the 2013 "Wet Kiss" Russian River Valley Pinot Noir RRV ($52 a bottle) which is considered a more plush Pinot, but thankfully it wasn't too bold. We followed up with their 2012 Pinot Noir RRV as well as a sampling of their latest creation the 2015 Pinot Noir Rosato RRV but were smooth and light-bodied. Finally we tried out their boldest creation on their tasting menu, the 2013 Syrah RRV from Dolinsek Ranch ($40 a bottle). A flight of five wines for only 10 dollars is a deal in this region and it was waived since my friend was already a member we didn't spend a dime. We stood at the counter talking to Erin about the history of Woodenhead and it gave us an appreciation of the work and passion that their team puts into their product. The more I drink the more I learn about the art of wine making and the best thing one person can do is to spend a little time with varietal at a time and really see the importance of place has in growing the grapes that contribute to making it. I was surprised at how soil, climate, and vineyard site manage to alter the flavors so differently, especially when it comes to Pinot Noirs, and at Woodenhead they pay particular attention to this. They don't mess around here and that is how expert winemaking is supposed to be carried out. read more

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Must stop by on your wine trip. My group and I have hit 10 wineries and tasting rooms and this topped the list in view, service and quality of wine. Go out of your way if you have to. Can't miss woodenhead ! read more

One of the best wineries we've been to. Amazing view and deck, amazing Pinots and Zins (I loooooved their North Star blend and French Colombard as well), cute cozy and up to date tasting room, amazing pourers...! The list goes on and on! A must stop!!!!! It's $10 for 4 Pinot Noir tastings or $10 for three Zin tastings. My husband and I got both and shared. Verrrrry generous pours! Makes us want to sit and stay and that our money's appreciated. You can waive each tasting w a bottle purchased (you can't combine tastings towards a bottle). Still just amazing!! read more

Woodenhead Wines - Wineries Near Me - Santa Rosa, California

My boyfriend introduced me to this lovely winery and now it's one of our favorites ones to visit when we're up in wine country. In fact, he calls this place his "home away from home"! The winemaker was previously at Williams Selyem, so they have top quality zins, pinots, and surprisingly, a dry champagne. Zina and Erin are so nice and welcoming, it's like coming to drink wine with extended family. Pro tip: Bring some cheese, snacks, or lunch. Buy a bottle and enjoy it outside on the deck! read more

Woodenhead Wines - Gorgeous view from the deck - Wineries Near Me - Santa Rosa, California

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If you like wine You Will Like Woodenhead wines. If you love Pinot and Zin you will love Woodenhead. If you like unique small production wines created by folks who love wine and do it because they have to, you will love these wines. Nick and Zina are two of the best folks ever and the fact that they bring into this world a delicious beverage that rivals some of the best Pinot an Zin the fine Sate of California can produce. Nicks wines are lush, concentrated and sublime in their complexities and nuances galor. Each bottle is a new expedience and my love them is always growing. The fact that they don't cost you and arm and a leg doesn't hurt either. read more

Associated with the Wine Road which is a conglomerate of several wine regions in Sonoma. Pinot Noirs where the grapes come from the different wine regions and crushed and bottled here. $10 for a flight of five. It's deducted if you make a purchase. Great views of the vineyards and nice service. We bought one bottle. read more

How can you beat the location! So peaceful and beautiful. So nice to enjoy a glass of wine on the patio overlooking the vineyards and hills. I enjoyed the wine, though was not blown away by it. Very welcoming, fun staff. read more

Woodenhead Wines - View from the patio - Wineries Near Me - Santa Rosa, California

Great wines , nice friendly people and place. Not your typical big brand vineyard. All of their Pinots are great. read more

Woodenhead Wines - Wineries Near Me - Santa Rosa, California

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Love, love, love this winery. The staff is amazing, the wine is amazing, and the view is amazing. Greater by very friendly staff members that really make you feel at home in the winery. If you like Pinto Noir, this is the place you want to be. They have a large selection of Pinot on their tasting menu along with a large selection of Zinfandel to try. Would absolutely recommend going here if you are in the area. read more

New wine club members speaking! After several visits to Woodenhead with a gal pal, I bit the bullet and joined the club. This way, I can have bottles of Sonoma County pinot shipped to my house on the regular. Not only do I love the vino, but Woodenhead's tasting room is unlike any other I've visited across North Bay, CA. Very low key, a little "hippy dippy" with warm, welcoming staff each time I've been inside. Not to mention an amazing view of the valley where guests can bring their own snacks and enjoy their tasting alongside fancy cheeses and charcuterie... or a bag of Cheeto's. No one's gonna judge here :) Bottles run about $45-55 each, which is fairly standard for the area. And with my new club membership, I get 'em at a discount. Boo yeah! read more

Two stars because the winery itself is GORGEOUS!!!! The tasting room is beautiful and in a great spot up on a hill with a deck that overlooks the valley. One of the prettiest spots I've been to in wine country. The wines were OKAY, but for the $40 and up pricetags...not worth it at all (and i'm happy to pay a whole lot more for a good wine), and the woman behind the counter was very bitchy. The whole time she acted like she just didn't give a crap. She was talking to another employee and said she'd filled her quota of bottles sold for the day, so she didn't care anymore. My boyfriend and I shared a tasting, and she gave us the tiniest of tastes. Now I've been a constant taster for the last 2 years, and have been to just about every winery in napa and near sonoma, and quite a few in the dry creek area, among many other regions. I've never had tastes this small. Not a big deal, but it was only 4 wines and it cost $5. At the end I handed her my $5 and she rudely told me it was $5 EACH and I still owed her. I reminded her that we shared a tasting, and she blew it off, but didn't apologize for her tone. I'll definitely be avoiding all their associated wineries. Not a good experience - and there are too many great ones up there to waste my time here. read more

The tasting room is a little off the beaten path. We probably would not have made the effort to find it, if the wines had not been so strongly recommended to us the night before. Woodenhead is known for their red wines, pinot noirs and Zinfandel's. It was the pinots that were recommended to us, but I liked their zins even better. We had brought cheese and crackers for when we found the right view and wine. Woodenhead was it. We bought a bottle of their 2007 Martinelli Road Vineyard Old Vine Zinfandel, to drink on their patio. Our server graciously lent us a cheese board. We had a wonderful hour, taking a break, and enjoying the view from their patio. Leisurely sipping the wine was enough to convince me to buy 2 more bottles to take home. read more

This was my first trip to Woodenhead and upon arriving I liked the place already. The tasting area overlooked the vineyard and the view was really cool. The staff that was in charge of the barrel tasting were friendly and helpful in explaining about the wines. My favorite was probably the old vine zinfandel. The tasting room was kind of small, but it wasn't overly crowded so it was pretty easy to cozy up and taste their bottled wines. None of the wines really knocked my socks off, but there was a bit of sticker shock as I thought the wines were priced higher than they should have been. I know I would not have paid that much for any of their wines. The patio off the back was the best part of the place. It was fairly small, only a few tables but the view was pretty. It made a perfect spot to take pictures with the vineyard in the background. read more

I've been visiting wineries in Northern California for 15 years and this is far and away my favorite. If you love California pinots and zins welcome to your new home. The staff and owners are super friendly and unpretentious. The wines are modestly priced for the first class quality and joining the wine club has been a great at getting in on good deals. Plus, you get that feeling like you've discovered the next hot thing before anyone else which is always a bonus when putting your snooty friends and colleagues in their place. I can think of no reason not to visit. And bring your friends! read more

Woodenhead Wines - Wine Sunday - Wineries Near Me - Santa Rosa, California

Every time we visit Woodenhead we are reminded how much we love their wine and this location and all the friendly people we meet. There is something about the vibe here that keeps us coming back for more. Of course, the GREAT Pinot Noir is a great motivator. But, we've had good wine at other places that just don't seem as "real" as Woodenhead. Whatever it is, the wine, the place, the artwork, and the people are at the top of our list, every time. Thank you! Hope to visit again soon! read more

Delicious wines. Really too bad they're out of the 2009 Syrah... my favorite place to take out of towers. Really good service and wish they were distributed more places locally. read more

Woodenhead Wines - Wineries Near Me - Santa Rosa, California

This little gem has the best Pinot in the valley. We live in Napa but happily drive the hour plus to go visit our new friends at Woodenhead. My wife was a club member years ago before we met, and I quickly signed us up again the first time I came in. AMAZING view, super cool artwork, extremely friendly staff, dog friendly and without exaggeration, the best damn Pinot Noir in my stash. They do everything here by hand: they hand punch the grapes, sort by hand, use an old school bladder press and didn't go cheap on their oak barrels. I actually work part time at a competitor, but happily refer Woodenhead to customers, and will keep my club indefinitely. Ive been to A LOT of tasting rooms over the years and Woodenhead is right at the top of my favorites list! read more

This is one of my favorite places to visit when we go wine tasting in Sonoma County. The tasting room sits on a little hill and has a lovely view of the valley. Woodenhead only offer reds, mostly Pinots and Zinfandels with an occasional lesser known grape like Carignane throw in for fun. You can taste a few different flights, a $5 and a $10, but they will waive the fee with a purchase. each time I've been, I've always walked away with at least one bottle, so definitely go for the $10 tasting. Zina, who runs the tasting room, is really nice and will tell you more about your wine as you taste. I will definitely visit (and buy) again. read more

Woodenhead was my favorite stop of our Sonoma visits. It's a little bit tucked away and off the beaten path. The tasting room is super cozy (there was even a woodburning fire on the dreary, rainy day of my visit) and the staff, so friendly. There are a few tastings to choose from. There's a Zinfandel tasting, a Pinot Noir tasting and a winery-sampler-type tasting with the greatest hits from each. We ended up doing a hybrid type of tasting that was a little bit heavier on the Pinot Noirs. The Pinots are great, but they didn't necessarily steal the show. I still was a fan of the Halfshell white and Redwood red. Will H, you should come here! read more

Great view, good tasting room, friendly service. I'm not a huge pinot fan, so I'm not the best judge, but I wasn't super wowed by the wines. My friends seemed to enjoy themselves though read more

I have been here twice (both times during Barrel Tasting Weekend in March) and really enjoyed both visits. They have delicious wines, most of which are fairly priced. They are a primarily red wine producing winery, so if whites are your thing know that this may not be your place. Both times the staff has been warm and welcoming. We were the first to arrive last weekend and everyone was happy to help us right away. Definitely an organized team! Last year we enjoyed some awesome cheeses, but sadly missed out on it this year's trip. If it's not a regular thing, I definitely think it should be! Also, don't miss the views from their deck - it's what wine country is all about. read more