14 Best Wineries in Glen Ellen

“Chris is such a character in the best meaning possible for the phrase. His candidness is refreshing and his humor is delightful. The wines are absolutely wonderful and his patience to answer questions and share his love of his craft is icing on the cake.“

“It was the most friendly wine house in the area!!! I hope be back some day soon!!! I’m waiting for my bottles of wine at home soon!“

“We were a family of 6 (parents, grandparents, teenagers) and enjoyed the laid back atmosphere of this winery. The grounds were beautiful. We took the tractor tour and learned a lot about their growing methods and it ended with a wine tasting. Our guide, David, did a great job of sharing the history and the workings of the winery. We enjoyed it very much and highly recommend this as a stop on your next visit to wine country.“

“I fell in love with wine while I was falling for the love of my life. I enjoyed before it as anyone else might, but when I discovered the breadth of art that winemakers in Sonoma accomplish, I was hooked. In the years since we have enjoyed maybe two or three dozen wineries and winemakers across Sonoma, almost a dozen in Lake County, and a few in Napa. While we both enjoy a diverse spectrum of red wines, we also appreciate lesser known and well-made white wines.

Wine Snob as a nome de guerre is entirely tongue in cheek. No one is turned away or made to feel a lesser here. They are a wife and husband enjoying a second life as wine makers, and I hope I live my first one as well as they seem to have done in their second. These are wines to experience before the rest of the world has a chance to. Sampling both available tastings, and beyond my appreciation of the wines, I was reassured that appreciating wine is something that is a worthwhile way to spend my time in this life I have.

2022 Kuhlbird is a dry Gewurtz in a Champenois style with no dosage (I thought the dosage was part of Champenois…but alas). It is an incredible sparkline wine, especially if you are familiar with the exceptionally well made but still typical sparkling wines that are typically made with pinot noir or chardonnay. It is a dual treasure in being both an exceptional Gewurtz and an exceptional sparkling. This might be a spark of a new wave, or an exceptional part of a wave I am not aware of.

2023 Sauvignon Blanc…it’s hard to say. I could be easy and say I’ve had exceptional sauv blanc at almost twice the cost, but that’s not enough. It has those classic notes, but it has a depth that I’ve only other seen in purposeful, knowing executions with real work to put them into bottle that claim to demand that cost. This is the best dollar for dollar best sauv blanc in Sonoma County, and I’d put money behind that.

2023 Rhose is just exceptional. I do not like sweet wine, and this is a wine to get sweet wine drinkers to expand their palate. The fruit is there, but the sugar and the notes are never too much. This is the perfect middle ground. Just wonderful.

2020 Pinot Noir is a genuine and excellent expression of pinot noir. Pinot Noir (to me) is perhaps the varietal that can go in so many different expressions, I’ve had dozens that are unique in their own way. This is an expression that pinor and non-pinot drinkers should try.

2019 Puma-5 is exactly what a red blend should be. I do not like bold, gold standard cabernet sauvignon. It’s fine, and I won’t yuck someone else’s yum, but to me there is so many better reds to put your money into than a flagship Napa Cab. This wine takes cab and merges it with merlot and pertit verdot, along with a dash of cab franc and malbec, to make a red wine that you really just should try. It’s scary good. I haven’t been more impressed in awhile, from something really special in Lake County I will greedily not share here.

2019 (T)rebelrouser is a wine that changes and is delicious at all stages. A fun time would be to have a taste when the bottle is freshly opened, and then decant it and try it every 10-20 minutes thereafter. I’ve never had a wine that changes (subtlely) as much as this.

Night Owl: A ruby port for the ages. This is what you give to people to show them why port is good. Night Owl and chocolate is adjacent to other forms of intoxication.

I cannot find the name, but their counoise is stunning, and it is so good to have another rare varietal be made into something like this. It may not replace cab franc for me (maybe just because of the sentimentality) , but it is alone worth the visit. Just an incredible wine.

TLDR: Every single person who enjoys wine and can come here should, no exceptions. Wine cannot fall while people like them make it.“

“Wow. What a great little winery. Quaint, comfortable, and a beautiful location. The Sauvignon Blanc was delightful. The Petit Sirah-Zin was wonderful. They don't have food, but you can bring your own. We had some great snacks to go with our tastings. Great place to relax and enjoy some great wine.“

“We enjoyed our visit, the wines were good and the lady who served us was very friendly and informative. On the other hand, a small downside made us like the experience a little less: the tension created by what seemed to be the manager on the employees. She seemed to spend her time arguing with her employees in front of customers and putting pressure on them, which we found very unpleasant because from our point of view the service was excellent. As an employer, I do not believe that this is a good practice for both customers and employees. Otherwise the place was charming.“

“The former CEO of PIXOR’s winery didn't disappoint. The first half of the visit was a vineyard tour with the cellar and verminating room while sipping on a brand new 23 rosé. The second half was the tasting room. We tried five wines in the private tasting room, and the food pairing with the wine was off-the-charts good and changed the wine’s flavor. All seven wines we tried, including the white Voila, were excellent. This is one of the few top-tier alcohol tastings I've had, and the prices are the best. I would recommend Audrey as your guide. This place is for everybody, but especially for lovers of red wines. I highly recommend the 18 Amoureux.“

“The Laurel Glenn Winery, nestled amidst the vine-clad hills, is a Dionysian dreamscape where sanity is optional and hedonism reigns supreme. Nick, the madman behind the tasting bar, poured with the precision of a surgeon and the reckless abandon of a Vegas high roller. Each glass of Sauvignon Blanc was a crisp, citrusy revelation, while the Cabernet Sauvignon hit like a velvet freight train of dark fruit and oak. The Blanc was so good it made me consider buying a vineyard and adopting a pet goat named Sauvignon. By the time we hit the Cab, my taste buds were partying harder than a Hell’s Angel at Sturgis. If you’ve got the guts, follow Nick down the rabbit hole—just don't blame me when you emerge a wine-soaked lunatic.“

“What a delicious Merlot. Beautiful soft tannins with rich dark fruit. Easy 94 rating on this 2017. If you are in Sonoma/Glen Ellen, go see LauraLee, she’s as amazing as this wine.“

“The wines were incredible, and John was a wonderful host! He offered great descriptions and context for everything we tasted, and knowledgeably answered all of our questions about the winemaking process. The building itself is clean, beautiful and inviting — with lovely views of the vineyard and hills. So glad this was one of our stops!“

“What a lovely experience! We stopped at Passagio as part of our tasting tour. There were welcoming, down to earth and generous. The prices were so reasonable. It was the best value for a tasting around. The reds were bold and the white had noticeable pleasant flavor. Highly recommend!“

“Truly remarkable Pinots. Enough said. We are semi-local, so we know our Pinots.Our hostess was one of the owners, so super knowledgeable about the wines and the winemaking process.Tastings were $45 for at least 5 tastes. Fees waived with 3 bottles purchased.“

“We enjoyed a wonderful private tasting with Sandee as part of my daughter's bachelorette celebration in Sonoma. She provided us a great education on B.R. Cohn and introduced us to several delicious wines. As a wine club member, I knew it would be our party's favorite stop of the day! We hope to come back soon.“