Very nice space and good wine. We were the only ones there so we got plenty of attention and got to learn about the wine and wine makers, which was fun, but it was a little low energy so maybe it would have been a little more fun on a weekend afternoon. Though if you like low-key, low-pressure, and low crowds, then you'll probably enjoy the vibe here.
Daniela Silva
Lovely location, great wines, fabulous people and adorable dogs! Definitely put on your list to visit-you won't regret it.
Tom Thornton
Ali is a wine industry lifer and we've been learning about wine from her for 20 years. This family takes their sourcing seriously and works to put together a fantastic experience in the tasting room. We send our friends from Texas when they're in Sonoma, and we look forward to a return visit soon.
Monroe McDoodle
Wish I could visit but it’s a long flight from the East Coast. Fortunately shipping is available and so grateful they use sustainable packaging. Everything is recyclable ♻️The wine is amazing and is a must have for every occasion. Great host gift too. ?
Luly J.
Plan to visit next time I'm in Cali. Grateful they ship to my doorstep. Impressive packing easily recycled Wine is amazing
Jason F.
Everybody has a story, and at the tasting room that is Smith Story Wine Cellars their story is quite grand. Located in Bacchus Landing, which is a curated collective of world-class wineries, each with its own tasting room, Smith Story Wine Cellars is one of the newer kids on the block as they took their time to move to their new home and open in a corner location a year ago. Smith Story Wine Cellars is a woman-owned winery operated by the husband-wife team of Alison and Eric Story. Founded almost ten years ago and aided by the assistance of a Kickstarter campaign, Smith Story specializes in small-lot wines that sources its grapes from family-farmed vineyards in the Anderson Valley, Mendocino and Sonoma Counties, and the Rheingau region in Germany. Ironically what brought a friend and I here was that we were here to visit another winery in Bacchus Landing and noticed that Smith Story was open and taking in wine lovers, and after our visit to their neighbors, we walked over to Smith Story Wine Cellars to see if they were taking in any wine tasters for their tasting flight, despite the fact we didn't have any reservations. Dusty, their hospitality director was present and welcomed us in as she sat us down in two of their comfy chairs so we enjoyed four of their signature wines from their Current Release Tasting menu.We began our wine tasting journey with a delightful splash of their 2021 Rosé, which was sourced from Mendocino County, and had a beautiful floral aroma on the nose and thanks to a low alcohol content gave this Rosé a serious poolside wine vibe. For our second pour, we enjoyed their 2018 'The Boonies' Pinot Noir, which was sourced from the Nash Mill Vineyard in Anderson Valley. With a lovely color to this wine and a silky smooth finish thanks to its lush earthy fruit tones, this Pinot Noir was the perfect red wine to have with any meal or sip all by itself. For our third pour we enjoyed their 2019 Cabernet Franc, which was sourced from Sonoma Mountain, and had notes of cherries, cinnamon and blackberries. More complex than their Pinot Noir thanks to its elegant finish, they recommend that you save this bottle of wine, if you should choose to do so as it will age like a fine wine. For our fourth and final wine pour, we enjoyed their 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon, which was sourced from the Pickberry Vineyard near the Sonoma Mountain. With an aroma of blackberries, raspberries, and rose petals among others, this lush red wine wasn't too strong in its tannins, which was nice, and would pair in any meal with any medium cooked meat. We had a wonderful time at Smith Story Wine Cellars, as we were the only wine tasters in their homey wine tasting room and Dusty treated us as we were VIPs offering us any extra pours of any of the wines we tasted this afternoon. I loved their 2021 Rosé so much that a bottle being priced at a reasonable 28 dollars only added to my incentive in purchasing a bottle, and since I bought my bottle my tasting fee was waived, while my friend cost 25 dollars, which in this day and age is fairly reasonable. With a total bill of less than 56 dollars, they had two happy wine tasters, and I had a bottle of Rosé to take home, so it made this trip to Bacchus Landing a most productive one. Just imagine we probably would have never even decided to go to Smith Story Wine Cellars this afternoon had we not run into winemaker and cofounder Eric Story in his work overalls while walking to our original wine tasting destination. My only regret is we didn't get to see his and his wife Alli's golden-doodle Lord Sandwich who has been known to make appearances at their wine tasting room, and they even sell a coffee table book with him on the cover. Which just goes to show, everyone does indeed have a story to share, especially when your story is as rich and complex as it is at Smith Story Wine Cellars.
Steve Johnson
The experience at Smith Story was intimate but casual.Excellent wine selections and service. Smith Story will go on my short list when friends and business associates come to town.
Jenna Misciascio
Beautiful tasting room and great wines! Loved our hosted tasting and it felt like such a personal experience! Would highly recommend!
Steve J.
We visited Smith Story this weekend and it was our best experience of the day!Dusty knew her stuff and the tasting was well paced.The wines were all excellent and extremely well priced for the quality.The atmosphere was casual and friendly. I live in the area and will put this on the short list of go to wineries when my friends come to town.
If there ever was a winery you want to support, it's Smith Story.Husband and Wife founded in 2014, funded in 30 days with a kickstarter, Ali Smith Story and Eric Story work only with local family farms with an eye on sustainability. The organic wines they produce are beautiful, made with love and respect for their craft.Their tasting room in Bacchus landing is a treat for the eyes, between the eclectic interior vibe and the fresh wine garden, an assortment of vintage collectibles for sale, and my favorite greeter,Lord Sandwich the Doodle. Sandwich has a charity, Socks for Sandwich, distributing socks to people in need.When headed to the Healdsburg area make a tasting reservation, enjoy their wines, and maybe bring some new socks as a donation. You will be a fan.They have several versions of their Storytellers wine club you can join, you can also buy wines, take them with you, or ship them home. I am a member of their wine club, and enjoy their wines at home. My favs are their Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc, their Sparkling Brut NV is amazing as well. Take some time to visit, you will be glad you did.
Andrea Thomas
Good wine. Very hospitable service and got to meet the owner, who told us all about the history of the winery. Definitely recommend!
Mindy Wong
What a great tasting room and some of the best wines around! This is a must visit when in the area. Enjoyed a lovely bottle of Smith Story Wine Rosé on the patio while chatting with Ali, Eric and Dusty. Got to learn more about their wines and all the passion that goes into making it. Major bonus: got to give some scratches to Lord Sandwich.
SHERRI ADCOCK
I loved visiting Smith Story Wine Cellars. Ali and Eric welcomed us like family. Sandwich was the best wine dog too. The wines are all superb and we can’t wait to go back. I highly suggest joining the wine club.
Allison Mayo
Ali, Eric and Sandwich made us feel so welcome. We learned so much. The wines are fantastic. We will hit them every time. We will enjoy watching them continue to grow. They even recommended other wineries near them for us to maximize our day and schedule. It’s like family!
Great ambiance. Great people. Great wine.
Very nice space and good wine. We were the only ones there so we got plenty of attention and got to learn about the wine and wine makers, which was fun, but it was a little low energy so maybe it would have been a little more fun on a weekend afternoon. Though if you like low-key, low-pressure, and low crowds, then you'll probably enjoy the vibe here.
Lovely location, great wines, fabulous people and adorable dogs! Definitely put on your list to visit-you won't regret it.
Ali is a wine industry lifer and we've been learning about wine from her for 20 years. This family takes their sourcing seriously and works to put together a fantastic experience in the tasting room. We send our friends from Texas when they're in Sonoma, and we look forward to a return visit soon.
Wish I could visit but it’s a long flight from the East Coast. Fortunately shipping is available and so grateful they use sustainable packaging. Everything is recyclable ♻️The wine is amazing and is a must have for every occasion. Great host gift too. ?
Plan to visit next time I'm in Cali. Grateful they ship to my doorstep. Impressive packing easily recycled Wine is amazing
Everybody has a story, and at the tasting room that is Smith Story Wine Cellars their story is quite grand. Located in Bacchus Landing, which is a curated collective of world-class wineries, each with its own tasting room, Smith Story Wine Cellars is one of the newer kids on the block as they took their time to move to their new home and open in a corner location a year ago. Smith Story Wine Cellars is a woman-owned winery operated by the husband-wife team of Alison and Eric Story. Founded almost ten years ago and aided by the assistance of a Kickstarter campaign, Smith Story specializes in small-lot wines that sources its grapes from family-farmed vineyards in the Anderson Valley, Mendocino and Sonoma Counties, and the Rheingau region in Germany. Ironically what brought a friend and I here was that we were here to visit another winery in Bacchus Landing and noticed that Smith Story was open and taking in wine lovers, and after our visit to their neighbors, we walked over to Smith Story Wine Cellars to see if they were taking in any wine tasters for their tasting flight, despite the fact we didn't have any reservations. Dusty, their hospitality director was present and welcomed us in as she sat us down in two of their comfy chairs so we enjoyed four of their signature wines from their Current Release Tasting menu.We began our wine tasting journey with a delightful splash of their 2021 Rosé, which was sourced from Mendocino County, and had a beautiful floral aroma on the nose and thanks to a low alcohol content gave this Rosé a serious poolside wine vibe. For our second pour, we enjoyed their 2018 'The Boonies' Pinot Noir, which was sourced from the Nash Mill Vineyard in Anderson Valley. With a lovely color to this wine and a silky smooth finish thanks to its lush earthy fruit tones, this Pinot Noir was the perfect red wine to have with any meal or sip all by itself. For our third pour we enjoyed their 2019 Cabernet Franc, which was sourced from Sonoma Mountain, and had notes of cherries, cinnamon and blackberries. More complex than their Pinot Noir thanks to its elegant finish, they recommend that you save this bottle of wine, if you should choose to do so as it will age like a fine wine. For our fourth and final wine pour, we enjoyed their 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon, which was sourced from the Pickberry Vineyard near the Sonoma Mountain. With an aroma of blackberries, raspberries, and rose petals among others, this lush red wine wasn't too strong in its tannins, which was nice, and would pair in any meal with any medium cooked meat. We had a wonderful time at Smith Story Wine Cellars, as we were the only wine tasters in their homey wine tasting room and Dusty treated us as we were VIPs offering us any extra pours of any of the wines we tasted this afternoon. I loved their 2021 Rosé so much that a bottle being priced at a reasonable 28 dollars only added to my incentive in purchasing a bottle, and since I bought my bottle my tasting fee was waived, while my friend cost 25 dollars, which in this day and age is fairly reasonable. With a total bill of less than 56 dollars, they had two happy wine tasters, and I had a bottle of Rosé to take home, so it made this trip to Bacchus Landing a most productive one. Just imagine we probably would have never even decided to go to Smith Story Wine Cellars this afternoon had we not run into winemaker and cofounder Eric Story in his work overalls while walking to our original wine tasting destination. My only regret is we didn't get to see his and his wife Alli's golden-doodle Lord Sandwich who has been known to make appearances at their wine tasting room, and they even sell a coffee table book with him on the cover. Which just goes to show, everyone does indeed have a story to share, especially when your story is as rich and complex as it is at Smith Story Wine Cellars.
The experience at Smith Story was intimate but casual.Excellent wine selections and service. Smith Story will go on my short list when friends and business associates come to town.
Beautiful tasting room and great wines! Loved our hosted tasting and it felt like such a personal experience! Would highly recommend!
We visited Smith Story this weekend and it was our best experience of the day!Dusty knew her stuff and the tasting was well paced.The wines were all excellent and extremely well priced for the quality.The atmosphere was casual and friendly. I live in the area and will put this on the short list of go to wineries when my friends come to town.
Restaurantji Recommends
If there ever was a winery you want to support, it's Smith Story.Husband and Wife founded in 2014, funded in 30 days with a kickstarter, Ali Smith Story and Eric Story work only with local family farms with an eye on sustainability. The organic wines they produce are beautiful, made with love and respect for their craft.Their tasting room in Bacchus landing is a treat for the eyes, between the eclectic interior vibe and the fresh wine garden, an assortment of vintage collectibles for sale, and my favorite greeter,Lord Sandwich the Doodle. Sandwich has a charity, Socks for Sandwich, distributing socks to people in need.When headed to the Healdsburg area make a tasting reservation, enjoy their wines, and maybe bring some new socks as a donation. You will be a fan.They have several versions of their Storytellers wine club you can join, you can also buy wines, take them with you, or ship them home. I am a member of their wine club, and enjoy their wines at home. My favs are their Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc, their Sparkling Brut NV is amazing as well. Take some time to visit, you will be glad you did.
Good wine. Very hospitable service and got to meet the owner, who told us all about the history of the winery. Definitely recommend!
What a great tasting room and some of the best wines around! This is a must visit when in the area. Enjoyed a lovely bottle of Smith Story Wine Rosé on the patio while chatting with Ali, Eric and Dusty. Got to learn more about their wines and all the passion that goes into making it. Major bonus: got to give some scratches to Lord Sandwich.
I loved visiting Smith Story Wine Cellars. Ali and Eric welcomed us like family. Sandwich was the best wine dog too. The wines are all superb and we can’t wait to go back. I highly suggest joining the wine club.
Ali, Eric and Sandwich made us feel so welcome. We learned so much. The wines are fantastic. We will hit them every time. We will enjoy watching them continue to grow. They even recommended other wineries near them for us to maximize our day and schedule. It’s like family!