Platypus Wine Tours
Historic winery directory
Historic wineries of the sonoma valley
The beautiful and historic Sonoma Valley is the birthplace of California’s wine industry. In this unique tour, an expert local historian will accompany your group as we taste delicious wine at two or three Historic Wineries. We will also tour the Historic Sonoma Plaza, the San Francisco Solano Mission and the Sonoma Barracks. Your local historian guide will provide a comprehensive overview of local history, and tell amazing stories of wine families and viticulture, along with tales of General Vallejo and the Mission era.
Lunch included; tasting/touring fees and gratuitites extra.
Buena Vista Winery
Founded by Count Agosthon Haraszthy in 1857, Buena Vista is the oldest premium winery in California. The original stone winery is now a California Historic Landmark, and home to the Tasting Room and Visitor’s Center. You will hear the amazing story of Count Haraszthy, the first Hungarian to emigrate to the United States. In 1861 the Count journeyed to Europe and returned to California with over 100,000 cuttings of fine European varietals. Buena Vista now uses exclusively Carneros district fruit, and is the largest vineyard owner in this chosen “cool-climate” region; perfect for Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Syrah. Extraordinary wine.
Gundlach-Bundschu Winery
2008 marks the Gundlach Bundschu Sesquicentennial – the 150th Anniversary of the oldest family-owned winery in California. The founder: Jacob Gundlach, was a well-known author and poet, whose letters about the Great San Francisco Earthquake and Fire are regarded as the finest original accounts of this disaster. You will hear his story, and taste delicious estate grown wine in a glorious winery setting, nestled up against the Mayacamas Mountains.
Sebastiani Vineyards and Winery
The history of Sebastiani Vineyards extends all the way back to 1825, when its Mission Vineyard was founded by Franciscan fathers of the nearby San Francisco Solano Mission. It is the oldest vineyard north of San Francisco. Still family owned and operated today, Sebastiani Winery was founded by Samuele Sebastiani in 1904. We will visit the original stone winery building, taste wonderful wine, and view the largest redwood barrel in the world!
Bartholemew Park Winery
Currently owned by Gundlach-Bundschu, Bartholemew Park was part of Count Haraszthy’s wine empire. We will tour the comprehensive history museum, taste delicious vineyard-specific wine, and enjoy the extensive gardens surrounding the tasting room.
Sonoma Plaza and San Francisco Solano Mission
No history tour would be complete without a stop at the beautiful and historic Sonoma Plaza, and a tour of the 21st Mission. Many original adobe buildings still line the Plaza, the largest in California. Renowned as the “Bear Flag City,” you will hear the true story of the Bear Flag Revolt. We will also tour Sonoma State Historic Park, which includes the San Francisco Solano Mission and Sonoma Barracks.
We look forward to seeing you soon!
More information about our custom tours can be found on our Private Wine Tours FAQ page.
Platypus Tours also offers Hispanic Winery Tours.
Donum Estate
The Donum Estate is an exquisite wine estate in Sonoma. Spread across three vineyards namely Donum Ranch, Nugent and Anderson Valley, it is owned and curated by Anne Moller-Racke. Oenophiles can tour the picturesque property with their winemakers on appointment only and indulge in a sampling of their limited edition and heritage wines. They specialize in several varieties of Pinot Noir with a selection of Chardonnay as well.
DRNK Wine
At DRNK, they highlight Sonoma County’s agricultural richness and encourage visitors to explore the possibilities of people, place, and Pinot. Their small-batch wines are sourced from various vineyards throughout Sonoma County, offering a diverse tasting experience.
Dry Creek Vineyard
Dry Creek Vineyard is one of the few remaining family-owned wineries in California. With more than 45 years of grape growing and winemaking experience, our efforts continue to focus on the quality of wine in the bottle. When founder David Stare started Dry Creek Vineyard, he began the winery with a single-minded effort to offer the highest quality wine possible at a reasonable price. Dave realized that the success of the winery hinged upon providing that “something special” in the bottle to keep customers coming back for more. Today, the second generation continues to build upon those early-established values. Dave’s daughter and president of the winery, Kim Stare Wallace, is wholly committed to the quality of wine produced at Dry Creek Vineyard. The goal remains the same: to produce high quality wines while being mindful of the original vision of the winery.
Duckhorn
For more than 40 years Duckhorn Vineyards has been considered an icon in the Napa Valley. As the first winery in America to produce Merlot, Duckhorn played a key role in establishing Merlot as one of North America’s great varietals.
Dutch Henry
Named of of the top 5 wineries to visit in Napa by the Wall Street Journal, Dutch Henry specializes in small lots of handcrafted wines. Organic olive oil is available from estate olive trees.
Ehlers
Bernard Ehlers originally founded this winery in 1886, and today it is owned by the Jean and Sylviane Leducq Foundation after it was purchased in 2001 by the Leducq’s. It is located about 2 miles north of St. Helena on the east side of Hwy 29 and down Ehlers Lane. The beautiful picturesque location is the perfect place to take photos while being in a historic setting. The original winery press from the 1880’s is on full display for visitors and provides a unique perspective of the evolution of the wine industry. They are known for their premium red wines and you will experience a delightful tasting in their elegant stone old winery building or in the main winery room. 100% of the proceeds from the sales of their wines is donated to support cardiovascular research. The organically farmed grapes produce wines of great structure and power.
Elan Vineyards
Since 1992, our family has produced handcrafted, world-class Cabernet Sauvignon from our Elan Vineyards winery estate located in the renowned Atlas Peak Appellation of the Napa Valley. Our wines mirror the distinct character of our mountain vineyards. We believe they represent the perfect balance between traditional winemaking practices and superb mountain grown fruit. They are remarkably balanced, elegant and long on their finish.
Eleven Eleven Winery
At Eleven Eleven, the passion for enriching life with friends, culture, great food, and wine inspires them to celebrate the everyday moments that make life extraordinary.
Elizabeth Spencer
Since 1998, husband and wife team of Spencer Graham and Elizabeth Pressler have lived their dream. Today they continue to produce small-lots of refined wines from Napa, Sonoma and Mendocino County. A historic 1872 brick Post Office building serves as a tasting room.
Ellman Family Vineyards
Great wine has a strong sense of place, it should be rooted in what is valued above anything else — family and friendship. Ellmans believe the right wine loves good food, thrives with meaningful company, and builds its character in an environment of generosity and kindness. From their 20-acre vineyard in Napa Valley, they strive to make unique wines to pair with everyone’s best moments.
Elyse Winery
From what started with a handful of barrels made from a dear friend’s vineyard in 1987, Elyse Winery has been the waypoint for countless wine lovers to experience California wines and fall in love with wines and vineyards of all regions and acclaim.
Envy Wines
This 17 acre property specializes in Estate grown Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Sirah, Merlot and Sauvignon Blanc . Envy Wines has grown steadily over the years, and now produces nearly 2,500 cases of wine with grapes from our Estate Vineyard as well as several select vineyards throughout the Napa Valley.
