Hawkes makes an easy stopover while you’re exploring the valley, and offers private barrel tastings in which guests sample straight from the oak and order 'futures' from a new vintage before the wine is bottled or released to the market. The single-vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon is damn good, as is the Merlot; there’s also a clean-and-crisp Chardonnay. Bottles are $30 to $75.
Hawkes
Russian River Area
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
24.59 MILES
At the valley’s westernmost edge, where sloping vineyards meet wooded hillsides, Tres Sabores is a portal to old Napa – no fancy tasting room, no snobbery…
8.66 MILES
For its creamy and crisp chardonnays and earthy pinots, along with top-notch service and an elegant tasting room, Macrostie is the talk of Wine Country…
26.16 MILES
Meandering paths wind through magical gardens and fruit-bearing orchards surrounding an 1884 barn and farmstead with cats and chickens. The vibe is casual…
18.51 MILES
Prepare to gawk and giggle at the wacky Patrick Amiot sculptures gracing front yards along Florence Ave. Fashioned from recycled materials, a hot-rodding…
21.34 MILES
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26.46 MILES
The Italian Graziano family is one of the oldest grape-growing families in Mendocino County and specializes in ‘Cal-Ital’ wines – including Primitivo,…
23.38 MILES
A cult favorite, supercool Kaz is about blends: whatever is in the organic vineyards goes into the wine – and they’re blended at crush, not during…
27.69 MILES
Stunning 6000-acre Salt Point State Park has sandstone cliffs that drop dramatically into the kelp-strewn sea and hiking trails that crisscross windswept…
Nearby Russian River Area attractions
1.14 MILES
Come to Soda Rock to behold Lord Snort, a 20,000lb metal boar sculpture displayed out front, and stay for the big Bordeaux varietals, including Cabernet…
1.44 MILES
Wow, what a view from the hilltop concrete-and-glass tasting room at Foley Sonoma. Winemaker Courtney Foley specializes in Bordeaux varietals and blends,…
2.6 MILES
Abutting oak-studded hills, Hanna’s tasting room has lovely vineyard views and good picnicking. At the bar, find estate-grown Sauvignon Blanc, Malbec,…
3.54 MILES
Specializes in ports (ruby, not tawny); the chocolate port makes a great gift. The tour is good fun and includes tastes of sparkling and still wine as…
5. Francis Ford Coppola Winery
4.2 MILES
The famous movie director's vineyard estate is a self-described 'wine wonderland.' Taking over historic Chateau Souverain, this hillside winery has a bit…
5.02 MILES
Rotating exhibits include compelling installations on northern Sonoma County history, with an emphasis on Healdsburg. Pick up the walking-tour pamphlet.