Buena Vista Winery

18000 Old Winery Rd, Sonoma, CA 95476

Website: https://www.buenavistawinery.com/

Buena Vista was founded in 1857 and is California’s oldest premium winery, as it proudly boasts on its sign that welcomes visitors to the winery.  The original winery is now a California Historic Landmark.  It is located in Carneros about five minutes from Sonoma Plaza.

This winery was founded by Agoston Haraszthy who is often referred to as the “Father of California Wine”.  He named the winery Buena Vista because of its amazing views (translated to “good view”).  Haraszthy was a wealthy Hungarian with a lot of ambition.  It was on this property that Haraszthy planted the first European vitis vinifera grapes in California to produce premium wines.  He toured Europe in 1861 and brought back thousands of cuttings to plant on his estate.  He also hired Chinese laborers to dig a wine cave into the hillside.  Haraszthy wrote extensively on the viticulture in California and set the foundation for future winemakers, like the Mondavis, Krug, Schram, and Niebaum.  Unfortunately Haraszthy ran into financial troubles and had to sell off the property.

The cellars at Buena Vista were destroyed in an earthquake in 1906.  Frank Bartholomew purchased the property in 1940 and restored the winery to its original state, with the help of celebrated winemaker André Tchelistcheff.  In 2011 the winery became part of Boisset Family Estates, run by Jean Charles Boisset whose family is the largest wine producer in Burgundy.  Raymond Vineyards, De Loach, Lyeth Estate, and JCB Cellars are all part of Boisset Family Estates in Napa and Sonoma.  Jean Boisset has a flare for the dramatic, and he has embraced the history in this winery.  The staff dresses in 19^th century garb, the tasting menu provides a little bit of family history with each wine, and there are several unique tasting experiences throughout the historic grounds of the winery.  Check out their website for all of the experiences as many of them require reservations.

The Press House and Tasting Room at Buena Vista Winery

Buena Vista’s tasting room is located in the Historic Stone Press House.  The cellars have been restored to how they looked in Haraszthy’s time.  Visitors are welcome to walk around the historic property at their own leisure and relax in the picnic area.  You can go up to the historic caves and take a peek inside without signing up for a tour.  There are placards that explain the history of the winery and grounds.

Buena Vista Tasting Room inside The Press House

There are two floors to the Tasting Room.  The top floor is a mini-museum area with pictures and a timeline describing the history of the estate.   On the bottom floor is a large L-shaped wood bar and a small gift shop area.  Off to the left of the tasting bar are a couple of special tasting areas that are in a part of the original caves before they collapsed in the earthquake.

I’ve been to this winery twice.  The first time I visited was prior to 2011 and the current owner.  At that time, I was not wowed by my experience.  I found the wines to be decent, but nothing stood out to me as a great wine.  I was more impressed by the property and history than the actual wine tasting.  This time around I was very pleasantly surprised by the experience.  The girl who served us did an excellent job of explaining the wines and history of the property without seeming overbearing.  We came home with a bottle of Sheriff of Buena Vista and the Zinfandel as well as a new appreciation of the winery.

The exterior of Buena Vista’s historic wine caves