Nicholson Ranch Winery

It seems like anything in Napa/​Sonoma upcharges tremendously solely based on location. The wine is ok, but not my favorite and we certainly had better wine for a much lower price. As with everything in the area, the setting is beautiful.

Nicholson Ranch has an amazing setting. One can see Mount Diablo, Mount Tam. The vineyards are tucked among the rolling hills between Napa&Sonoma Valleys. There’s a beautiful family chapel near the hilltop, but, unfortunately, it’s inaccessible to the public. There is also a re-​created Greek Temple with authentic artifacts… and again, it’s inaccessible.
Nicholson Ranch is an OK place, the wines&the service are OK. Beautiful setting, but everything else is meh.

Overall, we had a good experience here. One of my co-worker’s friends is a member at this winery and scheduled a visit for us while we were in Cali. When we arrived, the member had not yet arrived, but we went in anyway. We were greeted, or rather we were not greeted, we were quite rudely noticed. The person at the front desk told us that we did not have a reservation and therefore were not welcome. We informed him that we did in fact have a reservation, and told him the name. He found our group on the listing and stated that we had arrived early… um, ok, yes we were there 10 min before our appointment time. We decided to walk around the vineyards as we were clearly not wanted inside. Once our appointment time had arrived, we met up with the rest of our group and went back to the front desk. You would have thought that the front desk man had a twin brother, as we were then greeted very warmly and he was as nice as he could be.
The overall wine tasting was good. We were given 6 – 8 different wines to try, with the option of purchasing any of them afterward. We were seated in a nice patio area with an umbrella, which was 100% necessary as it was quite sunny.
One thing to note: dogs are welcome! Definitely a plus in my book!

Excellent wines and an amazing tour. John did such a good jod at taking us through the wine making process, so knowledgeable and an easy going persona. The property is breathtaking, opt for the tour of the Vinyard and caves perfect you won’t be disappointed.

Spent $ 100.00 on wine and was charged wine tasting fee, bad business. The wine fee should have been waived.

My favorite of the three wineries we visited on a wine tour. The background landscape looks like Italy. Makes sense since it is a Mediterranean climate here, as well. (FYI: there are five. The Mediterranean. Napa/​Sonoma. Chile. South Africa. Australia. You get a bonus geography lesson with this review.)
Wines were pricier than I would normally spend, but I bought a Chardonnay anyhow because I really enjoyed it. We drank it over lunch and it was perfect.

We stopped here on our way out of town. The tasting and our wine «tour guide» were fantastic. Wesley is intelligent with in-​depth wine knowledge of this region and beyond. Tasted wine. Bought wine. We’ll be back.

The wine tour was great and very interesting. Our tour guide was a jerk. His name was Wesley and he treated us horribly. He told us about his jail sentence and the proceeded not to serve us. Bc we didn’t sign up for the «wine of the month club.» At one point when he was talking he said «you want to shut the f*ck up while I pour this wine?» Seriously, I am an Ad executive with a bunch of doctors and attorneys, I have never been so offended. Byeeee Wesley!

Thank goodness our charter recommended Nicholson Ranch! It’s located on a beautiful mountainous property in Sonoma and has an equally gorgeous building. The tour guide was exceptionally engaging and had a ton of science packed into her tour. It’s been a few months so I forget her name… pretty, long black hair. Ask for her! She made the day for us! They accommodate groups of all sizes and have a beautiful tasting room as well as outdoor space to lounge and imbibe.
I loved the cave portion of the tour but also roaming through the vineyard hearing about where the various wines begin. They have great Chardonnays but it’s their reds that have me like WHOAH! Every Pinot Noir I tried was the best thing in my mouth… ever. But then I tried the Merlot. Now I’m not a fan of Merlot normally. The only other Merlot I’ve craved is Rutherford Hill Merlot. Now this Merlot is approachable but big! Don’t leave here without guzzling it!
I joined the 3 reds per quarter wine club and I usually call and order more in addition to what they send. The shipment also comes with a recipe for a dish that pairs well with the wine which adds a nice, personal touch. Amazing job, Deepak!

Took the wine tour in February. It was a beautiful 70 degree day. No grapes on the vine but still learned so much from our tour guide Debbie.
Tasted wines along the tour. Saw the grapevines, went into the fermenting process room, and visited the caves 40′ underground to see the barrels of wine.
After the tour you can sit on the front porch or patio and just relax, surrounded by beautiful scenery. Just a wonderful experience. Looking forward to returning there again.

AWESOME tour and tasting. This was one of my FAVORITE WINERY TOURS I have been on in Sanoma/​Napa. They take you through the entire wine making process, literally from grape vines to finished wine, with full explanations and great wine along the way (6 different wines). It is really reasonably priced too, $ 30 for the tour and tasting.
I took a first-​time wine taster there because she wanted to understand the wine process and I was so happy I chose this place! Our tour and tasting host, Debbie, was super sweet and knowledgable. She answered all of our questions and explained the process clearly. We didn’t feel rushed through the tour at all, she let us ask as much as we wanted and talked us through everything. It was cool to hear how this smaller estate winery processes the grapes differently than other bigger wineries. Our tour lasted a little over an hour.
The tour went through the vineyards, down into their cave, and ended in an elegant room in the caves (they’re not too cold, so don’t worry about the temperature). After the tour we sat on the beautiful back patio and enjoyed a glass of our favorite wine that we tasted complimentary. The estate property is beautiful.
Note: They are known for their chardonnay and pinos, which are really good. I’m more of a dark dark red fan, so I wouldn’t go there just for a tasting. But if I have visitors I’ll definitely take they back for the tour and tasting!

I love the wine, ambiance, and overall experience here at Nicholson Ranch. Everything here at Nicholson Ranch is top notch. The wines are all natural and the winery practices some dry farming and proper farming techniques. The wine proprietor and owner Deepak is a warm man who is thoughtful, generous, kind and funny.
Driving north from SF we decided to stop off at Tomales Bay for some fresh oysters. The oysters made us thirsty, so we drove east to Sonoma and came to this wonderful winery. There was a full tasting room and people enjoying wine outside and in the back. The views are priceless.
We enjoyed the Cuvee Natalie Chardonnay and the Cactus Hill Pinot Noir. Deepak mentioned they really specialize in Chardonnays and pinot noirs. I can see why. We even joined their wine club! We are looking forward to attending one of their wine club dinners/​events soon.

What a REALLY great vineyard. The tasting room is huge and the dogs walking around the property are so cute. The patio out back and seating area is really relaxing and the ability to walk around the vineyards unescorted is a nice niche to have.
Absolutely beautiful countryside all around and the somms were eager to please and tell us all about the wines we were tasting. Actually, this was the first place I ever tried a Sonoma Coast wine and was highly impressed that I amy actually prefer them.
The tastings were really easy to follow and well developed for a knowledge based education on tasting wines and it wasn’t just a hurry up and drink these and go kind of vibe.
If i had to look for an opportunity to improve, I would say, «Mark the bathrooms so I could find them…» took a little bit of hunting. LOL.

This winery was one of three stops on a Napa and Sonoma Wine Country Tour I booked through Viator.
Now this is what I was expecting when I booked the Winery Tour!
Absolutely STUNNING views! Rolling hills, beautiful pond and artwork. The actual winery building was just as pretty. There is a patio where I got a great pano shot! We met the guide around the pond where we had a few tastes of different wines. Then we walked up the hill through the vines where she gave us some more information about the winery. Both the ladies who gave us information were super sweet, knowledgeable and relaxed.
To top it all off, the wine was de-​licious! This winery also sold by the glass! Would definitely recommend visiting this winery to friends and family!

I’m surprised I forgot to review this lovely winery before. What a gem of a place.
Met a gal friend for lunch and wine tasting. Peaceful day, glorious weather and not too many tourists today. Lots of places to picnic on the property — gorgeous courtyards with views of the vineyard, gardens and the pond. I love when it is peaceful enough to have a mellow seated non-​rushed tasting which is what we had today. Christopher was our server — darling, knowledgable and attentive.
I did the $ 20 non-​reserve tasting and gal pal just ordered a glass of chard. They had 2 lovely chards, 2 tasty pinot’s as well as a syrah (not my favorite grape) and a lovely merlot. All memorable. Probably would have brought home a bottle or two but it was sort of a hot day and stops to make on the way home — maybe next time.
But I highly recommend this spot for it’s ambiance, friendly staff and small batch tasty wines.

Our tour stop at Nicholson wasn’t long enough. This place is a feast for the eyes. It’s so beautiful here that it hurts. Oh yeah, the wine was good as well and I picked up a bottle of my favorite from the tasting, the Chardonnay.
Next time I visit the Napa/​Sonoma area, I’ll drive up with friends instead of rushing through a tour on a bus.
Friendly winery dogs!

This is a really great winery in Sonoma. I loved the venue. You drive up a beautiful driveway through the vineyards to a lovely building. They had tons of great veranda seating so that you could just linger and relax. I have to admit that despite it’s beauty, my favorite part was that it is open until 6! Wine tasting at most vineyards wraps up pretty early so if you are just up for the day, that awkward time between 4 when a lot of vineyards close and dinner time can be hard to fill. I love that Nicholson provides a place to enjoy good wine later in the afternoon. Its a lovely place to just relax with friends and enjoy the sunset.

We are club members at Benzinger and decided to come here after picking up an order. We love Pinot Noirs and apparently Nicholson Ranch is known for having good Pinots.
If my memory serves me right…
Standing tastings at the bar = $ 20 pp
Seated tastings outside = $ 30 pp
Cheese plate (only available outside) = $ 18
We opted to sit outside for a tasting. The views are beautiful so I’d highly recommend sitting outside. The tasting was a mix of whites and reds. The wines were excellent, but our service was terrible.
Our server made us feel like we were nuisances. From the moment we told him we would like to share a tasting we seemed to have rub him the wrong way. He told us they don’t usually allow people to share tastings but he would do it anyways. We explained that we just completed another tasting nearby and one of us is driving, hence the shared tasting. I don’t understand why they don’t allow people to share tastings?
In addition to a tasting, we ordered a cheese plate off of the menu. Their menu doesn’t specify if the cheese plate is vegetarian or has meats included and I forgot to ask the server (we are vegetarian). When the server brought out the cheese plate I realized it included meats. I apologized to him for not asking sooner and informed him we are vegetarian. He seemed annoyed and didn’t say one word before taking the cheese plate away. He brought it back without the meat, but again didn’t say one word and plopped it down. It was really weird and uncomfortable.
When he explained the wines to us he was very robotic and not personable at all. He just seemed like he couldn’t wait to get rid of us. He seemed to liven up and be a bit nicer towards the end of our tasting, but I don’t think I’d come back because their wines do not make up for the terribly rude customer service.

Nicholson Ranch almost feels like the hidden gem that lies in plain sight… or maybe at least just when my fiancé and I visited (also, it may have just been because it was a random Wednesday).
Located right at a busy crossroads, I thought there would be more people there, but when we stopped by, it was just us. And even if there are two main roads that cut through the view from their patio, it’s still an amazing view. In fact, even though we weren’t thinking about having a wedding in the Sonoma/​Napa region, the outdoor space (either by their little lake or their courtyard) made us ask if they actually hosted weddings (they don’t anymore).
I can’t exactly remember their wines anymore, which may be a sign on its own. But to be fair, we weren’t actually looking to join a wine club when we visited (already got one on that trip). But that view and ambience alone make me want to come back over and over again.

This place is absolutely gorgeous. It’s perched on a hill and has stunning views of the valley. My friends and I each got the 6 tastings for $ 15. What a good deal. The people who work here are so welcoming and talked to us while we sipped our wine. My favorite was the merlot. My friend really liked the Syrah. I like that the woman who poured our wine told us about every single wine we tried. She probably knew we were wine noobs haha.
Again, the property is beautiful. The courtyard has the best views. We also were lucky with weather. It was a beautiful day. And the door on the side from the tasting room also leads to a pond area where you can check out the vineyards and sit outside and enjoy your wine.