Award-Winning Wineries Near Sonoma
Northern California has a long and storied winemaking tradition, and nowhere is that tradition more evident than in our own backyard: Sonoma County.
Sonoma County is home to hundreds of working wineries, many nestled in the valley flats or tucked in the hills surrounding the town of Sonoma. Here at Roche Winery, we can see several of our favorite fellow wineries out the top floor of our new production facility, and we know countless more are close by.
Quite a few of our fellow Sonoma wineries have won awards for their tireless efforts to advance their craft. We’re proud to be among them. Read on for more about some of our favorites.
Top Award-Winning Wineries Near Sonoma
These are some of the many Sonoma wineries that have won awards for their work. Next time you’re in the Sonoma area, stop in at their tasting rooms and sample their latest vintages.
Roche Winery
We couldn’t be prouder of our winemaking team here at Roche Winery. If the recognition they’ve earned over the years is any indication, the broader American wine enthusiast community feels similarly.
Here’s just a small sampling of the awards won by our wines in recent years:
We took home three gold medals in the 2018 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition for our 2016 Roche Carneros Chardonnay, 2016 Roche Carneros French Oak Reserve Chardonnay, and 2016 Roche Carneros American Oak Reserve Chardonnay (which earned a rare Double Gold Medal by unanimous acclaim of the competition’s Chardonnay judges).
More than a dozen of our wines earned gold and silver medals at previous San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competitions dating back before 2010, including our 2014 Cuvée Genevieve Pinot Noir (gold), 2014 Sonoma Valley Syrah (gold), and 2014 Unoaked Chardonnay (silver).
Our 2014 Carneros Reserve Merlot was named one of Sonoma’s best 100 wines by Sonoma Magazine in 2017.
Several of our wines have won North Coast Wine Challenge medals, including our 2013 Carneros Chardonnay (gold), 2014 Reserve Merlot (gold), 2015 Carneros Chardonnay (silver), 2015 American Oak Reserve Chardonnay (silver), and 2014 Longford Vineyard Pinot Noir (silver).
Our 2013 French Oak Reserve Chardonnay won “Best of the Best,” “Best of Show White,” “Best of Sonoma County,” and a 99 Points Rating at the 2015 North Coast Wine Challenge.
Six of our wines earned medals at the 2008 San Francisco International Wine Competition, including a rare Double Gold Medal for our 2006 Carneros Chardonnay.
Want to see for yourself what all the buzz is about? Find us at our new, state-of-the-art production facility in the lower Sonoma Valley, or at our spacious yet intimate tasting room in downtown Sonoma.
Where: Main production facility, 22097A Bonness Road, Sonoma; downtown tasting room, 122 Spain St, Sonoma
Hours: Main production facility, daily, 10:30am - 5:00pm; downtown tasting room, 11am - 6pm
Gloria Ferrer
Gloria Ferrer is known — OK, renowned — for California sparkling wines. Sparking wine is what they do, and they do it very well.
Wine awards panels agree. Gloria Ferrer won medals for three wines at the 2020 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition:
Sonoma Brut (NV) — double gold
Extra Brut (2014) — double gold
Royal Cuvee (2013) — gold
Stop by their lower Sonoma Valley tasting room and sip for yourself.
Where: 23555 Arnold Drive, Sonoma
Hours: Wednesday through Monday, 10am to 5pm (closed Tuesday)
Gundlach Bundschu Winery
Gundlach Bundschu, or “Gun Bun” as it’s known in Sonoma, is a destination winery with a homey, rustic feel and great views. It’s also notable because it’s the oldest continually operating winery in the region.
What many casual visitors don’t realize is that Gundlach Bundschu makes seriously good wines. They’ve won awards for multiple varietals in recent years, including its 2014 Gewürztraminer (bronze at the 2016 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition) and its 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon (silver at the 2016 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition).
Where: 2000 Denmark Street, Sonoma
Hours: Daily, 11:30am to 4:30pm
Larson Family Winery
For a former dairy farm, Larson Family Winery sure knows how to make exceptional wine. Its award-winning pedigree stretches back decades and spans several different varietals, including:
Gewürtztraminer: Larson’s 2008 Late Harvest Carneros won gold at the 2011 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition
Rose Pinot Noir: The 2009 vintage took home silver at the California State Fair
Cabernet Sauvignon: The 2015 vintage earned gold at the North of the Gate Wine Competition
More recently, Larson cleaned up at the 2021 Sonoma County Harvest Fair — one of the United States’ premier wine judging events, despite the local-sounding name. Its awards there included gold medals for its 2018 Chardonnay and 2018 Pinot Noir.
Where: 23355 Millerick Road, Sonoma
Hours: Thursday through Sunday, 11am to 5pm
Viansa Sonoma Winery
Just as Larson Family Winery’s humble dairy farming roots obscure a tradition of first-rate craftsmanship, Viansa’s flashy Italian architecture and grand estate grounds belie a deep commitment to winemaking.
Its latest triumph came at the 2023 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition, where Viansa won three silver medals:
2021 Chardonnay
2019 Sangiovese
2021 Cabernet Sauvignon
Where: 25200 Arnold Drive, Sonoma
Hours: Daily, 10am to 5 pm
Buena Vista Winery
Buena Vista Winery, another Sonoma favorite of ours, has also had a great run at the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition of late. Between 2020 and 2022, they medaled or won “best of class” for their:
2020 Chardonnay (2022 competition, silver medal)
2017 Sparkling Zinfandel Rose (2020 competition, silver)
2018 Chateau Buena Vista Chardonnay (2020 competition, best of class)
2019 “The Daredevil” Petite Syrah (2022 competition, silver)
Where: 18000 Old Winery Road, Sonoma
Hours: Daily, 10am to 5pm
Sebastiani Vineyards & Winery
Not far from Roche’s own downtown Sonoma tasting room, you’ll find Sebastiani Vineyards & Winery’s in-town outpost. If you’ve never been, do visit; the historic structure and intimate, elegant interior evoke Sebastiani’s more than century-long commitment to its craft.
And Sebastiani has earned plenty of recognition during that time. Its most recent San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition accolades include:
2021 Butterfield Chardonnay (2023 competition, silver)
2019 North Coast Cabernet Sauvignon (2022 competition, gold)
2019 North Coast Bourbon Barrel Red Blend (2022 competition, silver)
2018 North Coast Chardonnay (2021 competition, bronze)
2016 Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon (2020 competition, gold)
Where: 389 4th St E, Sonoma
Hours: Daily, 10:30am to 5pm