Graton Ridge Cellars

We had such a great time! I had won a Tour and Tasting at a fundraiser to Graton Ridge. So off we went on a Sunday morning to go wine tasting. We were met by the tasting room manager, Pat and another very nice lady. We tasted wine and then Pat took us on a quick little tour to the vineyards, Bocce Ball and picnic area and then over to the barrel room. The tour was informative and interested. We even got to taste some wines right out of the barrel.
Then back to the tasting room for more wine tasting and a few parings with blue cheese and chocolate. It was such a great day.
The winery is small and they have a small production. But boy what they do they do right! I loved the Chardonnay (which I don’t favor).
We can’t wait to go back with a picnic lunch just to hang out with Pat for the day with a bottle or two of wine.

Great wines! Loved the 2013 Reserve Pinot. Beautiful bocce ball court.
Great spot also to stop and picnic.

My wife and I visited Graton Ridge with my sister. Our stay was, honestly, everything you hope to get out of the Sonoma experience. If you’re like me and enjoy the intimacy of the «Mom & Pop» sort of winery, this is the place for you. The staff there could not have been more accommodating and friendly.
The tasting room is full of beautiful art with a little corner space for snacks. We had the pleasure of Greg touring us through their selection with no shortage of laughs and witty comments. He told us about their double gold ’14 Chardonnay which was currently making its way through competitions and only available by bottle. After challenging (and losing) to Greg in a battle of rock-​paper-​scissors, he opened one anyway and poured us a sample, later taking the bottle on his own dime. Great people, relaxed atmosphere. Would definitely recommend and return.

I have been a wine club member here because I particularly like their Pinot’s. Stopped by today to pick up some futures with a couple gal friends.
Just wanted to give a shout out to Greg who gave us a lovely grand tasting and was charming as ever.
He’s the best!

Graton Ridge Cellars was a joy to visit. Not only are the wines delicious, but they were poured by delightful, friendly people. New owner Chad Richard is paying close attention to other details, too, creating a welcoming space with carefully curated art and good tunes. The prime location on the wine trail makes Graton Ridge Cellars a must-​stop.

We loved Graton Ridge Cellars! Convenient location off the Gravenstein Hwy between Sebastopol and Forestville with delicious wine and knowledgable and friendly staff. We especially enjoyed the Pinot Noir Estate (2012) and Reserve (2013) as well as the Petite Sirah. They have a spacious tasting room inside and plenty of room to enjoy outside for a picnic. They even have a bocce court which proved to be nice for entertaining our kids while we enjoyed their delicious wine. Highly recommend!

This is a great spot to check out when you are tasting along 116 in Sebastopol. This winery is centrally located and easy to get to. It is also located near many other great wineries so you can easily make a day out of it.
I have been to this spot a few times and my last visit inspired me to write a review.
They have a few areas for hangouts and even have a bocce court! There are no strict rules to play bocce, just first come first serve. #westcountystyle.
During my last visit, I just tasted their blush wine and their reds. The blush wine is a good option when paired with foods. It’s on the dryer side, which works well with richer foods and cheeses.
Of the reds, my preferred choice was their Pinot Noir. I tried both Pinots and preferred the Pinot over the Pinot Reserve. The Pinot was easy to drink, darker berries, and well balanced. Not an overly dark Pinot Noir but still in the Russian River style Pinot. For those who like stronger Oak wines, you will enjoy the Pinot Reserve.
The staff members are all also great. I spent my time with the tasting room manager and his wife. They were both wonderful people. Lot’s of fun to talk to. We were all laughing and having a great time.
The indoor wine tasting room is country casual and welcoming. They also have beautiful art on the walls. They have a collection of super cool artwork involving photographs where the colors are enhanced. Ultimately, it looks like a painting. Very interesting and beautiful to look at.
For the times I have visited, they always have some sort of food offering (maybe I just came at the right times). Food offerings have been chili, meatballs, assorted cheeses, and bread and crackers. In addition, they have an olive oil tasting area and a condiment tasting area (think fancy mustards).
Along your 116 wine tasting adventures, be sure to check this place out. Or bring your «bocce shoes» and a picnic and make a day out of it.

We came here with our friends and family last week and fell in love with this spot. The location is perfect (on 116 just outside Sebastapol in Sonoma County) and the property itself is charming. I’m already a big fan of the pinots coming out of that area so it was no surprise that I very much enjoyed what they were pouring that day (2012 Pinot, Reserve Pinot, 2011 Zinfandel). I should also mention here that the customer service was genuinely helpful and friendly — which I usually find to be the case with smaller cellars.

The cherry on top (IMHO) is the outdoor space. We attended an event here and spent several hours in the picnic area near the bocce ball court… in January! Don’t get me wrong, it was cold but they had their little fireplace going and a quaint tasting bar set up — and good music.
Our kids mastered the art of rolling bocce balls while we enjoyed the wines and the good company. I think I have a new favorite winery!

Excellent, friendly staff. Generous pours. Tasty wines and a port. Went on a glorious fall weekend. Great area to enjoy. A chef served yummy food samples paired with the wines. Cheeses, salmon spread, hot soup, and more. Two chocolatiers were present sampling their homemade, healthy truffles. A side room had olive oil and mustard samples. So much fun. We were all laughing and enjoying the ambience. And a very reasonable tasting fee. They were kind enough to give food samples to our designated driver who did not wine taste. I definitely will go again and highly recommend the winery. Good job all!

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this winery! We went here to celebrate my birthday, and couldn’t be more pleased! Great wine and great customer service! Gretchen was so sweet! We loved her! She was so nice. It felt like we were talking with a friend!
We enjoyed all the wines, but we especially liked their Pinot Noir Zinfandel, and Apple port. We took all of these home with us.
The Apple Port is to die for! If you come here, you to have to taste the Apple Port.
I would recommend this winery to anyone who’s in the Sonoma area wine tasting. Lovely grounds, and dog friendly!
We will be back!

Nice small producer. We stopped and tasted and played Bocce. The Pinot Noir was good with some berries aromas and a int of oak, coffee and maybe some pepper. A former apple orchard, they also get some local apples and make an apple port that many seem to enjoy. The chardonnay had some pear and pineapple flavors. Tasted the Shiraz and thought is was heavy in tannin with an earthy and leather taste.

The best of the best… not only amazingly scrumptious wines but a family business with a happy involved staff. If your visit to Sonoma county is limited… do yourself a favor and pit Graton Ridge on the top of your list… you won’t be disappointed!

I went here with my girlfriend to kickoff a birthday weekend in Sebastopol, and couldn’t have been more impressed with the wine, service and people working here. I’d recommend it over anywhere else to visit in Sebastopol.
We’d had the morning from hell in which we waited for 2 hours in line to pickup our rental car in SF (at a rental car service which shall not be named, but will be getting its own review published if Unilocal approves the language) and got stuck in terrible traffic. We’d reserved a picnic table/​tasting here for like 11am and didn’t get there until after 3. During all this we called Graton Ridge a couple times letting them know we were going to be pretty late, and they were extremely accommodating knowing what we were going through. They said no worries, we’ll be ready whenever you can get here.
When we walked in, they knew from the look on our faces that we were the couple with the rough morning needing a few gallons of wine, and were good sports as we vented. All three people there were so nice. They let us do some barrel tasting, gave me some vinegar on the house for my bday (very very good) and had a picnic table ready to go for us out by the bocce ball court once we were done tasting.
I can’t say enough how nice everybody was, and if they’re reading this thank you for turning our terrible morning into a great birthday weekend! If you have to try one thing, try the apple port.

Great place to start off your wine tour. The wine was great. Only wished they had an outdoor tasting area/​picnic spot. They also provide endless free oranges on our way out — amazing.

We really loved Graton Ridge. Friendly helpful staff, good wines, and a beautiful property. This small production winery is super charming and very dog friendly!

This place was so friendly and warm! We went during Barrel Tasting weekend, and the wine selections, ppl, food, and hippie theme was a stand out. Love this place!

I’m not a drinker. I will say that again. But my friends would not let me leave without letting me taste the sole reason we came here for. At the Matrix winery, one of the wine pourers could not stop raving about something called an «Apple Port.»
After much persuasion, my gf put the wine glass to my lips and I hesitantly took the tiniest sip of this much hyped Apple Port. Can you say Wow? It’s like they took the essence of an apple and turned it into the most sophisticated taste in wine. It was sweet but not overly so and i could just imagine doing a reduction sauce (ahem I’ve only seen this on the Food Chanel) and pouring it over some vanilla ice cream, bread pudding, and even apple pie ala mode!
For a non wine drinker, I highly recommend this place just for the Apple Port. Since I tasted this, I was also convinced to try a small sip of the Zinfandel Port. Can you say smooth? These two wines alone *almost* convinced me to become a wino. Yup, almost.
If you haven’t been here, GO.

Graton Ridge Cellars is a real gem in Sonoma County, the staff are all very polite and knowledgeable about their incredible wines. Besides their fantastic wines, they have a beautiful bocce ball court and picnic area overlooking the quaint vineyards. They have a beautiful Chardonnay that is very fruit forward and delicate as well as award winning, not to mention their Pinot’s and Zinfandel which blow the competition out of the water! The 2011 Zinfandel just won a Best of Class and a Gold medal at the Grand Harvest Awards.
One of the most incredible things there are their ports, they have a one-​of-​a-​kind Apple port and a phenomenal Zinfandel port (they provide a small pairing of blue cheese with the apple port and chocolate with the Zin port). A must see while in Sonoma County!

I had one of the best Pinot Noirs of my life at Graton Ridge – the drunken strawberries kind of Sonoma Coast/​Russian River Pinot Noir pour that you just never want to be done with. Adding to the warm-​fuzzies was getting to pet Bella the winery dog – she’s a love!

Great tasting here this past weekend. The people in the tasting room were so nice and hospitable. I have to say that their Zin was the best thing we tasted all day! I definitely snagged a bottle!
Something they do that’s pretty special is the apple port-​simply amazing! We couldn’t stop talking about it on the drive back to SF. It’s sooooo good and there’s so much you can do with it. Was great w/​the blue cheese and apparently it’s also good with ice cream.
Overall a great experience. I would highly recommend. It’s close to the main part of Graton too so central location for lunch/​dinner.