Keating Wines

Thanks to the recommendation by a pourer from another Sonoma winery, we made our way here. Keating’s tasting room is located in the Cornerstone (in the complex with the big blue chair) Sonoma. There are two tasting options, one is $ 8 and the other $ 15, but they waive the fee with a purchase. We opted for the $ 15 tasting. We tried some reds and enjoyed them all. We ended up buying their Rockpile Malbec for $ 42. It also helped that our pourer, who happens to be a SoCal, transplant was friendly. It made the experience a lot better.

The wines were good, not the best ever but not bad! The pourer was nice but not talkative which I usually like while wine tasting so I don’t feel awkward while they are just standing there staring at you waiting until you are ready for the next pour.
She was nice enough to give us a complimentary taste of their most expensive bottle since we bought a bottle of something else :)

Not sure why I didn’t write sooner.. .my wife and I have been buying wine from Sonoma and Napa and Keating is our absolute favorite of all wineries and wine that we’ve tried. Like other reviewers, their service and wine are top notch.
We’ve joined their wine club on our second visit and have been enjoying it ever since.
Their wine tend to be big and serious — I see how some people may not like it. However, if you’re serious about wine, this place is a must.
My wife wrote a blog on Keating winery —

Great service, really enjoyed the wines.

I was thinkin about giving a one but I did t not want to be disrespectful but I have had keating wines before and they were not bad. We went Saturday really was not good for the price of the tasting. 10 bucks for 5 samples… I didn’t find one I liked.

The Keatings wines were delicious. Carlo was excellent with his knowledge of the wines and incredibly friendly! Love this place.

Well worth the stop. Only $ 10 for the entire tasting. Modern and artsy. Great selection of reds.

We were here in November and had an excellent tasting experience. All of the wines we tried were good– nothing that particularly stood out to me, but definitely a solid selection of wines.
What really blew me away was the service. Mr. Keating himself was our pourer and we had an amazing time talking with him about everything ranging from his wines to college football. He is very personable and he made this tasting experience unforgettable.
The tasting room is in a cute little area with some restaurants and other tasting rooms nearby. Don’t forget to take a picture in the big chair!

I’ve been here before and really enjoyed their wines. Came here today to taste with friends and they locked the doors at 4:50 as we were standing near the doors!

Quaint little wine shop at the Cornerstone location in Sanoma. The service gal was nice and gave us nice little descriptions of the wines we were sampling. Also, she gave us a couple of good lunch recs so thank you!

Good wine nice tasting variety

Great wines!

They make a solid Zin. Sometimes there’s a nice puppy sitting in the back.

Wines were OK. The guy who served us was very friendly and helpful. I don’t know if I would recommend this place to folks because it’s in an odd location. It would be neat to try their wines and be able to walk around in the complex.

Amazing Wine,
Best Reds in Sonoma…

Absolutely incredible wine.
Worth every moment, great experience!

Let me start off this review with what will soon become very obvious: I’m a huge fan of Keating Wines.
Here’s why:
1) Great staff — Eric Keating and his staff are friendly, warm, and inviting. I’ve lost count of the wineries I’ve visited where the hospitality is so poor that it can ruin the wine tasting experience. That won’t happen here. Just a friendly bunch of people to enjoy a tasting with.
2) Incredible wines — These are some of the best tasting, most affordable, and highest rated wines you’ll find in wine country, imho. Every single wine (Eric only has reds at this point but there’s a rumor this will change in the future) is worth a purchase — I’m partial to the Rockpile Malbec but I’ve purchased cases of the Merlot, Zin, and Cabernet as well. I’ve shared every single wine on their roster with friends and family at various gatherings and dinner parties. Every single person has raved about the wine. No one has been disappointed.
3) The location — If you’re coming from the Peninsula and heading into Sonoma, it’s the perfect first stop of your day. There’s tons of parking, tons of seating, tons of room at the tasting counters, and a great place to just unwind for a short while. Would it be nice to see Keating Wines move up the Arnold or 12 in the future? Sure, but there’s something really appealing about this location as a first stop. It’s a plus.
4) The value — I touched on this point above in the chat about the wine themselves, but it’s rare these days to find a $ 5 tasting at a winery. It’s also refundable if you purchase a bottle and there’s no reason not to at least try the Merlot or Zins for the discount. Every wine is priced well — Some may say that the Beck III is expensive at just under $ 100. I’ll agree that it’s expensive, but it’s the perfect wine to open for special occasions. It’s also aging incredibly well (I’ve got a few of the 2008’s) and should cellar well for another 10 years easy.
I could go on… but I think i’ve made my point. I don’t think you’ll regret stopping by and experiencing a tasting. If you do go, be certain to grab a bottle of the Rockpile Malbec. It’s really that good.

Nice tasting experience! 5.00 gets you several pours. I surprised myself and bought a bottle of the merlot. Thanks to Paul for all the education about wines, the wine valley scene, fun visiting NoLa and more. :) Had a really fun time.

We were not pleased with this place. They only offer red wines and the selection not so good. The interior is very modern, but you can see that it’s just a decorated garage. The certificate that they are offering on Unilocal with the check in was not honored and we had to pay for the wine tasting.
We will not come back to this place.

This awesome little tasting room is located at Cornerstone Sonoma. What a fantastic find! Perfect for the new-​be wine taster or for the refined palette.
**Try their Petite Sirah… It just received 91 points!