Luxury Napa & Sonoma Guide — When to Go and What It Starts From

Spring (April–May), when the hills are green and the vines budding, and harvest (late August–October), when the valleys are alive with the crush. Summer is warm and busy; winter is quiet, green and intimate. We time it to the experience you want.

Roughly late August to October, when grapes are picked and pressed and the wineries are at their most vibrant. It's a magical (and popular) time — we secure access and the best tables well ahead.

Napa is the more polished and prestigious, with iconic estates and celebrated restaurants in a compact valley; Sonoma is more relaxed, rural and varied. Many combine both, which sit side by side. We balance them to your taste.

Three to five days does justice to Napa and Sonoma, easily paired with San Francisco or extended down the California coast. We design the length around your interests.

As an indicative guide, a bespoke escape starts from around US$1,500 per person per day, rising with private estates, private guiding, chauffeured transfers and the finest tables and resorts. We give a clear from-price and never quote a final total until it's designed around you — it depends on the estates and experiences.

Yes — private estate visits and cellar tastings, including cult wineries closed to the public, with winemakers and sommeliers, are exactly what we arrange through long-standing relationships, alongside the hardest restaurant reservations.

Yes — Napa and Sonoma pair naturally with San Francisco and the California coast (Carmel, Big Sur) for a fuller journey. We design the routing and chauffeured transfers.

Three to six months for the finest resorts, private estates and tables, and earlier for harvest season, which books first. Quieter months can be arranged on shorter notice.