Soda Canyon · Napa Valley
Visit Buoncristiani with a Private Chauffeur
Three Napa-born brothers pour their wines in The Caves at Soda Canyon, a fully underground winery with sweeping valley views, and a suggested six-hour day of tasting around it.
Book a Six-Hour Wine Tour
About the Winery
The Buoncristiani brothers grew up in Napa Valley in a wine-loving Italian family, working harvest in the small vineyards their father tended. Jay and Matt founded the winery commercially in 1999. Jay rose to winemaker at the Hess Collection before turning full time to the family label, and Matt and Nate learned the cellar at Rudd, Caldwell and other Napa wineries.
The brothers handle the winemaking, vineyard work and even the label art themselves, with a motto of quality over quantity. Jay also consults for a few other small wineries, including Patland. The wines are Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, a proprietary red called O.P.C. and Sauvignon Blanc, made in small lots and sold mostly to their La Famiglia members.
The visit starts outside with the view down Soda Canyon toward the Stags Leap District, then moves into The Caves at Soda Canyon, a winery built entirely underground. One of the brothers often hosts, and they ask about your palate ahead of time so the five wines suit you. Guests tell us it feels like being invited into the family cellar.
Tasting Fees
$85 for the Signature Tour & Tasting, five wines in the caves with the valley view, about 90 minutes. $135 for the Cabernet Portfolio Tasting with at least three library vintages, about 90 minutes. Both are complimentary for La Famiglia members.
Tasting fees as of September 2026. Wineries set and collect their own fees, and they change from time to time.
At a Glance
Location
2275 Soda Canyon Road, Napa
AVA
Napa Valley
Visiting
By reservation only, requested at least a week ahead. Seatings daily at 10 a.m., 12:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. The card is charged only after the brothers confirm by email.
Known For
Small-lot Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon and the O.P.C. proprietary red
Founded
1999
Good to Know
Tours are designed for adults, so children and pets are not part of the visit. Up to 8 guests per booking. There is no food on site.
A Suggested Six-Hour Day
Pickup at 9:40 a.m. from a nearby hotel such as Silverado Resort or Milliken Creek Inn.
9:40 · Pickup at Silverado Resort or Milliken Creek Inn
We pick up a little early so you are at the caves for the 10 a.m. seating. Silverado Resort, at the foot of Atlas Peak, is about 15 minutes away, and Milliken Creek Inn, on the river off the Silverado Trail, about 18 minutes. The day below fits a six-hour tour, and extra time can be added by the hour.
10:00 · Buoncristiani Family Winery
The Signature Tour & Tasting, about 90 minutes ($85). The Cabernet Portfolio Tasting ($135) runs the same length with library vintages.
11:45 · Quixote Winery
About 12 minutes away. The only American building by the artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser, with a gold onion dome and a living roof, in the Stags Leap District. The seated Estate Tasting with a cheese plate is $80, about an hour. By appointment.
12:55 · Lunch at Oenotri
About 18 minutes away. Southern Italian cooking with wood-fired pizza in downtown Napa. Prefer a picnic? We can arrange a catered picnic at a winery that allows one; the cost is quoted when you book.
2:20 · Eleven Eleven Winery
About 8 minutes away. A women-owned urban winery near downtown Napa with a stylish tasting room and a zen patio, pouring 100% single-vineyard, single-varietal wines by Kirk Venge. The 11:11 Experience is $75, about 75 minutes. By appointment.
3:35 · Back to your hotel
Back by about 3:50 p.m., a little over six hours after pickup.
About $240 per person in tasting fees for the three wineries, paid directly to each winery.
Three wineries is the right pace for a day of serious tasting. The fourth stop is there if the day allows.
Every tour is custom. This day is a starting point: your chauffeur will shape it around what matters to you, and we plan multi-day tours for guests who want to see more of wine country.
Your Vehicle & Six-Hour Tour Rates
Up to 6 guests
Elite Luxury SUV
Lincoln Navigator or Cadillac Escalade
From $750
Six-hour wine tour, plus 20% gratuity. Additional hours $125 each.
Up to 9 guests
Jet Sprinter or Executive Luxury Van
Captain's chairs and room to spread out
From $1,350
Six-hour wine tour, plus 20% gratuity. Additional hours $225 each.
Larger groups travel in more than one vehicle, and we plan the winery appointments around your group, since many wineries limit groups to 6 to 8 guests. Tasting fees are separate and paid directly to each winery. Every tour starts with six hours; add time by the hour when you book.
Questions
Do I need a reservation at Buoncristiani?
Yes. Requests need to be made at least a week ahead, for the 10 a.m., 12:30 p.m. or 2:30 p.m. seating. When you book a tour with us, your chauffeur makes the reservation for you.
How much is a tasting at Buoncristiani?
$85 per person for the Signature Tour & Tasting and $135 for the Cabernet Portfolio Tasting, both complimentary for La Famiglia members, as of September 2026.
Where does Buoncristiani pour its wines?
At The Caves at Soda Canyon, an underground winery up Soda Canyon Road above the Stags Leap District, shared by a few small family wineries.
Who owns Buoncristiani?
The Buoncristiani brothers, Napa natives who founded the winery in 1999. Jay is the winemaker.
Can children visit Buoncristiani?
The tours are designed for adults, so the winery asks guests to leave children and pets at home.
How does booking a tour with Bien Chauffeured work?
Reserve a six-hour tour online, even if your plans are still taking shape. Your chauffeur will email you first to learn what matters to you, then build your itinerary and make the winery appointments. Extra hours can be added.
Reserve Your Tour Now, Plan the Details Later
Your plans don't need to be final to book. Reserve your six-hour tour online, and your chauffeur will email you first to learn what matters to you, then build your itinerary and make the winery appointments. Prefer to talk? Call our concierge at 888-291-2328.
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