St. Helena · Napa Valley
Visit Charter Oak with a Private Chauffeur
A family winery where wine is still made by hand with a grandfather's century-old redwood basket press, beside an artist's studio, and a suggested six-hour day of tasting around it.
Book a Six-Hour Wine Tour
About the Winery
Guido Ragghianti, an immigrant from Lucca, Italy, brought his winemaking to Charter Oak Avenue in St. Helena in the 1920s, fermenting in an old chicken coop and aging wine in the cellar under his house. His grandson Robert Fanucci learned the whole process during Guido's last harvest in 1986, the year Guido died at 98, and inherited his tools. Robert and his wife, Layla, run Charter Oak today.
Everything is done by hand, without industrial equipment. The grapes ferment on native yeast, the cap is punched down with Guido's handmade, purple-stained redwood bats, and the wine is pressed in a redwood basket press about 120 years old, then bottled unfined and unfiltered. Production can be as little as 1,000 cases: Zinfandel, an old-world field blend, Cabernet Sauvignon, old-vine Petite Sirah and Petit Verdot.
Charter Oak is also home to Layla Fanucci's art studio; she is known for her cityscape paintings, shown from the Carrousel du Louvre in Paris to galleries across the United States. The winery puts the reason to visit simply: see how early wine pioneers lived and made wine in Napa Valley. There are no posted hours, so visits are by private request, and we arrange it on your behalf.
Tasting Fees
Tasting fees to be verified upon reservation.
Tasting fees as of September 2026. Wineries set and collect their own fees, and they change from time to time.
At a Glance
Location
831 Charter Oak Avenue, St. Helena
AVA
St. Helena
Visiting
By appointment or private request only, arranged by phone (707-963-2298) or email with the winery. We arrange it on your behalf; the time and format are confirmed by the winery.
Known For
Hand-crafted Zinfandel, field blend and Petite Sirah made the old-world way
Founded
1986 (family winemaking on Charter Oak Avenue since the 1920s)
Good to Know
The winery and Layla Fanucci's art studio are at 831 and 839 Charter Oak Avenue. There are no posted hours; visits are by arrangement. The Underground Secret Society wine club ships six bottles twice a year.
A Suggested Six-Hour Day
Pickup at 10:00 a.m. from a nearby hotel such as Harvest Inn or Alila Napa Valley.
10:00 · Pickup at Harvest Inn or Alila Napa Valley
Harvest Inn, a garden hotel at the south end of St. Helena, and Alila Napa Valley, a Hyatt resort in town, are each about 5 minutes from Charter Oak Avenue. Charter Oak sets its own time, so we adjust the day around it. The day runs about six and three-quarter hours, and extra time can be added by the hour.
10:15 · Charter Oak Winery
A private visit with the Fanucci family, arranged on your behalf. We plan about an hour and a quarter; the format and any fee are confirmed by the winery.
11:45 · Mending Wall
About 15 minutes away. A small, family-owned winery on the Silverado Trail from winemaker Thomas Rivers Brown and his partners. The Estate Tasting is $85, 60 to 90 minutes. By appointment only. A modern contrast to Charter Oak's hand tools.
1:30 · Lunch at Market
About 12 minutes away. Lunch at Market, an American restaurant in a historic brick and stone building on Main Street in St. Helena, open for lunch Monday to Saturday from noon. Prefer a picnic? We can arrange a catered picnic at a winery that allows one; the cost is quoted when you book.
2:45 · Behrens Family Winery
About 15 minutes away. A tiny family winery high on Spring Mountain, making small lots of red wine, with only a few tastings each day. The Behrens Family Winery Tasting is about 90 minutes, usually five wines ($100, waived with three bottles per person). By appointment, Monday to Saturday, with the last seating at 2:45 p.m.
4:15 · Back to your hotel
Back by about 4:40 p.m., about six and three-quarter hours after pickup.
About $185 per person in tasting fees for Mending Wall and Behrens, paid directly to each winery, plus Charter Oak's fee, confirmed with the appointment.
Behrens and Market are both closed on Sundays, so this day works Monday to Saturday. We book Behrens's 2:45 p.m. seating, back by about 4:40 p.m.
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 Charter Oak?
Yes. Charter Oak has no posted hours, and visits are arranged with the winery. When you book a tour with us, your chauffeur makes the reservation for you.
How much is a tasting at Charter Oak?
Charter Oak does not publish a tasting fee. Tasting fees to be verified upon reservation, as of September 2026.
Who owns Charter Oak Winery?
Robert and Layla Fanucci. Robert is the grandson of Guido Ragghianti, who made wine on Charter Oak Avenue from the 1920s.
How is Charter Oak wine made?
By hand, with Guido Ragghianti's original tools: native-yeast fermentation, punch-downs with handmade redwood bats, a basket press about 120 years old, and no fining or filtering.
Where is Charter Oak Winery?
At 831 Charter Oak Avenue in St. Helena, in the St. Helena AVA, with Layla Fanucci's art studio next door at 839.
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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