St. Helena · Napa Valley
Visit El Molino with a Private Chauffeur
A family winery founded in 1871, making small lots of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in a historic cellar north of St. Helena, and a suggested six-hour day of tasting around it.
Book a Six-Hour Wine Tour
About the Winery
El Molino means "the mill" and takes its name from Dr. Edward Bale's water-powered grist mill, a hub of early Napa Valley life. In 1871 Colonel W. W. Lyman bought the Bale Mill property and built a two-story wine cellar against the hillside, finished in time for that harvest. Chinese laborers dug the tunnel and built the cellar, which made wine until about 1910.
In 1943 Van Allen and Nancy Haven turned the empty cellar into a home. Nancy was the first woman president of the Napa Valley Wine Library. Her nephew Reg Oliver and his wife Marie bought the property in 1978 and rebuilt the winery as a gravity-flow cellar in the Burgundian tradition. The first Pinot Noir was made in 1987 and the first Chardonnay in 1988.
Today Reg's daughter Lily Oliver Berlin and her husband Jon Berlin run the winery, with their daughter Clementine also working in the family business. The wines are limited-production Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, including fruit from Star Vineyard in Rutherford, and the label is still the original 1871 design showing the Bale Grist Mill. There is no public tasting room; visits are arranged by appointment with the family.
Tasting Fees
El Molino does not publish tasting fees online. Visits are by appointment, and any fee is confirmed when the appointment is set.
Tasting fees as of September 2026. Wineries set and collect their own fees, and they change from time to time.
At a Glance
Location
3315 St. Helena Highway North, St. Helena
AVA
St. Helena
Visiting
By appointment only. Visits are requested by email with the family; there is no walk-in tasting room.
Known For
Limited-production Pinot Noir and Chardonnay
Founded
1871 (winery rebuilt by the Oliver family in the 1980s)
Good to Know
Wine tasting is for guests of legal drinking age. This is a small family property, so share your party size and any needs when the appointment is requested.
A Suggested Six-Hour Day
Pickup at 10:00 a.m. from a nearby hotel such as Alila Napa Valley or Harvest Inn.
10:00 · Pickup at Alila Napa Valley or Harvest Inn
Stay close and the tasting starts right away. Alila Napa Valley, a Hyatt resort on Main Street in St. Helena, is about 5 minutes from El Molino, and Harvest Inn, an independent hotel at the south end of town, is about 8 minutes away. The day below fits a six-hour tour, and extra time can be added by the hour.
10:15 · El Molino Winery
An appointment visit with the family at the historic 1871 winery, focused on Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. We plan about an hour; the length and any fee are confirmed when the appointment is set.
11:30 · Joseph Phelps Vineyards
About 12 minutes away. A hillside estate across the valley off the Silverado Trail, whose Founder's Tasting is a seated tasting of current releases, including the flagship Insignia, on the terrace overlooking the vineyards. $120, 60 minutes. By prepaid reservation; 21 and over.
12:45 · Lunch at Farmstead at Long Meadow Ranch
About 10 minutes away. Lunch at Farmstead on Main Street in St. Helena, open daily for lunch and dinner. Prefer a picnic? We can arrange a catered picnic at a winery that allows one; the cost is quoted when you book.
2:00 · Caymus Vineyards
About 8 minutes away. The Wagner family winery on Conn Creek Road in Rutherford, best known for its Special Selection Cabernet Sauvignon. The seated tasting of five family wines is $50, about 90 minutes. By reservation.
3:30 · Back to your hotel
Back by 4:00 p.m., six hours after pickup. Harvest Inn is about 8 minutes from Caymus and Alila about 12.
Optional: Markham Vineyards
Adds about an hour and a half. A winery on Highway 29 north of St. Helena, built around a 150-year-old stone cellar. Walk-ins are welcome for the Discovery of Napa comparative tasting ($55, 1.5 hours); open daily until 5:30 p.m.
About $170 per person in tasting fees for Joseph Phelps and Caymus, plus any fee El Molino sets for your appointment, 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 El Molino?
Yes. El Molino is by appointment only, arranged with the family by email. When you book a tour with us, your chauffeur makes the reservation for you.
How much is a tasting at El Molino?
El Molino does not publish a tasting fee online; any fee is confirmed when the appointment is set, as of September 2026.
What is El Molino known for?
Small lots of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay made in a gravity-flow cellar, with a label that still uses the original 1871 design of the Bale Grist Mill.
Who owns El Molino?
The Oliver family. Lily Oliver Berlin and her husband Jon Berlin have run the winery since her father, Reg Oliver, passed away in 2005.
How old is El Molino?
Colonel W. W. Lyman built the wine cellar in 1871, making El Molino one of the first wineries in Napa Valley. The Oliver family revived it in the 1980s, with the first Pinot Noir in 1987.
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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