St. Helena · Napa Valley
Visit Ink Grade with a Private Chauffeur
A Howell Mountain vineyard first planted in the 1870s, poured at the Heitz Cellar Home Ranch east of St. Helena, and a suggested six-hour day of tasting around it.
Book a Six-Hour Wine Tour
About the Winery
Ink Grade takes its name from Theron Ink, a 19th-century Napa Valley farmer and landowner. The winery traces the vineyard to 1873, when a land deed signed by President Ulysses S. Grant covered the site on Howell Mountain. In 1875 Ink began building Ink Grade Road to connect his land from Pope Valley, and that year the first recorded sale of Ink Grade wine, 10 gallons, was made in St. Helena.
Heitz Cellar bought the vineyard in 1989. In 2018 Gaylon M. Lawrence Jr. bought Heitz Cellar, Ink Grade included, and in 2020 Lawrence Wine Estates launched Ink Grade as its own label, with winemaker Matt Taylor. The wines come from the high, remote northeast corner of Howell Mountain: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and the Andosol red blend, plus a Napa Valley Cabernet and Sauvignon Blanc.
The mountain vineyard itself is not where you taste. Guests are hosted at the Home Ranch, the Heitz Cellar estate on Taplin Road in the Napa Valley hills east of St. Helena. The visit pairs a tour of the historic Stone Cellar with a seated tasting of five wines, including two single-plot Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignons.
Tasting Fees
$150 for Ink Grade: The Study of Mountain Terroir, 90 minutes to 2 hours, with a Stone Cellar tour and five wines. The Home Ranch also pours $150 Haynes Vineyard, $200 Heitz Cellar Estate Legacy and $300 Martha's Vineyard Legacy tastings, each 90 minutes to 2 hours. Prices are plus tax.
Tasting fees as of September 2026. Wineries set and collect their own fees, and they change from time to time.
At a Glance
Location
500 Taplin Road, St. Helena
AVA
Napa Valley
Visiting
By appointment only, seven days a week, at the Home Ranch (500 Taplin Road). The Home Ranch is open daily 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., and visits are booked through Heitz Cellar.
Known For
Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, and the Andosol red blend
Founded
1873 (vineyard); Ink Grade label launched in 2020
Good to Know
Tastings are 21 and over, with parties of up to 10. Service dogs only. One tasting fee is refunded for every three bottles purchased, and members taste free.
A Suggested Six-Hour Day
Pickup at 9:45 a.m. from a nearby hotel such as Harvest Inn or Auberge du Soleil.
9:45 · Pickup at Harvest Inn or Auberge du Soleil
We start 15 minutes early because the Ink Grade visit runs 90 minutes to two hours and the first appointments are at 10 a.m. Harvest Inn, a garden resort at the south end of St. Helena, and Auberge du Soleil, on an olive-covered hillside above Rutherford, are each about 10 to 12 minutes from the Home Ranch. The day below fits a six-hour tour, and extra time can be added by the hour.
10:00 · Ink Grade
The Study of Mountain Terroir at the Home Ranch, planned at 90 minutes ($150), with a Stone Cellar tour and five wines. By appointment. The full two-hour version moves the rest of the day back about 30 minutes.
11:45 · Mumm Napa
About 10 minutes away. A sparkling wine house on the Silverado Trail with roots in the French Champagne house G.H. Mumm, poured with views across the valley. Sip & Sparkle is $48 for about an hour. Reservations recommended; same-day seats when space allows. 21 and over only.
1:00 · Lunch at Mustards Grill
About 12 minutes away. Lunch at Mustards Grill on Highway 29, a Napa Valley institution open daily for lunch. Prefer a picnic? We can arrange a catered picnic at a winery that allows one; the cost is quoted when you book.
2:20 · Louis M. Martini Winery
About 12 minutes away. A St. Helena winery built in 1933 and restored in 2019 by architect Howard Backen. The Taste of Martini flight is $55, with an optional $15 cheese board. Reservations recommended; open Thursday to Monday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
3:25 · Back to your hotel
Back by 3:45 p.m., six hours after pickup.
Optional: Markham Vineyards
Adds about an hour and a half. A St. Helena winery around a stone cellar about 150 years old, with garden patios. Walk-ins are welcome for the Discovery of Napa tasting ($55, about 90 minutes); open daily until 5:30 p.m.
About $255 per person in tasting fees for the three wineries, paid directly to each winery.
Louis M. Martini is open Thursday to Monday, so on a Tuesday or Wednesday we swap in another St. Helena winery.
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 Ink Grade?
Yes. Ink Grade is by appointment only, seven days a week, and is booked through Heitz Cellar. When you book a tour with us, your chauffeur makes the reservation for you.
How much is a tasting at Ink Grade?
$150 per person plus tax for The Study of Mountain Terroir, which runs 90 minutes to 2 hours with a Stone Cellar tour and five wines. One tasting fee is refunded for every three bottles purchased, as of September 2026.
Where do you taste Ink Grade wines?
At the Home Ranch, the Heitz Cellar estate at 500 Taplin Road in the hills east of St. Helena. The vineyard itself is on Howell Mountain and is not part of the tasting visit.
Can children visit Ink Grade?
Tastings are for guests 21 and over. Only service dogs are allowed.
Who owns Ink Grade?
Lawrence Wine Estates, which also owns Heitz Cellar. Gaylon M. Lawrence Jr. bought Heitz Cellar, including Ink Grade, in 2018.
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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