St. Helena · Napa Valley
Visit Maybach with a Private Chauffeur
A family label tied to the Maybach engineering dynasty, made by Thomas Rivers Brown and poured in a private room at Royal We Wines in St. Helena, and a suggested six-hour day of tasting around it.
Book a Six-Hour Wine Tour
About the Winery
Maybach Family Vineyards is run by descendants of Wilhelm Maybach, who designed the first Mercedes cars with Gottlieb Daimler; his son Karl founded the Maybach car company. The family's mother is Wilhelm's granddaughter, and the wine names carry the story: Materium is an anagram of Materia Medica, in memory of their father, the San Francisco physician Dr. Frederic Schmid.
Winemaker Thomas Rivers Brown has worked with the family for 23 years as of 2026. Materium comes from a single block of the Weitz Vineyard, about 1,000 feet above the Silverado Trail in the eastern Oakville hills, and Vocabulum and Amoenus from hillsides near St. Helena and Calistoga. The family also grows Pinot Noir and Chardonnay at its Irmgard vineyard on the far Sonoma Coast, within sight of the Pacific.
There is no Maybach winery to visit. The family pours in a private room at Royal We Wines, the Thomas Rivers Brown collective tasting room at the south end of Main Street, in the St. Helena AVA. On offer are current Maybach releases, pre-release wines and a rotating selection of library vintages, and the room kept the large oval marble bar from Yao Ming's old tasting room.
Tasting Fees
Tasting fees to be verified upon reservation. The private Maybach tasting is priced when Royal We confirms it; for reference, Royal We's own Collective Tasting, which pours a selection of Thomas Rivers Brown's labels, is $40 to $50.
Tasting fees as of September 2026. Wineries set and collect their own fees, and they change from time to time.
At a Glance
Location
929 Main Street, St. Helena
AVA
St. Helena
Visiting
A private Maybach tasting at Royal We Wines, 929 Main Street, St. Helena, by appointment. Requests go through a Maybach mailing list account, and a booking is final once paid and confirmed by the Royal We team. Royal We is open daily 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Known For
Materium, a single-block Weitz Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, plus hillside Napa Cabernets and Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir and Chardonnay
Founded
Working with winemaker Thomas Rivers Brown since 2004
Good to Know
Royal We is 21 and over, and all reservations are prepaid. You need a Maybach mailing list account to request the private tasting; we help you set it up when you book. Current releases, pre-release wines and library vintages are available to buy.
A Suggested Six-Hour Day
Pickup at 10:00 a.m. from a nearby hotel such as Harvest Inn or Meadowood.
10:00 · Pickup at Harvest Inn or Meadowood
Harvest Inn, a garden hotel just south of St. Helena, is about 5 minutes from Royal We, and Meadowood, a resort at the foot of Howell Mountain, about 10 minutes away. Royal We opens at 10 a.m., so you're there for the first tasting of the day. The day below runs a little over six hours, and extra time can be added by the hour.
10:15 · Maybach Family Vineyards
A private Maybach tasting at Royal We Wines, with current releases and often a pre-release or library wine. The length and fee are set when Royal We confirms; we plan about an hour.
11:35 · Vineyard 7 & 8
About 20 minutes away, up Spring Mountain. A small family estate at about 2,000 feet on Spring Mountain, where a tour of the property comes before a seated tasting of current and library estate wines. The Estate Tasting is $175 (refunded with each three-bottle Cabernet purchase); we allow about 90 minutes. By appointment, Monday to Saturday.
1:25 · Lunch at Farmstead at Long Meadow Ranch
About 20 minutes away. Back down the mountain for lunch at Farmstead at Long Meadow Ranch at the south end of St. Helena, a farm-to-table restaurant open daily for lunch from 11:30 a.m. Prefer a picnic? We can arrange a catered picnic at a winery that allows one; the cost is quoted when you book.
2:45 · Staglin Family Vineyard
About 10 minutes away. An organic, solar-powered family estate on the Rutherford Bench, where a private visit walks the vineyard and tours the underground winemaking caves before a tasting of the estate wines. $150, about 90 minutes. By appointment, Tuesday to Saturday, with members first.
4:15 · Back to your hotel
Back by about 4:25 p.m., a little over six hours after pickup.
About $325 per person in tasting fees for Vineyard 7 & 8 and Staglin, paid directly to each winery, plus the Maybach tasting fee set by Royal We.
Vineyard 7 & 8 hosts Monday to Saturday and Staglin Tuesday to Saturday, so plan this day for Tuesday through Saturday. Staglin confirms its start time when it accepts the appointment, and we adjust the day around it.
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 Maybach?
Yes. Private Maybach tastings at Royal We are by appointment, requested through a Maybach mailing list account and final once paid and confirmed. When you book a tour with us, your chauffeur makes the reservation for you.
How much is a tasting at Maybach?
The private Maybach tasting fee is not published, so tasting fees to be verified upon reservation. Royal We's Collective Tasting is $40 to $50 per person, as of September 2026.
Where can I taste Maybach wines?
At Royal We Wines, 929 Main Street in St. Helena, a collective tasting room for wines made by Thomas Rivers Brown. Maybach has no winery of its own open to visitors.
Who makes Maybach wine?
Thomas Rivers Brown, who has worked with the Maybach family for more than 20 years.
Is Maybach Family Vineyards connected to the Maybach cars?
Yes. The family descends from Wilhelm Maybach, who designed the first Mercedes cars; his son Karl founded the Maybach car company.
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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