Calistoga · Napa Valley
Visit RARECAT with a Private Chauffeur
A small, woman-owned winery making Champagne, Bordeaux and Napa Valley wines, with private seated tastings in Calistoga, and a suggested six-hour day of tasting around it.
Book a Six-Hour Wine Tour
About the Winery
Sharon Kazan Harris founded RARECAT in 2008 and released the first vintage in 2009. Her interest in wine began during a junior year abroad in Bordeaux, when at 20 she was given a personal tour of Château Haut-Brion. She later graduated with honors from the D.U.A.D. tasting program at the Université de Bordeaux, studying entirely in French, and she still owns the winery and directs its winemaking.
RARECAT makes small lots in four regions: Napa Valley, Champagne, Bordeaux and Russian River. The winery says it is the only one making wine in all four. Consulting winemaker Ashley Hepworth spent 15 years as a winemaker at Joseph Phelps Vineyards. The wines are not distributed or sold on shelves; they go straight from the winery to its clients, and a single hillside Cabernet may be fewer than 200 cases.
There is no set tasting menu. Each visit is private and seated, by appointment in the winery's Calistoga tasting room, with a wine educator guiding you through five wines. It usually starts with current releases, which might include grower Champagne, Russian River Pinot Noir and Napa Valley Cabernet, and goes from there based on your interests. It is an unhurried visit, so it suits guests who like to talk about what is in the glass.
Tasting Fees
$85 per person for a private, seated tasting of five wines with a wine educator, an unhurried visit that the winery describes as lasting a few hours. The fee is waived for members and with qualifying purchases.
Tasting fees as of September 2026. Wineries set and collect their own fees, and they change from time to time.
At a Glance
Location
965 Silverado Trail North, Calistoga
AVA
Calistoga
Visiting
By appointment only, at the winery's tasting room in Calistoga. Tastings are booked by email or through the winery's booking page with your date and group size.
Known For
Grower Champagne, Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon and Russian River Pinot Noir, made in micro-lots
Founded
2008 (first vintage in 2009)
Good to Know
Every tasting is private and customized, so tell the winery about your group and interests when booking. Tasting fees are waived for members and with qualifying purchases. Corporate groups can arrange a custom tasting or seminar.
A Suggested Six-Hour Day
Pickup at 10:00 a.m. from a nearby hotel such as Solage or Four Seasons Resort and Residences Napa Valley.
10:00 · Pickup at Solage or Four Seasons Resort and Residences Napa Valley
Stay close and the tasting starts right away. Solage, an Auberge resort known for its spa and geothermal pools, is about 2 minutes from the tasting room, and Four Seasons Resort and Residences Napa Valley, with its own Elusa Winery and vineyard, is about 5 minutes away, both on the Silverado Trail. The day below fits a six-hour tour, and extra time can be added by the hour.
10:15 · RARECAT Wines
A private, seated tasting of five wines with a wine educator ($85). The winery keeps it unhurried, so we plan on about two hours; if you want to linger longer, add time to the tour or skip the afternoon stop.
12:25 · Laura Michael Wines
About 5 minutes away. A small family winery at the base of Oat Hill, where tastings are often led by the proprietors themselves. A white-based or red-based flight is $25, waived with the purchase of two bottles of red, and we allow about an hour. By appointment; open daily 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
1:35 · Lunch at Solbar
About 6 minutes away. Lunch at Solbar, the restaurant at Solage, serving lunch Monday to Saturday and brunch on Sunday until 2:45 p.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 · Kenefick Ranch
About 4 minutes away. The family winery of retired neurosurgeon Dr. Tom Kenefick pours its estate Calistoga wines at the Wine Train Collective in the historic Calistoga Depot. Tastings are $35. Walk-ins are welcome, though weekends may require a reservation; open Friday to Monday, noon to 6 p.m.
3:45 · Back to your hotel
Back by about 3:55 p.m., within six hours of pickup.
Optional: Maria Concetto Winery
Adds about an hour. A Lincoln Avenue tasting room a few doors from the Calistoga Depot, where a robot sommelier can pour a two-wine tasting. Walk-ins are welcome, with tastings from $40 to $65. Open until 6 p.m. (8 p.m. Friday and Saturday); closed Tuesday and Wednesday.
About $145 per person in tasting fees for the three wineries, paid directly to each winery.
Kenefick Ranch pours Friday through Monday, and Maria Concetto Winery is closed Tuesday and Wednesday. On Tuesday through Thursday we swap in another nearby Calistoga 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 RARECAT?
Yes. All tastings are by appointment only, arranged by email or through the winery's booking page. When you book a tour with us, your chauffeur makes the reservation for you.
How much is a tasting at RARECAT?
$85 per person for a private tasting of five wines, waived for members and with qualifying purchases, as of September 2026.
Who owns RARECAT?
Founder Sharon Kazan Harris, who started the winery in 2008 and directs its winemaking. Ashley Hepworth, formerly a winemaker at Joseph Phelps Vineyards for 15 years, is the consulting winemaker.
What is RARECAT known for?
Small lots of wine from four regions: Napa Valley, Champagne, Bordeaux and Russian River, including grower Champagne, Russian River Pinot Noir and Napa Valley Cabernet. The wines are sold directly by the winery, not in stores.
Where does the name RARECAT come from?
The winery says a rare cat is a woman of such beauty that she is a rarity, and that a great wine should likewise draw you back to the glass again and again. Sharon Kazan Harris found the name at 3:30 in the morning, after four earlier choices fell through.
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.
Reserve Your Tour{"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Winery","name":"RARECAT Wines","url":"https://rarecatwines.com","address":{"@type":"PostalAddress","streetAddress":"965 Silverado Trail North","addressLocality":"Calistoga","addressRegion":"CA","postalCode":"94515","addressCountry":"US"},"foundingDate":"2008","containedInPlace":{"@type":"Place","name":"Calistoga AVA"}},{"@type":"FAQPage","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"Do I need a reservation at RARECAT?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Yes. All tastings are by appointment only, arranged by email or through the winery's booking page. When you book a tour with us, your chauffeur makes the reservation for you."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"How much is a tasting at RARECAT?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"$85 per person for a private tasting of five wines, waived for members and with qualifying purchases, as of September 2026."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"Who owns RARECAT?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Founder Sharon Kazan Harris, who started the winery in 2008 and directs its winemaking. Ashley Hepworth, formerly a winemaker at Joseph Phelps Vineyards for 15 years, is the consulting winemaker."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"What is RARECAT known for?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Small lots of wine from four regions: Napa Valley, Champagne, Bordeaux and Russian River, including grower Champagne, Russian River Pinot Noir and Napa Valley Cabernet. The wines are sold directly by the winery, not in stores."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"Where does the name RARECAT come from?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"The winery says a rare cat is a woman of such beauty that she is a rarity, and that a great wine should likewise draw you back to the glass again and again. Sharon Kazan Harris found the name at 3:30 in the morning, after four earlier choices fell through."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"How does booking a tour with Bien Chauffeured work?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"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."}}]}]}