Howell Mountain · Napa Valley
Visit Retro Cellars with a Private Chauffeur
Mike and Kara Dunn's small-lot Rhône wines from Howell Mountain, poured on a vineyard and cave visit at Dunn Vineyards, and a suggested day of tasting around it.
Book a Six-Hour Wine Tour
About the Winery
Retro Cellars joins two Napa Valley farming families in one label. Mike Dunn's family founded Dunn Vineyards on Howell Mountain in 1978, and Kara Dunn's family started Pecota Winery in Calistoga the same year. Mike and Kara launched Retro in 2003, and their son Alex is now the second generation farming and making wine on the mountain.
Where Dunn is known for Cabernet, Retro is the family's home for Rhône varieties. Production stays under 500 cases a vintage, all from vineyards the family tends itself at 1,800 to 2,100 feet in the Howell Mountain AVA, an appellation defined by elevation in the eastern hills above the valley. With so little made, tasting at the source is the simplest way to try the range.
There is no separate Retro tasting room. You visit Retro Cellars at Dunn Vineyards, on the same mountain property, where the visit walks the vineyards and caves and the tasting covers both Dunn and Retro wines. It runs on weekdays by reservation only. The drive up through the oaks and pines is part of the day, and we time the pickup so you arrive for the 10 a.m. start.
Tasting Fees
$125 per person hospitality fee for a visit that walks the vineyards and caves and includes a tasting of Retro Cellars and Dunn Vineyards wines. We plan about 90 minutes.
Tasting fees as of September 2026. Wineries set and collect their own fees, and they change from time to time.
At a Glance
Location
805 White Cottage Road North, Angwin
AVA
Howell Mountain
Visiting
Open weekdays by reservation only, Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at Dunn Vineyards on the same property.
Known For
Small-lot Rhône varieties from Howell Mountain
Founded
2003 (the Dunn family has farmed Howell Mountain since 1978)
Good to Know
Tastings are 21 and over. The visit pours Dunn Vineyards wines as well as Retro's. Dunn, which hosts the visit, limits groups to six and asks for requests more than three business days ahead. It is a working farm on mountain roads.
A Suggested Six-Hour Day
Pickup at 9:30 a.m. from a nearby hotel such as Meadowood or Harvest Inn. Visits start at 10 a.m., and the drive up Howell Mountain takes 20 to 25 minutes.
9:30 · Pickup at Meadowood or Harvest Inn
Meadowood, a resort in its own wooded valley at the foot of Howell Mountain, is about 20 minutes from the winery, and Harvest Inn, a garden hotel at the south end of St. Helena, about 25 minutes. We leave early so you arrive for the 10 a.m. start. The day runs about seven hours, and extra time can be added by the hour.
10:00 · Retro Cellars
Retro Cellars at Dunn Vineyards: a walk through the vineyards and caves, then a tasting of Retro's Rhône wines alongside Dunn Cabernet ($125). We plan about 90 minutes.
11:55 · Seavey Vineyard
About 25 minutes away. Down the mountain to Conn Valley, where the Seavey family turned an 1881 stone dairy barn into a small winery and has never bought a grape. The Vintage Tasting & Tour, a private winery and cave tour with five estate wines, is $125 and runs 60 to 90 minutes. By reservation, prepaid on Tock, with visit times from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
1:25 · Lunch at The Charter Oak
About 15 minutes away. Lunch at The Charter Oak in St. Helena, Christopher and Martina Kostow's family-style New American restaurant, open daily from 11:30 a.m. (11 a.m. on weekends). 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. Up Spring Mountain Road to a tiny working family winery, where Les Behrens, who has no formal training, has been the only winemaker from the start, making small lots of red wine. The tasting is $100, about 90 minutes, usually five wines, waived with three bottles per person. By appointment, Monday to Saturday; the last start is 2:45 p.m.
4:15 · Back to your hotel
Back by about 4:40 p.m., about seven hours after pickup.
About $350 per person in tasting fees for the three wineries, paid directly to each winery.
Retro Cellars hosts Monday to Friday only, so this is a weekday plan. It runs about seven hours, 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 Retro Cellars?
Yes. Visits are by reservation only, on weekdays, at Dunn Vineyards. When you book a tour with us, your chauffeur makes the reservation for you.
How much is a tasting at Retro Cellars?
The hospitality fee is $125 per person for the vineyard and cave visit with Retro and Dunn wines, as of September 2026.
Where do you taste Retro Cellars wines?
At Dunn Vineyards, 805 White Cottage Road North in Angwin, on Howell Mountain. Retro shares the visit with Dunn, and both families' wines are poured.
Who owns Retro Cellars?
Mike and Kara Dunn, who founded it in 2003. Their son Alex is the second generation farming and making wine on Howell Mountain.
What wines does Retro Cellars make?
Limited-production Rhône varieties, fewer than 500 cases a vintage, from vineyards the family farms at 1,800 to 2,100 feet on Howell Mountain.
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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