Calistoga · Napa Valley
Visit Rivers-Marie with a Private Chauffeur
A small Calistoga winery from winemaker Thomas Rivers Brown and Genevieve Marie Welsh, and a suggested six-hour day of tasting around it.
Book a Six-Hour Wine Tour
About the Winery
Winemaker Thomas Rivers Brown and Genevieve Marie Welsh started Rivers-Marie in 2002. The name joins their middle names, Rivers and Marie. Their first wine was a Pinot Noir from the Summa Vineyard near Occidental in Sonoma County. In August 2020 they opened their own winery on Foothill Boulevard in Calistoga, and the couple still own and run it today.
Rivers-Marie makes single-variety wines meant to show the vineyard and vintage they come from, mainly Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon. Most bottlings come from single vineyards, such as Summa on the Sonoma Coast and Herb Lamb in Napa Valley, and production is small, often a few hundred cases of each wine. New releases go to the mailing list in three offers a year.
The winery sits on the land where Genevieve Welsh grew up, next to the historic Forni-Brown nursery. Its glass-enclosed tasting room looks across the nursery fields to the Palisades. Visits are seated tastings of the current vintage, poured at 10 a.m., noon and 2 p.m. and lasting about 60 to 90 minutes. The setting is calm and unhurried, with a small number of guests at a time.
Tasting Fees
A seated tasting of current-vintage wines, about 60 to 90 minutes. Rivers-Marie does not publish its tasting fee online; the fee is confirmed when the winery accepts your reservation.
Tasting fees as of September 2026. Wineries set and collect their own fees, and they change from time to time.
At a Glance
Location
900 Foothill Blvd, Calistoga
AVA
Calistoga
Visiting
Open seven days a week by advance reservation only. Tastings start at 10 a.m., noon and 2 p.m. The winery confirms each request within one to two business days.
Known For
Single-vineyard Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon
Founded
2002 (Calistoga winery opened in 2020)
Good to Know
All visitors must be 21 or older. Because the property is a working winery, only service animals are allowed. Tastings run at set times (10 a.m., noon and 2 p.m.), so plan the day around your slot.
A Suggested Six-Hour Day
Pickup at 9:45 a.m. from a nearby hotel such as Solage or Four Seasons Resort and Residences Napa Valley. The first Rivers-Marie tasting of the day starts at 10 a.m., so we pick up 15 minutes earlier than usual.
9:45 · Pickup at Solage or Four Seasons Resort and Residences Napa Valley
Pickup is at 9:45 because Rivers-Marie pours its first tasting at 10 a.m. Solage, an Auberge resort with a large spa on the Silverado Trail, is about 5 minutes from Rivers-Marie, and Four Seasons Resort and Residences Napa Valley, set among vineyards just south of town, is about 7 minutes away. The day below fits a six-hour tour, and extra time can be added by the hour.
10:00 · Rivers-Marie
A seated tasting of current-vintage Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon, about 60 to 90 minutes, in the glass-enclosed tasting room overlooking the old Forni-Brown nursery. The day below allows the full 90 minutes.
11:45 · Failla Wines
About 15 minutes away. A St. Helena winery on the Silverado Trail known for single-vineyard, cool-climate Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Syrah. The seated Lodge Tasting is $65 and runs about an hour. By reservation, open daily 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; leashed dogs are welcome with notice.
1:00 · Lunch at Market
About 10 minutes away. Lunch at Market, an American restaurant in a historic brick and stone building on Main Street in St. Helena, open Monday to Saturday from noon. Prefer a picnic? We can arrange a catered picnic at a winery that allows one; the cost is quoted when you book.
2:20 · Laura Michael Wines
About 18 minutes away. A small family winery on the Lake County Highway north of Calistoga, making small lots of Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel, including Zinfandel from the estate vineyard planted in 1996. Tastings are $25 for a white-based or red-based flight, waived with the purchase of two bottles of red wine, and we allow about 45 minutes. By reservation; open daily 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
3:10 · Back to your hotel
Back by about 3:20 p.m., within six hours of pickup.
Optional: Lawer Estates
Adds about an hour. The Lawer family pours its Knights Valley estate wines at Eight North, its restaurant and tasting room on Lincoln Avenue in downtown Calistoga. Walk-ins are welcome; the Lawer Estates Wine Flight of four wines is $45, and The Stages of Grape Maturity is $40. Open Thursday to Monday from 11 a.m. into the evening; closed Tuesday and Wednesday.
About $90 per person in tasting fees at Failla Wines and Laura Michael Wines, plus the Rivers-Marie tasting fee, which the winery confirms with your reservation; each is paid directly to the winery.
Market is closed on Sunday, so on a Sunday lunch moves to Gott's Roadside on Main Street in St. Helena. The optional Lawer Estates stop is open Thursday to Monday.
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 Rivers-Marie?
Yes. Advance reservations are required for every tasting, and the winery confirms requests within one to two business days. Tastings start at 10 a.m., noon and 2 p.m. When you book a tour with us, your chauffeur makes the reservation for you.
How much is a tasting at Rivers-Marie?
Rivers-Marie does not publish its tasting fee online. The winery confirms the fee when it accepts your reservation, as of September 2026.
Can children visit Rivers-Marie?
No. The winery asks that all visitors be at least 21, and only service animals are allowed on the property.
Who owns Rivers-Marie?
Winemaker Thomas Rivers Brown and Genevieve Marie Welsh, who founded it in 2002.
Where does the name Rivers-Marie come from?
It combines the owners' middle names: Rivers from Thomas Rivers Brown and Marie from Genevieve Marie Welsh.
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":"Rivers-Marie","url":"https://www.riversmarie.com","address":{"@type":"PostalAddress","streetAddress":"900 Foothill Blvd","addressLocality":"Calistoga","addressRegion":"CA","postalCode":"94515","addressCountry":"US"},"foundingDate":"2002","containedInPlace":{"@type":"Place","name":"Calistoga AVA"}},{"@type":"FAQPage","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"Do I need a reservation at Rivers-Marie?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Yes. Advance reservations are required for every tasting, and the winery confirms requests within one to two business days. Tastings start at 10 a.m., noon and 2 p.m. When you book a tour with us, your chauffeur makes the reservation for you."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"How much is a tasting at Rivers-Marie?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Rivers-Marie does not publish its tasting fee online. The winery confirms the fee when it accepts your reservation, as of September 2026."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"Can children visit Rivers-Marie?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"No. The winery asks that all visitors be at least 21, and only service animals are allowed on the property."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"Who owns Rivers-Marie?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Winemaker Thomas Rivers Brown and Genevieve Marie Welsh, who founded it in 2002."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"Where does the name Rivers-Marie come from?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"It combines the owners' middle names: Rivers from Thomas Rivers Brown and Marie from Genevieve Marie Welsh."}},{"@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."}}]}]}