St. Helena · Napa Valley
Visit Snowden with a Private Chauffeur
A family ranch farmed by the Snowdens since 1955, poured in a one-room tasting room in downtown St. Helena, and a suggested six-hour day of tasting around it.
Book a Six-Hour Wine Tour
About the Winery
Vines first went into this ranch in 1878, when Levi and Lucretia Davis claimed 160 acres under the Homestead Act. Wayne and Virginia Snowden bought it in 1955, when only 12 acres were still planted, and in the early 1960s Wayne planted Cabernet Sauvignon from cuttings from Nathan Fay's vineyard. After Wayne died in 1977, his sons Scott and Randy took over and replanted in 1981.
For decades the family sold its grapes. It made its own wine for the first time in 1993, just 383 cases. Today third-generation Diana Snowden Seysses is the winemaker, fermenting with native yeasts and intervening as little as possible. The family farms 23 certified organic acres on the eastern slope of the valley between St. Helena and Rutherford and leaves another 137 acres as natural woodland.
Guests do not visit the ranch. Tastings are in a small one-room tasting room on Railroad Avenue in downtown St. Helena, in the St. Helena AVA. Only one group of up to eight is booked at a time, and a Snowden family member or one of two longtime staff members pours four wines for your group alone.
Tasting Fees
$40 per person for a hosted tasting of four wines, poured for your group alone. For every $100 spent on wine during the visit, $40 of the fee is credited. Wine club members and their guests taste free.
Tasting fees as of September 2026. Wineries set and collect their own fees, and they change from time to time.
At a Glance
Location
1478 Railroad Avenue, Suite 5, St. Helena
AVA
St. Helena
Visiting
By appointment only, one group at a time. Request a time through the winery's website, by email or by phone. Tastings are at the tasting room at 1478 Railroad Avenue in downtown St. Helena, not at the vineyard.
Known For
Classically styled, estate-grown Cabernet Sauvignon from certified organic vineyards
Founded
1955 (vines first planted on the ranch in 1878; first Snowden wine in 1993)
Good to Know
Groups of up to 8. Tasters must be 21 or older and bring ID. Children may come along with tasting parents, and well-behaved pets are welcome. Guests with cold or flu symptoms are asked to reschedule, and the fee is waived.
A Suggested Six-Hour Day
Pickup at 10:00 a.m. from a nearby hotel such as Harvest Inn or Alila Napa Valley.
10:00 · Pickup at Harvest Inn or Alila Napa Valley
Stay close and the tasting starts right away. Harvest Inn, a garden hotel at the south end of St. Helena, is about 5 minutes from the Snowden tasting room, and Alila Napa Valley, a Hyatt resort in downtown St. Helena, is a few minutes away. The day below fits a six-hour tour, and extra time can be added by the hour.
10:15 · Snowden Vineyards
A seated tasting of four wines for your group alone, hosted by a Snowden family member or longtime staff member ($40). Appointments are requested ahead through the winery.
11:35 · Pride Mountain Vineyards
About 20 minutes away. A mountaintop estate founded by Jim and Carolyn Pride in 1989 that sits on the Napa and Sonoma county line at the top of Spring Mountain. The Estate Experience is $50 and runs about 90 minutes; the Reserve ($75) and Summit ($95) experiences run the same length. By appointment, groups of up to 6; closed Tuesdays.
1:25 · Lunch at Brasswood Bar + Kitchen
About 20 minutes away. Down the mountain to Brasswood Bar + Kitchen on Highway 29 just north of St. Helena, open daily 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.
2:40 · Rutherford Ranch Winery
About 12 minutes away. A tasting room on the Silverado Trail between St. Helena and Rutherford. The Reserve Tasting pours four current releases with a wine educator for $55, about an hour. By reservation, open daily 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
3:40 · Back to your hotel
Back by 4:00 p.m., six hours after pickup.
Optional: Napa Cellars
Adds about an hour. A relaxed Oakville tasting room on Highway 29, about 12 minutes from Rutherford Ranch, where guests may bring their own food and dogs are welcome. Walk-ins are welcome as space permits; the 30-minute Flight Light keeps it short, and guided tastings from $40 run about 90 minutes. Open Thursday to Monday until 5 p.m.
About $145 to $190 per person in tasting fees for the three wineries, paid directly to each winery.
Pride Mountain is closed on Tuesdays, so on a Tuesday we swap in another winery. Pride books groups of up to 6. The optional Napa Cellars stop is open Thursday through 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 Snowden?
Yes. Tastings are by appointment only, for one group of up to eight at a time. When you book a tour with us, your chauffeur makes the reservation for you.
How much is a tasting at Snowden?
$40 per person for four wines, with $40 credited for every $100 spent on wine during the visit, as of September 2026.
Where do you taste Snowden wines?
At the Snowden tasting room at 1478 Railroad Avenue in downtown St. Helena. The ranch itself is not open for visits.
Can children visit Snowden?
Yes. Children may come along with tasting parents, and well-behaved pets are welcome. Tasters must be 21 or older and bring ID.
Who owns Snowden Vineyards?
The Snowden family, which has farmed the ranch since 1955. Third-generation Diana Snowden Seysses makes the wines.
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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