Oakville · Napa Valley
Visit Villa Ragazzi with a Private Chauffeur
The Rodeno family's Oakville micro-winery, home of Napa Valley's first Sangiovese planting in 1985, visited by appointment, and a suggested six-hour day of tasting around it.
Book a Six-Hour Wine Tour
About the Winery
Gregory Rodeno, a wine-loving country lawyer drawn to all things Italian, planted Sangiovese on this Oakville hillside in 1985; the family says it was the first in Napa Valley. In 1989 they made their first wine in the barn with borrowed equipment. The label is named for their ragazzi, the two children in a photo from their first trip to Tuscany.
Phylloxera took the vineyard after 1998. The family saved their own Rodeno clone budwood, replanted and waited about ten years for a crop, releasing the 2009 Sangiovese in 2011. Michaela Rodeno, who spent 21 years as CEO of St. Supéry, helps run the winery, and son-in-law John Harland is making it his second career.
Villa Ragazzi calls itself Napa Valley's only Sangiovese specialist. The family bottles a few barrels a year of Sangiovese, a super-Tuscan blend called Faraona and a dry Rosato di Sangiovese, and new in 2025, an Oakville Cabernet. Visits are by appointment only and feel like dropping in on a family farm; we arrange it on your behalf.
Tasting Fees
Tasting fees to be verified upon 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
7878 Money Road, Napa
AVA
Oakville
Visiting
By appointment only, requested by email (kids@villaragazzi.wine) or phone (707-225-7241). We arrange it on your behalf.
Known For
Estate Sangiovese, the Faraona super-Tuscan blend and Rosato di Sangiovese
Founded
1985 (vineyard); first vintage 1989
Good to Know
This is a small family micro-winery with no tasting room hours; every visit is arranged ahead with the family. Ages, group size and any fee are confirmed when the visit is set.
A Suggested Six-Hour Day
Pickup at 10:00 a.m. from a nearby hotel such as Rancho Caymus Inn or Napa Valley Lodge.
10:00 · Pickup at Rancho Caymus Inn or Napa Valley Lodge
Rancho Caymus Inn, a Spanish-style inn at the Rutherford crossroads, and Napa Valley Lodge, a boutique lodge at the north end of Yountville, are each about 10 minutes from Money Road off the Oakville Cross Road. This day runs a little over six hours, and extra time can be added by the hour.
10:15 · Villa Ragazzi
A private visit with the family, arranged on your behalf; we plan about an hour. The format and any fee are confirmed by the winery.
11:35 · Revana Estate
About 18 minutes away. A small Cabernet Sauvignon estate on the benchland north of St. Helena, founded by a cardiologist, with a winery designed by Howard Backen. The Estate Cellar Experience is $125 for 90 minutes. Private tastings by reservation, daily 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
1:20 · Lunch at Auberge du Soleil
About 15 minutes away. Lunch high on Rutherford Hill with the whole valley below. The Bar serves all day from 11:30 a.m., and The Restaurant on the terrace offers a two- or three-course prix fixe lunch. Prefer a picnic? We can arrange a catered picnic at a winery that allows one; the cost is quoted when you book.
2:45 · Quintessa
About 8 minutes away. A 280-acre Biodynamic estate of rolling hills, oaks and a lake on the east side of Rutherford; guests walk the vineyard before a seated tasting, and the open-air pavilion is a favorite. The Communal Estate Experience is $125 and the private Estate Experience $175, each about 90 minutes. By appointment, Thursday to Monday, with visits until 3:30 p.m.; 21 and over.
4:15 · Back to your hotel
Back by about 4:25 p.m., a little over six hours after pickup.
About $250 to $300 per person in tasting fees for Revana and Quintessa, paid directly to each winery, plus any fee Villa Ragazzi sets for the visit.
Quintessa hosts Thursday to Monday, so this day works best Thursday through Monday. It runs about six and a half hours; Villa Ragazzi confirms its own visit days when the appointment is made.
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 Villa Ragazzi?
Yes. Visits are by appointment only, requested by email or phone with the family. When you book a tour with us, your chauffeur makes the reservation for you.
How much is a tasting at Villa Ragazzi?
Villa Ragazzi does not publish a tasting fee. Tasting fees to be verified upon reservation, as of September 2026.
What is Villa Ragazzi known for?
Sangiovese. The family planted it in Oakville in 1985, which it says was Napa Valley's first, and calls itself the valley's only Sangiovese specialist.
Who runs Villa Ragazzi?
The Rodeno family: Michaela Rodeno, her children Kate and John Rodeno, and Kate's husband John Harland.
What does the name Villa Ragazzi mean?
Ragazzi is Italian for the kids; the wine was named for the Rodeno children after a family trip to Tuscany.
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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