Moon Mountain District · Sonoma County
Visit Buena Vista with a Private Chauffeur
Agoston Haraszthy's 1857 winery and its hand-dug caves just outside Sonoma, and a suggested six-hour day of tasting around it.
Book a Six-Hour Wine Tour
About the Winery
Agoston Haraszthy, a Hungarian immigrant who called himself the Count of Buena Vista, founded Buena Vista in 1857 just outside the town of Sonoma, and it calls itself California's first premium winery. After phylloxera and Prohibition, newsman Frank Bartholomew bought the land in 1941 and reopened the winery in 1943. Jean-Charles Boisset bought Buena Vista and its historic property in 2011.
The stone Press House, built in 1862 as California's first gravity-flow winery, is now the tasting room, and the original hand-dug caves from the late 1850s are open again after Boisset restored them. The winery is a California Historical Landmark and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Its wines come from vineyards across Sonoma and Napa, from the Vinicultural Society wines to sparkling wines.
Visits range from a tasting at the Press House bar to a barrel tour through the Champagne Cellars, home to a Wine Tool Museum and the Bubble Lounge. USA Today readers voted its winery tour fourth best in the nation for 2025, and the winery was named Best Winery in the 2024 Sonoma Valley People's Choice Awards.
Tasting Fees
$30 for the Current Release Bar Tasting at the Press House bar, or $50 for its Private Reserve version. $40 for the seated Current Release Tasting and $60 for the seated Private Reserve Tasting. $70 for the Barrel Tasting and Winery Tour, about 90 minutes. $150 for the Grand Reserve Tasting and $250 for the Aristocratic Tasting of library and top wines with cheese and charcuterie.
Tasting fees as of September 2026. Wineries set and collect their own fees, and they change from time to time.
At a Glance
Location
18000 Old Winery Road, Sonoma
AVA
Moon Mountain District
Visiting
Open Monday to Friday 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tastings and tours are booked online.
Known For
California wine history, sparkling wines and the Vinicultural Society wines
Founded
1857
Good to Know
About a mile from the Sonoma Plaza. The Aristocratic Tasting has a four-guest minimum, and members taste current releases free for up to 4 guests.
A Suggested Six-Hour Day
Pickup at 10:00 a.m. from a Sonoma hotel such as MacArthur Place or Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa.
10:00 · Pickup at MacArthur Place or Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa
MacArthur Place, a hotel and spa set in six acres of gardens in Sonoma, is about 15 minutes from Buena Vista, and Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa, a historic resort with its own geothermal mineral waters, about 20. The day below fits a six-hour tour, and extra time can be added by the hour.
10:30 · Buena Vista
The seated Current Release Tasting ($40) in the 1862 Press House or outdoors, or the Private Reserve Tasting ($60).
11:50 · Gundlach Bundschu
About 20 minutes away. Jacob Gundlach founded it in 1858 on the Rhinefarm estate, which the Bundschu family still owns and farms. The seated Rhinefarm Tasting of estate wines is $45. Reservations encouraged, especially Friday to Sunday; open daily from 11 a.m., last seating at 4 p.m.
1:05 · Lunch at the girl & the fig
About 15 minutes away. Country food with a French passion on the Sonoma Plaza, with a garden patio, cheese and charcuterie platters and a Rhône-focused wine list. Open for lunch daily from 11:30 a.m., and from 10 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.
2:30 · Gloria Ferrer
About 25 minutes away. José and Gloria Ferrer came from Barcelona to build this Carneros sparkling wine estate, which opened in 1986. The Taste of Carneros flight of four sparkling wines is $62. Reservations highly recommended, 21 and over; open Wednesday to Monday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
3:30 · Back to your hotel
Back in Sonoma by 4:00 p.m., within six hours of pickup.
Three wineries is the right pace for a day of serious tasting. This day works any day but Tuesday, when Gloria Ferrer is closed.
About $145 to $170 per person in tasting fees for the three wineries, paid directly to each 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 Buena Vista?
Tastings and tours are booked online in advance. When you book a tour with us, your chauffeur makes the reservation for you.
How much is a tasting at Buena Vista?
$40 per person for the seated Current Release Tasting, $60 for the Private Reserve Tasting, $30 at the Press House bar and $70 for the Barrel Tasting and Winery Tour, as of September 2026.
Who founded Buena Vista Winery?
Agoston Haraszthy, a Hungarian immigrant who called himself the Count of Buena Vista, in 1857.
Who owns Buena Vista today?
Jean-Charles Boisset's Boisset Collection, since 2011.
Where is Buena Vista Winery?
On Old Winery Road, about a mile from the Sonoma Plaza, at the southern tip of the Moon Mountain District.
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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