Russian River Valley · Sonoma County
Visit Carol Shelton Wines with a Private Chauffeur
Single-vineyard Zinfandel from a five-time Winemaker of the Year, poured in a homey, unpretentious Santa Rosa tasting room, and a suggested six-hour day of tasting around it.
Book a Six-Hour Wine Tour
About the Winery
Carol Shelton started at UC Davis in 1974 without a major, and a tour of the barrel room at Sebastiani Winery made up her mind to become a winemaker. She studied under Ann Noble, author of the Aroma Wheel, worked her first harvest in 1978 and learned alongside André Tchelistcheff at Buena Vista and Peter Lehmann at Saltram in Australia, at a time when women were rarely allowed to work in the cellar. In 1981 she joined Rodney Strong and Windsor Vineyards, where she spent 19 years as winemaker at Windsor, bottling some 45 wines a year. In 2000, urged on by her husband and business partner, Mitch Mackenzie, she started her own winery, paying for the first vintage's glass by selling barrel futures.
Zinfandel is the focus, from single vineyards in Dry Creek Valley, Rockpile, the Russian River Valley, the Fountaingrove District, Paso Robles, Lodi, Mendocino County and the Cucamonga Valley, many of them organically grown, dry farmed and decades old. Each wine gets a playful name: Wild Thing is fermented with the wild yeasts on organically grown grapes, Pizazz plays on grower Charlie Piazza's name and Karma Zin honors a giving grower relationship. Carol has been named Winemaker of the Year five times, was one of eight Pioneer Women Winemakers of Sonoma County in 2005, and her 2011 Wild Thing Zinfandel was in Wine Spectator's Top 100 Wines of 2014.
The tasting room is in an industrial section of Santa Rosa, and the winery says plainly it is not what most people picture in wine country. Inside it is homey and unpretentious, and the tasting runs from rosé and white and red Rhône-style wines through the single-vineyard Zinfandels, finishing with a Late Harvest Zinfandel. It suits guests who love Zinfandel and want to taste with one of Sonoma County's pioneering women winemakers.
Tasting Fees
$20 per person for the reserve tasting, waived with the purchase of one bottle.
Tasting fees as of September 2026. Wineries set and collect their own fees, and they change from time to time.
At a Glance
Location
3354-B Coffey Lane, Santa Rosa
AVA
Russian River Valley
Visiting
Open daily, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Walk-ins welcome; reservations by phone.
Known For
Single-vineyard Zinfandel, including Wild Thing Old Vine Zinfandel
Founded
2000
Good to Know
The tasting room is in the Pinecreek Business Park on Coffey Lane, in the building at the far back right-hand corner of the parking lot. Each tasting fee is waived with the purchase of one bottle.
A Suggested Six-Hour Day
Pickup at 10:50 a.m. from a Santa Rosa hotel such as Hotel E or Vinarosa.
10:50 · Pickup at Hotel E or Vinarosa
Hotel E, a restored 1906 Beaux-Arts landmark on the square in downtown Santa Rosa, and Vinarosa Resort & Spa, set among 92 acres of vineyards in Santa Rosa, are each about 10 minutes from Carol Shelton Wines, which opens at 11. The day below fits a six-hour tour, and extra time can be added by the hour.
11:00 · Carol Shelton Wines
The reserve tasting of Rhône-style wines and single-vineyard Zinfandels ($20, waived with a bottle purchase), about an hour.
12:10 · Lunch at Bird & The Bottle
About 10 minutes away. Chef Mark Stark's modern tavern on Fourth Street in Santa Rosa, with plates to share from the American South, Asia and Jewish comfort food, and two patios; we reserve the table for you. 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.
1:35 · Cattleya Wines
About 20 minutes away. Colombian-born Bibiana González Rave, trained in Cognac and Bordeaux and named the San Francisco Chronicle's Winemaker of the Year in 2015, hosts only two groups a day at her small winery. The Hero's Journey tours the lab, cellar and barrel rooms, then pours five wines at a seated tasting ($75, applied to any wine purchase), 60 to 90 minutes. By appointment only.
3:35 · Singer Wine
About 30 minutes away. Stephen Singer, once wine director at Chez Panisse, farms Syrah, Viognier and Tuscan olive trees on his Baker Lane Estate in the Sebastopol hills. The Home & Estate Visit is a private tableside tasting with Stephen, with light fare and the estate olive oil ($85, 60 to 90 minutes); the Studio Visit adds his art studio and a library wine ($100). By appointment, arranged by email; 2-guest minimum.
4:50 · Back to your hotel
Back in Santa Rosa by 5:25 p.m., about six and a half hours after pickup.
Three wineries is the right pace for a day of serious tasting. Carol Shelton opens at 11 and Cattleya and Singer each run up to 90 minutes, so this day starts later and ends around 5:25; extra time can be added by the hour.
About $180 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 Carol Shelton Wines?
No. Walk-ins are welcome daily from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and you can call ahead to reserve. When you book a tour with us, your chauffeur makes the reservation for you.
How much is a tasting at Carol Shelton Wines?
$20 per person for the reserve tasting, waived with the purchase of one bottle, as of September 2026.
Who is Carol Shelton?
A UC Davis-trained winemaker who worked her first harvest in 1978, spent 19 years as winemaker at Windsor Vineyards and started her own label in 2000. She has been named Winemaker of the Year five times.
What is Wild Thing Zinfandel?
Carol Shelton's old-vine Zinfandel fermented with the wild yeasts found on organically grown grapes. The 2011 vintage was in Wine Spectator's Top 100 Wines of 2014, and the Wild Thing name now covers a Chardonnay, a rosé and a late harvest Zinfandel too.
Where is Carol Shelton Wines?
In the Pinecreek Business Park on Coffey Lane in north Santa Rosa, a few minutes off Highway 101.
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":"Carol Shelton Wines","url":"https://www.carolshelton.com/","address":{"@type":"PostalAddress","streetAddress":"3354-B Coffey Lane","addressLocality":"Santa Rosa","addressRegion":"CA","postalCode":"95403","addressCountry":"US"},"foundingDate":"2000"},{"@type":"FAQPage","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"Do I need a reservation at Carol Shelton Wines?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"No. Walk-ins are welcome daily from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and you can call ahead to reserve. When you book a tour with us, your chauffeur makes the reservation for you."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"How much is a tasting at Carol Shelton Wines?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"$20 per person for the reserve tasting, waived with the purchase of one bottle, as of September 2026."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"Who is Carol Shelton?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"A UC Davis-trained winemaker who worked her first harvest in 1978, spent 19 years as winemaker at Windsor Vineyards and started her own label in 2000. She has been named Winemaker of the Year five times."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"What is Wild Thing Zinfandel?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Carol Shelton's old-vine Zinfandel fermented with the wild yeasts found on organically grown grapes. The 2011 vintage was in Wine Spectator's Top 100 Wines of 2014, and the Wild Thing name now covers a Chardonnay, a rosé and a late harvest Zinfandel too."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"Where is Carol Shelton Wines?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"In the Pinecreek Business Park on Coffey Lane in north Santa Rosa, a few minutes off Highway 101."}},{"@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."}}]}]}