Alexander Valley · Sonoma County
Visit Carpenter Wine with a Private Chauffeur
An Alexander Valley farming family's small label, with Chardonnay from a 1972 vineyard on Maacama Creek and little or no oak, and a suggested six-hour day of tasting around it.
Book a Six-Hour Wine Tour
About the Winery
Carpenter is a family business. Proprietor Laura Carpenter Hawkes has worked in food, beverage and hospitality in the Bay Area since the 1990s and earned her Level 2 certification from the Court of Master Sommeliers in 2018. Winemaker Jake Hawkes was born in Alexander Valley, grew up on a farm and started making Chardonnay in glass demijohns in high school; thirty years later his approach is the same: keep it clean and stay away from oak. Giannina Hawkes, who grew up in Alexander Valley on the farm her parents bought in 1971, also works in the business, and the family has farmed in Sonoma County for more than 50 years.
The Chardonnay comes only from the Gravel Bar Block of the family's Stone Vineyard on Chalk Hill Road, planted in 1972: a small, self-contained valley of about forty acres of vines at the border of the Alexander and Russian River Valleys, with ten acres of Chardonnay along Maacama Creek. Fruit from this vineyard went into the Grgich Hills Chardonnays of the 1970s. An acre of Sémillon was planted beside the creek in 2009. Since 2012 the family has also made Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir from the Flocchini family's Old Road #3 Vineyard, a former dairy farm near San Pablo Bay.
Tastings are by appointment, arranged directly with the family by phone or email, so a visit is small and personal rather than a tasting-room stop. Guests who like crisp, unoaked Chardonnay and Pinot Noir with freshness rather than weight tend to find a lot to like here, and the vineyard's story, from 1970s Napa Chardonnay to today, makes for good conversation.
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
14255 Chalk Hill Road, Healdsburg
AVA
Alexander Valley
Visiting
Tastings by appointment only; the family asks guests to call or email. Hours are not published; we arrange the visit on your behalf and confirm times when booking.
Known For
Stone Vineyard Chardonnay made with little or no oak, and Old Road #3 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir
Founded
Making wine since 2012; Stone Vineyard planted 1972
Good to Know
A small family label, so appointments are arranged ahead. Wines include Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, rosé and Sémillon, and there is a wine club.
A Suggested Six-Hour Day
Pickup at 9:30 a.m. from a Healdsburg hotel such as Hotel Healdsburg or h2hotel.
9:30 · Pickup at Hotel Healdsburg or h2hotel
Hotel Healdsburg, on the town plaza, and h2hotel, just off the Healdsburg plaza, are each about 30 minutes from Carpenter, out Chalk Hill Road. The day below fits a six-hour tour, and extra time can be added by the hour.
10:00 · Carpenter Wine
The first stop. A tasting by appointment with the family; we confirm the fee when we book.
11:15 · Hafner Vineyard
About 15 minutes away. The Hafner family has farmed this ranch since 1967 and made estate wines since 1982, sold only direct. There is no sign and no tasting room: every visit is a 90-minute tour led by a family member, under the valley oaks, through the vineyard and cellar and into the caves for barrel samples and library wines. $40, waived with a three-bottle purchase. Tours on the first and third Friday at 2 p.m., and other weekdays by request.
1:05 · Lunch at Costeaux French Bakery
About 20 minutes away. There has been a bakery on this stretch of Healdsburg Avenue since 1923, and the Seppi family has run it as Costeaux since 1981. The café serves hearty seasonal dishes indoors or on the patio. Open daily from 7:30 a.m. Prefer a picnic? We can arrange a catered picnic at a winery that allows one; the cost is quoted when you book.
3:00 · Passalacqua
About 15 minutes away. Jason Passalacqua, a fourth-generation Dry Creek Valley vintner, opened his winery in 2004, and its seated appointments take place on a deck under the redwood trees. The Single Block Cabernet tasting compares five Cabernets from his parents' vineyard, all from the same vintage and clone, for $75. Appointments at 10:45 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.; no children or pets.
4:00 · Back to your hotel
Back in Healdsburg by 4:15 p.m.
Three wineries is the right pace for a day of serious tasting. Hafner hosts on weekdays (its scheduled tours are 2 p.m. on the first and third Friday; other weekday times are by request), so this is a Monday-to-Friday day and we ask the Hafners for a late-morning visit when we book; Passalacqua seats at 3 p.m., and the day ends around 4:15.
About $115 per person in tasting fees for Hafner and Passalacqua; Carpenter's fee is to be verified upon reservation. Each is paid directly to the 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 an appointment at Carpenter Wine?
Yes. Tastings are by appointment only, arranged with the family by phone or email. When you book a tour with us, your chauffeur makes the reservation for you.
How much is a tasting at Carpenter Wine?
Tasting fees are to be verified upon reservation; the winery does not publish a fee.
Who makes Carpenter wines?
Jake Hawkes, who was born in Alexander Valley and has made Chardonnay since high school. Laura Carpenter Hawkes is the proprietor.
Where do Carpenter's grapes come from?
The Chardonnay and Sémillon come from the family's Stone Vineyard on Chalk Hill Road, at the border of Alexander Valley and the Russian River Valley; the Pinot Noir comes from the Old Road #3 Vineyard on the Sonoma Coast.
What is Carpenter known for?
Chardonnay from the Gravel Bar Block of the Stone Vineyard, planted in 1972, made clean and with little or no oak. Fruit from the same vineyard went into Grgich Hills Chardonnays in the 1970s.
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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