Fountaingrove District · Sonoma County
Visit Monroy Wines with a Private Chauffeur
Elegant Kick Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc from the Fountaingrove District, made by a winemaker who trained at Araujo and Benovia. Monroy Wines does not receive visitors; here is what to know, and a day at sought-after estates nearby that do host.
Book a Six-Hour Wine Tour
About the Winery
Winemaker Adolfo Hernandez first made wine as a boy in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, where his family moved in the 1980s and where alcohol was banned: his father fermented Greek grape juice in a bathtub with his son's help, and the bottles became a staple of the compound's parties. The family moved to California in 1997, and Adolfo studied molecular biology at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and worked as a chemist before joining Clos du Bois as a laboratory supervisor ahead of the 2006 harvest. He went on to four years at Araujo, now Eisele Vineyard, with stops at Checkerboard Vineyards on Diamond Mountain and Pahlmeyer, before landing at Benovia in the Russian River Valley. Wine Enthusiast named him one of six Latinx experts changing the face of American wine.
Monroy is the passion project of Adolfo and his wife, Nohelia, a Healdsburg native whose father has spent his life in wine and who brings years on the business side of the industry; their first date was over Spanish whites at the original Willi's Wine Bar in Santa Rosa. The wines come from Kick Ranch Vineyard in the Fountaingrove District, in the hills northeast of Santa Rosa: a Cabernet Sauvignon aged 20 months and bottled unfined and unfiltered, only 105 cases of the 2022, and a Musqué-clone Sauvignon Blanc. The aim is classic style, elegance and finesse, combining what Adolfo learned at top Napa Valley Cabernet houses and Russian River Valley Pinot Noir estates. Sonoma Magazine counted him among 15 Sonoma winemakers to know in 2024, and VinePair listed a Monroy Cabernet among its best of 2023.
Monroy has no tasting room or published visiting program. The wines are sold through its mailing list and at select retailers. For a day in the same hills above Santa Rosa, we take guests to small estates nearby that open their doors by appointment.
Tasting Fees
Monroy Wines does not offer tastings.
Tasting fees as of September 2026. Wineries set and collect their own fees, and they change from time to time.
At a Glance
Location
Fountaingrove District, Santa Rosa
AVA
Fountaingrove District
Visiting
Monroy Wines has no tasting room and does not publish a visiting program. Join the mailing list on the winery's website for releases.
Known For
Kick Ranch Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc from the Fountaingrove District
Founded
Not published
Good to Know
Join the mailing list for releases, or look for the wines at select retailers. Contact: wine@monroywines.com.
A Suggested Six-Hour Day
Pickup at 10:00 a.m. from a Santa Rosa hotel such as Hotel E or Hotel La Rose.
10:00 · Pickup at Hotel E or Hotel La Rose
Hotel E, a restored 1906 Beaux-Arts landmark on the square in downtown Santa Rosa, and Hotel La Rose, a 1907 hotel in Santa Rosa's historic Railroad Square, are each about 10 minutes from Mila's tasting address in the Fountaingrove hills. Since Monroy Wines does not host visitors, this day takes you to three small estates in the hills around Santa Rosa that do. The day below fits a six-hour tour, and extra time can be added by the hour.
10:10 · Mila Family Vineyards
About 10 minutes away. Michael Oravecz and Loretta DiChiro's biodynamic Grenache estate in Alexander Valley, where Amish carpenters rebuilt two historic Ohio barns, one from 1860; Kian Tavakoli, formerly of Opus One, consults on the wines. Private tastings by appointment at the family's address off Thomas Lake Harris Drive in the Fountaingrove hills above Santa Rosa; we confirm the time and fee when we book.
11:40 · Viluko Vineyards
About 30 minutes away. Pedro and Karen Arroyo's 22-acre rocky hillside vineyard on Alpine Road in the Mayacamas, 600 to 1,100 feet up, farmed organically and brought back after the 2017 Tubbs Fire; its 2013 Cabernet was Best of Class at the Sonoma County Harvest Fair. There is no public tasting room: visits are by private request, and we arrange the time and fee with the family.
1:05 · Lunch at Bird & The Bottle
About 25 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.
2:25 · Ancient Oak Cellars
About 10 minutes away. Melissa Moholt-Siebert's family winery on the Siebert Ranch in the eastern hills of the Russian River Valley, replanted after the 2017 Tubbs Fire, with small-lot, native-yeast Pinot Noir and Chardonnay and Cabernet from Sonoma Mountain. Appointments are very limited, Thursday to Saturday; the fee is confirmed when we book.
3:25 · Back to your hotel
Back in Santa Rosa by 3:35 p.m., within six hours of pickup.
Three wineries is the right pace for a day of serious tasting. All three visits are private and arranged in advance, and Ancient Oak hosts Thursday to Saturday, so this day works Thursday to Saturday.
Tasting fees for Mila, Viluko and Ancient Oak are to be verified upon reservation, 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
Can you visit Monroy Wines?
No. Monroy Wines has no tasting room and does not publish a visiting program, as of September 2026.
How can I buy Monroy wine?
Through the winery's mailing list and at select retailers listed on its website.
Who makes Monroy wine?
Adolfo Hernandez, who worked at Araujo, Pahlmeyer and Benovia, and runs Monroy with his wife, Nohelia.
Where do Monroy's grapes come from?
Kick Ranch Vineyard in the Fountaingrove District, in the hills northeast of Santa Rosa.
What is Monroy known for?
Elegant Cabernet Sauvignon, bottled unfined and unfiltered in lots of about 100 cases, and a Musqué-clone Sauvignon Blanc.
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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