Dry Creek Valley · Sonoma County
Visit Nalle with a Private Chauffeur
Old-vine Zinfandel poured by the family beside a cellar with a living roof, and a suggested six-hour day of tasting around it.
Book a Six-Hour Wine Tour
About the Winery
Nalle's story starts with the Henderlong family, who homesteaded in northern Dry Creek Valley in the 1890s. In 1927 Fred Henderlong and his wife, Ruby, bought land off Dry Creek Road and planted Zinfandel, and the vineyard passed to their son Harold. His daughter Lee married Doug Nalle in 1974, and in 1984 Doug began making Zinfandel from the family's old vines. Their son Andrew is now the winemaker and lives in the farmhouse his great-grandfather built, with Doug and Lee still working alongside him.
Doug's 1987 Zinfandel earned 92 points from Wine Spectator and made Nalle's name, and the style has stayed the same since: bright fruit, moderate alcohol and French oak, even when the fashion ran to big, jammy Zinfandel. In 2022 Wine Spectator ran a feature on the winery titled Zinfandel According to Nalle, and the 2019 Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel was named to its Top 100. The dry-farmed estate Zinfandel, planted in 1927, is part of the Historic Vineyard Society.
Tastings are on the patio behind the cellar, surrounded by the vines, and often a member of the family pours. The cellar itself is worth the visit: rather than dig a cave, Doug built a concrete arch and covered it with three to six feet of soil planted with rosemary, which keeps the wine cool without using energy. It is a quiet, personal stop rather than a showplace.
Tasting Fees
$35 per person for a tasting of six wines. For groups of 7 or fewer, one tasting fee is waived for every bottle purchased.
Tasting fees as of September 2026. Wineries set and collect their own fees, and they change from time to time.
At a Glance
Location
2383 Dry Creek Road, Healdsburg
AVA
Dry Creek Valley
Visiting
Open Saturday from noon to about 4 p.m.; Wednesday to Friday by reservation. Group size is limited, and groups of 8 or more call ahead.
Known For
Dry Creek Valley old-vine Zinfandel
Founded
1984 (family Zinfandel vineyard since 1927)
Good to Know
The winery calls itself kid-, dog- and picnic-friendly. Groups of 8 or more should call ahead, and their tasting fee is non-refundable. The pour is the current releases, so the lineup varies.
A Suggested Six-Hour Day
Pickup at 10:00 a.m. from a Healdsburg hotel such as Hotel Healdsburg or Harmon Guest House.
10:00 · Pickup at Hotel Healdsburg or Harmon Guest House
Hotel Healdsburg, on the town plaza, and Harmon Guest House, a boutique hotel just off the plaza, are each about 10 minutes from Nalle, a short drive out Dry Creek Road. The day below fits a six-hour tour, and extra time can be added by the hour.
10:10 · Nalle
A tasting of six current releases on the patio behind the living-roof cellar ($35), by reservation.
11:25 · Michel-Schlumberger
About 15 minutes away. A Spanish mission-style estate with a bell tower and a grand courtyard on Wine Creek Road, where Jean-Jacques Michel planted the first vines in 1979; the 100-acre estate grows more than 15 varieties on benchland above Wine Creek. The Estate Tasting is $40, and from March to October the Estate Tour & Tasting, a private tour of the production facility and grounds with panoramic views of the valley, is $75. Reservations required, daily 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.; family- and dog-friendly.
12:50 · Lunch at Dry Creek General Store
About 10 minutes away. A country store since 1881 at the crossroads of Dry Creek Valley, with a deli for sandwiches, soups and salads, a front porch over the valley and a garden out back. Prefer a picnic? We can arrange a catered picnic at a winery that allows one; the cost is quoted when you book.
2:05 · Aesthete
About 10 minutes away. The new Dry Creek home of aesthete wines, on the former Truett Hurst property, where guests sit in red Adirondack chairs on private patios along the bank of Dry Creek, beside an organic farm and a herd of rescued goats; the wines are made by Jesse Katz, the first winemaker named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list. Tasting fees are confirmed when we book. Open Thursday to Monday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; leashed dogs welcome.
3:05 · Back to your hotel
Back in Healdsburg by 3:25 p.m., within six hours of pickup.
Three wineries is the right pace for a day of serious tasting. Nalle hosts by reservation Wednesday to Friday and Aesthete opens Thursday to Monday, so this day works on a Thursday or Friday; we confirm Nalle's time when we book.
About $75 to $110 per person in tasting fees at Nalle and Michel-Schlumberger, paid directly to each winery; Aesthete's tasting fee is to be verified upon reservation.
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 Nalle?
On Saturdays the winery is open from noon to about 4 p.m. Wednesday to Friday, visits are by reservation, and groups of 8 or more should call. When you book a tour with us, your chauffeur makes the reservation for you.
How much is a tasting at Nalle?
$35 per person for six wines, as of September 2026. For groups of 7 or fewer, one tasting fee is waived for each bottle purchased.
What is Nalle known for?
Zinfandel, especially from the family's dry-farmed vines planted in 1927, made in a bright, moderate-alcohol style. The 2019 Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel was one of Wine Spectator's Top 100 wines.
What is the living-roof cellar?
Doug Nalle's answer to a cave he could not afford: a concrete arch covered with three to six feet of soil and planted with rosemary. It keeps the winery cool without using energy, and the tasting area is at one end of it.
Who makes the wine at Nalle?
Andrew Nalle, the second generation. His parents, Doug and Lee, founded the winery in 1984 and still work in it day to day.
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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