Los Carneros · Sonoma County
Visit Sonocaia Estate with a Private Chauffeur
Estate Sagrantino, the dark red grape of Umbria, on an 11-acre organic farm with bees, olives, chickens and a creek you can walk, and a suggested six-hour day of tasting around it.
Book a Six-Hour Wine Tour
About the Winery
Ken Wornick began as a geologist for Bechtel, then moved into food and wine. He founded Post & Trellis Vineyards, among the first to plant private vineyards for Silicon Valley clients, and built La Honda Winery in Redwood City, one of the Bay Area's first commercial urban wineries. After selling both, he moved to Sonoma, bought the 11-acre Hydeout ranch on Hyde Road and ran a vineyard business there for ten years before building the Sonocaia winery. He and his wife, Cynthia, run it with their family.
Sonocaia (say So-No-Kī-Yah) is known for its hand-made, limited estate reserve Sagrantino, a deep, dark red native to Montefalco in Umbria. The cuttings came through UC Davis Foundation Plant Services and spent four years in propagation before planting, and the vineyard is interplanted with Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Sirah, Primitivo and Tannat as a field blend. It lies downslope of Arrowhead Mountain in the Mayacamas, on gravelly loam over volcanic clay, and everything on the farm is farmed organically. A second label, Dysfunctional Family Winery, makes red blends and rosé.
A visit here is as much about the farm as the wine. Tastings are poured in the winery, by the pool or in the cabin, a former birthing barn from the ranch's days breeding Arabian horses. The farm tour walks out to Arroyo Seco Creek and through the garden, chicken coop, beehives, olive trees, orchard and owl boxes. The ranch also protects a federally registered Indigenous site, and the family's motto is "Be Interested, Be Interesting," so come with questions.
Tasting Fees
$50 for a tasting, about 90 minutes, at the winery, poolside or in the cabin. $75 for the farm tour with a tasting and snacks, about 2 hours. Both fees are refundable with purchases.
Tasting fees as of September 2026. Wineries set and collect their own fees, and they change from time to time.
At a Glance
Location
20656 Hyde Road, Sonoma
AVA
Los Carneros
Visiting
Open by appointment only. Tastings and farm tours are booked online; private events and agritourism visits are arranged through the winery.
Known For
Estate reserve Sagrantino, and an organic working farm
Founded
Not published (ranch bought by the Wornick family before the winery was built)
Good to Know
Fees are refundable with wine purchases. Private events take up to 65 guests; the winery does not host weddings. Seasonal seminars and agricultural workshops are announced through the newsletter. Domesday Wine, made next door, offers a joint tasting with Sonocaia's wines.
A Suggested Six-Hour Day
Pickup at 10:00 a.m. from a Sonoma hotel such as MacArthur Place or Ledson Hotel.
10:00 · Pickup at MacArthur Place or Ledson Hotel
MacArthur Place, a few blocks south of the plaza, and Ledson Hotel, on the east side of the Sonoma Plaza, are each about 10 minutes from Sonocaia, on Hyde Road on the east side of town. The day below fits a six-hour tour, and extra time can be added by the hour.
10:10 · Sonocaia Estate
A seated tasting of estate Sagrantino, about 90 minutes ($50), or the two-hour farm tour with a tasting ($75).
12:00 · Troika Wines
About 15 minutes away. The Riggs family's small winery on Burndale Road, where the family hosts every visit: a walk in the vineyard, a look at the production space and the current releases at an easy pace. The Flagship Tasting and Tour is $50, about an hour. Daily from noon to 4 p.m., by appointment only.
1:15 · Lunch at Boon Fly Café
About 15 minutes away. A roadhouse in a red barn on the Carneros Highway, named for a Carneros pioneer and known for its donuts and fried chicken. Open daily from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.; reservations are for dinner only, so lunch is walk-in. Prefer a picnic? We can arrange a catered picnic at a winery that allows one; the cost is quoted when you book.
2:35 · Larson Family Winery
About 20 minutes away. Five generations of Larsons on a former Carneros dairy farm that hosted Northern California's largest rodeo from 1928 into the 1950s. Tastings are outdoors year-round, with gliders, cabanas and bocce in the pasture, and the farm's Labradors usually come to say hello. The hosted Daily Flight is $35 and the Reserve Flight $45, each 90 minutes. Open Thursday to Monday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; reservations recommended.
4:05 · Back to your hotel
Back in Sonoma by 4:20 p.m., within six hours of pickup.
Three wineries is the right pace for a day of serious tasting. Larson is open Thursday to Monday, so this day works Thursday to Monday. Choose the farm tour at Sonocaia and we move Troika to a later slot.
About $135 to $145 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 Sonocaia Estate?
Yes. Sonocaia is open by appointment only, for tastings and farm tours. When you book a tour with us, your chauffeur makes the reservation for you.
How much is a tasting at Sonocaia?
$50 per person for a tasting of about 90 minutes and $75 for the farm tour with a tasting, both refundable with purchases, as of September 2026.
What is Sagrantino?
A deep, dark red grape native to Montefalco in Umbria, Italy, rarely grown in California. Sonocaia's estate vineyard is planted mostly to it.
Who makes Sonocaia wine?
Ken Wornick, who owns the farm with his wife, Cynthia, and makes the estate reserve Sagrantino himself.
Can I combine Sonocaia with Domesday?
Yes. Domesday Wine is made on the same Hyde Road property, and its winemaker hosts a seated tasting that pours Domesday and Sonocaia wines side by side.
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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