Sonoma Valley · Sonoma County
Visit Talisman with a Private Chauffeur
Single-vineyard Pinot Noir, including foot-trodden Méthode Ancienne bottlings, poured in the oldest commercial building in Glen Ellen, and a suggested six-hour day of tasting around it.
Book a Six-Hour Wine Tour
About the Winery
Scott and Marta Rich made their first Talisman in 1993: 203 cases of Carneros Pinot Noir from Madonna Vineyard. Scott studied enology at UC Davis and was winemaker at Mont St. John, Carneros Creek and Etude, and Marta spent 18 years at Robert Mondavi and 14 at Calera before taking over sales and marketing for Talisman. For fifteen years they sold the wine by release letter and hosted customers in their home, then built their own winery on Eighth Street East in Sonoma in 2007 and later opened a tasting room in their home town of Glen Ellen.
Talisman makes Pinot Noir, plus a rosé and a Pinot Blanc: 16 to 18 wines a year from about a dozen vineyards, among them Wildcat Mountain, Red Dog, Adastra and Gunsalus, across Carneros, the Russian River Valley, the Sonoma Coast, Napa and Mendocino. The Riches keep a "half day rule", working only with vineyards they can drive to, walk and get back from in half a day. A few tiny lots are made as Méthode Ancienne: 100 percent whole cluster, gently trodden by foot in the tank by one of the cellar crew.
The tasting room is in the former Roma Hotel, the oldest commercial building in the village, which has been a hotel, a general store and apartments over the years; a local historian's framed timeline hangs on the wall. The Riches painted every inch themselves, brought furniture and rugs from their own house and had a huge table made from a Hawaiian mango tree, so it feels like a living room. Every flight is seated and about 90 minutes, and the Ancient Method tasting, the same vineyard made two ways side by side, is a fun way to see what a winemaker's choices do.
Tasting Fees
$45 for the Pinot Noir Terroir Tasting, six vineyard sites, about 90 minutes. $55 for the Mystery Tasting, five Pinot Noirs tasted blind, about 90 minutes. $65 for The Ancient Method, Méthode Ancienne Pinot Noir beside traditionally made wine from the same vineyards, about 90 minutes. Wines by the glass are $18.
Tasting fees as of September 2026. Wineries set and collect their own fees, and they change from time to time.
At a Glance
Location
13651 Arnold Drive, Glen Ellen
AVA
Sonoma Valley
Visiting
Open daily, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Appointments are encouraged and walk-ins are welcome; book by phone or text at (707) 721-1628.
Known For
Single-vineyard Pinot Noir from a dozen sites, and foot-trodden Méthode Ancienne bottlings
Founded
1993 (first vintage)
Good to Know
All three flights are about 90 minutes and complimentary for club members. Pinot Noir is also poured by the glass on the patio, and the walls show work by a featured artist.
A Suggested Six-Hour Day
Pickup at 10:45 a.m. from a Glen Ellen hotel such as Gaige House or Olea Hotel.
10:45 · Pickup at Gaige House or Olea Hotel
Gaige House, a Japanese-inspired inn along Calabazas Creek in Glen Ellen, and Olea Hotel, a small hotel on Warm Springs Road in Glen Ellen, are each about 5 minutes from Talisman. Talisman opens at 11 a.m., so we time the pickup to arrive for the first tasting. The day below fits a six-hour tour, and extra time can be added by the hour.
11:00 · Talisman Wine
The Ancient Method ($65) or the Pinot Noir Terroir Tasting ($45), seated, about 90 minutes.
12:40 · Lunch at Salt+Stone
About 10 minutes away. A steakhouse, seafood grill and oyster bar among the vineyards on the Sonoma Highway in Kenwood, with craft cocktails and tables overlooking a koi pond. Lunch is served Thursday to Tuesday. Prefer a picnic? We can arrange a catered picnic at a winery that allows one; the cost is quoted when you book.
1:55 · MacLaren Wines
About 5 minutes away. A small Syrah specialist that Wine & Spirits named a Winery to Watch, pouring in a cottage on Adobe Canyon Road where Scottish-born winemaker Steve Law hosts the tasting himself. His flight of limited-production, cool-climate Syrah, Pinot Noir, Viognier and Sauvignon Blanc is the Signature Tasting Experience ($50); a seat across from the winemaker is what makes it special. By appointment only, requested through the winery's form.
3:30 · Hamel Family Wines
About 15 minutes away. George and Pam Hamel's family estate on the Sonoma Highway, farmed Biodynamically on volcanic soils and best known for Nuns Canyon Cabernet blends that Wine Advocate and Jeb Dunnuck have each rated 97 points. Every visit starts with a private tour of the winery and its underground caves, then a seated tasting in the Estate House, looking past old olive trees to Sonoma Mountain: the Estate Experience is $95, about 1½ hours. By reservation, daily at 10 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3:30 p.m., for up to 6 guests.
5:00 · Back to your hotel
Back in Glen Ellen by 5:10 p.m., within six hours of pickup.
Talisman opens at 11, so this day starts later and ends around 5:10. Salt+Stone serves lunch every day but Wednesday, and MacLaren is by appointment only, so we confirm Steve Law's time first and build the afternoon around Hamel's 3:30 tour.
About $190 to $210 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 Talisman?
Appointments are encouraged and walk-ins are welcome; the tasting room is open daily from 11 a.m. When you book a tour with us, your chauffeur makes the reservation for you.
How much is a tasting at Talisman?
$45 per person for the Pinot Noir Terroir Tasting, $55 for the blind Mystery Tasting and $65 for The Ancient Method, as of September 2026. Each is about 90 minutes.
What is Méthode Ancienne?
Talisman's name for Pinot Noir made 100 percent whole cluster and gently trodden by foot in the tank by one of the cellar crew, for a more structured, rustic wine. The Ancient Method tasting pours it beside traditionally made wine from the same vineyards.
Who owns Talisman?
Founder and winemaker Scott Rich, formerly winemaker at Etude, and his wife, Marta Rich, who runs sales and marketing.
Where is Talisman's tasting room?
At 13651 Arnold Drive in the village of Glen Ellen, in the former Roma Hotel building. The wines are made at Talisman's winery in Sonoma.
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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