Dry Creek Valley · Sonoma County
Visit van Z Vineyards with a Private Chauffeur
A private tasting in a farm barn and greenhouse at the south end of Dry Creek Valley, ending by the creek, and a suggested six-hour day of tasting around it.
Book a Six-Hour Wine Tour
About the Winery
Ben and Kelly vanZutphen have grown grapes in Sonoma County and Napa Valley for more than 20 years, selling their fruit to some of the region's most sought-after wine brands. In 2009 they moved their family of four daughters out of town to a farm among Chardonnay vines where the Dry Creek and Russian River valleys meet, and at harvest in 2015 the whole family hand-picked a bucket each of Chardonnay for the first van Z wine. An Estate Cabernet Sauvignon from their vineyard in St. Helena followed a year later.
The wines come from two family vineyards: the 10-acre Magnolia Farms estate at the southern tip of Dry Creek Valley, source of the Estate Chardonnay, and a 5-acre, organically and dry-farmed vineyard planted in the 1980s in Napa Valley's St. Helena AVA, source of the Estate Cabernet. Winemaker Matt Smith, whose career has taken him to Burgundy and Australia, makes fewer than 500 cases a year.
A visit is private and unhurried, and guests love how it moves around the farm. It starts with a glass of Estate Rosé of Pinot Noir in the greenhouse, continues in the barn with the Chardonnay and Cabernet and local charcuterie and cheese, and, weather permitting, wanders past the cutting garden, orchard and chicken coop to Adirondack chairs on the bank of Dry Creek. For a longer stay, the lunch version adds sandwiches and sweets from Troubadour, the Healdsburg bakery and restaurant.
Tasting Fees
$90 per person for the private Estate Experience, 1.5 hours, with local charcuterie and cheese. $130 for the Estate Tasting + Rustic Lunch, 1.5 hours, with sandwiches and sweets from Troubadour.
Tasting fees as of September 2026. Wineries set and collect their own fees, and they change from time to time.
At a Glance
Location
Address given when booking, Healdsburg
AVA
Dry Creek Valley
Visiting
By reservation only, made by email, for groups of 4 to 12. Days and times are arranged when booking, and a 48-hour cancellation policy applies. The estate is a few minutes from downtown Healdsburg; we confirm the address when booking.
Known For
Estate Chardonnay from Dry Creek Valley and Estate Cabernet Sauvignon from St. Helena
Founded
2015 (first vintage)
Good to Know
Experiences are private, for groups of 4 to 12. The lunch experience must be prepaid, and both need 48 hours' notice to cancel. Bottles are for sale at the estate. Private lunches, winemaker dinners and celebrations can be arranged with the estate manager.
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 a few minutes from van Z, just outside town at the south end of Dry Creek Valley. The day below fits a six-hour tour, and extra time can be added by the hour.
10:15 · van Z Vineyards
The private Estate Experience, 1.5 hours ($90), from the greenhouse to the barn to the creek.
12:05 · A. Rafanelli
About 20 minutes away. One of Dry Creek Valley's most sought-after Zinfandel houses: the Rafanelli family has grown grapes and made wine here since the early 1900s, now in its fourth generation, and sells mostly to its A. List, which keeps a waiting list. A casual, personal tasting is $25, for parties of 6 or fewer. By appointment only; days and hours change with the seasons.
1:10 · Lunch at Dry Creek General Store
About 5 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.
2:30 · Williamson Wines
About 10 minutes away. Bill and Dawn Williamson's Yoakim Bridge Estate and its century-old vineyard, where every tasting is seated and comes with food from the winery's chefs; the wines are sold only by the winery, never in stores or restaurants. Icon Wines with artisan cheeses is $60 and Icon Wines with a chef-prepared lunch is $75; allow about 90 minutes. Appointments recommended.
4:00 · Back to your hotel
Back in Healdsburg by 4:30 p.m.
Three wineries is the right pace for a day of serious tasting. van Z hosts groups of 4 to 12 and A. Rafanelli parties of 6 or fewer, so this day suits 4 to 6 guests; Rafanelli sets its hours by season, and we confirm both appointments when we book. With two 90-minute visits, the day ends around 4:30.
About $175 to $190 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 van Z Vineyards?
Yes. Every visit is private and reserved by email, for groups of 4 to 12, with a 48-hour cancellation policy. When you book a tour with us, your chauffeur makes the reservation for you.
How much is a tasting at van Z Vineyards?
$90 per person for the Estate Experience and $130 for the Estate Tasting + Rustic Lunch, each 1.5 hours, as of September 2026.
Where is van Z Vineyards?
On the family's Magnolia Farms estate, just outside Healdsburg at the southern end of Dry Creek Valley, where Dry Creek meets the Russian River Valley. The address is confirmed when you book.
Who owns van Z Vineyards?
Ben and Kelly vanZutphen, who have grown grapes in Sonoma County and Napa Valley for more than 20 years and made their first van Z wine in 2015.
What wines does van Z make?
An Estate Chardonnay from Magnolia Farms in Dry Creek Valley, an Estate Cabernet Sauvignon from the family's St. Helena vineyard in Napa Valley, and an Estate Rosé of Pinot Noir, fewer than 500 cases a year.
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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