Russian River Valley · Sonoma County
Visit Wren Hop with a Private Chauffeur
A hilltop Pinot Noir and Chardonnay estate farmed with organic and biodynamic practices, where the neighbors include a bobcat named Carl, and a suggested six-hour day of tasting around it.
Book a Six-Hour Wine Tour
About the Winery
Wren Hop began in 2008, when James McDonough and his father made a single, unreleased barrel of Pinot Noir from their Russian River Valley site as an experiment, and liked it enough to start a winery. Jim spent his career as a creative director at advertising firms and studied in the UC Davis winemaking program, and he writes every label and story behind the brand; his daughter Quinn runs hospitality and marketing.
The winery makes limited-production, clone-specific Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from its vineyard in the Middle Reach of the Russian River Valley, farmed with organic and biodynamic practices and picked at night in late September. Winemaker Dan Fishman, a Cornell graduate who came by way of Donum and New Zealand, makes the wines, and Ryan Maier, who also farms for Paul Hobbs, manages the vineyard. Robert Parker's Wine Advocate has rated a Wren Hop wine 94 points.
Visits are on the hilltop in Windsor, Wednesday to Sunday, by reservation. Guests taste through the small-lot wines while the team explains its old-world winemaking with new-world techniques, and the wildlife is part of the story: the winery counts a bobcat named Carl, twin foxes and an opossum among its neighbors, and Buster, the white winery dog, greets guests before going back to chasing birds.
Tasting Fees
Tasting fees to be verified upon reservation.
Tasting fees as of September 2026. Wineries set and collect their own fees, and they change from time to time.
At a Glance
Location
3701 Mark West Station Road, Windsor
AVA
Russian River Valley
Visiting
Open Wednesday to Sunday by reservation. Email reservations@wrenhop.com with a preferred date, and the winery replies with times and availability.
Known For
Limited-production, clone-specific Pinot Noir and Chardonnay
Founded
2008
Good to Know
Guests must be 21 or older; the winery does not host children. The hilltop can also be booked for events such as rehearsal dinners.
A Suggested Six-Hour Day
Pickup at 10:00 a.m. from a Russian River Valley hotel such as Farmhouse Inn in Forestville or Vinarosa in Santa Rosa.
10:00 · Pickup at Farmhouse Inn or Vinarosa
Farmhouse Inn, a 25-room inn on River Road in Forestville, is about 20 minutes from Wren Hop, and Vinarosa, set among 92 acres of vineyards in Santa Rosa, about 25. The day below fits a six-hour tour, and extra time can be added by the hour.
10:25 · Wren Hop Vineyards
The first stop. A seated tasting of small-lot Pinot Noir and Chardonnay on the hilltop; we confirm the time and fee when we book.
11:50 · Russian River Vineyards
About 25 minutes away. A historic Forestville winery property with roots in the 1890s, reclaimed in 2008 by fourth-generation farmer and winemaker Gio Balistreri, and one of the few wineries with its own kitchen, so a tasting can come with lunch or small bites on a shaded, heated patio. The Wine Tasting Flight is $20 to $30, and the Library Tasting of red wines from the library is $75 for 2 to 6 guests. Open daily from 11:30 a.m.; reservations recommended.
1:00 · Lunch at Willow Wood Market Cafe
About 10 minutes away. A café, soda fountain and general store at the center of Graton since 1995, serving down-home comfort food on a remodeled patio or inside. Lunch from 11:30 a.m., with brunch on Sundays. Prefer a picnic? We can arrange a catered picnic at a winery that allows one; the cost is quoted when you book.
2:35 · Old World Winery
About 25 minutes away. Darek Trowbridge's natural-wine winery on River Road in Fulton, in an up-cycled building of reclaimed redwood and 100-year-old brick on a working farm, pouring field blends from vines his great-grandfather Giuseppe Martinelli planted in 1890 and rare grapes such as Abouriou. Thursday to Saturday, by appointment; we confirm the fee when we book.
3:35 · Back to your hotel
Back in Forestville or Santa Rosa by 3:55 p.m.
Three wineries is the right pace for a day of serious tasting. Wren Hop hosts Wednesday to Sunday and Old World Thursday to Saturday, so this day works Thursday to Saturday. It ends around 3:55.
About $20 to $30 per person at Russian River Vineyards ($75 for the Library Tasting), paid directly to the winery; tasting fees at Wren Hop and Old World are 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 Wren Hop?
Yes. Visits are by reservation, Wednesday to Sunday, requested by email with a preferred date. When you book a tour with us, your chauffeur makes the reservation for you.
How much is a tasting at Wren Hop?
The winery does not publish its tasting fee, so tasting fees are to be verified upon reservation.
Can children visit Wren Hop?
No. Guests must be 21 or older.
Who founded Wren Hop?
James McDonough, a former advertising creative director, who started the winery in 2008 with his father after a one-barrel Pinot Noir experiment.
How is the Wren Hop vineyard farmed?
With organic and biodynamic practices, and the grapes are picked at night in late September.
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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