Chateau St. Jean Winery
One of the few Sonoma Valley estates that still takes walk-ins, and three wines at the bar is $30. The chateau is 1920s and the single-vineyard programme dates to 1973.1
Why go
The winery was set up in 1973 as a fine wine estate in the European mould, making wines from single vineyards to keep each site's character separate.1 You taste on a patio over the vineyards or inside the wood-panelled rooms of the chateau.1 Walk-ins are accepted, families are welcome and so are dogs on a leash, which is rarer here than it sounds.1 Outside food is not, and the winery's answer to that is a $70 Estate Picnic where you pick provisions off its own market counter and eat under the redwoods.1
Order this / avoid
- Order: the Classic Bar Tasting at $30, three wines of your choice, an hour, if you are passing through Kenwood.1
- Order: the Chateau Experience at $65 for five reserve and winery-exclusive wines, seated, ninety minutes.1
- Avoid: bringing lunch. No outside food or picnicking on the property.1
Good to know
- Open daily 10am to 5pm, last reservation 3:30, and reservations are refunded with 24 hours' notice.1
- The cheese and charcuterie board is $65 and serves two to six, with charcuterie from Journeyman Meat Co. in Healdsburg.1
- The vertical Cinq Cepages evening is 23 October 2026, 5 to 8pm, $175.2
- Groups of eight or more book through the concierge, and there is a bocce package for 8 to 35 that welcomes under-21s.1
Verdict
could-visit — This is the Sonoma Valley estate that still lets you walk in, bring the kids and bring the dog, and taste three wines at the bar for $30. The chateau dates to the 1920s and the winery has made single-vineyard wines here since 1973, which is the premise the whole place runs on. The seated Chateau Experience is $65 for five reserve and winery-exclusive pours. Held here because everything above comes from the winery and the booking platform, the guest quotes on its own page are Yelp posts, and I could not find anyone who has written about Cinq Cepages.