Sojourn Cellars

While on an anniversary trip to Sonoma we scheduled an appointment at Sojourn. I had tried their Pinot previously at a friends and knew I wanted to try more.
An appointment is required & they will allow well behaved dogs. For those that are not aware, this is a tasting room set off of the main square in Sonoma, not an estate or large winery. The service was excellent and our server was knowledgeable about the wines and very easy to talk to. I liked that all the glasses were lined up in front of you so you can compare one against the other.
I took away one star because I really expected something special in this appointment only, intimate & unique tasting (as described on their website). Maybe add some cheese, breadsticks, crackers or chocolate? Dress up the tasting room. Do something that sets you apart from others. It was pretty ordinary IMO. We were partnered at the center table with 3 other people which wasn’t an issue but there was another couple receiving a private tasting at the table behind us. It was extremely distracting. The room is very small and the two presenters were having to talk over each other. I asked my husband, «why does that couple get a more private tasting than us with one-​on-​one attention when there are empty chairs at our table?»
We did like their Pinot’s & purchased several bottles. Unless they do something different, I’m not convinced that I would pay for another ordinary tasting.

We had been planning our first trip to the Napa /​Sonoma area for quite some time when I had the pleasure of meeting the owners of Sojourn cellars Craig and Ellen at my place of business in the Palm Springs area a few months back.
While speaking with Ellen the conversation turned to wine and she invited us up to their tasting room in Sonoma. We made an appointment with Megan, and honestly didn’t really know what to expect when we got there.
— The Host — «Chase» was there to greet us upon arrival, and I just can’t say enough about this guy! Knowledgeable, friendly, kind, he answered the many questions that we had about the wines and suggested other places to visit while in Napa. We joined the wine club, and he even delivered 2 of the wines to us later that evening because they had ran out of them in the tasting room. Who does this?
— The Wines — Chardonnays, Pinot Noirs, and Cabernet Sauvignons, all fantastic! Highly rated, and deservedly so.
Thanks to Craig, Ellen, Megan, and Chase for making our first stop on our first day in Napa /​Sonoma one to remember.

I won a tasting for 10 at a fund raiser and took a group of ladies from work. We had an 11:00 appointment and they were ready for us with a seated tasting when we got there. We LOVED it!!! The winery is small but mighty! Great reds that everyone enjoyed and we all left with a couple of bottles.
I thought that the tasting was very informative and I really enjoyed it. Since the winery is so small, you do need to scoot out once your tasting appointment is over because they might have another group behind you. But that was fine, the time we spent there was just right.

Strange location, unappealing tasting room, long winded presentation, wines are highly rated by somebody but none to my taste. Much better tasting experiences out there.

I have been buying wines from Sojourn for 4 years now. Recently stopped in while visiting downtown Sonoma. Located just off the town square, this is a relatively small but quaint tasting room in a renovated house. You need an appointment to taste wines here.
Sojourn is a boutique winery that sources all their grapes. Their main focus are single vineyard Pinot Noir wines, though they do offer other Pinot’s along with Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon. Pinot Noir is their ‘specialty’ though. I will leave the comments on the wines to the experts, but for me, I really enjoy the Pinot’s and Cabernet a lot.
We had our tasting with another couple who invited us to join them since we did not have an appointment. Piper provided a really nice and informative tasting for us. She was very friendly and engaging and made the tasting a lot of fun. The tasting reaffirmed my thorough enjoyment of the wines and I will continue to keep purchasing.
If you are in the Sonoma area, I would definitely seek this place out for a quiet, informative and laid back tasting, you cannot go wrong here.

Absolutely fantastic experience. We had a phenomenal tasting experience with Piper, who was so friendly and down to earth. The tasting room is intimate and personalized; you feel like you’re their only customer. We spent just about an hour tasting, chatting, and learning about their wines. Boutique winery that knows how to make a solid Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Cab.

With ~10,000 US deaths per year due to drunk driving, it seems like wineries should support customers who want to share a tasting. Sojourn has been the only place where I wasn’t allowed to share a tasting with my fiancée. No good.

A few months back I received an email from Soujorn thanking me for my original 2 star review and detailing what they’ve done to improve the experience. From my stand point there was no need for them to reach out to me or make amends in anyway. The fact that they went out of their way to not only listen but make changes and reach out to me is worth of another star.

We visited sojourn last week during our post-​Thanksgiving trip to Sonoma. It was the first winery we visited, so I held off reviewing it until we visited the others and I could compare and contrast them all.
I thought that sojourn did a good job with the presentation of their wines, and it was nice that we all had three glasses in front of us at one time to really compare the various wines. Our group mentioned how we liked this when we were at other wineries and only had one wine in front of us. It made it hard to recall which ones we really enjoyed the most. This was a big plus for sojourn.
We started our tasting by trying a couple of Chardonnays. None of us in the group are big white wine drinkers, but then we got into the pinot noirs. The pinots really varied in flavor, and we all enjoyed them. Definitely enjoyed some more than others.
The one thing that keeps me from giving 5 stars is that we were only in a tasting room, and would have liked to have gotten more a behind the scenes kind of tour like we had at other wineries. We were looking for more of a unique experience than what we could get at a nice wine bar here in LA.
Aside from this one small thing, our experience was good. I also thought the girl leading our tasting (can’t remember her name, sorry!) was great. She was super nice, and really informative.

Love SOJOURN! It may seem like an off beat little place but these guys are serious about Pinot and Cab. Having contracts with great grape growers, they are producing some of my favorite pinots. The tasting room is right off the square, so its walkable snd easy to finf. It is by appointment only but call and see if someone’s got an opening at their taste and join in. Very approachable staff and wines. I’ve enjoyed being on the mailing list and have attended a pop up dinner they hosted that was a lot if fun. If you like Sonoma fruit and Pinot, don’t miss these guys.

Had a reservation for this quaint but amazing tasting room. There were only 2 in our party and Sarah made our time there an amazing experience. She answered all our questions and gave us a history of the winery. The Pinot’s are simply delicious. Our time there went by way too fast and I Look forward to going back!

This place was simply fab! Make an appointment. Neil was amazing. Such a small, intimate place, but amazing wine! Such an awesome experience, definitely recommend it!

Unfortunately, I never got to taste the Pinots and Cabs that Sojourn is known for because we were turned away at the door earlier today. Turned away at the door to a tasting room that was empty, aside from the two employees sitting at a table and drinking a glass of wine. The place was open for another hour and a half when we arrived. When we checked the website, it wasn’t clear that we had to have an appointment for a tasting. I wish I would have checked Unilocal first, but unfortunately we didn’t. However, when you’re open and empty, why wouldn’t you invite folks in for a tasting. We definitely would have bought wine, especially since we felt bad for not having an appointment. We also mentioned that one of us had been at a wine event recently with their wines and we’re looking forward to trying it! But we weren’t allowed to, and we were met with an incredibly uninviting male employee who basically pushed us out of the door. Though I have heard amazing things about the wine, I won’t hurry back.

Amazing time, attention and WINE! Jonathan was awesome! Ask for him… Very knowledgeable and affable!

Some of the best wines and cabs in Sonoma! Sojourn is appointment only so make sure you plan ahead before going, though often if you call the day of they may have some availability to work you in.
The tasting experience is unlike most anywhere else in Sonoma. They’re located in a small house just off the square and the tasting is down at a dining room table. They focus on Pinots and Cabs and both are exquisite, sourcing many of their grapes from the best regions and vineyards in the area.

I was suprised at how much I enjoyed Sojourn and its various wines, particularly the Pinot Noirs. My favorite Pinot, still, is from Laetita Winery in the Central Coast’s Arroyo Grande, but Sojourn is a definite second. Surprisingly, Sojourn doesn’t grow its own grapes, but rather purchases them. I had a distinct prejudice against this practice until tasting these wines. Furthermore, I enjoyed Sojourn’s vineyard-​designated Pinots much more than the clone varietals that Laetitia makes.
It’s a small winery, and I believe outside of a very few select restaurants, the only place to purchase their wines is at the tasting room itself.
It’s a definite must when visiting Sonoma town.

Great Pinot Noir especially the 2010 Sonoma Coast blend! The Home Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon was a Pinot lovers Cab! Well worth making an appointment to taste the wines when visiting Sonoma, CA

This is a wonderful private tasting room for serious wine drinkers. I’m actually surprised by some of the negative comments on the host, Jonathan, as he was our host at a tasting and didn’t come off negatively at all! In fact, he was a breath of fresh air in terms of Sonoma/​Napa wine aficionados. And, believe, me, there are some duds that really don’t know wine!
Why I love It:
A+ on the wines, but you’d expect that coming here
A on the experience, Jonathan was attentive, extremely knowledgeable, obviously passionate, fun to meet new people
B+ on the décor in the room, but that’s not really why you’re there, is it?
When we visited Sojourn this summer for the tasting it also included a foursome from SF visiting for the first time, and one who’d been there before. What I love is that everyone at the table gets in on the conversation and you get to really enjoy yourself, rather than just talk about wine. My feeling is a private tasting is about the experience as much as a the wine, so I like that.
I like how the host sits at the table with you, and is there for the experience. I hate when hosts stand around you the whole time, watching your every move. I mean, this place is technically a dining room, so it should feel homey!
Anyway, love it. Worth the reservation. My opinion? Ask for Jonathan, because he was a great host for us.

+5 stars for the wine
— 2 stars for our curmudgeonly host Jonathan
+1 for Ziggy the dog
— — — — -
4 stars!
My boyfriend and I spent the weekend in Sonoma for Labor day and had an amazing time being spoiled at the El Dorado Hotel and Kitchen. We happen to love Pinots and were encouraged to taste at Sojourn where they have wonderful Pinots and Cabs.
As far as the wine goes, there wasn’t a bottle we tried that we wouldn’t have gladly taken home with us. Typically I may like 3 out of 5 at a decent winery, but was really impressed with what they had to offer and we purchased a few bottles.
On to our host Jonathan. When I first started wine tasting, I was a bit intimidated by the cachet that Napa and Sonoma valley has always had. The last thing I would want was to spend a day with wine snobbery. But what I actually have found is that those that know the most about wine and truly have a passion that comes from the heart are some of the most salt of the earth people. I have been pleasantly surprised every time I take a trip out to the wineries and have enjoyed myself immensely… that is, until I came across Jonathan at Sojourn.
After we sat down, he brought out several bottles for us to try. He poured us our first taste, plopped himself down at the end of the table and watched us drink it in complete silence. Poured the second, again sat and watched us drink it as we struggled to make conversation. I think another reviewer said, «He seemed bored and disinterested». I’d have to imagine we both had an encounter with the same guy. My boyfriend mentioned he worked on a local winery project where Jonathan then made an insulting remark about what «we locals» say about the place. Hey Jonathan, don’t forget your roots my friend… you’re from Boston. We «Californians» still consider you a transplant.
I’d be surprised if the winemakers/​owners know what an uninviting host they have back at the tasting room. Save yourself a trip and order any of the bottles online. You’ll love the product and save yourself the unfortunate experience of the snobbery most of us try to avoid when visiting the wine country. Quite honestly, if we weren’t so put off by Jonathan, we probably would have bought more wine.

Wow what a surprise after reading all the great reviews. My tasting was not as glowing as I would have hoped. Wines were good to very good however after spending the week here tasting at many wineries I found the tasting fee to the number of pours (5) to be overpriced. ($ 25) Even though there were other wines on their pour list they said that they did not feel like opening them. The gentleman (Jonathan) pouring seemed bored and uninterested. There were a total of 8 people at the tasting.
EDIT:
2 weeks later.
I contacted Sojourn and they refunded the tasting fee. I appreciated that. I was told that since it was the end of their wines they had available that was the reason for not as many wines being opened. They had not released their newer wines yet. My thought is if you don’t have the wines to pour then lower the price of the tasting or do them for free until you release your new wines.