Landmark Vineyards at Hop Kiln Estate — Attraction in California

You can do better in the area - we had a tasting/tour set up by the manager of a neighboring vineyard with whom we hit it off. We aren't big players in the industry but we have a small vineyard & are building a wine importation business and she phoned a friend at Landmark and set us up something as a courtesy as not much was going to be open the following day. The building is quite unique and impressive - however the "Tour" is mostly just walking around the parking lot area, looking at an old house that was transported to the property and staring through the gate of one of their vineyards. You could probably get the same view of the inside of the hop kiln simply stopping in for the normal tasting rather than the rather steep $85 tour and tasting. The tour guide was an odd mixed bag of friendly at times, surly and off-putting at others. We never said that we were "industry" but the person who called in the appointment must of mentioned it as he at one point started belittling us as "thinking we're in the industry" being from Maryland. Once is good natured ribbing, 3 times is - well - kinda insulting - especially in front of others. They comped one of the tastings at the end without us asking which was nice, though being hands down the most expensive tasting in the area it only brought it down to "normal" rates. The wines are decent pinot noir for the most part, the whites are unremarkable - particularly the pinot gris which the other couple dumped and we choked down. Head nextdoor to Rochioli, across the way to MacRostie or down the road to Twomey for a tasting. Stop in here for a glass and to see...

Visited Oct 22, 2018. Host Alyssa is 6 star. We arrived later than expected and had only 1.5hrs to do any tasting. We never felt rushed nor treated as if they wanted to close and go home on a Sunday evening. Instead the most welcoming service and a fantastic opportunity to try many Landmark wines and vintages. This is the way we felt before we even tasted the wines. (tasting only improved that) Personally, I like Landmark Chardonnay's but had not tried their Pinot Noir's nor others. Suffice to say the highlight of our 2 days in the area. Will remain a fan and even greater admiration for the Landmark brand. Excellent treatment, tasting and conversation. Clearly Landmark cares about the experience a visitor can have. Our friend from the bay area had not had any experience with Landmark products but left a member of their club and several $$$$ short after leaving with a great sampling. Fortunate to have such a great time. Will certainly visit again. ...

Hop Kiln is one of my favorite wineries to stop at when I bring out of town friends to Sonoma County. They don't have too vast a selection, which means they really put time into each wine (many of which are medal winners). They have a great price range, and it's very easy to walk out with half a case. I'm partial to their rose and sparkling rose, but the three pinots are nice to side-by-side. The tasting room isn't too big, but the exterior is beautiful, and there's a nice view. As estate wines, all the grapes are grown on site, and having a map of where the blocks are is very, very nice to see where what you're...