Rombauer Vineyards Sierra Foothills — Attraction in Diamond Springs

If you’re ever wandering through the Sierra Nevada foothills and wondering where joy in liquid form is bottled—stop wondering. It’s Rombauer.

Walking into Rombauer Vineyards feels less like visiting a winery and more like being invited into a secret club where the password is “Chardonnay.” And let’s be honest, their Chardonnay is legendary for a reason—it’s basically sunshine with a hint of butter and a side of applause. Even people who swear they don’t like Chardonnay suddenly become converts here.

But don’t stop there. The reds? Smooth as Sinatra. The Zinfandel? Like a campfire singalong in a glass—warm, a little wild, and guaranteed to make you smile. Every pour manages to strike that magical balance of being both serious enough to impress your wine-snob friend and fun enough to make you forget you have a wine-snob friend.

The tasting experience itself is first-class without being stuffy. The staff are the kind of people you wish you could recruit for every dinner party: knowledgeable but never pretentious, quick with a story, and even quicker with the next pour. They make you feel like family—family that happens to know a lot about grape clones and oak barrels.

And the setting? Gorgeous. You’re tucked right into the rolling Sierra Nevada foothills, with golden light spilling over the vineyards. It’s the kind of place that makes you want to take a hundred photos—and then put your phone down because the wine deserves your full attention.

Bottom line: Rombauer Sierra Nevada isn’t just a tasting room—it’s a mood. A very happy, very delicious mood. If wine country had a “treat yourself” button, this...

I am really sad to have to post this, but here it goes. I visited the Rombauer winery in Napa years ago and had the best experience in all of Napa. At Plymouth, it was the worst experience in the area. The customer service at the Plymouth location needs some serious retraining. The grounds and restrooms have been dirty the last three times we visited and the staff at the outside tasting window have been the worst of every other winery we visited in the area. I have been a club member for years, and my wife for years before that. I finally cancelled my membership because they offer the worst experience in Plymouth. We last visited during the crush event and were turned away because they were closed (there were over 50 people drinking wine at tables). That was fine, but I told the attendant that google has you open until 5 (they closed at 4 during a rather large area event and almost every other winery was open). I was more upset at the argumentative tone of the attendant. We were with another couple and I was embarrassed to have recommended this place so strongly. So fine, I did take my 8 bottle purchase elsewhere and canceled my four bottle club shipment. The customer service lady won! She got to close at 4 and we continued tours elsewhere until 6pm. We left and had a great time at Terra d’ Oro and Scott Harvey. Hopefully, they make...

The scenery was gorgeous, but we didn't stay for wine tasting. I've grown used to Amador County being a very relaxed place to go wine tasting, and Rombauer felt very.... corporate almost. You walk in to a reception desk type feel to tell the person if you're here for a tasting or to drink by the glass. To taste on the weekends (Friday, Saturday, or Sunday) you need to make a reservation. Tasting flights are $20, refundable if you purchase 3+ bottles. (By comparison, most wineries ice been to in Amador are $5-10 per tasting, refundable if you purchase just one bottle, and you walk directly into the tasting room and find space at the bar to start your tasting, they figure out how much you owe afterward and the cost of the tasting is on the tasting menu.) Purchasing a glass at a time is in a different room than the tastings. I've heard really good things about their wine, but was hoping they would bring their wine to Amador, not so much the full Napa feel as well. It's easy to go to Napa to get the full Napa / Sonoma experience if you're already in the Amador area, so I was hoping they would meld their wine with the culture...