Ridge Vineyards - Lytton Springs — Attraction in Healdsburg

Not recommended for folks of color looking for good service.

Backstory: I called Ridge Vineyard a week before our planned trip to Napa to ask if we could show up without a reservation because one of the members of our party is elderly and does not always arrive on time. I was told by the staff member that if reservations were still available, it would be fine. I noticed that only one slot was reserved on the weekday we were planning to visit, so I decided to proceed without a reservation.

Now, on the day we planned to visit, I again checked the reservation schedule online and noticed that there was still only one slot booked. So, we drive over to Ridge. When we arrive, there are two tables with folks doing wine tastings and about 4 or 5 staff working. The person who greeted us tells us that we cannot do a wine tasting without a reservation. I let her know I had called ahead and also checked online and noticed there were slots available. She tells us its not possible because there are not enough staff to host a wine tasting for us. She does agree to sell us a bottle but we have to take the glasses and bottle to the table ourselves and they cannot provide any service. We were not given any information about the wines or winery, and had to make a selection from the wine list. We asked if we can sit at the bar or outside and are told no, we can only sit at one specific table.

This all seemed odd but we had heard great things about this winery so we take our bottle and seat ourselves and begin sipping our wine. A few minutes later, several groups show up without reservations and are able to sit at the bar. I was able to overhear their conversation with staff when they arrived so I know for a fact that they had not reserved spots. I see the staff chatting with them, serving them, and talking to them about the wines. Another couple comes in without a reservation and is seated outside. Again, I observe the staff serving them and chatting.

Why the difference in treatment? We were a group of three brown folks and every guest who came in and was served was white. Strangely, Ridge has a large sign that says they welcome people of different genders, races, backgrounds, etc. Were we in the Twilight Zone? No, we were in a winery with a bunch of racist staff.

This was the most uncomfortable experience I have had in a long time. I would have understood if they were overbooked and couldn't accommodate us, but they had plenty of staff, many open reservations, and we were treated poorly while every white person was given cheerful service. It's hard to believe that racist behaviour like this still alive and well in California, which I think of as a diverse and liberal state. There are many other wineries in the Napa area that treat all guests with respect. I definitely will not return or...

Beautiful grounds - questionable service - so so wine - micro aggressions free of charge

Our host was kind, the individual who served us was so kind however the kindness and hospitality ended quickly...unfortunately during our tasting a server who was not involved in our tasting at all decided to stop by our table and ask us (3 women of color) "what did you say to get in". We had arrived later than our reservation after calling the winery in advance. We were told that this would be acceptable and upon arrival the host kindly greeted us and led us to our table and our server politely began serving us. We were having a great time and enjoying our experience until this other server who had nothing to do with us decided to stop by our table and ask us what we said to get in and that they normally don't allow anyone in past a certain time. This server made us all feel extremely uncomfortable and unwelcome and felt targeted as people of color. We will not be returning to this establishment unfortunately primarily due to the micro aggressions we experienced, which none of us had felt at any other winery in the region. Separately the wine was not the best and at times tasted watered down (though we understand this is a subjective opinion).

Overall our experience was soured by the lack of kindness from one of their staff. You will probably be better off reserving elsewhere in Healdsburg and Sonoma with better wine lacking the hints of micro aggressions, elitism...

We just came from the Lytton Springs Estate for the tasting and had one of the best experiences that we’ve ever had. Our host was very knowledgeable and she took her time explaining a lot about the wine, history, and geography. Definitely not your chug and go type of tasting.

The wines we tasted were all great wines with very smooth finish. It’s rare that we encounter a winery where all the wines that we tasted were all wines that we would not think twice about taking home.

General warning, if you taste the Montebello…you’ll likely have a long and lasting debate if you’d regret not taking a bottle home; an hour after the tasting, we’re still contemplating if we should invest in a bottle of it.

It’s a small and intimate tasting experience with great view, small and quiet setting and great staff. The tasting cost is significantly less than Napa Valley wineries without the crowd and chaos.

Make reservations before going, appointments only and for a...