Benziger Family Winery

1883 London Ranch Rd, Glen Ellen, CA 95442, USA

Address:	1883 London Ranch Rd, Glen Ellen, CA 95442, USA
Phone:	+1 888-490-2739
Site:	benziger.com
Rating:	4.6
Working:	10AM–5PM 10AM–5PM 10AM–5PM 10AM–5PM 10AM–5PM 10AM–5PM 10AM–5PM

Location

Photos 100

Reviews 12

Amy Otwell

My husband and I only spent one day in Sonoma, since he doesnt particularly like wine. Benziger was our second stop, and by far our favorite winery. We took the farm tour & had a great guide - both personable and informative. We really enjoyed learning about the biodynamic & organic farming efforts, the grape varieties and growing environments, the wine processing & cave storage, all with a glass or two of their chardonnay along the way. The land is breathtaking - picturesque with hills of vineyards, olive trees, flowers, and even a small redwood grove! From the farm workers, to the tour operators, to the tasting room personnel, all the employees we met were friendly, informative, and approachable. And the wine was delicious - my husband even found 2 bottles he liked. They had a few "grades", with tasting options for most. The only thing we found annoying were the 2 couples who brought along their 2-3 year old kids (we have 5 kiddos, so we arent nontolerant, anti-kid personalities). While the kids enjoyed riding around the vineyards, they were too young to be still or quiet when the tour guide was talking. To his credit, the tour guide remained professional, trying to minimize the distractions and ensure the rest of us still had a great experience. All in all, I would highly recommend this winery. The tasting room, photography opportunities, and learning experiences were top notch without being "over the top" or "snooty". I would not recommend this location, and especially the tours, for children under the age of 8 or 9. Older children would likely enjoy the educational aspects of the tour & of course the views!

Mardi Taing

This was on my list because its a biodynamic winery. Luckily, we checked into our hotel (Olea) and they gave us a winery passport and this winery was in it offering free tastings for 2. We walked in after 4pm and he place was mostly empty, maybe 1-2 other couples in there. The tasting room was large and very nice looking. A man greeted us from the bar so we walked over to him for out tastings. It was kind of an awkward tasting with him hovering around us while we commented to each other. He was very informative about the wine and processes. There were 7 wines on the menu and we tried them all. Pours were smaller than other wineries, maybe 3-4 sips but thats fine for me since I only take 2-3 and didnt really like any of them. My bf enjoyed one of their reds and the desert wine of their sister winery (Imagery). A bit disappointed in the wine but liked learning about their winery.

Bianca Taylor

We had the Sonoma/Napa experience last week! This is a great place to visit. The Benziger Family Winery was definately in our top 3 out of the 9 vineyards we visted. We did the Tram Tour which I highly recommend because it was a great experience and seeing that this was our last winery of the day, we were tired of walking : ) Beautiful grounds. I love the fact that they are a biodynamic certified winery. It was a great learning experience, and you gain great information in that short of time. The tour was of the grounds, vineyards, crush pad, wine caves, and the end was a semi-private tasting.

James Purcell

Had a board meeting in the area and we all were taken here for a quick tour, tasting and dinner. Fantastic scenery, the winery is very passionate about education. That comes from the top. We were treated to Mike Benziger kicking off the event and participating in the tasting. He loves his Biodynamic farming and the passion for the wine and the art shows in everything. I reccomend a visit if you are in the area. Also, a little "inside baseball" he says 2012 will be a year to look for in California wines. The weather has been perfect and it will be a bumper crop.

Matt Farnham

Best winery in Sonoma County! Cabernet Saviougn, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, & Saviougn Blanc are their specialties but their big reds are my favorite! Be sure to go on the tractor tour to learn about the wine-making process, its well worth it! Every time I go here I usually see one of the Benziger family members, which is awesome to see such passion & loyalty for the business. Benziger is way more relaxed & a much more phenomenal experience than most wineries in both Sonoma & Napa!

steve shiflett

They have some wine here that is quite good! You may also take trams around the estate to see the vineyard, filtration ponds and the area where they crush and ferment the wine. If you are unfamiliar with the process of growing and making wine, you may enjoy this adventure. If you are familiar with the process, you may be bored; though its fun to ride around looking at that area. This winery is on the way to Jack London Park. It is worth the time to visit both places.

Carolina Liriano

Megan made our last wine tasting experience in Sonoma memorable and absolutely amazing! Shes very knowledgeable about the wines, was able to answer all of our questions, and most importantly was super friendly and engaging throughout our tasting experience. The quality of the wines we tasted was just the cherry on top! We couldnt have picked a better place to end my wine country birthday vacation! Thanks again, Megan! Hope to see you again soon! -Carolina and Kelvin

A Private User

We recently took a trip to wine country. Benzinger was the first winery we toured. They were very informative and knowledgable. We even met the owner (well, one of the brothers) and he was terrific. He stopped and made a point to talk with everyone in our group and find out what we thought and where we were from. It was totally worth $15/pp for the tour and tasting. The wines were excellent as well. We bought the Rose b/c we here it is making a come back...

Elijah Lefkowitz

What can I say about this place. It is fantastic. It is family friendly. We took the tram tour which does include a tasting. Benziger is one of the few biodynamic winerys in the US. Biodynamic wines are sustainable and use the earth to grow as opposed to fertilizer and pesticides. They use plants to attract good insects instead of pesticides. All water waste is recycled back into the ecosystem. Theybise caves to keep the wine cool instead of refrigeration.

Andrey F.

The hosts treated us really well and accomodated us with a complementary cheese tasting along with our wine tasting. They were also flexible and allowed us to do the wine tasting and then take the tour. The wine was exquisite, both the white, red, and desert. The hosts were also very straight-forward about pricing. They werent pushy either. One minor complaint is that they require you to fill out a form with your contact information.

Julia Zasyatkina

Beautiful winery with fantastic wines! We arrived pretty late (3:30 pm) so we just tasted and browsed the fun gift shop. When I go back I hope to do a tour of the vineyard on one of their tractors, but for our visit we soaked up the sun outside and took pictures amongst the hills in between tastings and enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere. I really love this family of wineries, they make you feel welcome and at ease.

Peter Wells

I was a part of a group of 5 also with a 5 month old came in right as they were opening for tastings. Tommy was our pourer for our tasting and was passionate and knowledgeable on the wines and the company. He was patient with us when the baby distracted us and still was able to hit the sales points necessary to sell us on becoming club members. I signed up because the product is excellent and reasonably priced.