Larson Family Winery
Sonoma, CA 95476 (707) 938-3031
- Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Private Lot
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
13 Reviews for Larson Family Winery
One of Larson Family Winery's Favorite Reviews
The Larson Family Winery is found off the beaten path of Sonoma only about 30 minutes outside of San Francisco. You may even miss their signs at first but, if you go down the dirt road you'll meet friendly staff who are very knowledgable about their craft, delicious wines that you'll not be able to get enough of, fine chocolate to compliment your tasting, the dali llama, and a super cute dog mascot! Their red and white wines are both smooth and flavorfull and they have a handsome jug of wine that is perfect for anytime! Although this is a small operation, they host wine barrel tasting and harvest festivals as well as some great local wine you'll want to support!
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I think I spent thirty minutes petting the ponies in the little pen by the parking lot. Goats too. When I finally was pulled away from the animals outside we headed into the barn for some tasting. Unfortunately I found the wines rather disappointing. Not quite what this lil lady thirsts for. The three overheated and lazy dogs sprawled around the tasting room were a better focus for my attention. I'd come back with others and let them do the tasting while I got in some quality animal time....but if it was a day where I was serious about my wine, I don't think this would be where I would choose to stop.
P.S. Apparently they trained Sea Biscuit here!
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Great wine and great staff. Small winery in scale to the others. Beautiful view, felt like I was on a farm. Great deals on select wine in bulk.
I'm still a bit perplexed about all of the rave reviews for Larsons. My sister (a vintner) suggested visiting. So I did. It is definitely as described by other posters: family, rustic... etc. On a funny note, where they have the sign that says "Watch for kamakaze squirrels - " squirrels actually appeared in the road. Hmph!
I was really under impressed by the wines. Either red or white, everything tasted sweet. That's not kosher.
This is a wonderful, down-to-earth tasting room, in a beautiful setting. Bring a picnic lunch and play some bocci ball after your tasting. They have great picnic tables out back. I can't even tell you how many wines we tried, but I definitely brought home my favorites (the cab franc, the petit sirah, the pinot grigio and the meritage). I love their jug wines as well, for everyday white or red table wines. More than anything, the friendly atmosphere made me a fan. The tastings are free, and the wines are very reasonably priced. I will certainly be back.
friendly, attentive staff...
comfortable setting...
above average wines at gr8 prices...
always make this a stop when I have "out of town" visitors that insist on visiting Napa... (they never insist on Napa again...)
I really loved my experience here. Very friendly down to earth people are running this joint! Years ago, it was my very first wine tasting
Plus- they introduced us to Robledo's Family Winery which we would have never found on our own!
This winery had a llama out by the parking lot. Need I say more? Unlike other wineries in the area, this one has the potential to be family friendly, as they plan to design a petting zoo next to the barn.
The wine is pretty good too, and the bottles are affordable.
I love this winery. It's rustic and real. Its very much off the beaten path which I love. The back is really pretty with a great stretch of vineyard. The wines were great, especially the port. This winery is the reason you come to Sonoma versus Napa.
Great place to go with your family. They have the wine club which gives its members finger food and wine. Once you pass the wine tasting area, there is a small grassy area. On the weekend, there is a bouncy house for kids from 12pm-3pm. There is about 6 picnic tables overlooking the vineyard. Nice winery, very good for the family. I went with my boyfriend and I think it would have been more romantic going to a different winery for a couples gettaway. But overall, Larson Family winery was very nice and cozy. I would definitely go back!
A great family winery with a great sense of humour. When driving in and out of their long dirt driveway, make sure to read the signs hanging from the trees.
Many of the Sonoma wineries did not impress me because they put to much effort into marketing and were filled with the snooty, pretentious people that you stereotypically think go wine tasting.
Larson was small, quiet, beautiful, friendly and had good wine. The people there were friendly and I'm not talking only about the staff. The other patrons were also really nice and my boyfriend and i actually joined a group for a game of lawn bowling out back.
Above all else, the wine was great. I thought that some of the bottles were a bit expensive and weren't quite worth the price. If you are charging $40 for a bottle of wine, it better be one of the best wines I have ever tasted. True, it was good, but not THAT good. Still, all in all, I thought the wine at Larson was the best I had in Sonoma. (Wouldn't pay $40 for it though... but don't worry, there are cheaper things to get that are very good as well.)
Note: if you go to the visitors center and get a "I love Sonoma" sticker and wear it, you will get a 2 for 1 tasting here.
If I could give this place ten stars, I would. My friends and I, all recently turning 21, are essentially clueless when it comes to the fine art of wine tasting. I previously assumed it was a snobby activity that I'd dislike, but after chatting with the employees here and receiving a crash course in the 5 S's of wine tasting, my opinion has completely changed.
The staff here is beyond helpful, and the atmosphere feels completely authentic (the fact that their tasting room is a modified barn helps). Also, I got to have a visit with Dolly the llama and Spongy the sheep out front. The Larson Family has a bocce ball court and picnic area behind the tasting room that can be used free of charge - gorgeous views, and a great way to spend a lazy afternoon.
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This place was suggested by the ever so entertaining and down to earth Schug pourer. We asked him to suggest a good "family winery" in the area. He didn't hesitate to tell us to visit Larson. Great suggestion!!! As we headed down the small country road towards the winery we could see all the funny and creative signs indicating the proximity of the winery itself. We could already sense that these people had a great sense of humor and were down to earth. Once we approached the barn, we noticed the llama and the goats - super cool. Llamas at a winery - I'm sold! We walked into the barn tasting room and I was struck by the view into the vineyards. Absolutely beautiful! After hearing the story of the winery (always more interesting when there are family stories involved), we got into the tasting. While the tasting fee said $5 and had a list of available tastes, the pourer said to ignore that and that he was "just going to pour us the best wines". Loved the place already. We tasted a total of about 6 wines and the tasting fee was waived! All the wines were great but the stand out was their reserve Cabernet. Oh so nice and luscious! I always buy a bottle when leaving a winery I like and that I know is not trying to rip you off with a bottle of wine that is expensive just by the virtue of the name. So I got the Cab - we had it later that night - still damn good! This is truly a family winery and you get the family treatment. This place is the anti-Napa, completely unpretentious and truly family style. This place rocks!
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