Unusual & Natural Wineries in Sonoma: Beyond the Classics
Not exactly the Sonoma classics, wineries with unusual grapes, styles or vibes
Sometimes, you just want to shake things up. A different spot, a different vibe, a different pour. So here are three unapologetically offbeat Sonoma wineries where you can go a little wild.
Purple Pachyderm (Claypool Cellars) - Pinots, weiners and rock n roll
I’m not going to lie—I had no idea who Les Claypool was. I came for the Pinot and gourmet hot dogs, and frankly, stayed for the whole delightful circus. But if you're a Primus fan, you’ll be extra thrilled to discover this saloon-like tasting room near Forestville that blends vintage carnival flair with rock 'n' roll swagger. The real kicker? Elegant Burgundian-style Pinots crafted by Ross Cobb (of Williams Selyem, Hirsch, Flowers, and his own Cobb Wines), paired with gourmet truffle-topped hot dogs from the Weiner Wagon (also a Les Claypool brainchild).
Under Cobb’s direction, the Pinots have leaned increasingly elegant, though there’s still a lineup of bolder bottlings from warmer Sonoma sites. They even have their own label Champagne, which—as fate would have it—also pairs absurdly well with a weiner.
It’s quirky, it’s playful, and the wine is delicious.
Tasting Experience:
Tucked off Gravenstein Highway (Hwy 116) just south of Forestville, this funky roadside haven lets you sip indoors at the bar or kick back on an outdoor patio surrounded by Adirondack chairs and hot dog glory. With Primus likely playing in the background.
Notable Varietals:
🥂White: Champagne (actually made in Champagne), and a recent endeavor into Riesling
🍷 Red: just Pinots
Other Essentials:
📅✅ Booking: info@purplepachyderm.com or (707) 820-1263
🍾💲 Median Bottle Price:
Ruth Lewondowski - the Healdsburg Hipster
Raw, unmanipulated, and proudly rustic—Evan Lewandowski’s wines are the textbook definition of natural. He ferments with wild yeasts, skips the additives, and bottles without fining or filtration. Minimal intervention all the way. Expect field blends, quirky varietals, and a healthy dose of personality. If these wines had a persona, they’d be wearing vintage overalls and quoting Wendell Berry at a kombucha bar.
Tasting Experience:
Just off the Healdsburg plaza, Ruth Lewandowski shares a cozy tasting room with Idlewild Wines. Evan and Sam Bilbro (of Idlewild) also team up on sourcing naturally and regeneratively grown grapes from Mendocino. Tastings come with appropriately unconventional snacks: think tinned fish, pickled things, and cheeses that probably have a name longer than the wine list.
Notable Varietals:
🥂White: Arneis, Cortese, Grüner Veltliner, Grenache Gris, Riesling, and even Muscat
🍷Red: So many! Often co-fermented: Carignan, Grenache, Cabernet Sauvignon, Dolcetto, Barbera, Nebbiolo, Sangiovese, Touriga Nacional, Tempranillo (Tinta Roriz)
Essentials
Porter Bass - the delicate treatment
Porter-Bass crafts surprisingly delicate wines from grapes that usually get the oak-and-muscle treatment. This 25-acre Demeter-certified biodynamic estate—tucked into a fog-kissed pocket of the Russian River Valley—leans hard into coastal influence and low-intervention farming with their Pinots and Zins. Luke Bass coaxes out the finesse in every cluster, splitting his wines between the estate-grown Porter-Bass label and Poco a Poco (which sources mostly from Mendocino). Expect native yeast fermentation, zero additives (save a whisper of SO₂ at bottling), and only neutral oak. The result? Pinots and Zins that speak softly but carry a big personality. The estate Zinfandel from Dot’s Garden is an especially unusual delicate expression for the varietal, made from the only 2 acres left of original vines from the property —some a century old—lovingly revived with biodynamic TLC.
Tasting Experience:
This is a family winery. Luke and his mother Susan often pour the wines themselves, welcoming guests under a walnut tree beside their home (designed by Luke’s father, an architect). The setting is intimate, misty, and beautifully rustic.
Notable Varietals:
🥂White: Chardonnay
🍷 Red: Pinot Noir, Zinfandel (made in a Pinot-like elegant style) and even a Cab and Carignan (under Poco a Poco).
Other Essentials:
🍷📅✅ Book
🍾💲 Median Bottle Price: $$