Occidental: a Weekend of Wine Tasting along the Bohemian Highway
Guerneville, Occidental, Forestville - a Bohemian Wine Getaway
A couple of friends recently came to visit, so we spent a night in Guerneville and meandered along the Bohemian Highway through Freestone, Occidental, and Monte Rio. I love western Sonoma’s quiet charm—quirky towns, mystical redwoods, farm stands, the whole vibe. It’s a quieter, dreamier corner of Sonoma.
In Sonoma (the county), most wineries cluster further east— Russian River Valley, Sebastopol, Santa Rosa—but there are some excellent cool-climate producers right in this pocket. The Bohemian Highway straddles both the Sonoma Coast and Green Valley AVAs, two of the coolest regions in Sonoma. So this is where you’ll find the zippiest Chardonnays, earthy Pinots, and even some lovely sparkling wines.
Bohème – An Appropriately Named Introduction to the Region
Bohème takes its name from the Bohemian Highway that winds through Sonoma’s redwood-covered Coast Range, and the wines are as rooted in place as the name suggests. Producing only ~2,500 cases a year, winemaker/owner Kurt Beitler farms his own coastal vineyards (English Hill, Taylor Ridge) by hand, crafting wines with bright acidity, savory complexity, and a Burgundian nod to the fog-draped Sonoma Coast. Though he hails from Napa wine royalty—grandson of Charlie Wagner (Caymus founder) and nephew of Chuck Wagner—Beitler carved his own path on the cooler, moodier side of Sonoma.
Tasting Experience:
Tastings take place in a cozy, unpretentious storefront on Occidental’s Main Street. With just a few tables, vineyard photos on the walls, and often Beitler himself pouring, the experience is intimate, personal, and never rushed. And get this, tastings are complimentary—though you’ll definitely want to leave with a bottle (or three).
Notable Varietals:
🥂 White: Chardonnay
🍷 Red: Pinot Noir, Syrah
Other Essentials:
🍷📅✅ Booking Link
🍾💲 Median Bottle Price: $$$ ($40-$70) | Tastings start @ $0
Iron Horse - Champagne Meets West
Iron Horse is best known for its elegant, méthode champenoise sparkling wines, famously poured at the 1985 Reagan-Gorbachev Summit, and famous ever since. Founded by the Sterling family in 1976, it remains family-run today, with Audrey Sterling (now 95!) still living on the property. The sparkling lineup is crisp, nuanced, and well balanced, and tasting them side by side at different sweetness levels is an excellent way to zero in on what you really love in bubbles. Meanwhile, the estate Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs showcase the cool-climate freshness of this corner of Sonoma. Big producer by my usual standards, yes—but this one really is a fun visit.
Tasting Experience:
An al fresco bar perched atop a hill, overlooking 300 acres of rolling vine-covered hills with Mt. St. Helena in the distance. The vibe is relaxed, convivial, and a touch “old west”—more picnic table and patio than polished tasting salon. It’s mostly stand-up tastings, though you can reserve a table for a picnic (the best option, in my opinion). Either way, between the setting, the views, and the bubbles, Iron Horse makes for a delightful visit.
Notable Varietals:
🥂 White: Chardonnay
🍷 Red: Pinot Noir
Other Essentials:
🍷📅✅ Booking Link
🍾💲 Median Bottle Price: ($70-$100) | Tastings start @ $35
Littorai - the Pinot Pros
If you’re someone who enjoys going to Michelin-starred restaurants, odds are you’ve seen Littorai on the menu. Founded by renowned winemaker Ted Lemon, whose Burgundian expertise shapes every bottle, Littorai hardly needs an introduction in Pinot circles. The focus here is on elegant, terroir-driven Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from the Sonoma Coast and Anderson Valley, crafted with a non-interventionist, regenerative, and biodynamic approach that lets the vineyards do the talking. The wines are consistently outstanding—refined, balanced, and deeply expressive of place.
Tasting Experience:
The tasting experience is understated but memorable: a simple space beside the working winery, elevated by thoughtful hospitality and genuine, in-depth conversation. It’s a visit that resonates with anyone who values sustainable farming and age-worthy, nuanced wines. And since Littorai is hard to find outside the estate, tasting here feels less like an appointment and more like a privilege.
Notable Varietals:
🥂 White: Chardonnay
🍷 Red: Pinot Noir
Other Essentials:
🍷📅✅ Booking Link
🍾💲 Median Bottle Price: $ ($100+) | Tastings start @ $70
Freeman - Pinot with Poise
Freeman Winery is known for its elegant, cool-climate, old-world Pinot Noir and Chardonnay crafted by Akiko Freeman—one of the very few Japanese-American women leading a California winery. The wines here are all about balance and refinement, with medium body, bright acidity, and a restrained use of oak, letting the unique character of each vineyard shine through.
Tasting Experience:
Tastings take place either in their atmospheric wine cave—cool, candlelit, and surrounded by barrels—or outdoors in a tranquil redwood grove overlooking their estate vineyard in Green Valley. The experience is relaxed, personal, and serene—pretty much Western Sonoma in a nutshell.
Notable Varietals:
🥂 White: Chardonnay
🍷 Red: Pinot Noir
Other essentials:
📍 Sebastopol
🍷📅✅ Booking Link
🍾💲 Median Bottle Price: $$$ ($40-$70) | Tastings start @ $50
Ryme - Not just Pinots!
Finally, to prove that this region isn’t just Chardonnay and Pinot, husband-and-wife team Ryan and Megan Glaab craft distinctive wines from rare Italian varietals and other unconventional grapes, all with a minimal-intervention approach. Think native yeasts, neutral oak, the occasional skin contact, and a decidedly old-world sensibility. The results are fresh, textural wines with moderate alcohol and plenty of personality. Their playful “His” and “Hers” Vermentino bottlings say it all: Hers is whole-cluster pressed and bottled early for brightness and energy, while His gets a skin-ferment and longer time in barrel, yielding depth and grip.
Tasting Experience:
The tasting room, housed in a historic Forestville building, is as relaxed as their wines. With rustic-chic charm, indoor-outdoor seating, and a welcoming vibe that extends to kids and dogs, —ideal for wine lovers who are serious, but like their tastings served with a side of approachability.
Notable Varietals:
🥂 White: Vermentino (his and hers!)
🍷 Red: Grenache, Pinot Noir, Aglianico, Sangiovese, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon
Other Essentials:
🔗 Ryme
🍷📅✅ Booking Link
🍾💲 Median Bottle Price: $$$ ($40-$70) | Tastings start @ $35