Davis Bynum Winery

Bummed that we only had 2 wines to taste and we had to go to Rodney Strong to do it. It was difficult to track down and, unfortunately that cut into our likelihood of purchasing.

I went in search of Davis Bynum based on my Moon guidebook to find that it was actually a new winery (had been bought out) called Thomas George. Either way, the wine I experienced there was great. They buy grapes from Rochioli, one of the most sought after producers. The awesome thing about this is that it pretty much guarantees that your bottle will be excellent, but for a fraction of the price as a Rochioli bottle. I just had a bottle of Davis Bynum Pinot Noir from 2007 tonight at a restaurant and it was that same fantastic taste you come to expect from Russian River Pinots. I highly recommend it!

I had a fantastic experience here. Went during the off season, which helps, as there was no traffic whatsoever. Staff was very helpful, talkative, and positive. Some seriously good Pinot Noirs, as to be expected.
The grounds were cute. Gotta love that rickety looking old barn. It’s pretty cool.
If you take a trip down to the RRV, I’d call this one a must-​see.

Mixed emotions here. Back when Gary Farrell was their winemaker, their wines were really solid, but they’ve gone through a string of winemakers and their quality has really taken a tumble — like sending out a Cabernet Franc Rose to club members — I immediately canceled my membership after that.
On top of that, their tasting room staff have been so emotionless and dull. What gives?
On the «bright» side, they make decent Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

If you ever plan to get lost in Sonoma, you should plan to bump into this little family owned winery. This little tasting room is tucked away and don’t expect fancy and expansive acreage, this is a quaint spot that you may expect to find if you were on a hike. We were offered free tastings of over 7 wines, including a fume blanc, pinot noir, port… etc. There were some reserves on the menu that you had to pay for the tasting but we had a birthday girl in the group and was offered a free tasting of their priciest reserve, the 2002 Allen Pinot Noir and it was delicious! And if you’re like us and have heaps of food in the car, there is a great area outside the tasting room for a picnic, you’ll feel like you’re lost in the woods… well, you kind of are… but just with great wine and food instead of gatorade and power bars.

I think there are two really great places for Pinot Noir… the Willamette Valley and the Russian River. Within the Russian River, I think one of the best is Davis Bynum. It’s one of those real classic California family wine stories… this one starts back in 1971 and the family is still producing some of the best Pinot in the US. If you can’t get there, drink their wines, but if you can get to the Russian River, drop in for a really enjoyable experience — it’s going to feel like home. If you can get to them during the Winter Wine festival (mid Jan every year) they also serve up some great «grits».

I had a great experience with the staff here, they were all very friendly and outgoing, but the wines were too funky for me. Tasted pretty good but funky nose on almost every one. Now, that’s not necessarily a bad thing… but it was not what I was looking for. I don’t know if that’s a hallmark or if it’s just these particular wines so I would revisit in the future… just to see.
Down to earth vibe and pretty grounds… lots of bicyclists seem to like it here. Getting in and out/​parking seems like it could be a challenge if it was really busy.

Poor attitude. Took a friend who wanted to learn more about wine. She was honest in saying «I know a lot about beer, but not much about wine.» Then she proceeded with a fairly intelligent question. She wasn’t drunk, and she certainly isn’t stupid. She was given a pretty disdainful look. C’mon Davis Bynum, have a little love for the UCD graduates & those wanting to learn. You’re not in Napa kiddos!

A premier wine maker on my favourite stretch of West Side Road south of Healdsburg. Makes fantastic Pinot, but excels in other varietals as well.
The legendary (?) Gary Farrell used to be the wine maker here, and this is where his reputation was built. Davis Bynum and his crew still makes a wide range of excellent wine, after going through some transitions, from $ 10 stainless steel tank fermented chardonnay to $ 80 hand picked Pinot Noir «Le Pinot» which rivals any along the road.