There are very few things that can compare to a chill weekend spent at a winery. Preferably one which actually has good wine and food! Having spent 2 weekends in Napa already over the summer, my friend R and I decided to drive to Sonoma one sunny Sunday. Largely to get away from San Francisco’s constant visitor Karl. To avoid a very long story, we ended up at Lynmar Winery.
Lynmar Winery (August 2016)
Address: 3909 Frei Road, Sebastopol, CA 95472
Hours: 10am – 5pm
Price Range: $20 – $90 for tastings depending on the quality of wine and choice of food
Reservations: Make reservations in advance here, especially for food options.
First off, most wineries are beautiful – it’s a combination of gorgeous buildings, various types of vegetation. But Lynmar Winery is exceptional with the colors of the flowers surrounding the outdoor dining area. They have a garden between the tasting area and the actual vines, which brightens the atmosphere with an explosion of colors.
The dining / tasting area has indoor & outdoor seating, and as we were the first guests to arrive that day, we had our pick! The outdoor seating tables all have umbrellas to shield you from the sun. There are also several tastings to choose from, and we chose the most basic one. Given we had gotten up early to drive out to Sonoma, we hadn’t had breakfast – our server handed us a menu with some snack options. The olive tapenade and hummus with pita is made onsite (and unfortunately not for sale to take away…)! There are also cheese and charcuterie options. 
Each of the wines were good – unfortunately it was so long ago I don’t have the proper tasting notes, but all of the wines are made by Lynmar Winery, and available for purchase after the tasting. We had a wonderful server who was also hilarious.
After our tasting, we strolled through the gardens to take in the sunshine, vineyards, and gardens. The winery was excellent in my opinion – they only take visitors with prior reservation, which limits the number of people on their grounds and in the tasting area at any point. It makes the winery feel less like a tourist destination, and more of a relaxing weekend destination. 
The estate was transformed into a winery from a vacation home in the 1990s, operating as a commercial wine business. They also own a variety of vineyards in other locations, such as the Quail Hill location (also included in the tasting)! From reading reviews, it also seems like Lynmar Winery offers an excellent tour of the wineries, with detailed descriptions of the fermentation process, barreling process. If you’ve been, let me know how it is! 
