If I’m staying in wine country, I like to look out the window and see vineyards, not buildings.
There are some places on the edge of the city of Sonoma where you can see vineyards in one direction.
Paul Hobbs is a gorgeous winery and well worth a visit. However, it requires a reservation and the wine tasting cost is on the high side but the wines are excellent. Willi’s Seafood and raw bar is a restaurant in Healdsburg that is fun and has good food. Campo Fina and Chalkboard are nearby and you might want to look at their menus to see if you find anything interesting.
Our first Christmas staying in Sonoma we had a lovely lunch at Domaine Carnernos on Christmas Eve.
The site is gorgeous. Talk about looking out over vineyards 
We had caviar and IIRC … well, I don’t remember! And a bottle of their NV sparkler. Gorgeous winter day and a nice memory.
You need reservations but they have a lot of great wine only a small portion of witch makes it to retail. The rest is sold through the winery or their ATP Tasting program. Famous for Zin they also do a lot ‘field blends’ in other words what grows together goes in the bottle together. Love the Petite Syrah’s as well.
Wow, thanks again for all the recs! Partner and I have some reading to do this wk! 
Yes, I was a little overwhelmed when I started looking up different places to stay in Sonoma; I didn’t realize it was so big!
@President_Mochi: partner loves beer. We went to Firestone Walker in Buellton 1-2 yrs ago. Didn’t go to the tasting room but had a flight of beers. Can’t say we’re dying to return. 
Part of the complicating factor about wines (which actually might make things easier, actually, since it will limit the number we try to hit) is that I actually simply can’t tolerate more than a few oz of wine. Yeah, I know you’re supposed to spit it out, but c’mon… So too much wine tasting will equal me staring at partner in boredom. and ::sigh::
Beers? I don’t know what kind or style your partner gravitates to, but Russian River Brewery in Santa Rosa brews excellent stuff.
Fair enough. I probably agree that the brew pub side of Firestone Walker isn’t a must go, especially now that there is Venice outpost. However, for what it’s worth, I think that the Barrelworks room is a completely different experience and pretty dang great, if you enjoy sours.
And I definitely agree with @bulavinaka that Russian River Brewery is great. The lines to get in can get pretty nutso though.
Hope you have a grand trip!
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The crowds at Russian River are ridiculous. Best to try on a weekday afternoon.
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Well, I’d make that strong recommendation about the entire “wine country.” And getting to and from is just as insane.
I refer to Highway 29 (Napa) as ‘No Left Turn Road’. Haven’t found Sonoma to be that bad. Also makes a great case for Central Coast and Foothills tasting.
@paranoidgarliclover Visiting Russian River Brewery is insane for craft brew beer lovers. The selection is amazing. With that said, I think the majority of visitors are drawn to this brewery because of their IPAs.
Pliney the Elder is considered by many to be one of the great beers - definitely one the best IPAs. Pliney the Younger is even more sought after by beer geeks. But access to Pliney the Elder is pretty easy up in that area. I’ve found it on tap at so many eateries from diners to clothes napkin places, as well as seeing small end-displays of it in bottles at grocery stores in Sonoma County. So a visit to the brewery isn’t essential if all what your partner might want is Pliney. Besides, it’s pretty loud in the bar area and the food is somewhat average.
Partner is an avowed hater of IPAs. He likes stouts. I’ll probably look for a website to see what else they might. We should be in Sonoma mainly on the weekday, so hopefully any lines we encounter won’t be horrific…
I’d skip Russian River then. Many of their non-sour beers (IIRC) are hopped more than your partner would probably care for. My last visit was 07/2014 so my info might be dated.
North Coast Breweries brews Old Rasputin Imperial stout. This is a must for your partner. But they are located way up north from Sonoma (the town). Put this one on your partner’s list if you folks decide to go further north on subsequent trips. They most likely will have their barrel-chested Old Rasputin as well. But like Pliney, Old Rasputin is pretty easy to find on tap up there as well as here. And definitely tug on Melanie’s ear for recs. Her coverage is amazingly broad yet thorough as well.
I think he’s had Old Rasputin down here! Maybe at The Bottle Room in Whittier?
Since you’re the 3rd person to suggest Melanie, I think I’ll post over there. Is she only on CH or also on HO?
Don’t know if Melanie is still only on CH. Sorry.
North Coast is in Fort Bragg, in Mendocino County.
If Melanie is here she’s in stealth mode. ;o)
“They are located way up North…”
For non-NorCal folks, I think that is pretty descriptive. I guess I could have been more specific “…(prob 3-4 hours North) of Sonoma (the town) in Mendocino county.”
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Yeah, Sonoma County is HUGE and then you get to Mendocino.
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