At Bowman Cellars, we pride ourselves in creating a unique and personable experience that is fitting for an outstanding day in wine country. Just an hour north of San Francisco, we provide an unforgettable getaway experience that emerges guess into a one-of-a-kind Russian River Valley tasting room experience.

A Russian River Valley Tasting Room Legacy

A lot of winery stories begin far from the cellars of wine country, with some old bottle of Burgundy uncorking a latent passion for the good dead grape. Bowman Cellars founder Alexander Bowman says he became entranced with wine, eventually, while working in one winery after another.

Alex’s family runs Bowman Electric, and he was well on his way to a career as an electrician, installing systems in Sonoma County wineries, when he began making wine as a hobby but sort of inadvertently took the plunge when he agreed to trade an electrical job for three tons of Cabernet Sauvignon grapes.

Without bothering readers with the math, suffice to say that’s a lot more Cab than a person can reasonably drink themselves or give away to friends and family.

But with family know-how from his aunt, who had worked at Frog’s Leap Winery for many years, and support from his wife, Kate Bowman, whose grandfather founded Andy’s Produce Market (a West County institution, it’s a produce stand and gourmet natural foods grocery located up the highway in Sebastopol) Bowman launched his winery with the claret-like 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon ($38).

The Cab was a hit, and recently they got some buzz for their Chardonnay, but the location’s the thing at this tasting room, which has seating options aplenty and a smartly landscaped front patio, shaded with umbrellas. Twice a month on Saturdays, pop-up chefs serve gourmet bites, and wine is served from a shiny, converted Airstream trailer. Nosh like truffle cheddar grilled cheese, house chips, and a cheese plate are available other days.

Rosé on Tap

The starter is a raspberry scented, nicely chalky and creamy Blanc de Noirs sparkling wine ($38), and the main focus is the toasty, rich but nicely balanced 2016 Russian River Valley Chardonnay ($32) and the very pretty, red-fruited 2016 Russian River Valley Pinot Noir ($42), accented with vanilla and tea leaf.

But the wine to drink now, and often, is the light, sur lie aged rosé of Pinot Noir, $8 per glass poured right from the tap, or $25 a bottle, freshly filled to take away to your next summer’s day lounging mission. ($4 refill discount when you bring back the container).