This winery is probably my favorite unexpected find from our years of annual visits to Sonoma. First got introduced to it on a recommendation from Mayo's reserve room down the street on a family vacation. We fell in love with their port- including my dad, who drinks once or twice a year at most. I came for a return visit this year and the private tasting experience was really special, with the tasting guide giving me extra pours based on what I said I liked and didn't like. I ended up taking back one bottle of the chenin blanc and three of the port and narrowly decided against bringing home one of the cabs. Once we got back home and had the chenin blanc (a great, balanced white), I decided I had under-ordered so we ordered a few more chenin blancs, another port, and two of the Greenville Summit cabs (which I had immediately regretted not ordering but rectified and am enjoying at this very moment). Highly, highly recommend for interesting and high-quality wines. read more

All of the wines at En Guard are stunningly good. This is a small, boutique, family-owned winery. Csaba (Shaba), the owner, comes from a wine-making family back in the old country.The Engarde Touche is a 99-point wine and is poured at only a few very elite restaurants. Yet you will never find these wines in any wine shop or grocery store. If you are anywhere near Kenwood, do yourself a favour and see for yourself. My two cents. read more

Lovely service and delicious wine! Try the berry port! Convenient to many other tasting rooms.

This is a not so hidden gem on Highway 12 and is a 'must' for anyone looking for a more intimate tasting experience. We visited En Garde yesterday with family and were all so happy we did. Our tasting was private...we were the only patrons in our room and Jay, our tasting room host, was charming, knowledgeable and very welcoming. We never felt hurried and he was the best in every way. The wines, too, were a beautiful treat with a stellar Chenin Blanc (such a find!) and lovely Pinots and Cabs. This is not a 'big box' experience and reservations must be made in advance. Highly recommended!!! read more

If you're looking for a breathtaking wine country estate in which to do your tastings, you can zoom past En Garde Winery without blinking. What they have here is the exact opposite: an unimpressive little roadside building that would only inspire a visit if you were open to surprises. I am. Inside, En Garde Winery is an intimate charm. It's decorated in an upscale fashion but lacking pretension or fanciness. It mostly just feels like a nice place to sit and taste wine and once their staff starts shining attention on you the whole experience grows quite enchanting. My tasting here was fully in the hands of the server who implored me to let him handle things. Whatever we had marked as the wines we wished to try? Out the window in the best way possible. Leaving the heavy lifting to him, he had us tasting pretty much everything, despite how many tastes we were officially entitled to. The result? My cellar now includes several bottles of En Garde wines. En Garde's Hungarian-born winemaker, Csaba, will be name-dropped a lot during the tasting, as it should be. Specializing in Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir, he creates quite excellent, well-reviewed versions of both. En Garde has the distinction of being open a bit later than nearby wineries, inspiring people to drop in as their last stop of the day. I know what condition I'm sometimes in at the end of a day of wine tasting so trust me when I say that you're doing yourself a disservice if En Garde is anything less than your first, possibly second, stop of the day. read more

We stopped by on a whim and we are so glad we did! We were greeted by Skip, who told us all about the history of this great wine, and the story of the winemaker from Hungary. Skip served us a round of two Pinots and two Cabs as well as a straight Franc. Very unusual wines. We purchased some. read more

En Garde Winery - Small collection of En Garde wines - Wineries Near Me - Kenwood, California

We came here during the Easter weekend and we only stopped by because of recommendation from someone at the Kunde Winery. I am really glad we stopped here because one of the tasting room employees (a handsome gentleman with a short name - John, Paul, Mark.....one of the apostles) was amazing and knew exactly what he was talking about. He even handed us Easter eggs with coupons in them. I ended up liking all of their wines but I ended up buying one of the cabs. This place is definitely just a tasting room and there's nothing pretty about the surroundings or the property. It's just all about the wines. Which for me, as a local, is just fine. Though, imagine how much more they'd sell if they had everyone experiencing the property whilst sipping on some delicious wine. With that said, the wines were pricey. Especially, considering that there really wasn't anywhere to walk around and smell the flowers and considering it's Sonoma which tends to have less expensive wines on average. Either way, I still highly recommend this place. Definitely. read more

Amazing service and wines! We had a great time tasting with Neil and learning about the history of En Garde and the wine making practices. Lovely tasting room in the Valley of the Moon. Can't wait to come back! read more

I have heard great things about En Garde wines, and the rumors were true! The wine was so smooth and delicious that I ended up buying more bottles to give out as gifts to clients. But what made the experience even better, was the excellent customer service I received. Jay from En Garde was so willing to help with not only my wine needs but offered his assistance in things to do around Sonoma. I very much appreciated everything he did to make my experience in Sonoma wonderful. You will not be disappointed with En Garde Wine. read more

En Garde Winery - En Garde 2018 Pinot Noir - Wineries Near Me - Kenwood, California

This place made us feel special! Came in on a whim without a reservation, but Neil took us right in and made us feel like first class. He explained everything about the wines we tasted, like if we were sitting in the living room of his house :) The winery has a very interesting family history...I'm not telling, you gotta go and find out! read more

Stopped in here to do a tasting and the gentleman who served us was one of the most knowledgeable people we met on our trip. He was a great host and the wine was great. It is well worth a stop at this place even thought it's just a tasting room. Would definitely put it on our list of places to stop next visit read more

Fantastic micro-production winery - enjoyed every wine we tried during our visit. Small, relaxed tasting room with fun and comfy couches. Jay was an incredibly friendly and knowledgable host - we really enjoyed talking with him about the wines and history of the winery. As for the wines: elegant, poised Pinot Noirs, 2016 Sonoma Coast and 2014 Starkey Hill were two standouts, and really delicious rich and fragrant, but balanced Diamond Mountain cabs. Pricing is on the higher end, arguably a little too high for their library cabs, but dedication and quality in winemaking process shines through the wines. Highly recommend - En Garde are receiving some fantastic coverage/ratings in wine press right now so visit while the wine is still readily available! read more

Wine tasting here is a truly pleasant experience. We came when there was no one else there (it's a pretty small boutique in a remote area so I'm sure that's not uncommon) and so we had a private, intimate tasting. It's a bit pricey at $20 per tasting but the quality of the wines definitely justifies it. Really all of the ones we tasted were lovely and we ended up buying quite a few of the Tempranillo (great wine and price point). You aren't rushed at all or pressured by sales pitches, just simply there to relax and have some delicious wine. And that we did. read more

En Garde Winery - Wineries Near Me - Kenwood, California

Tasting was like having your own wine tutor! Skip was very knowledgeable and friendly. Great variety and quality of wines.

I can't say enough about the quality of the wines here. Do not miss the chance to explore the Pinots and Cabs. All of the wines have a fantastic purity and depth to them. Jay and Skip make the whole experience even better. They are kind, knowledgable, and made my time with them unforgettable! read more

This is a small winery with great wines! The tasting was very personal and so fun. Paul did an absolutely fantastic job and it was so wonderful talking to him, it was one of the highlights of our trip. Do not miss this winery if you are in the area! read more

Excellent wines. Small production. We had a wonderful experience with Jay. The Diamond mountain cabs are exceptional. Highly recommend stopping by. read more

We've loved En Garde since their days in the East Bay. We were excited to have stumbled upon their Sonoma home and forgot how wonderful their wines are. Fell in love with the Tempranillo and brought home a few bottles to enjoy. Definitely miss having them close by but glad to see they're doing so well in the real wine country. Christine was awesome and we enjoyed her company and taking us through the tasting! read more

En Garde Winery - Love this place. Amazing wines. - Wineries Near Me - Kenwood, California

Ran in at the end of the day.... Josh helped us out. Now I remember what amazing wine tastes like! Such a pleasant surprise! If it weren't so expensive I would've bought one of each! Not kidding! Every single wine was exquisite! Under the oaks, this started off our vacation perfectly! read more

Great , clean & modern ,uncluttered tasting room. But im here for the delicious juice! The Albariño was perfect for a hot afternoon day. The RRV Pinot noir was very pleasing and I wanted to ask it out on a date Even though we just met. The cab is worth more than the $78 bucks considering its an '08 And has racked up plenty of gold medals. I believe Coleen said there were just a little over 100 cases made. Quick question, Does anyone wanna go in halves and pick up a case?!! read more

Fantastic cabernets, pinots and one of my all time favorite rosés! Jay is amazing, full of knowledge and treats each person who walks in the door like a guest in his own home. Highly recommend! And don't miss out on the wine club...I love having bottles of En Garde at home! read more

Good stuff! Can I just leave it at that? Met the winemaker and he is really nice. The Cabernets at this winery is one of my faves. Stop by and check it out when in Sonoma. read more

En Garde Winery - Wineries Near Me - Kenwood, California

This is one of my favorite wineries. I've been part of their wine club for about 6 months and love it so far! You get to customize your allocations which is a big plus. Their diamond mountain cab and their mount veeder cab franc are some of my favorite wines of all time. They also have an amazing Albariño (which is pretty hard to find at CA wineries). read more

En Garde Winery - Wineries Near Me - Kenwood, California

*Awesome *So un snobby *Wines are a bit spendy but worth the price read more

Beautiful tasting lounge in the Sonoma Valley with high quality, elegant wines. Diamond Mountain Napa Cabs and Russian River Pinots--- need I say more! OK...Cute wine steward behind the counter, wonderful white wine called Albarino and an amazing Berry Port. I typically don't like Ports but the Magdalena Berry Port is unbelievable!!!! read more

En Garde Winery - 95 point Cab!!! - Wineries Near Me - Kenwood, California

Only sharing this review in my opinion of what a great wine tasting experience should be since I am no gentlemen who sleeps in their suit and tie. The atmosphere is super casual. They are not going to treat you like they want you in bed. They are not going to BS about their grapes with the regions, how hard their owners works and all the other BS sucking you in to think they are the best. With the limits quantity of wine they do not care about selling out their brand. One thing for certain they will not do. THEY ARE GOING TO POUR A BAD TASTING WINE !!! They wine is exceptional. I read someone mentioned "VJB" across the street. If you think they are great, then you are most likely not into the wine but more of the tasting experience. Someone could have pour an air out $3 trader joes and it would not have made any difference because of the scenery. By the way, their wines are unfiltered so if you do not like that smokey and muddy taste of wine this place might not be for you. En Garde is a great place, do not go there ! Save the wine for me !!!! I am not a "VJB" fan , especially they bought one of my most favorite wine maker in the Sonoma Country recently and will be re-branding it in 2017 ..... read more

Very good wines, a bit high priced. We bought four bottles of Pinot and Cab, totaling $260, and were a bit surprised that they still charged a $40 tasting fee on top of that. read more

Great little tasting room...love their Pinots and highly recommend joining the wine club. Their Sonoma coast Pinot is the best we've found! Ask for Jay! read more

First what amazing wines! Paul the Manager was so kind and patient with all of our questions answering all of them beyond our expectations. His excitement and depth of knowledge was invigorating to say the least. My wife and I joined the club. Thank you Paul, looking forward to our next visit. read more

Wow, this winery is a great addition to Kenwood! The wines here are sumptuous and their staff is so helpful in guiding you through a tasting. Their Pinot was superb but the Albarino was a huge surprise as I normally wouldn't try it. This wine or their Dry Rose is the wine to bring to summer outings. Both were so delish and will pair well with all our light foods. But the absolute gem was the Cabernet Sauvignon from Diamond Mountain. Whenever I drink Diamond Mountain Cab, I feel like Demi Moore rolling around in a bed full of cash and this one is no exception! Well worth the price since it can be cellared for awhile and will probably represent great value in the upcoming years. Great space and a relaxed tasting with knowledgeable people! Will visit again and not just because I forgot to buy a bottle of their Magdalena berry port! read more

This is by far my favorite winery! I have been a club member for 5 or so years and can't say enough about this place! Csaba is a brilliant winemaker and everything he makes is A+. The servers, Paul and Jay, are extremely knowledgeable and friendly. You feel like you are visiting old friends:) I always stop in when I am in Kenwood and I always bring my friends here as the experience is one of a kind. read more

Amazing winery that is extremely personable and special. We came for my friend's birthday and our severs were Jay and Paul and wow we felt like we we were treated like rotalty. All wines were amazing and everyone was so hospitable. This was the best place to end our day and spend our money! Loved every second of this place! Highly recommend. read more

An unexpected pleasure! Paul was lovely, just lovely, and the wine are incredible quality. Their Magdalena port is otherworldly. The whole experience surpassed every expectation. Would highly recommend! read more

I have been raving about this place since my stop-in. Magnificent wines and every one I tasted was stellar! The small, intimate tasting room is cozy and the staff is friendly. A must-stop if you want some exceptional wines from a brand you've likely never heard of. I hadn't, but now tell everyone about it. Highest recommendation! read more

Came here on a recommendation from another winery. We went in expecting a enjoyable experience. We were greeted by Paul, who was pleasant enough. However, as he was talking about the wines and the various areas that the grapes came from he proceeded to talk negatively of several wineries. One of which he was previously employed at. From that point on it turned us off. We payed for our tastings, but would not buy wine from them and not recommend this place to others. read more

Every wine speaks to my palate. There are mostly reds but the white and rose wines are also exceptional. You will be pleasantly surprised with each varietal. Be sure to compare the Piot Noir wines on offer. If you visit one winery this year, make it En Garde. read more

Unfortunately, En Garde just didn't really do it for me. Lovely, modern tasting room, but extremely small so larger parties would definitely not be an option here. I came over the Sonoma Valley Crush weekend and you could not move an inch. (Not their fault of course, they were busy!) The man pouring for us was the best part of the experience. He was beyond entertaining and really knew his stuff, but the wines just weren't right for my palate. However, I loved the story behind how the winery came to fruition and that they had an Albarino on the tasting menu as well. Maybe others would like it better, but the wines fell a bit short for me. read more

I have to agree with the reviewer who said that each wine spoke to his palate. I became a wine club member after having their white/rose/port tasting, their pinot tasting, and their cab tasting. Highlights for us included: albariño, rose, Magdalena, 2010 pinot & reserve pinot, and 2008 cab and (best of all) the 2008 reserve cab. Each wine was beautifully balanced and structured. I am not usually a pinot person, but theirs makes me think I've never had a good one. Exceptional wine, and worth every penny! We will be back -- this is the best wine I've had in Sonoma/Kenwood. The owner was really friendly too -- I enjoyed listening to his stories about growing up on his grandfather's vineyard in Hungary. We came here on a recommendation from the Mayo Family Winery (also good - Mayo has a $6 tasting featuring a Zin that, at $40, is great value for the money). read more

Great pinot noir, we did the tasting and the service was very friendly, she was clearly very knowledgeable about the area and wine in general and never made us feel rushed to finish the pours. Also a great variety of grapes that you don't necessarily see elsewhere in Sonoma. read more

Wow. Paul was an incredible host as we discovered Sonoma valley for the very first time. His extensive knowledge and hospitality made the experience unforgettable. Every wine we tried was outstanding unlike many of the other vineyards we toured throughout our visit. I can't wait to visit them again when they are HUGE!! Thank you Paul for making me a believer!! read more