Repris

Repris is Michael's pick as the best of the best in this collection, with an ambiance score of 9 and a wine score to match. His note is blunt about the trade-off: it is the prettiest winery on the list, and it is pricey.

The estate is the historic Moon Mountain Vineyard above Sonoma, worked for more than 125 years, and proprietor Jim Momtazee frames the project as stewardship of that site rather than ownership of it. The wines are balanced Bordeaux and Rhone styles, and most are available only to members or to guests on the day they visit, so tasting here is the only realistic way to try them. The lookout point, reached on mules, is the thing people remember. Book well ahead for a Sonoma Valley day.