Patz & Hall Wine Co.

Patz and Hall began as a side hustle between friends. James Hall, an assistant winemaker at Napa's Flora Springs, and Donald Patz, its national sales manager, dreamed of making wine their own way; with partners Anne Moses and Heather Patz they scraped together $20,000, convinced a grower to hand over Chardonnay grapes on credit, and released their first wine from the 1988 vintage. It sold out before the next harvest. Staking everything on single-vineyard Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from elite family growers, Larry Hyde, the Duttons, Lee Hudson, Charlie Chenoweth, Gary Pisoni, the four built one of California's most consistently acclaimed wineries, with bottlings that reliably earn 90-plus scores from sites like Hyde Vineyard and Gap's Crown.

Washington's Ste. Michelle Wine Estates bought the winery in 2016 in its first Sonoma acquisition, with Hall staying on as winemaker. Then came the twist: after private equity firm Sycamore Partners acquired Ste. Michelle and began shedding its California brands, Hall and a small group of investors bought Patz and Hall back in 2024, with the co-founder becoming the largest shareholder of the winery he had started 36 years earlier. Production runs about 40,000 cases across roughly two dozen Chardonnay and Pinot Noir bottlings plus a trio of sparkling wines, now guided by senior winemaker James McCeney in consultation with Hall. Seated, by-appointment tastings at the ranch-style Sonoma House on Eighth Street East look out to vineyards along the Mayacamas.

Two things on this page were out of date. Patz and Hall is no longer owned by Ste. Michelle Wine Estates: the winery was sold back to co-founder James Hall and a small group of investors in March 2024. It has also moved out of its longtime Sonoma House home to a bungalow just off the Sonoma Plaza. Tastings there are by appointment for groups of up to twelve, with flights of sparkling, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, complimentary for members and roughly $40 to $60 otherwise, waived with a two-bottle purchase. Confirm the current address when you book, since the move is recent.

Not Yet Reviewed

Paradise Ridge Winery

California · Sonoma

Not Yet Reviewed

Passaggio And Company

California · Sonoma

Not Yet Reviewed

Passalacqua Winery

California · Sonoma

Not Yet Reviewed

Paul Hobbs Winery

California · Sonoma

Not Yet Reviewed

Paul Mathew Vineyards

California · Sonoma

Not Yet Reviewed

Pax Wine Cellars

California · Sonoma