Buena Vista Winery

Agoston Haraszthy (1812-1869) was elected Sheriff of San Diego County in 1850 and later settled in Sonoma, where he founded Buena Vista Winery in 1857. He chose the southernmost part of Sonoma Valley for the winery, a location that let his estate of more than 6,000 acres stretch into parts of Sonoma and Napa. He named the winery for the view from its hills. In 1861 Haraszthy toured Europe to gather grape vine cuttings, and he oversaw planting the vineyards and digging wine storage tunnels into the limestone rock of the hillsides. He built a villa near the winery in 1857-58, and in 1863 he founded the Buena Vista Vinicultural Society.

• 1850: Haraszthy was elected Sheriff of San Diego County.
• 1857: Haraszthy founded Buena Vista Winery in Sonoma.
• 1861: Haraszthy toured Europe to gather grape vine cuttings.
• 1863: Haraszthy founded the Buena Vista Vinicultural Society.

The winery at 18000 Old Winery Road, about two miles northeast of Sonoma, is California Historical Landmark No. 392, Buena Vista Winery and Vineyards. The site of Haraszthy's villa, on Castle Road near the winery, is California Historical Landmark No. 392-1. The 1857 winery is on the National Register of Historic Places. The 1862 stone Press House was damaged in the 1906 earthquake. The historic champagne cellars and caves had been closed to the public since 1989; they reopened in 2012 after an extensive earthquake retrofit.

• California Historical Landmark No. 392 (winery) and No. 392-1 (Haraszthy villa site).
• The 1857 winery is on the National Register of Historic Places.
• The stone Press House dates from 1862.
• The champagne cellars, closed to the public from 1989, reopened in 2012.

Boisset Family Estates bought Buena Vista from Ascentia Wine Estates in 2011; the purchase covered the brand, inventory and the historic winery site, while Ascentia had already sold the large Carneros production winery. Jean-Charles Boisset is the winery's proprietor. David Ramey was hired as consulting winemaker in 2011, overseeing that year's production of 41,500 cases. In 2012 Brian Maloney, who also made the DeLoach wines, was set to oversee production of the Buena Vista wines with Ramey as consulting winemaker, and Maloney was the winemaker as of September 2018. Jean-Charles Boisset's holdings also included DeLoach, Raymond, Elizabeth Spencer Winery and Oakville Grocery.

• 2011: Boisset Family Estates bought the brand, inventory and historic winery site from Ascentia Wine Estates.
• Proprietor: Jean-Charles Boisset.
• Consulting winemaker David Ramey hired in 2011; Brian Maloney named in 2012 to oversee production; Maloney was winemaker as of September 2018.

Buena Vista sources grapes through connections with family-owned vineyards and growers, from sites in the Napa Valley and across Sonoma County. Its sources range from the colder locations of the Petaluma Gap for Pinot Noir to high-elevation Cabernet Sauvignon on Moon Mountain. Many of the vineyards it sources from sit on rolling hills that look directly onto San Pablo Bay. In the winery's account, the afternoon wind it calls the Petaluma Express lowers vineyard temperatures and extends the growing season.

• Grapes sourced through family-owned vineyards and growers in Sonoma County and the Napa Valley.
• Pinot Noir from the Petaluma Gap; Cabernet Sauvignon from Moon Mountain.
• Many source vineyards overlook San Pablo Bay.

The range is organised into collections: Chateau Buena Vista, the Founder's Collection, Private Reserve, the Vinicultural Society and the Heritage Collection. Chateau Buena Vista includes Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley and appellation bottlings such as Calistoga, St. Helena, Stags Leap, Oakville and Rutherford, along with Carneros Chardonnay and Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir. The Founder's Collection honors Haraszthy and includes The Sheriff of Buena Vista, The Mint, Revenge, The Founder, The Captain, The Aristocrat and 1857. Private Reserve covers Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay. Vinicultural Society wines are small-production bottlings sold only at the winery and to club members, among them Pinot Noirs named Bela's, Geza's, Ida's and Otelia's Selection, and The Count's Selection wines from varieties including Charbono, Valdiguie, Trousseau Gris and French Colombard.

• Chateau Buena Vista: Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon and appellation bottlings, Carneros Chardonnay, Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir.
• Founder's Collection: The Sheriff of Buena Vista, The Mint, Revenge, The Founder, The Captain, The Aristocrat, 1857.
• Private Reserve: Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay.
• Vinicultural Society: small-production wines sold only at the winery and to club members.

Since 2011 Buena Vista has made small-lot wines in open-top oak fermenters with native yeasts and hand punch-downs. The winery describes its aim as making wines that tell the story of viniculture from the historic to the modern, 'truly reflecting the character and style of each grape and vineyard.' It traces its winemaking lineage 'from Haraszthy to Tschelisteff to Maloney.'

• Small-lot wines, open-top oak fermenters, native yeasts, hand punch-downs.

At the 2026 North Coast Wine Challenge, the 2023 The Sheriff (45% Petite Sirah, 27% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Grenache Noir, 10% Syrah, 7% Carignane) won double gold with 98 points and reached the sweepstakes round. At the same competition, the 2023 Chateau Buena Vista Chardonnay from Los Carneros won double gold with 96 points, and the 2023 Chateau Buena Vista Pinot Noir from the Sonoma Coast won gold with 94 points. At the 2018 Sonoma County Harvest Fair, the 2016 Bela's Selection Russian River Valley Pinot Noir won the Sweepstakes Red award.

• 2026 North Coast Wine Challenge: 2023 The Sheriff, double gold, 98 points, sweepstakes round.
• 2026 North Coast Wine Challenge: 2023 Chateau Buena Vista Chardonnay, Los Carneros, double gold, 96 points.
• 2018 Sonoma County Harvest Fair: 2016 Bela's Selection Pinot Noir, Sweepstakes Red.

Primary sources (producer's own site): https://buenavistawinery.com/about-us, https://buenavistawinery.com/about-us/history, https://buenavistawinery.com/winemaking, https://buenavistawinery.com/vineyards, https://buenavistawinery.com/about-us/the-sheriff-of-buena-vista, https://buenavistawinery.com/collection/wines, https://buenavistawinery.com/shop/shop/all/viticultural-society, https://buenavistawinery.com/shop/shop/all/chateau-buena-vista, https://buenavistawinery.com/shop/shop/all/founders-collection. Official source: California Office of Historic Preservation, Sonoma County historical landmarks (https://ohp.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=21528). Secondary sources: The Press Democrat (28 April 2011, 14 August 2011, 1 October 2012, 19 July 2018, 30 September 2018, 22 April 2026), Wine Spectator (3 May 2011, September 2026) and the San Francisco Chronicle (23 September 2026). Last verified 2026-10-14. Where the producer's site and a secondary source disagree, the producer's site governs.