I was disappointed with our guides reaction when we wanted to go to Robert Mondavi. He told us it cost $40 for tasting and that they are not very nice there to tours. After persisting from 5 of us, especially after going to Rombauer, which we did not enjoy, he took us to Mondavi. Well, the tasting is $20 and they were fabulous as were the wines. I found the bigger wineries were not a option with our guide as the smaller wineries gave him some kind of kickback...like the free bottle of wine he collected at Cline. Lunch we bought at Dean and Deluca and ate in a school yard! So, overall we enjoyed maybe 50% of the day. Also, he seemed surprised when mentioned the ferry ride home and deterred us from doing so. I also didn't like the 20% or more gratuity is appreciated sign posted in the van.
Flexible small group! Exactly what I was looking for, the guide took us to some good places and we were also able to make request if they were within reason. The small group and flexible schedule made this the perfect day trip.
Firstly: tour guide was hilarious. His name was Dave and he really made the trip great. Secondly: we had the liberty of choosing where we wanted to go as we were such a small group. None of us had anything in mind so Dave chose for us. Even though it was Easter Sunday and many wineries closed at 3PM we were able to make the most of it. We were able to drive through Sausalito on the way back and stop to take photos of the bridge. It was a truly great day.