Visit
Taste in Dane Cellar’s Historic Tank Room
Address: 14300 Arnold Dr, Glen Ellen, CA 95442
Phone: (707) 529-5856
Taste with Winemaker Bart Hansen in the historic Tank Room in Glen Ellen! Enjoy a selection of wines and journey through the story of one of the oldest, most enchanting buildings in Sonoma Valley.
Choose from three options to taste at the historic Tank Room:
- Tank Room – Inside The Tank itself, in a cozy circular room with standing room for up to 6 people.
- Patio – On the patio outside the Tank Room accommodating up to 4 people seated.
- Winemaker’s Round Table – Inside the Winemaker’s Office at the Tank Room, accommodating seating for up to 8 people.
History of “The Tank”
Anyone who has spent time in Glen Ellen knows that The Tank is a landmark here, albeit somewhat unofficial. The history of The Tank goes back more than 160 years when, in 1856, Chauvet purchased a sawmill and some 500 acres of land in Glen Ellen and built a new stone winery and a still for brandy production. Of course, there were no stainless-steel tanks at that time – the invention of stainless steel wouldn’t come until 1913 – so these massive tanks were built out of gorgeous redwood.
Chauvet’s winery continued to produce wine for nearly 100 years – incredibly, through Prohibition. It gradually fell into disuse, though, and in the 1960s was sold and renamed Jack London Village, with the idea that the site would feature shops, restaurants, and art galleries.
At some point our tank was preserved, disassembled, and moved across the road, next to a tractor barn and utility buildings. We don’t know the exact intent of this move, but we like to think it was done in anticipation of becoming the Dane Cellars tasting room, nearly sixty years later.
Come visit this historic landmark and schedule a tasting in the, now, Dane Cellars Tank Room!
Images of the original winery and distillery on the left in 1887 (Joshua Chauvet’s Winery and Distillery) and on the right in the late 1930’s (Pagani’s Glen Ellen Winery and Distillery).
