Great suggestions. Thanks.
I can see spending a day there and having dinner in Mendicino.
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What is the release date on this one? Fall 2023? I have a friend who loves the wines of that valley (and loves Bourbon and Whiskey too…).
That’s nice that you think I have either any knowledge of that or any say so in that matter. I appreciate it.
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Thanks, have PM’ed you!
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indeed a sleepy place. visiting bee hunter was great. andy was very engaging and the docker hill pinot was excellent. definitely on the smaller side, so maybe in line with what you’re looking for.
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My only counsel for visiting that part of the state is to have a fully charged phone and a topped up tank of gas (or car battery)
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It’s a short jaunt out to the coast and Mendocino (the town). Well worth the trip - and a lot of scenery to be sign with great hiking trails along the coast. Cafe Beaujolais is great for dinner, their backyard for pizza for lunch… You can order wines off the big list - had a great set of half bottles - Pousse d’Or Volnay and Chambolle side by side a few weeks ago. In Boonville, don’t miss the Disco Ranch for wines - Wendy does an amazing job - Mendocino is her only focus on “local” bottles, her Champagne selection is great!
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In Mendocino, there’s a local grocery store that has a good selection from local producers at solid prices.
Navarro was really friendly and had a very wide variety of wines on hand, including of some of their late harvests. Anderson Valley seems to be one of the few places in CA with consistent late harvest Gewürztraminers and Rieslings on offer from lots of wineries.
Witching Stick is definitely a good stop too. I enjoyed the Pinots from the various Mendocino Ridge vineyards from them more than pretty much all the ones from the Valley that I tried and would seek out more of those if possible.
I will second that some of the vineyards not actually in the valley are really quite nice… it’s only been a decade, but these are my favorite vineyards in Mendocino county based on hundreds of wines tasted…
Cerise (only KB now it seems)
Morning Dew (deep end)
Oppenlander (way north and inland in Comptche)
Kiser (deep end)
Next tier:
Valenti (mendo ridge)
Fashauer (either app)
Manchester Ridge (mr)
Wendling (av)
Wentzel (av)
Gianoli
Baker Ranch
Sure I’m missing a couple good ones but MD and Oppenlander are really good from basically anyone who produces it. Cerise is who knows at this point since they ripped up a ton and replanted.
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Seawolf in Yorkville Highlands is making some terrific zinfandels and some other ,more unusual, varieties. Jesse Hall and his wife Emma, who is the winemaker for Mauritson in Dry Creek, are the owners/winemakers, and great folks.
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@Dan_Sch took me on an amazing tour down Anderson Valley in 2019 and I thought Baxter was a real standout from a quality standpoint. Roederer is an excellent palate refresher. I also rather like Husch and Navarro - two of the better-known names in the area but they each make a wide range of good wines at very reasonable prices. Pennyroyal I think is worth checking out for the cheese but pass on the wines.
+1 for Disco Ranch. A great collection of international and local wines.
If only our palates weren’t shot by the evening we might have been more discerning faced with an entire picnic table of 2012 AV Pinots. I recall a lot being very good but it was hard to be very precise in that setting.
Reminds me that earlier this year the 2012s I’ve had have shown very well with no sign of slowing down. The producers mentioned above actually improve significantly over the years… and Cerise makes very long lived wines that can be a bit too tough when young.
They seem to be selling through the wines pretty well without the tasting room. Judging by the increase in prices alone they must have a locked in purchasing base. Good for them! It was nice to be able to taste when I stopped for lunch at the madrones in the past.
My favorite visit was when the tr manager educated me about the very pesticides that I work on as a regulator. It got really weird really fast. The least harmful and least controversial pesticides out there…but she knew better. I had to ask for each wine to break the flow of nonsense.
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Navarro for sure.
Wendling and Bearwallow are across the highway from Kiser. That probably had you confused.