**Updated February 2023***
The Anderson Valley in Mendocino County is one of my favorite wine regions in California.
With its forested yet coastal feel, unique wines, and relaxed pace (which is helped by a refreshing lack of complete over-gentrification) the Anderson Valley offers a wonderful wine country respite.
Just a little over two hours from San Francisco, the trip to visit Anderson Valley wineries can feel much longer due to the notoriously windy portion of the 128 one must traverse to get into the region. But, the trip is always worth it.
My suggestion is to give yourself at least a day and a night in the region so that you can visit a handful of wineries at a leisurely pace and soak that super relaxed Anderson Valley vibe up before heading onward to the coast or back home.
The following seven Anderson Valley wineries are among my favorite in Mendocino County. All of these wineries or tastings rooms have locations right off of the 128 highway so it is very easy to visit a handful of wineries in one day. That said, I personally prefer to visit no more than three wineries in a day, as I like to sleep in and pace myself as well as leave ample time for a leisurely lunch.
1. Anderson Valley Wineries: Baxter Winery
Started in 2002, by Phil L. Baxter and Phil T. G. Baxter, a father and son duo of winemakers, Baxter Winery has a modern, clean, minimalist design tasting room space located on the 128 in Philo. If you stop to taste their wines, there is a good chance you’ll be served by one of the family members. While Baxter may be most renowned for their Pinot Noirs, I was particularly impressed by their absolutely stunning Chardonnay which blew me away with its bright lemon and mineral notes, light whiff of French oak, structure, and long finish.
2. Anderson Valley Wineries: Drew Family Wines
Owned by Jason and Molly Drew, Drew Family Wines vineyards and winery are located up in the hills in Elk, North of Philo. They don’t have a tasting room at the winery but do offer vineyard tours and tastings by appointment.
Until recently (December 2022) Drew also had a tasting room in the Madrones complex in Philo (next to Wickson, Longmeadow wines, etc.) but have since closed this tasting room to shift the focus to seeing guests at their home vineyard and winery estate property.
While all of the Drew wines are spectacular, their Pinot Noirs receive the most attention (especially among those who like clean, high acid, cool climate Pinot Noir). Think lean, clean, coastal pinot noir humming with just the right amount of tension. They also make a stunning (and very rare-in Mendocino) Albariño, Chardonnay, Viognier, three different single vineyard Syrahs, and a farmhouse cider made from apples that come from heirloom trees on their Mendocino Ridge property.
Email appointment@drewwines.com to schedule a visit and tasting.
3. Anderson Valley Wineries: Fathers and Daughters Cellars
Started by two Fathers, Kurt Schoeneman and Guy Pacurar, and Guy’s wife Sarah (who is also Kurt’s daughter) Fathers and Daughters Cellars was inspired by the family’s ownership of prime Pinot Noir vineyards in the Anderson Valley and the birth of Guy and Sarah’s daughter Ella. Having the connection to the vineyards that Kurt had farmed for decades (and sold to prestigious wineries in Sonoma and Mendocino counties) and to the Anderson Valley, Guy and Kurt decided to create a business that would bring three generations of their family together, and continue to be something that future generations of fathers and daughters (and o.k… mothers and sons too…) in their family can carry on.
This tiny Anderson Valley winery doesn’t have a tasting room, and until recently wasn’t able to offer tasting experiences to customers in the Anderson Valley on a consistent basis. They previously poured their wines for guests at the Brewery Gulch Inn (which Guy owned) until late 2022 when Guy sold the Inn.
The family is now able to hold tastings at their Ferrington Vineyard property in the Anderson Valley. Tastings are available by advance reservation. Guy or his wife Sarah are the ones that host and pour wines for guests, making it a unique experience in the Valley.
The winery currently makes fewer than 1000 cases of wine. Wines include a Pet-Nat of Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, a Sauvignon Blanc-Gewurztraminer-Chardonnay blend, and Pinot Noir. Email Guy at dad@fanddcellars.com to request an appointment to visit the winery. The winery doesn’t yet have a booking system set up on their website.
4. Anderson Valley Wineries: Handley Cellars
Founded in the ’80s by Milla Handley and her husband Rex, the winery is now jointly run by Milla and her two daughters Lulu and Megan. Handley’s focus has always been on showcasing the unique terroir in Anderson Valley. The Handley tasting room, garden courtyard, and folk art gallery are open to visitors seven days a week. The winery specializes in aromatic white wines and pinot noirs. My personal favorites are the riesling and pinot noir rosĂ©.
5. Anderson Valley Wineries: Navarro Vineyards
Navarro Vineyards has been a favorite with wine lovers since the 70’s when the winery was founded by Ted Bennett and Deborah Cahn. They are known for their beautiful grounds, their wide range of amazing aromatic white wines (especially their Alsace varietal wines) that are extremely well priced, and great customer experience. I recommend taking one of Navarro’s guided vineyard tours, which are offered daily at 10:30 am and 2 pm. My favorite Navarro wines are normally the Gewurztraminer and Riesling but I also love their dry Muscat Blanc, Methode l’Ancienne Pinot Noir, and Grenache Blanc (a new addition to the list in 2023!)
Insider tip: Try not to assume you will or won’t like a certain white varietal until you taste it! I rarely drink California-grown Gewurztraminer but I am a big fan of Navarro’s lean, bright, and clean Gewurztraminer. It’s not perfumey, flabby, overly nutmeggy, or sweet like this grape can sometimes be (in warmer climates). Give it a try for yourself.. after all, the tastings at Navarro are free! 🙂
6. Anderson Valley Wineries: Husch Winery
Husch stands out as being among the most beautiful and unique properties. From the winery’s small but iconic tasting room that oozes old-school charm to the acres of rolling vineyards that sit against a stunning backdrop of forested mountains, and the vineyard’s scenic self-guided vineyard walks, Husch Winery offers visitors a special experience.
While Husch is perhaps best known for its dry and sweet Gewurztraminers the winery also makes excellent Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, Chenin Blanc, and a handful of other varieties grown either on their own property or sourced from nearby Anderson Valley vineyards owned by growers the winery has worked with for decades.
Husch Winery also offers visitors the unique opportunity to explore their beautiful property and vineyards by taking a self-guided vineyard tour. The tour guides guests through Husch’s organic vineyards and property with informational placards that share a little bit of information at each stop. This is the only winery in the Anderson Valley that offers guests the option of walking around their vineyards and property, unsupervised.
7. Anderson Valley Wineries: Pennyroyal Farm & Winery
One of the newest additions to the Valley, Pennyroyal Farm’s hospitality center/tasting room opened in 2016 after years of planning, building, and farming. The farm, creamery, and winery are the brainchild of Sarah Cahn-Bennett, daughter of Navarro Winery owners Ted Bennett and Deborah Cahn, who came back home after studying winemaking and viticulture at U.C. Davis in 2005 with a plan. Sarah runs the farm, creamery, and winery alongside Erika McKenzie Chapter, her head cheesemaker (and former U.C. Davis classmate). Her parents and brother are also co-owners (in fact the family all own equal shares of Navarro and Pennyroyal).
Pennyroyal offers wine tastings, cheese and wine pairings, farm and vineyard tours, and a small menu of dishes prepared from ingredients grown on the farm. They also host fun (and delicious) events on a monthly basis such as crab dinners, special food, and wine pairings, etc.
Try one of their farm tours and cheese tastings, followed by a wine tasting in the tasting room or a glass of wine and a couple of small plates (their food is fantastic!) on their beautiful vineyard-facing patio. This is one of the two places I recommend to people for lunch in the Anderson Valley (the other is Wickson restaurant).
All of the wines at Pennyroyal are fantastic but I’ve been particularly impressed by their Sauvignon Blanc and white blends.
8. Anderson Valley Wineries: Phillips Hill Winery
When it comes to Anderson Valley wineries that are known for Pinot Noir, Phillips Hill is in the ‘best of’ category. The winery was founded in the late 90s by Toby Hill, who fell in love with Pinot Noir and set out to build a winery of his own in the Anderson Valley. Named for both sides of Toby’s family (Phillips on his mother’s side and Hill on his father’s side), Phillips Hill has grown and evolved over the years to become one of the most renowned Pinot Noir-producing estates in the Anderson Valley. The estate is owned and operated today by Toby and his wife Natacha (a sommelier from the Loire Valley region of France).
The style of the wines at Phillips Hill is Old World meets New World. Toby’s winemaking practices are Old World (using native yeasts, minimal intervention, and pursuing a more elegant, balanced style) but he wants the unique terroir in their Anderson Valley vineyards to shine through in each wine.
Tasting experiences at Phillips Hill are held in their unique wood-paneled tasting room, housed in a restored apple drying facility (originally built in the 1880s) or outdoors at picnic tables. The vibe here is relaxed and comfortable yet professional. Reservations are recommended. The winery limits groups to 6 people maximum per group.
9. Anderson Valley Wineries: Roederer Estate
Come for the bubbles, stay for the views. Roeder Estate is nestled into a very picturesque parcel of land surrounded by rolling hills and vineyards. While the estate may seem rustic from the outside, inside you will find elegant and lux surroundings. Roederer Estate is internationally renowned as one of the best sparkling wine producers in the U.S. and many consider it to be the best outside of Napa. Their success is attributed both to the Anderson Valley’s unique winegrowing conditions as well as the fact that the winery is owned by the famed Champagne house, Champagne Louis Roederer.
Inside Roederer’s tasting room, you’ll be able to taste their signature sparkling wines in addition to their Chardonnay and Pinot Noir (typically), including an option to taste their sparkling wine from a magnum bottle so that you can experience the difference that bottle size can make. The winery also added a food menu, offering light bites (prepared by Roederer’s in-house Chef) in early 2022. The menu features small plates and items such as smoked salmon and creme fraiche, cured Spanish ham and potato chips, caviar, etc.
For most visitors to the Anderson Valley, no trip is complete without a visit to Roederer. Grab a bottle of bubbles to enjoy with an ocean view if you are headed to the coast or to set aside for your next special occasion.
Roederer welcomes guests seven days a week, by appointment. They also offer tours by appointment.
10. Anderson Valley Wineries: Toulouse Vineyards
Owners Vern and Maxine picked up and moved to the Anderson Valley from the city (Oakland in the Bay Area) in the late 90’s and by 2002 they were making wine. The Toulouse Vineyards tasting room opened shortly after. The deck that is attached to the Toulouse tasting room is perched overlooking redwood forests, Navarro river, and Hendly Woods, and is widely thought of as one of the best winery views in Anderson Valley.
Like the other wineries on this list, Toulouse focuses on using sustainable farming (including primarily organic farming) and winemaking practices and highlighting the region’s unique terroir. Their range of wines includes aromatic whites such as Pinot Gris and Gewurztraminer (these are my two favorite Toulouse wines!) and they make 2-3 different Anderson Valley Pinot Noirs including one that is carbonically macerated (think chillable red).
Toulouse is open to the public Thursday-Monday for tastings by appointment from 11 am to 5 pm.
11. Something Different! An Orchard Cider Tasting Experience with Gowan’s Heirloom Ciders
Enjoy cider in its purest form, made where the apples grow, while you relax in the shade of hundred-year-old apple trees. Book a Cider Tasting in the Orchard experience at Gowan’s heirloom cider in the Anderson Valley. Gowan’s crafts world-class ciders with organic heirloom apples sourced exclusively from their heritage apple orchards. The cidery also offers delicious hard cider slushies and hot spiced cider (both the alcoholic and non-alcoholic kind) at their orchard cider bar.
Established in 1876, Gowan’s family farm spans six generations over 144 years, though they’ve only been making ciders commercially for a decade. They started offering orchard cider-tasting experiences in early 2021. These guys are among my top favorite cideries in California and I always stop by their orchards or grab some bottles of their cider when I pass through the Anderson Valley!
Anderson Valley Wine Events
The Anderson Valley hosts a few fantastic annual weekend wine events, The Anderson Valley White Wine Festival in February, the Anderson Valley Pinot Noir Festival in May, and the Harvest Tidrick Celebration in October. If you haven’t had the chance to attend one of these events, I highly recommend planning a trip to the Anderson Valley around one of them. These festivals offer a wonderful opportunity to taste wines and visit wineries that might not be possible otherwise, and normally include a lot of great food prepared by the wineries for event attendees to enjoy with the wines.
Word to the wise-book your accommodation well in advance if you are attending one of these popular weekend events.
Other Mendocino County posts:
Mendocino Wine Tasting-Drew Family Cellars
Anderson Valley Accommodation Recommendations:
A list of some of my favorite places to stay are-The Boonville Hotel, the guest quarters at The Madrones, and the Philo Apple Farm. For pet-friendly accommodation, check out Sheep Dung Properties.