Welcome to Mendocino Wine Country

Anderson Valley Itinerary

About 100 miles north of San Francisco, round more curves and bends in the road than I’d care to recount, the tiny hamlet of Boonville (population 750 give or take) funnels handfuls, rather than busloads, of visitors into the Anderson Valley.

Since the mid 1980’s when vineyards started replacing apple and pear orchards along this remote stretch of Highway 128, its been a relatively quiet, friendly area where vintners, farmers and progressives camped in the hills would gather at the corner store, grab lunch and head back out into the fields and forests.

But word is slowly getting out about the Pinot Potential in this area, with its cool, ocean breezes and warm valley days. In droves, winemakers from Napa and beyond are buying up land and boosting its Pinot Noir plantings from 350 acres to 1200 in just a few years.

Its remote location, accessible only from Ukiah to the east, over a narrow and winding road through the mountains, or from Cloverdale to the south, through equally stomach-churning Hwy 128 has served to keep away the hoards for now, and welcome only those few who are willing to make the journey. The reward, however, is a glimpse of a still-unchanged agricultural community, flavored with the cooperative communal spirit of the counter-culturalists and old-timers who inhabit much of the region, and the sometimes quirky, but always unique restaurants, hotels and tasting rooms of the Valley.

Boonville: There are only a handful of restaurants and shops in town, and many are only open Thursday through Sunday. The Boonville Hotel is a hip, electic inn downtown that serves dinner most nights. With an urban-style lounge and casual dining room, the menu features local produce with items like pork and shitake dumplings, Niman ranch limburgers, curried pawn brochette with Apple Farm chutney (chef Johnny Schmidt helps to run the biodynamic Apple Farm, as well as the hotel) and steak. Be flexible, however, as the menu changes nightly. Boonville Hotel,

If you’re looking for a quick bite during the week, the Redwood Drive Inn (13980 Hwy 128, Boonville, 707-895-3441) serves up hamburgers and fries from the grill. Across the street, the tiny, low-ceilinged Boont Berry Farm Store (13981 Hwy 128, 707-895-3576) has a deli-case full with dishes of homemade potato salad, Thai coleslaw, and other fresh-made goodies. It’s worth a stop, just to gab with the locals who gather here. For a quick coffee or shortbread pick-me-up, stop in at Glad Café & Bakery, 14111 Hwy 128, Boonville, 707-895-3038.

Keep an eye out for: The local dialect, Boontling, is a country language still spoken by a few of the older folks. Payphones are called “Bucky Walters”, girlfriends are called “Appleheads” and kids are called “weeches”. There are nearly 1,000 unique words and phrases in the language that still permeates this close-knit region.

Apple Detour: A small sign points down Greenwood Road to the Apple Farm, where the Bates family sells apples, cider and chutneys. Hardly a rural outpost, the Bates were the founders of the French Laundry in Yountville (prior to Thomas Keller’s arrival) and conduct cooking classes and host overnight guests at the property. Wander through the gardens, pick a bag of apples, or just savor the smells of cinnamon, sugar and cooking apples floating from the kitchen.The Apple Farm, 18501 Greenwood Road, Philo, 707.895.2461.  Also along the way is Gowan’s Oak Tree (6600  Hwy. 128, Philo, 707.895.3353) selling a variety of produce including apples, cherries, plums and berries when each is in season.

Goldeneye Winery:  Owned by Napa’s famed Duckhorn winery, the small yellow farmhouse tasting room of Goldeneye straddles the line between the elegance of Napa and the casual charm of the Anderson Valley. Instead of a wine bar, tasters are invited to sit at a farmhouse table (set with Riedel glasses) and sip the winery’s Anderson Valley Pinot or Migration, a new label produced by the winery to showcase not just estate grapes, but those of other growers in the valley. The wines are paired with mini tastes of cheese and meat to explore the pairing options of these exquisite wines. Don’t look for anything but Pinot, here, though. The winery is focused exclusively on this difficult, but magnificent grape. Goldeneye Winery, 9200 Highway 128, Philo, 707-895-3202.

Scharffenberger Cellars: Before there was Scharffen Berger chocolate, there was Scharffenberger wine. Grown with the now-famous chocolatier’s attention to how the grapes are grown, and using European production methods Scharffenberger makes several Pinot Noir-based Brut and Extra Dry Sparkling Wine, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. The winery was sold in 1995 to European Champagne giant, Moet Chandon. The tasting room offers juice, crayons and a table for children. Scharffenberger Cellars, 8501 Highway 128, Philo, (800) 824-7754.

Navarro Vineyards: Set your watch to local time as you enter the Valley—leisurely and chatty. Navarro is quintessentially local, starting as a family-run winery in 1973 and employing a staff of friendly, helpful folks to run the place. Rhone varietals are a specialty here, with Gewurztraminer as the shining star. On a warm day in the Valley, the crisp, refreshing white wines, like the Pinot Gris and Rose make strolling out onto the deck with a glass of wine a spiritual experience. Prices here are especially reasonable, with only the ’98 Pinot running over $20. But buy while you’re visiting—the winery doesn’t sell in stores. The story is that the owner couldn’t get retailers interested in his wines early on, but once they did catch on with consumers, he had the last laugh, refusing to sell outside of the winery--vintage Philo/Boonvillian. There is no tasting fee, and the winery offers a small selection of meats and cheese for sale, should an impromptu deck picnic strike your fancy.  (Wines are available by phone, on the Internet and in selected restaurants.) Navarro Vineyards, 5601 Hwy 128 · Philo, 1-800-537-WINE.

Roederer Estate: At the far end of the Valley is one of the premiere makers of sparkling wine, Roederer Estate. Owned by the French producer of Cristal, Roeder is the champagne of stars, dignitaries and presidents—as evidenced by celebrity photos on the walls of the winery. The winery is set up, as well, to efficiently serve connoisseurs of bubbly, with a long bar that spans nearly the length of the winery. Tasting fee is $3—a heck of a deal for this caliber of wine. 4501 Highway 128, Philo (707) 895-2288