Just three hours North of San Francisco and 45 minutes South of Mendocino is a wine region that although is getting more and more recognition each year, it’s still a bit unknown especially compared to its famous neighbors, Sonoma and Napa. After visiting all three wine regions last month, I can say that Anderson Valley may differ from those two wine regions but it can definitely hold it’s own!
My favorite parts of the Anderson Valley wine region were
- REALLY YUMMY WINE
- You meet many of the owners because it is a much smaller region than Napa or Sonoma
- The tastings were either free or $10. (I have no problem paying more for tastings but sometimes it’s hard to justify paying $100 for a tasting!)
- The views are stunning
- It felt very laid back. We wore hiking clothes one day and jeans and a flannel the other.
- For the most part the service was great and we learned a lot about the region!
Keep in mind, we were visiting in late February so the wineries weren’t near as busy as they can get. We even missed out on visiting a few because their hours were down to a few days. The weather was perfect and oddly warm for this time of year but even without that bonus, I think late February early March is an awesome time to visit this area. Here are my favorite wineries from the trip listed in alphabetical order.
Lula Cellars
We drove by this one a few times and almost skipped it until a local told us we had to go. We are so glad we did, we loved Lula Cellars and Dan who is one of the owners. If you meet Dan, he is a jokester so be prepared to have an entertaining experience, when we left our cheeks hurt from laughing so much. We left with a few bottles of their wine and personally loved the Pinot Noirs and their Rosé. Their rosé was such a beautiful light color and we just enjoyed our experience here so much!
Navarro Vineyards
This winery is one that has received a lot of attention in Anderson Valley and for good reason! In 2015 Navarro Vineyards won Best California Winery. Just to put that in perspective, California is home to almost 4,000 wineries. I tried 12 of their many wines and loved them all. Yes, I drink anything and everything but I am telling you these wines were really good and the views from their tasting room were even better. When we were here, David took care of us and it was absolutely wonderful.
Pennyroyal Farm
This winery, Pennyroyal Farm, was my personal favorite in Anderson Valley. What’s so cool is it was started by the daughter of the owners of Navarro Vineyards and it’s not only a winery but also a creamery and the cheese was amazing! Oh, and it’s run entirely by women, you gotta love that. You can also get lunch here and they have an option for a cheese and wine pairing. If you’re here in the summer definitely book a farm tour because they introduce you to their animals and also give you a tasting we heard it is awesome.
Same as Navarro, I enjoyed all of their wines but particularly loved their Sauvignon Blanc, Brut Cuvee and their 2017 Pinot Noir Big Hendy Reserve. After our tasting, we purchased a bottle of their Bruit Cuvée and enjoyed it with some deviled eggs on their patio while enjoying their beautiful views.
Phillips Hill Winery
This was one we probably one wouldn’t have stopped at because we had such a long list already, but David at Navarro Vineyards said it was a must and we are so glad we listened. At Phillips Hill, we met the owner, Natascha and she poured us six of their wines and we really enjoyed them. She and her husband run the place on their own and she was so kind and taught us so much about the area and her passion for wine. We left with a bottle of their riesling which we loved because it reminded us of home and our wine region in Traverse City, Michigan.
Roederer Estate
Another one of our absolute favorites was our stop at Roderer Estate. You may have heard of the famous Louis Roderer? If not, it’s a champagne house that was started back in 1776! Well, this is their California product and it is DAMN good. We went home with a bottle of their Brut Rose but loved pretty much everything we tried, they have awesome sparkling wines.
The picture I posted above just doesn’t do this view justice at all but I was able to find one they took back in fall on their Instagram and this is what the view looks out into the mountains, absolutely stunning.
Overall, we went to 12 wineries in Anderson Valley and had an absolute blast exploring this wine region. Some others we really enjoyed were Husch Vineyards, Toulouse Vineyards, Greenwood Ridge Vineyards, and Balo Vineyards. Click the link to see a full list of the vineyards and wineries in Anderson Valley! Have you been to Anderson Valley? What were your favorite wineries? Click the link to read more about our trip to California!
