There is a special sense of peacefulness in Anderson Valley that you rarely find these days in wine country. Recently, while in Northern California wine country we visited Anderson Valley, Mendocino County. Amid the valley's amazing scenery there are many wonderful wineries, with quaint towns along the route. Anderson Valley wine country is located just north of Sonoma County, about a two-and-a-half hour drive from San Francisco or Napa, and roughly 30-45 minutes from Healdsburg. Once you arrive you can let the magic of Anderson Valley wine country unfold.
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| Anderson Valley, Mendocino County © Spaswinefood |
Based on our Anderson Valley travels the following wineries are amongst my favorites for sparkling (Scharffenberger Cellars and Roederer Estate) and still wines (Domaine Anderson, Husch Vineyards, Navarro Vineyards and Winery, Handley Cellars, and Baxter Winery):
1. Scharffenberger Cellars
Scharffenberger Cellars, an Anderson Valley acquisition by Louis Roederer, was included in our wine country itinerary. Roederer’s Anderson Valley wineries (Scharffenberger Cellars and Roederer Estate) are sparkling wine producers, while Domaine Anderson specializes in still wines. Beyond finding a special sense of peacefulness in Mendocino County's Anderson Valley, Roederer has obviously discovered something unique here for producing Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Given that we had earlier visited Domaine Anderson and Roederer Estate, on that summer day Scharffenberger Cellars was our Anderson Valley wine country stop.
Scharffenberger Cellars, located in the heart of the Anderson Valley began operation in 1981. Under the pioneering leadership of John Scharffenberger, its founder, the winery embarked on a mission to craft unparalleled California sparkling wine, which would rival the best in the world. By 1995 John was recognized as an innovator in the Anderson Valley wine region. His brand’s prestige attracted the attention of Champagne Pommery, who became a partner in 1989. Later John would sell his share of the business to pursue other avenues outside of the wine industry. After a number of changes in ownership, Scharffenberger Cellars in 2002, became a member of the Roederer Collection, under the ownership of Maison Louis Roederer.
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| Roederer Estate, Anderson Valley © Spaswinefood |
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| Entrance to Roederer Estate © Spaswinefood |
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| Anderson Valley's Roederer Estate © Spaswinefood |
1. Domaine Anderson
Domaine Anderson, the youngest Anderson Valley acquisition by Louis Roederer, specializes in still wines, making it distinct from Roederer’s other Anderson Valley sparkling wine wineries (Roederer Estate and Scharffenberger Cellars), which farms about half of all the valley’s vineyard acreage for its two sparkling wine productions.
I still recall a most delightful wine tasting at Domaine Anderson. After we decided on Rosé of Pinot Noir for our picnic lunch.
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| Domaine Anderson, Rose of Pinot Noir © Spaswinefood |
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| Domaine Anderson, Rosé of Pinot Noir in the Glass © Spaswinefood |
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| Toasting the Arrival of Summer, Domaine Anderson © Spaswinefood |
Sitting in the shade of the majestic oak tree at Domaine Anderson was the perfect way to begin our Summer wine country travels.
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| Below the Tree, Domaine Anderson © Spaswinefood |
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| In the Shade, Domaine Anderson © Spaswinefood |
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| Domaine Anderson Estate Vineyard © Spaswinefood |
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| Estate Vineyard, Domaine Anderson © Spaswinefood |
2. Husch Vineyards
Husch Vineyards, a small, family owned winery, was founded in 1971, Husch is the oldest winery in the picturesque Anderson Valley. Under the direction of 3rd generation family members. Husch Vineyards produces 22 different wines, of which six are distributed nationally. Small lots of special wines are available exclusively at their tasting room, a converted pony barn dating back to the late 1800s.
Their vineyards include some of the earliest varietal plantings on the valley floor. In 1967 Tony and Gretchen Husch bought the 60-acre Nunn ranch between Philo and Navarro on Highway 128. The land was well known for growing apples and grains. They soon planted eight acres of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Gewurztraminer grapes on the cool slopes of the property. The plantings sweep down towards the pristine Navarro River. The first official crush was in the fall of 1971.
In 1979, Hugo Oswald Jr. bought the 6,000 cases of Husch Winery wines from the Husch family. The Oswald family had been growing pears in the Santa Clara Valley, but when the area expanded they sold the land and headed for the southern tip of Mendocino County. Today Husch Vineyards remains owned and operated by the 3rd generation of the Oswald family, Zac Robinson and Amanda Robinson Holstine. Winemaking is under the direction of Brad Holstine (Amanda's husband). Al White who is in charge of all viticulture operations, has been with Husch since 1974. Through the years Husch has modernized and expanded, but it has never lost its initial rustic charm, or its reputation for great wines.
After exploring a little we headed into the tasting room.
We so enjoyed tasting at Hutch Vineyards that it was not difficult to select a case of wines to be shipped to our home address.
3. Navarro Vineyards and Winery
Navarro Vineyards and Winery, an Anderson Valley's iconic winery, has pioneered wine making in the area. Their wines represent a diversity of what Mendocino County has to offer.
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| Navarro Vineyards & Winery © Spaswinefood |
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| Navarro Estate Vineyard © Spaswinefood |
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| Navarro Vineyards & Winery © Spaswinefood |
4. Handley Cellars
Handley Cellars, a small, family-owned winery, was founded in 1982. It is located six miles northwest of Philo, California, on Highway 128. As you arrive at the property you will see a refurbished ranch house, barn, and the original water tower.
Milla Handley, one of Anderson Valley's wine pioneers founded Handley Cellars. Handley was, not only a visionary for the remote and rural Anderson Valley, which she helped put on the map, but also she was a trailblazer for women in wine. In 1975, Handley became one of the first University of California at Davis female graduates in fermentation science. In 1982, she became the first woman winemaker in the United States to establish a namesake winery. Milla Handley is known for producing balanced wines that possess distinctive varietal characteristics, reflecting the soil and climate in which they were grown. The current winemaker, Randy Schock, carries on this wine making tradition. Milla’s daughter Lulu now runs Handley Cellars, with the help of her husband Scott Handley and their son.
Their CCOF Certified Organic Estate Vineyards (59 acres) has been certified since 2005. They are located at the northwest end of the Anderson Valley on the original Guntly Ranch. Their wines include Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Alsatian/aromatic varietals.
We enjoyed our Handley Cellars wine tasting in their courtyard area.
Leaving Handley Cellars I stopped to take in those vineyard views.
Baxter Winery
Baxter Winery, a small premium producer of Pinot Noir, is located on Anderson Valley coastal ridge top. They produce 2000 cases of single vineyard wines (Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and some hard-to-find varieties). Baxter Winery produces world-class wines that consistently gain excellent reviews.
After reading the below description from their website I just had to visit:
" Phillip Baxter studied winemaking at UC Davis before spending a six month internship at a winery in Burgundy, France. There he contributed to wines from 33 different vineyards from village to grand cru wines, ranging from Pommard to Gevrey-Chambertin. This experience heavily influenced Phillip’s approach to winemaking - he learnt traditional methods that he continues to use to this day.
Another shaping influence in Phillip’s career is his veteran winemaker father, who he worked alongside for many years and who originally inspired him to enter the winemaking field.
Baxter wines are truly made by Phillip’s own hand, with traditional French cellar techniques such as: a five day cold soak; slow wild yeast fermentation; punchdowns done by hand; a gentle basket press and an extra long aging regime with minimal intervention. We age our wines in 100% neutral French oak barrels to ensure the vineyard and fruit is the focus, not the oak. Our fruit is always hand-harvested and often fermented partial whole-cluster. The craftsmanship and quality shows through in the finished wines.
Phillip met his English wife, Claire, during his university days when they were both studying for a year abroad at the University of Grenoble, France. Their’s is a long winding love story, starting in Grenoble and culminating in their marriage in the Napa Valley in 2010 when Claire subsequently joined the business. They live on the rural ridge top at Baxter Winery and have two young children. Claire works from the winery office running the business alongside Phillip, as well as overseeing the wine club and tasting room, which were her early initiatives. "
When we visited their tasting room we were introduced to their white and red wines.
More on Anderson Valley Wine Country
Meanwhile, during a Mendocino visit, over diner at the Trillium Restaurant, while John enjoyed a glass of Anderson Valley Pinot Noir, I had a glass of Roederer Estate Brut. It is good to see local restaurants offering a good selection of Anderson Valley wines.
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| Trillium Restaurant, Mendocino © Spaswinefood |
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| Mendocino County © Spaswinefood |
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| Toulouse Vineyards & Winery, Anderson Valley © Spaswinefood |
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| Boonville, Mendocino County © Spaswinefood |
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Anderson Valley's Roederer Estate © Spaswinefood |
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